Help:System messages

System messages provide a means for customising the look and feel of a wiki. Because their impact is system-wide, only admins and above normally have access to them. Others may look, but they may not edit.

See Special:Allmessages for a list of all system messages. Be warned, this is a very long page, which can slow old browsers.

Appearance

 * Common.css - The global stylesheet for your wiki.
 * Common.js  - Helps determine what tools are available to all users.
 * Tagline      - Just below the main heading of each page, there is a tagline just under the line. This controls the text of that tagline.

Customising the built-in Editor

 * bold_sample - Default auto text if the Bold button in the editor is used without highlighting anything.
 * bold_tip - Default value="Bold Text". This controls a tool tip in the Editing Screen.
 * headline_sample - Default auto text if the Headline button in the editor is used without highlighting anything.
 * headline_tip - Default value="Level 2 headline".This controls a tool tip in the Editing Screen.
 * Hr tip - Default value="Horizontal line (use sparingly)". This controls a tool tip in the Editing Screen.
 * image_sample - Default auto text if the Image button in the editor is used without highlighting anything..
 * image_tip - Default value="Embedded Image". This controls a tool tip in the Editing Screen.
 * italic_sample - Default auto text if the Italic button in the editor is used without highlighting anything.
 * italic_tip - Default value="Italic text".This controls a tool tip in the Editing Screen.


 * editingold - This message shows up when the version being edited is not the most recent one. While normally not recommended, it is the method generally used for reverting vandalism.
 * explainconflict - This message will turn up anytime two or more people are editing the same page at the same time. Who ever finishes first get to save as is, everyone else will get the conflict message.

Customizing the Special Pages page
Chances are you really aren't going to have any need to change any of these options. But if you are working in an unsupported language, knowing about these could be helpful. Most of these are self-explanatory.

Customizing the System messages Page

 * allmessages - Default heading for this page is "System messages"
 * allmessagestext - Default description line is "This is a list of system messages available in the MediaWiki: namespace.".
 * allmessagesname - Default text="Name". Heading for the first column of the table. The next two system messages control the headings for the second column. Depending on whether the system message has been modified, there may be one or two boxes shown for the system message. The upper box will show the original default text, and if relevant a second box will show the current text as modified.
 * allmessagesdefault - Default text="Default text"
 * allmessagescurrent - Default text="Current text"

Exif Messages
There are a series of system messages starting with the prefix of exif. These all relate to information pertaining to photographs taken with a Digital Camera. Unless you are familiar with the technical aspects of the exif standard, you are probably better off leaving these particular messages alone. For more information on the exif standard check out the article on Wikipedia.

File Links
Look to the left of any page, and you will see a toolbox with an option called "What links here". Click on that and you will be shown a page of links from pages linking to the page you are looking at. The following control aspects of that page.


 * linkshere - default text="The following pages link to here:".

File Management
1movedto2 1movedto2_redir

These relate to the renaming of files, which is done by moving a file from one name to another.

Image Page Settings

 * imagelinks - Heading for the section listing all pages using the graphic image.
 * imghistlegend - Describes the File History section.
 * imghistlegend - Heading for the File History section.

Labels

 * aboutsite - Default value="About ". This is the link that is found at the bottom of every page that leads to the page describing what the wiki is about.
 * Contribslink - Default value="Contribs". Controls one of the labels used in the Recent Changes report.
 * Contribsub - Default value="For $1". This label used by the User Contributions report.
 * Edit - Default value="Edit". Controls the Edit tab at the top of each page.
 * Hidetoc - Default value="hide". Part of the Table of contents box. When the label is clicked the box is reduce to just a single line.
 * History - Default value="Page history". In the Recent Changes report, each page listed has an option labeled Page history. This is where the label is controlled.
 * Imagelist - Default value="File list". Label used in Special Pages to refer to the list of uploaded files.
 * Showtoc - Default value="Show". Similar to hidetoc except that clicking expands the box.
 * Toc - Default value="Contents". Shows up anytime a table of contents is automatically generated as part of an article.

Navigation

 * aboutpage - default value="   :About". This provides the name of the file to be linked to, that describes what the wiki is about.
 * sidebar - This controls the navigation box on the left hand side of the screen. Also have a look at Sidebar configuration.
 * Mainpage - Set the official Main Page for the Wiki.

Message Texts
Why would you want to muck with these messages? Probably you wouldn't. Exceptions would be to improved readability from the standpoint of your target audience. Particularly if you expect them to be accustomed to a language different from the defaults.
 * activeusersintro - Text to be displayed at the top of the Active Users page.
 * activeusersline - This controls the line for each active user in the Active Users List Page.
 * addedwatchtext - Text to be displayed when a user has chosen to watch a new page.
 * anontalkpagetext - Default auto text for when the talk page of an anonymous IP is written to.
 * brokenredirectstext - Default text="The following redirects link to non-existent pages:". Redirects are typically the result of having moved a page from one name to another. Occasionally the page being redirected to will disappear for whatever the reason, and the redirect will then be broken.
 * categoriespagetext - Text description shown on the Special:Categories page.
 * categoryarticlecount - Message giving the number of articles in a given category. It is found just above the list of articles on any category page looked at.
 * category_header - Message header indicating which category the category page is for.
 * Copyrightwarning2 - Allows you to change or add text appearing underneath the editbox and save button while editing a page. Good to use, to say, give users a link to the sandbox rather than them testing out on any random page.
 * newarticletext - This is the message that you get when you follow a link to a page that doesn't exist yet.
 * Noarticletext - Message used in connection with the Search button used for searching.
 * Nogomatch - Message used in connection with the Go button used for searching.
 * Recentchangestext - Controls the text at the top of the Recent Changes Page.
 * Sitenotice - This has a special purpose. It is usually used for making announcements. Whatever is placed in it will go above the page title.
 * Tagline - Allows you to change the text which can be enabled to appear under the article title

Page Headings
These only affect the page headings of certain messages that are displayed to users when they have done something.


 * activeuserstitle - Default heading for this page is "Active Users"
 * addedwatch - This shows up anytime a logged in user adds a page to their watch list.
 * ancientpages - Default heading for this page is "Oldest pages". One of the reports available from Special Pages
 * Contributions - Heading for the page that lists all edits made by a given user. The change will also show up in the Toolbox when relevant.
 * listusers - Default heading for this page is "User list". One of the reports available from Special Pages. By default, it lists every single person that has registered anywhere on Wikia. The page can also be used to identify Sysops and Bureaucrats for the local wiki.

Uploading Files
The following messages relate to uploading files.


 * linkstoimage - Default text ="The following pages link to this file:", this message will be found on pages that hold the files that have been uploaded, and announces the list of pages that actually use the file.
 * uploadtext - the lead text used on the page for uploading files.