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A '''namespace''' is a way of separating types of content on a wiki; groups of pages with similar purposes can be grouped together, and can be searched and listed separately from each other. Each page belongs to exactly one namespace. They are used for various reasons:
   
 
* Allow separation of wiki content from help and policy pages ''about'' the creation of content;
A '''namespace''' is a way of separating types of content on a wikia; groups of pages with similar purposes can be grouped together, and can be searched and listed separately from each other. Each page belongs to exactly one namespace.
 
 
* Allow separation of different kinds of unrelated content;
 
* Allow control of which content is indexed by search engines;
 
* Provide some special features related to the namespace's intended purpose;
 
* Provide facilities to limit searches to a particular area;
 
* Allow easy exporting.
   
The namespace of a page is indicated by the word preceding the colon in the page title. For example, "Talk:Pagename" is a page in the "talk" namespace, and is used to describe a page called ''pagename''. If there is no prefix (or the prefix does not match an existing namespace) the page belongs to the "Main" or "article" namespace of that wikia.
+
The namespace of a page is indicated by the word preceding the colon in the page title, a prefix. For example, "Talk:Pagename" is a page in the "talk" namespace, and is used to describe a page called ''pagename''. If there is no prefix (or the prefix does not match an existing namespace) the page belongs to the "Main" or "article" namespace of that wiki.
   
[[Help:Custom namespaces|Custom namespaces]] can be created on a wikia if the standard ones do not meet the needs of that Wikia project.
+
[[Help:Custom namespaces|Custom namespaces]] can be created on a wiki if the standard ones do not meet the needs of that community's project. If a namespace doesn't exist, pages with prefixes can be created, but will be automatically placed in the main or article namespace. If a namespace is created ''after'' these articles are created, they will have to be manually moved to the new namespace.
   
 
== What are the basic namespaces? ==
Namespaces are used for the following reasons:
 
 
[[File:AllPages.png|thumb|You can see a list of all the namespaces on your wiki by going to [[Special:AllPages]] and clicking the dropdown menu next to "Namespace"]]
 
'''Main''' or '''article''' namespace (<code><nowiki>{{ns:0}}</nowiki></code>) is the informational content of the wiki. On Wikipedia, this would be an encyclopedia article. It is the default namespace and does not use a prefix. Only the Main namespace is indexed by public search engines such as Google or Bing.
   
 
'''Project''' namespace's use varies. On some wikis, this namespace is used for policies and guidelines, deletion discussions, requests for administrator rights, and other behind-the-scenes details; other wikis use it for other purposes, or don't use it at all. Its prefix is the [[Help:Sitename|title of your wiki]] (the same title displayed in the <code><nowiki>{{SITENAME}}</nowiki></code> variable). If you don't know the name of the wiki (or just don't want to bother to type it,) you can use the shortcut, "Project:" as a substitute. This will be converted automatically to the real name of the wiki. For example, on the Community Central wiki, [[Project:Admins]] will link to the same page that [[Community Central:Admins]] does.<span id="Project"></span>
* allow separation of wikia content from help and policy pages ''about'' the creation of content;
 
* allow separation of different kinds of unrelated content;
 
* allow control of which content is indexed by search engines;
 
* provide some special features related to the namespace's intended purpose;
 
* provide facilities to limit searches to a particular area;
 
* allow easy exporting.
 
   
 
'''User''' namespace is used for information about users of the wiki. A user has a main [[Help:Profiles|user page]] and possibly some [[mw:Help:Subpages|sub-pages]]. The main user page is linked from page histories and from recent changes. A user page has links to a user's talk page and contributions.<span id="User"></span>
==What namespaces do all wikias have?==
 
   
 
'''File''' namespace is used for uploaded files, and pages in it can also be referred to ''[[Help:File description pages|file description pages]]'' (in fact, the previous prefix <code>Image:</code> is a synonym for this namespace). They are used for information about images or other files. Every image file uploaded will show the information given in the upload summary on the file description page.<span id="File"></span>
By default, every wikia has 18 namespaces, and 2 special namespaces. [[Help:Custom namespaces|Custom namespaces]] can also be created.
 
   
 
'''MediaWiki''' namespace contains behind-the-scenes code and messages such as link labels and color schemes. These are only editable by a wiki's [[Help:User rights#Adminisrators|administrators]]. An automatically generated list of all interface messages can be found at [[Special:AllMessages]]. See [[Help:System messages]] for more.<span id="MediaWiki"></span>
{| class="article-table" border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"
 
  +
 
'''Template''' namespace can be used for small standard texts which need to be inserted on a number of pages. Templates can be things like [[Help:Infoboxes|infoboxes]] or items in a list. They can be inserted with <code><nowiki>{{</nowiki>Template name<nowiki>}}</nowiki></code>; see [[Help:Templates]] for a more in-depth description.<span id="Template"></span>
  +
 
'''Category''' namespace contains categories of pages, with each displaying a list of pages in that category and optional additional text; see [[Help:Categories]].<span id="Category"></span>
  +
  +
'''Help''' namespace is for help pages. Links to the Help namespace will redirect you to Community Central, if the article exists on Community Central. Wikis can also add new help pages that are unique to their wiki in this namespace.<span id="Help"></span>
  +
 
== What are the additional namespaces? ==
 
'''Forum''' namespace can be used for threaded forum messages. These are normally conversations and questions for the entire wiki to contribute in. See [[Help:Wiki-style forums]]. ''Note: It is suggested to use [[Help:Discussions|Discussions]] instead.''<span id="Forum"></span>
  +
  +
== What are the talk namespaces? ==
 
Except for special pages, each namespace has an associated talk namespace. The talk namespaces are designated by adding ''talk:'' to the normal prefix. For example, the talk namespace associated with the unprefixed main article namespace has the prefix ''Talk:'', while the talk namespace associated with the ''User:'' namespace has the prefix ''User talk:''. Most of the pages in the talk namespaces are used to discuss changes to the corresponding page in the associated namespace.
  +
 
Pages in the ''user talk namespace'' are useful for leaving messages for a particular user, since they will get automatic notification of any messages left there; see [[Help:Profiles]].
  +
  +
== What are virtual namespaces? ==
 
There are two virtual namespaces that do not relate to pages stored in the database.
  +
 
'''Special''' pages, or the special namespace, are automatically generated and uneditable pages, such as [[Special:RecentChanges]] or [[Special:UserLogin]]. They're vital to the MediaWiki software.
  +
 
The '''Media''' prefix can be used to link directly to any file or sound clip, in the form <code><nowiki>[[Media:Image.jpg]]</nowiki></code> or <code><nowiki>[[Media:Sound.ogg]]</nowiki></code>, rather than linking to the image description page.
  +
 
== What namespaces do all communities have? ==
 
By default, every wiki has 18 namespaces and 2 special namespaces from MediaWiki core, 18 namespaces provided by currently supported extensions. [[Help:Custom namespaces|Custom namespaces]] can also be created.
  +
  +
{| class="article-table"
 
|-
 
|-
!Namespace Code
+
! Namespace Code
!Namespace Name
+
! Namespace Name
!Notes
+
! Notes
 
|-
 
|-
| <code><nowiki>{{ns:Media}}</nowiki></code>
+
| <code><nowiki>{{ns:-2}}</nowiki></code>
|{{ns:Media}}
+
| {{ns:-2}}
 
|
 
|
 
|-
 
|-
|<code><nowiki>{{ns:Special}}</nowiki></code>
+
| <code><nowiki>{{ns:-1}}</nowiki></code>
|{{ns:Special}}
+
| {{ns:-1}}
|Special pages on your wikia
+
| See [[Help:Special pages]].
 
|-
 
|-
|<code><nowiki>{{ns:0}}</nowiki></code>
+
| <code><nowiki>{{ns:0}}</nowiki></code>
|Main
+
| Main
|Main namespace for regular wikia articles
+
| Main namespace for regular wiki articles.
 
|-
 
|-
|<code><nowiki>{{ns:1}}</nowiki></code>
+
| <code><nowiki>{{ns:1}}</nowiki></code>
|{{ns:1}}
+
| {{ns:1}}
|[[Help:Talk pages|Discussion pages]] for regular wikia articles
+
| [[Help:Talk pages|Discussion pages]] for regular wiki articles.
 
|-
 
|-
|<code><nowiki>{{ns:2}}</nowiki></code>
+
| <code><nowiki>{{ns:2}}</nowiki></code>
|{{ns:2}}
+
| {{ns:2}}
 
|
 
|
 
|-
 
|-
|<code><nowiki>{{ns:3}}</nowiki></code>
+
| <code><nowiki>{{ns:3}}</nowiki></code>
|{{ns:3}}
+
| {{ns:3}}
 
|
 
|
|- valign="top"
+
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
|<code><nowiki>{{ns:4}}</nowiki></code>
+
| <code><nowiki>{{ns:4}}</nowiki></code>
|Project<br/>("{{ns:4}}")
+
| Project<br />("{{ns:4}}")
|Uses the wiki's [[Help:Sitename|sitename]]
+
| Uses the wiki's [[Help:Sitename|sitename]].
|- valign="top"
+
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
|<code><nowiki>{{ns:5}}</nowiki></code>
+
| <code><nowiki>{{ns:5}}</nowiki></code>
|Project talk<br/>("{{ns:5}}")
+
| Project talk<br />("{{ns:5}}")
|
 
|-
 
|<code><nowiki>{{ns:6}}</nowiki></code>
 
|{{ns:6}}
 
 
|
 
|
 
|-
 
|-
|<code><nowiki>{{ns:7}}</nowiki></code>
+
| <code><nowiki>{{ns:6}}</nowiki></code>
|{{ns:7}}
+
| {{ns:6}}
 
|
 
|
 
|-
 
|-
|<code><nowiki>{{ns:8}}</nowiki></code>
+
| <code><nowiki>{{ns:7}}</nowiki></code>
|{{ns:8}}
+
| {{ns:7}}
 
|
 
|
 
|-
 
|-
|<code><nowiki>{{ns:9}}</nowiki></code>
+
| <code><nowiki>{{ns:8}}</nowiki></code>
|{{ns:9}}
+
| {{ns:8}}
 
|
 
|
 
|-
 
|-
|<code><nowiki>{{ns:10}}</nowiki></code>
+
| <code><nowiki>{{ns:9}}</nowiki></code>
|{{ns:10}}
+
| {{ns:9}}
 
|
 
|
 
|-
 
|-
|<code><nowiki>{{ns:11}}</nowiki></code>
+
| <code><nowiki>{{ns:10}}</nowiki></code>
|{{ns:11}}
+
| {{ns:10}}
 
|
 
|
 
|-
 
|-
|<code><nowiki>{{ns:12}}</nowiki></code>
+
| <code><nowiki>{{ns:11}}</nowiki></code>
|{{ns:12}}
+
| {{ns:11}}
 
|
 
|
 
|-
 
|-
|<code><nowiki>{{ns:13}}</nowiki></code>
+
| <code><nowiki>{{ns:12}}</nowiki></code>
|{{ns:13}}
+
| {{ns:12}}
 
|
 
|
 
|-
 
|-
|<code><nowiki>{{ns:14}}</nowiki></code>
+
| <code><nowiki>{{ns:13}}</nowiki></code>
|{{ns:14}}
+
| {{ns:13}}
 
|
 
|
 
|-
 
|-
|<code><nowiki>{{ns:15}}</nowiki></code>
+
| <code><nowiki>{{ns:14}}</nowiki></code>
|{{ns:15}}
+
| {{ns:14}}
 
|
 
|
 
|-
 
|-
|<code><nowiki>{{ns:110}}</nowiki></code>
+
| <code><nowiki>{{ns:15}}</nowiki></code>
|{{ns:110}}
+
| {{ns:15}}
| See [[Help:Wiki-style forums]]
 
|-
 
|<code><nowiki>{{ns:111}}</nowiki></code>
 
|{{ns:111}}
 
 
|
 
|
 
|}
 
|}
   
  +
An API query can be used to list all namespaces on a community, including custom namespaces. To do so, replace 'NAME' in the following URL with your community's:
==Namespaces added by default extensions==
 
  +
* <code><nowiki>https://NAME.fandom.com/api.php?action=query&meta=siteinfo&siprop=namespaces|namespacealiases</nowiki></code>
  +
For example, [https://community.fandom.com/api.php?action=query&meta=siteinfo&siprop=namespaces%7Cnamespacealiases Community Central's list].
   
 
== Namespaces added by currently supported extensions ==
{| class="article-table" border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"
 
  +
{| class="article-table"
 
|-
 
|-
!Namespace Code
+
! Namespace Code
!Namespace Name
+
! Namespace Name
!Notes
+
! Notes
 
|-
 
|-
| <code><nowiki>{{ns:400}}</nowiki></code>
+
| <code><nowiki>{{ns:110}}</nowiki></code>
| {{ns:400}}
+
| {{ns:110}}
| See [[Help:Video embed tool]]
+
| Used by the DPLforum extension. See [[Help:Wiki-style forums]].
 
|-
 
|-
|<code><nowiki>{{ns:401}}</nowiki></code>
+
| <code><nowiki>{{ns:111}}</nowiki></code>
|{{ns:401}}
+
| {{ns:111}}
 
|
 
|
 
|-
 
|-
|<code><nowiki>{{ns:500}}</nowiki></code>
+
| <code><nowiki>{{ns:420}}</nowiki></code>
 
| {{ns:420}}
|User blog
 
| See [[Help:Blogs]]
+
| See [[Help:Maps Extension]].
 
|-
 
|-
|<code><nowiki>{{ns:501}}</nowiki></code>
+
| <code><nowiki>{{ns:421}}</nowiki></code>
 
| {{ns:421}}
|User blog comments
 
 
|
 
|
 
|-
 
|-
|<code><nowiki>{{ns:502}}</nowiki></code>
+
| <code><nowiki>{{ns:500}}</nowiki></code>
  +
| {{ns:500}}
|[{{fullurle:homepage:w:Special:Allpages|namespace=502}} {{ns:502}}]
 
 
| See [[Help:Blogs]].
 
|-
 
| <code><nowiki>{{ns:502}}</nowiki></code>
  +
| {{ns:502}}
  +
| Used for bloglists. See [[Help:Blogs]].
 
|-
  +
| <code><nowiki>{{ns:503}}</nowiki></code>
  +
| {{ns:503}}
 
|
 
|
 
|-
 
|-
|<code><nowiki>{{ns:503}}</nowiki></code>
+
|<code><nowiki>{{ns:828}}</nowiki></code>
  +
| {{ns:828}}
|Blog talk
 
 
| See [[Help:Lua]].
 
|-
  +
| <code><nowiki>{{ns:829}}</nowiki></code>
  +
| {{ns:829}}
 
|
 
|
 
|-
 
|-
|nowrap|<code><nowiki>{{ns:1100}}</nowiki></code>
+
| <code><nowiki>{{ns:1200}}</nowiki></code>
  +
| {{ns:1200}}
|Related Videos
 
|See [[Help:Videos module]]
+
| See [[Help:Message Wall]].
 
|-
 
|-
|<code><nowiki>{{ns:1200}}</nowiki></code>
+
| <code><nowiki>{{ns:2300}}</nowiki></code>
  +
| {{ns:2300}}
|Message Wall
 
|See [[Help:Message Wall]]
+
| See [[Help:Gadgets]].
 
|-
 
|-
|<code><nowiki>{{ns:1201}}</nowiki></code>
+
| <code><nowiki>{{ns:2301}}</nowiki></code>
  +
| {{ns:2301}}
|Thread
 
  +
|
|Used by both Message Wall and Forums
 
 
|-
 
|-
|<code><nowiki>{{ns:1202}}</nowiki></code>
+
| <code><nowiki>{{ns:2302}}</nowiki></code>
  +
| {{ns:2302}}
|Message Wall Greeting
 
  +
|
|See [[Help:Message Wall]]
 
 
|-
 
|-
|<code><nowiki>{{ns:2000}}</nowiki></code>
+
| <code><nowiki>{{ns:2303}}</nowiki></code>
  +
| {{ns:2303}}
|Board
 
  +
|
|See [[Help:Forum]]
 
 
|-
 
|-
|<code><nowiki>{{ns:2001}}</nowiki></code>
+
| <code><nowiki>{{ns:2900}}</nowiki></code>
  +
| {{ns:2900}}
|Board Thread
 
|See [[Help:Forum]]
+
| See [[Help:Interactive Maps]].
 
|-
 
|-
|<code><nowiki>{{ns:2002}}</nowiki></code>
+
| <code><nowiki>{{ns:2901}}</nowiki></code>
  +
| {{ns:2901}}
|Topic
 
  +
|
|See [[Help:Forum]]
 
 
|}
 
|}
   
  +
== Namespaces that were added by deprecated extensions ==
==What are the basic namespaces?==
 
  +
The following namespaces were used by extensions which are deprecated and are not in use anymore. They may or may not be accessible.
[[File:AllPagesNamespace.png|thumb|You can see a list of all the namespaces on your wikia by going to [[:Special:AllPages]] and clicking the dropdown menu next to "Namespace"]]
 
The '''Main''' or '''article''' namespace (<code><nowiki>{{ns:0}}</nowiki></code>) is the informational content of the wiki. In Wikipedia, this would be an encyclopedia article. It is the default namespace and does not use a prefix. Only the Main namespace is indexed by public search engines such as Google or Bing (unless the magic word '''<nowiki>__NOINDEX__</nowiki>''' is inserted.)
 
   
  +
{| class="article-table"
<span id="Project">The '''Project''' namespace's prefix is the [[Help:Title for the wiki|title of your wiki]] (the same title displayed in the <code><nowiki>{{SITENAME}}</nowiki></code> variable). On some wikis, this namespace is used for policies and guidelines, deletion discussions, requests for administratorship, and other behind-the-scenes details; other wikis use it for other purposes, or don't use it at all. If you don't know the name of the wikia (or just don't want to bother to type it,) you can use the shortcut, "Project:" as a substitute. This will be converted automatically to the real name of the wiki. For example, on the Community Central wiki, {{#ifexist:Project:Admins and mods|[[Project:Admins and mods]]|<nowiki>[[Project:Admins and mods]]</nowiki>}} will link to the same page that [[w:c:c:Community Central:Admins and mods|Community Central:Admins and mods]] does.</span>
 
  +
|-
 
  +
! Namespace Code
<span id="User">The '''User''' namespace has the prefix ''User:'' and is used for information about users of the wiki. A user has a main [[Help:user page|user page]] and possibly some [[mw:Help:Subpages|sub-pages]]. The main user page is linked from page histories and from recent changes. A user page has links to a user's talk page and contributions.</span>
 
  +
! Namespace Name
 
  +
! Notes
<span id="File">The '''File''' namespace is prefixed with ''File:''. Pages in this namespace are also called ''[[Help:Image description page|image description pages]]''. They are used for information about images or other files. Every image uploaded will show the information given in the upload summary on the image description page. (note: the previous prefix <tt>Image:</tt> will continue to work)</span>
 
  +
|-
 
 
|<code><nowiki>{{ns:501}}</nowiki></code>
<span id="MediaWiki">The '''MediaWiki''' namespace (prefix ''MediaWiki:'') contains behind-the-scenes code and messages such as link labels and color schemes. These are only editable by a wiki's [[Help:user access levels|administrators]]. An automatically generated list of all interface messages can be found at [[Special:Allmessages]]. See [[Help:MediaWiki namespace]] for more.</span>
 
  +
| {{ns:501}}
 
  +
| Article and blog comments now use a different system. See [[Help:Comments]].
<span id="Template">The '''Template''' namespace can be used for small standard texts which need to be inserted on a number of pages. Templates can be things like [[Help:Infobox|infoboxes]] or items in a list. They can be inserted with <code><nowiki>{{</nowiki>Template name<nowiki>}}</nowiki></code>; see [[Help:Templates]] for a more in-depth description.</span>
 
  +
|-
 
  +
| <code><nowiki>{{ns:1201}}</nowiki></code>
<span id="Category">The '''Category''' namespace contains categories of pages, with each displaying a list of pages in that category and optional additional text; see [[Help:Category]].</span>
 
  +
| {{ns:1201}}
 
  +
| Was used by the old-type Message Walls.
<span id="Help">The '''Help''' namespace is for help pages. The [[Help:Shared_Help|Shared Help system]] automatically provides pages from Wikia Help to each individual wiki, but projects can add their own notes about local practices above the shared text, and add new help pages that are unique to their projects in this namespace.</span>
 
  +
|-
 
  +
| <code><nowiki>{{ns:2001}}</nowiki></code>
<span id="Forum">The '''Forum''' namespace can be used for threaded forum messages. These are normally conversations and questions for the entire wikia to contribute in. See [[Help:Wiki-style forums|Help:Forums]]. ''Note: It is suggested to now use the [[Help:Forum|Wikia Forum]] tool instead.''</span>
 
  +
| {{ns:2001}}
  +
| Was used by the old-type Special:Forum.
  +
|-
  +
| <code><nowiki>{{ns:1202}}</nowiki></code>
  +
| {{ns:1202}}
  +
| There is a script-based alternative. See [[w:c:dev:WallGreeting|WallGreeting]] on Dev wiki.
  +
|-
  +
| <code><nowiki>{{ns:2002}}</nowiki></code>
  +
| {{ns:2002}}
  +
| Was used by the old-type Special:Forum.
  +
|}
   
==What are the talk namespaces?==
+
== See also ==
 
* [[mw:Help:Namespaces]] - The base MediaWiki documentation on namespaces.
Except for special pages, each namespace has an associated talk namespace. The talk namespaces are designated by adding ''talk:'' to the normal prefix. For example, the talk namespace associated with the unprefixed main article namespace has the prefix ''Talk:'', while the talk namespace associated with the ''User:'' namespace has the prefix ''User talk:''. Most of the pages in the talk namespaces are used to discuss changes to the corresponding page in the associated namespace.
 
 
Pages in the ''user talk namespace'' are useful for leaving messages for a particular user, since they will get automatic notification of any messages left there; see [[Help:User page]].
 
 
==What are virtual namespaces?==
 
There are two virtual namespaces that do not relate to pages stored in the database.
 
 
'''Special''' pages, or the special namespace, are automatically generated and uneditable pages, such as [[Special:RecentChanges]] or [[Special:UserLogin]]. They're vital to the MediaWiki software.
 
 
The '''Media''' prefix can be used to link directly to an image or sound clip, in the form <code><nowiki>[[Media:Image.jpg]]</nowiki></code> or <code><nowiki>[[Media:Sound.ogg]]</nowiki></code>, rather than linking to the image description page.
 
 
==See also==
 
* [[mw:Help:Namespace]] - The base MediaWiki documentation on namespaces.
 
 
* [[Help:Custom namespaces]] - Information on how to add an additional namespace to your wiki.
 
* [[Help:Custom namespaces]] - Information on how to add an additional namespace to your wiki.
* [[Help:WikiActivity tag]] - on how to show recent activity using specific namespaces.
+
* [[Help:Recent changes]] - on how to show recent changes using specific namespaces.
 
==Further help and feedback==
 
   
 
== Further help and feedback ==
 
{{Help and feedback section}}
 
{{Help and feedback section}}
   
 
[[de:Hilfe:Namensräume]]
 
[[de:Hilfe:Namensräume]]
 
[[es:Ayuda:Espacio de nombres]]
 
[[es:Ayuda:Espacio de nombres]]
[[fr:Aide:Espace de noms]]
+
[[fi:Ohje:Nimiavaruus]]
  +
[[fr:Aide:Espaces de noms]]
  +
[[it:Aiuto:Namespace]]
 
[[ja:ヘルプ:名前空間]]
 
[[ja:ヘルプ:名前空間]]
 
[[nl:Help:Naamruimte]]
 
[[nl:Help:Naamruimte]]
 
[[pl:Pomoc:Przestrzeń nazw]]
 
[[pl:Pomoc:Przestrzeń nazw]]
  +
[[pt:Ajuda:Namespace]]
 
[[ru:Справка:Пространства имён]]
 
[[ru:Справка:Пространства имён]]
  +
[[tr:Yardım:Ad alanı]]
  +
[[uk:Довідка:Простори назв]]
  +
[[vi:Trợ giúp:Không gian tên]]
 
[[zh:Help:命名空間]]
 
[[zh:Help:命名空間]]
  +
[[Category:Help]]
 
[[Category:Help|{{PAGENAME}}]]
+
[[Category:Administration help]]
[[Category:Administration help|{{PAGENAME}}]]
 

Latest revision as of 18:10, 5 August 2023

A namespace is a way of separating types of content on a wiki; groups of pages with similar purposes can be grouped together, and can be searched and listed separately from each other. Each page belongs to exactly one namespace. They are used for various reasons:

  • Allow separation of wiki content from help and policy pages about the creation of content;
  • Allow separation of different kinds of unrelated content;
  • Allow control of which content is indexed by search engines;
  • Provide some special features related to the namespace's intended purpose;
  • Provide facilities to limit searches to a particular area;
  • Allow easy exporting.

The namespace of a page is indicated by the word preceding the colon in the page title, a prefix. For example, "Talk:Pagename" is a page in the "talk" namespace, and is used to describe a page called pagename. If there is no prefix (or the prefix does not match an existing namespace) the page belongs to the "Main" or "article" namespace of that wiki.

Custom namespaces can be created on a wiki if the standard ones do not meet the needs of that community's project. If a namespace doesn't exist, pages with prefixes can be created, but will be automatically placed in the main or article namespace. If a namespace is created after these articles are created, they will have to be manually moved to the new namespace.

What are the basic namespaces?

AllPages

You can see a list of all the namespaces on your wiki by going to Special:AllPages and clicking the dropdown menu next to "Namespace"

Main or article namespace ({{ns:0}}) is the informational content of the wiki. On Wikipedia, this would be an encyclopedia article. It is the default namespace and does not use a prefix. Only the Main namespace is indexed by public search engines such as Google or Bing.

Project namespace's use varies. On some wikis, this namespace is used for policies and guidelines, deletion discussions, requests for administrator rights, and other behind-the-scenes details; other wikis use it for other purposes, or don't use it at all. Its prefix is the title of your wiki (the same title displayed in the {{SITENAME}} variable). If you don't know the name of the wiki (or just don't want to bother to type it,) you can use the shortcut, "Project:" as a substitute. This will be converted automatically to the real name of the wiki. For example, on the Community Central wiki, Project:Admins will link to the same page that Community Central:Admins does.

User namespace is used for information about users of the wiki. A user has a main user page and possibly some sub-pages. The main user page is linked from page histories and from recent changes. A user page has links to a user's talk page and contributions.

File namespace is used for uploaded files, and pages in it can also be referred to file description pages (in fact, the previous prefix Image: is a synonym for this namespace). They are used for information about images or other files. Every image file uploaded will show the information given in the upload summary on the file description page.

MediaWiki namespace contains behind-the-scenes code and messages such as link labels and color schemes. These are only editable by a wiki's administrators. An automatically generated list of all interface messages can be found at Special:AllMessages. See Help:System messages for more.

Template namespace can be used for small standard texts which need to be inserted on a number of pages. Templates can be things like infoboxes or items in a list. They can be inserted with {{Template name}}; see Help:Templates for a more in-depth description.

Category namespace contains categories of pages, with each displaying a list of pages in that category and optional additional text; see Help:Categories.

Help namespace is for help pages. Links to the Help namespace will redirect you to Community Central, if the article exists on Community Central. Wikis can also add new help pages that are unique to their wiki in this namespace.

What are the additional namespaces?

Forum namespace can be used for threaded forum messages. These are normally conversations and questions for the entire wiki to contribute in. See Help:Wiki-style forums. Note: It is suggested to use Discussions instead.

What are the talk namespaces?

Except for special pages, each namespace has an associated talk namespace. The talk namespaces are designated by adding talk: to the normal prefix. For example, the talk namespace associated with the unprefixed main article namespace has the prefix Talk:, while the talk namespace associated with the User: namespace has the prefix User talk:. Most of the pages in the talk namespaces are used to discuss changes to the corresponding page in the associated namespace.

Pages in the user talk namespace are useful for leaving messages for a particular user, since they will get automatic notification of any messages left there; see Help:Profiles.

What are virtual namespaces?

There are two virtual namespaces that do not relate to pages stored in the database.

Special pages, or the special namespace, are automatically generated and uneditable pages, such as Special:RecentChanges or Special:UserLogin. They're vital to the MediaWiki software.

The Media prefix can be used to link directly to any file or sound clip, in the form [[Media:Image.jpg]] or [[Media:Sound.ogg]], rather than linking to the image description page.

What namespaces do all communities have?

By default, every wiki has 18 namespaces and 2 special namespaces from MediaWiki core, 18 namespaces provided by currently supported extensions. Custom namespaces can also be created.

Namespace Code Namespace Name Notes
{{ns:-2}} Media
{{ns:-1}} Special See Help:Special pages.
{{ns:0}} Main Main namespace for regular wiki articles.
{{ns:1}} Talk Discussion pages for regular wiki articles.
{{ns:2}} User
{{ns:3}} User talk
{{ns:4}} Project
("Community Central")
Uses the wiki's sitename.
{{ns:5}} Project talk
("Community Central talk")
{{ns:6}} File
{{ns:7}} File talk
{{ns:8}} MediaWiki
{{ns:9}} MediaWiki talk
{{ns:10}} Template
{{ns:11}} Template talk
{{ns:12}} Help
{{ns:13}} Help talk
{{ns:14}} Category
{{ns:15}} Category talk

An API query can be used to list all namespaces on a community, including custom namespaces. To do so, replace 'NAME' in the following URL with your community's:

  • https://NAME.fandom.com/api.php?action=query&meta=siteinfo&siprop=namespaces|namespacealiases

For example, Community Central's list.

Namespaces added by currently supported extensions

Namespace Code Namespace Name Notes
{{ns:110}} Forum Used by the DPLforum extension. See Help:Wiki-style forums.
{{ns:111}} Forum talk
{{ns:420}} GeoJson See Help:Maps Extension.
{{ns:421}} GeoJson talk
{{ns:500}} User blog See Help:Blogs.
{{ns:502}} Blog Used for bloglists. See Help:Blogs.
{{ns:503}} Blog talk
{{ns:828}} Module See Help:Lua.
{{ns:829}} Module talk
{{ns:1200}} Message Wall See Help:Message Wall.
{{ns:2300}} Gadget See Help:Gadgets.
{{ns:2301}} Gadget talk
{{ns:2302}} Gadget definition
{{ns:2303}} Gadget definition talk
{{ns:2900}} Map See Help:Interactive Maps.
{{ns:2901}} Map talk

Namespaces that were added by deprecated extensions

The following namespaces were used by extensions which are deprecated and are not in use anymore. They may or may not be accessible.

Namespace Code Namespace Name Notes
{{ns:501}} User blog comment Article and blog comments now use a different system. See Help:Comments.
{{ns:1201}} Thread Was used by the old-type Message Walls.
{{ns:2001}} Board Thread Was used by the old-type Special:Forum.
{{ns:1202}} Message Wall Greeting There is a script-based alternative. See WallGreeting on Dev wiki.
{{ns:2002}} Topic Was used by the old-type Special:Forum.

See also

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