Community Central
Register
Community Central
(Tidy, update)
(minor spelling error)
Tags: Visual edit Help
(39 intermediate revisions by 28 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
'''Reverting''' is the ability to return a page to its previous state. All versions of a page are stored in the history of a page, so it is easy to revert a bad edit and return the page to its previous state.
+
'''Reverting''' is the ability to return a page to its previous state. MediaWiki stores all revisions of a page, which can be viewed through the [[Help:Page history|page history]]. As such, reverting an edit is a trivial matter.
   
  +
However, you should always explain why you are reverting an article and preferably contact the user whose edits you are reverting. Not only does this help build community but also reduces conflicts: Reverting without explanation can be interpreted as a very hostile action. If the reasons for reverting are multiple, you can always explain them on user's message wall or talk page and link to it in the edit summary.
==Step by step==
 
All users have the ability to revert to a previous version of a page.
 
   
  +
Note that revert wars, where one or more editors keep reverting each other's edits repeatedly, should be avoided. High frequency edits clutter up the page history, make it difficult or even impossible for others to contribute and floods [[Help:Recent changes|recent changes]] and [[Help:Followed pages|followed pages]]. If you feel a revert war might be brewing, [[Help:Assuming good faith|assume good faith]] and reach out to the user(s) in question using their [[Help:Message Wall|message wall]] or [[Help:Talk pages|user talk page]]. You can also use the article talk page to discuss improvements to the article and try to find consensus.
===One edit reversion===
 
  +
[[File:Reverting_with_undo.png|thumb|450px|The undo link is located at the end of the line for each edit]]
 
  +
== How to revert ==
  +
If you decide that you need to revert a page, there are multiple options available:
  +
 
=== One edit reversion ===
 
[[File:Reverting with undo.png|thumb|450px|The undo link is located at the end of the line for each edit]]
 
If you would like to undo just one edit you simply need to:
 
If you would like to undo just one edit you simply need to:
* Go to the [[Help:Page history|history]] of the page
+
* Go to the [[Help:Page history|history]] of the page.
  +
* Click on the "Undo" link located next to the edit summary.
* Next to the edit summary is a link that says Undo, click on this and you will be brought to the edit window, which shows the difference in edits on top.
 
* Leave an edit summary and then hit save, and the edit will be un-done.
+
* This will display an edit box showing you the difference between page versions.
  +
* To complete the revert, enter an edit summary and save the page.
   
=== Multi edit reversion===
+
=== Multi edit reversion ===
This allows you to return to a specific version of the page, undoing multiple edits.
+
Through the page history, you can also revert multiple edits.
* Go to the [[Help:History|history]] of the page
+
* Go to the [[Help:Page history|history]] of the page.
 
* Click on the '''time and date''' of the earlier version you want to revert to.
 
* Click on the '''time and date''' of the earlier version you want to revert to.
* Then when that page comes up, you'll see something like "(Revision as of 23:19 Aug 15, 2002)" below the title.
+
* This will display that specific revision, along with a notification below the page's title that you're viewing a "Revision as of ...)" below the title.
* Verify that you've selected the correct version, and click to edit the page, as you would normally.
+
* Once you're sure you have the revision you need, simply click on "Edit" as normal.
* You'll get a warning, above the edit box, about editing an out-of-date revision.
+
* The edit box will have a notice about editing an out-of-date revision. When reverting, this is exactly what you want.
  +
* Simply save the page to complete the revert. It's good practice to mention that you're reverting the page in the [[Help:Edit summary|edit summary]]. Some wikis may also practice noting the timestamp of the revision you're reverting to, to help keep track of changes to the page.
*'''Important:''' in the case of vandalism, take the time to make sure that you are reverting to the last version without the vandalism; there may be multiple vandal edits.
 
* Once you are sure the revision you are looking at is good, save the page. Be sure to add the word "revert" to the [[Help:Edit summary|edit summary]] (often abbreviated as "rv"). On some wikias it is common practice to mention the date/time of the version of the page that you're reverting back to in the description as well.
 
   
 
:'''''Note:''' in the case of [[Help:Vandalism|vandalism]], take the time to make sure that you are reverting to the last version without the vandalism; there may be multiple vandal edits.''
===Notes===
 
*You should always explain why you are reverting an article. This helps the reverted person to fix whatever problem it is that you've identified and explains to other people whether they need to even view the reverted version. If your reasons for reverting are too complex to explain in the edit summary, explain it on the talk page, and add "See talk page" in the edit summary.
 
*Revert wars - where two or more editors revert each other's edits over and over - are a bad idea. High-frequency reversion wars make the page history less useful, make it hard for other people to contribute, and flood [[Help:Recent changes|recent changes]] and [[Help:Followed pages|followed pages]]. Unless it's simple vandalism, when someone undoes a reversion you've made, you should stop and talk to them using the article talk page or their [[Help:Talk pages|user talk page]] before reverting again. [[Help:Assuming good faith|Assume good faith]], communicate the problem you see in their edit, and you will almost always be able to find a compromise that allows editing on the article to move forward without further disruption.
 
   
  +
=== Rolling back ===
==What is rollback, and how do I use it?==
 
[[File:Reverting_with_rollback.png|thumb|450px|The rollback link is located before the undo button.]]
+
[[File:Reverting with rollback.png|thumb|450px|The rollback link is located before the undo button]]
[[Help:User access levels|Administrators]] and users with [[Help:User access levels|rollback]] rights have an extra "rollback" link on [[Help:Diff|diff]] pages and on [[Help:User contributions|user contributions]] lists that lets them revert vandalism faster, without the extra steps of going to the page history and opening an earlier revision. The feature is especially useful in the case of a known vandal, whose edits don't need to be checked before being reverted.
+
[[Help:User rights#Administrators|Administrators]], [[Help:User rights#Content Moderators|Content Moderators]], and users with [[Help:User rights#Rollbacks|rollback]] rights have an extra "rollback" link available to them on the [[Help:Page history|history]], diff, and [[Help:User contributions|user contribution]] pages. This is an automated version of the standard Undo option, which will revert all consecutive edits by the most recent user, back to the last edit by a different user.
   
*Clicking on the link reverts to the last edit not authored by the user concerned. An edit summary will be added automatically stating that a reversion was made, and the edit will be marked as [[Help:Minor edit|minor]].
+
The process is simple: Simply click on the rollback link and the article will automatically revert to the last edit not authored by the user concerned. An edit summary will be automatically added noting the rollback, and the edit will be marked as [[Help:Minor edit|minor]].
*'''Only''' '''use this for reverting vandalism.''' It should ''not'' be used to revert an edit that you merely disagree with.
 
*If between loading the User Contributions page and pressing ''rollback'', someone else has edited or rolled back the page already, the message '' 'Rollback failed' '' will display with an explanation of the problem.
 
*If the page has been created by a malicious user and nobody else has edited the page, clicking the rollback link gives the message '' 'Cannot revert edit; last contributor is only author of this article' ''. In this case delete the page, or replace the content with something appropriate to the page name if possible.
 
   
 
It goes without saying that this should '''only be used for reverting vandalism.''' It should ''never'' be used to revert an edit that you simply disagree with: Using rollback in these situations is an implicit suggestion of bad faith.
==Can I hide flood vandalism reverts from recent changes?==
 
A "flood" occurs when a vandal makes edits to many pages very quickly in an attempt to make the [[Help:Recent changes|recent changes]] page unusable, by filling it with their own nonsense edits (and the reversions which fix the damage). In these cases, admins can choose to hide vandalism from recent changes. To do this, add <tt>&bot=1</tt> to the end of the url used to access a user's contributions. For example, <nowiki>http://community.wikia.com/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&target=SomePersistentVandal&bot=1</nowiki>. When the rollback links on the contributions list are clicked, the revert, and the original edit that you are reverting will both be hidden from the default recent changes display.
 
   
  +
Rollback can fail in two cases:
This means that they will be hidden unless you click the "show bots" link on the Recent changes page (to set <tt>hidebots=0</tt>). The edits are not hidden from contributions lists, page histories or [[Help:Followed pages|followed pages]]. The edits remain in the database and are not removed, but they no longer flood recent changes. The aim of this feature is to reduce the annoyance factor of a flood vandal with relatively little effort. This should ''not'' be used for reverting a change you just don't like, but is meant only for massive floods of simple vandalism.
 
  +
* If another user edits the page in the meantime, the message "Rollback failed" will show. You will have to manually revert the changes (if they're still present).
 
* If the page has been created by the user whose edits you're creating and nobody edits it in the meantime. Clicking the rollback link will display the message "Cannot revert edit; last contributor is only author of this article". You'll have to either delete the page or rewrite it.
  +
  +
  +
== Reverting a file ==
  +
[[File:File revert link.png|thumb|The revert link located in the file history.]]
  +
  +
[[File:Revert file.png|thumb|right|The screen for reverting a file]]
  +
Anyone can revert a file to its older version if the current version is vandalism. To revert a file, follow these steps:
  +
  +
*Click on the "'''revert'''" link that appears on a file version.
  +
*Write a reason for why are you reverting the file.
  +
* Click on "'''Revert'''" to complete reverting
  +
  +
  +
== How to hide flood edits from RecentChanges? ==
  +
A "flood" occurs when a vandal makes multiple edits to many pages in a short amount of time, usually in an attempt to make the [[Help:Recent changes|recent changes]] page unusable. In these cases, admins can choose to hide vandalism from recent changes. To do this, add <code>?bot=1</code> (or <code>&bot=1</code> if the URL already has a question mark in it) to the end of the URL used to access a user's contributions.
  +
  +
:''For example, <nowiki>https://community.fandom.com/wiki/Special:Contributions/SomePersistentVandal?bot=1</nowiki>. When the rollback links on the contributions list are clicked, the revert and the original edit that you are reverting will both be hidden from the default recent changes display.''
  +
 
This means that they will be hidden unless you remove the "human (not bot)" active filter. The edits are not hidden from contributions lists, page histories, or [[Help:Followed pages|followed pages]], and will remain in the database and are not removed, but they no longer flood recent changes.
  +
  +
The aim of this feature is to reduce the annoyance factor of a flood vandal with relatively little effort. This should ''not'' be used for reverting a change you just don't like but is meant only for massive floods of simple vandalism.
   
 
==See also==
 
==See also==
  +
*How to deal with [[Help:Spam|Spam]]
 
  +
*[[Help:Vandalism|Vandalism]] and [[Help:Spam|spam]]
*Learn about [[Help:Protect_site|Protect site]]
 
  +
*[[Help:Page protection|Page protection]]
*[[Wikipedia:Wikipedia:How to revert a page to an earlier version|Wikipedia's instructions on reverting]], on which this page was based.
 
**[[Wikipedia:Wikipedia:Three-revert rule|Wikipedia's three revert guideline]]
+
*[[wikipedia:WP:REVERT|Wikipedia's instructions on reverting]]
  +
*[[wikipedia:WP:3RR|Wikipedia's three revert guideline]]
**[[MetaWikipedia:Vandalbot|Dealing with vandal bots]]
+
*[[m:Vandalbot|Dealing with vandal bots]] on Meta-Wiki
   
 
==Further help and feedback==
 
==Further help and feedback==
{{Help and feedback section}}
+
{{Help and feedback section}}[[be:Help:Адмена і адкат правак]]
   
 
[[de:Hilfe:Zurücksetzen]]
 
[[de:Hilfe:Zurücksetzen]]
[[fihelp:Ohje:Palauttaminen]]
 
[[ruhelp:Справка:Откат]]
 
 
[[es:Ayuda:Revirtiendo]]
 
[[es:Ayuda:Revirtiendo]]
 
[[fi:Ohje:Palauttaminen]]
  +
[[fr:Aide:Révoquer]]
  +
[[it:Aiuto:Annullare una modifica]]
  +
[[ja:ヘルプ:リバート]]
  +
[[nl:Help:Terugdraaien]]
 
[[pl:Pomoc:Rewert]]
 
[[pl:Pomoc:Rewert]]
  +
[[pt:Ajuda:Revertendo]]
[[ja:Help:以前の版にページを戻す方法]]
 
  +
[[ru:Справка:Отмена и откат правок]]
 
  +
[[tr:Yardım:Geri alma]]
[[Category:Help|{{PAGENAME}}]]
 
  +
[[uk:Довідка:Скасування та відкат редагувань]]
[[Category:Administration help|{{PAGENAME}}]]
 
  +
[[zh:Help:回退]]
 
[[Category:Help]]
 
[[Category:Administration help]]

Revision as of 00:42, 23 July 2021

Reverting is the ability to return a page to its previous state. MediaWiki stores all revisions of a page, which can be viewed through the page history. As such, reverting an edit is a trivial matter.

However, you should always explain why you are reverting an article and preferably contact the user whose edits you are reverting. Not only does this help build community but also reduces conflicts: Reverting without explanation can be interpreted as a very hostile action. If the reasons for reverting are multiple, you can always explain them on user's message wall or talk page and link to it in the edit summary.

Note that revert wars, where one or more editors keep reverting each other's edits repeatedly, should be avoided. High frequency edits clutter up the page history, make it difficult or even impossible for others to contribute and floods recent changes and followed pages. If you feel a revert war might be brewing, assume good faith and reach out to the user(s) in question using their message wall or user talk page. You can also use the article talk page to discuss improvements to the article and try to find consensus.

How to revert

If you decide that you need to revert a page, there are multiple options available:

One edit reversion

Reverting with undo

The undo link is located at the end of the line for each edit

If you would like to undo just one edit you simply need to:

  • Go to the history of the page.
  • Click on the "Undo" link located next to the edit summary.
  • This will display an edit box showing you the difference between page versions.
  • To complete the revert, enter an edit summary and save the page.

Multi edit reversion

Through the page history, you can also revert multiple edits.

  • Go to the history of the page.
  • Click on the time and date of the earlier version you want to revert to.
  • This will display that specific revision, along with a notification below the page's title that you're viewing a "Revision as of ...)" below the title.
  • Once you're sure you have the revision you need, simply click on "Edit" as normal.
  • The edit box will have a notice about editing an out-of-date revision. When reverting, this is exactly what you want.
  • Simply save the page to complete the revert. It's good practice to mention that you're reverting the page in the edit summary. Some wikis may also practice noting the timestamp of the revision you're reverting to, to help keep track of changes to the page.
Note: in the case of vandalism, take the time to make sure that you are reverting to the last version without the vandalism; there may be multiple vandal edits.

Rolling back

Reverting with rollback

The rollback link is located before the undo button

Administrators, Content Moderators, and users with rollback rights have an extra "rollback" link available to them on the history, diff, and user contribution pages. This is an automated version of the standard Undo option, which will revert all consecutive edits by the most recent user, back to the last edit by a different user.

The process is simple: Simply click on the rollback link and the article will automatically revert to the last edit not authored by the user concerned. An edit summary will be automatically added noting the rollback, and the edit will be marked as minor.

It goes without saying that this should only be used for reverting vandalism. It should never be used to revert an edit that you simply disagree with: Using rollback in these situations is an implicit suggestion of bad faith.

Rollback can fail in two cases:

  • If another user edits the page in the meantime, the message "Rollback failed" will show. You will have to manually revert the changes (if they're still present).
  • If the page has been created by the user whose edits you're creating and nobody edits it in the meantime. Clicking the rollback link will display the message "Cannot revert edit; last contributor is only author of this article". You'll have to either delete the page or rewrite it.


Reverting a file

File revert link

The revert link located in the file history.

Revert file

The screen for reverting a file

Anyone can revert a file to its older version if the current version is vandalism. To revert a file, follow these steps:

  • Click on the "revert" link that appears on a file version.
  • Write a reason for why are you reverting the file.
  • Click on "Revert" to complete reverting


How to hide flood edits from RecentChanges?

A "flood" occurs when a vandal makes multiple edits to many pages in a short amount of time, usually in an attempt to make the recent changes page unusable. In these cases, admins can choose to hide vandalism from recent changes. To do this, add ?bot=1 (or &bot=1 if the URL already has a question mark in it) to the end of the URL used to access a user's contributions.

For example, https://community.fandom.com/wiki/Special:Contributions/SomePersistentVandal?bot=1. When the rollback links on the contributions list are clicked, the revert and the original edit that you are reverting will both be hidden from the default recent changes display.

This means that they will be hidden unless you remove the "human (not bot)" active filter. The edits are not hidden from contributions lists, page histories, or followed pages, and will remain in the database and are not removed, but they no longer flood recent changes.

The aim of this feature is to reduce the annoyance factor of a flood vandal with relatively little effort. This should not be used for reverting a change you just don't like but is meant only for massive floods of simple vandalism.

See also

Further help and feedback