The raw version of Help:Contents
The view source function, also called the raw function, is a handy way to view the source of a specific article. This forces a specific article to display its source code. In raw mode, you can't edit the page, even with user rights, because the only thing that appears is the article's source.
How to view source
The View Source button
On any FANDOM article page:
- At the end of the URL, add the following text:
?action=raw - Visit that link; the page should display the source code of the article.
Alternatively viewing the source from the Edit menu.
You can click the "View Source" button on protected pages or wherever it appears. However, if you are an autoconfirmed user in semi-protected pages, or a content moderator in fully protected pages, the "View Source" button will turn into the "Edit" button. However, this button will always appear in non-whitelisted MediaWiki pages and personal CSS/JavaScript pages of other users.
There's a nifty script at the FANDOM Open Source Library that adds a View Source button to your pages.
Tips and tricks
- If you want to make a page or template by starting with a protected page's source code, you can copy the source code and paste it on source editing area.
- Copy and pasting the source of the page in VisualEditor will automatically put the
<nowiki>and</nowiki>between wikitext content. Instead, the copied source should either be pasted in the classic source editor, or in the VisualEditor's source editor. - If you would like to be able to see the source code of other people's messages, you can enable View Source in your preferences. Just go to the "Under the Hood" tab, and you'll see it under "Advanced Display Options." This will add "Source Mode" to the menu that appears on each message. On wikis where the Message Wall and Forums are disabled you cannot modify the view source on threads preference.