CZ:How to edit an article

Quick start
This page is about the code.

When you work on your article, it's mostly just like writing a long e-mail. But to make text bold or italicized, or to create links, you'll be using wiki "markup." Don't worry--it's not complicated! There are just a few bits of code you'll be using again and again:
 * To start a new paragraph, skip down two lines. Skipping down one line has no effect.
 * To make text bold, put three single quotation marks around it:
 * To italicize text, use two single quotes:
 * To link to a page, surround the text to be linked with double brackets:
 * To make a link that points to an article that is different from the text of the link, you use a "pipe," :
 * To start a new section, mark the section title like this, using equals signs (flush left):
 * To start a subsection, mark the subsection title like this (flush left):
 * To make a bulleted list, precede a list item with * and make sure it's flush left:
 * To make a numbered list, use #, like this:

If you see some formatting you'd like to replicate, just click the "edit" button to see how it's done. This is how most of us learned! But there is a more complete list below.

Introduction
The Citizendium is a Wiki, which means that anyone can edit any page and save those changes immediately. Whether authors, editors, or constables, anyone taking part in Citizendium can edit almost any article.

Just click on the "edit this page" tab at the top of the page, and you will see the editable text of that page. Make any changes you want to, and put a short explanation in the small field below the edit-box. When you have finished, press the "show preview" button to see how your changes will look. You can also see the difference between the page with your edits and the previous version by pressing the "show changes" button. When you're satisfied, press "Save page".

If you click on the "Discussion" tab you will see the "talk page", which contains comments about the article from other Citizendium users. Edit the page in the same way as an article page. Always sign your messages on talk pages. Signing is easy -- just type four tildes ( ~ ) at the end of what you post. The software will convert this to your name or signature and a timestamp, i.e. Matt Innis 08:24, 16 April 2007 (CDT). Note that three tildes will only sign your name, i.e. Matt Innis. Please use the four tildes on all talk pages.

You should not sign edits you make to regular articles. Each article's page histories function within the MediaWiki software keeps track of which user makes each change.

Minor edits
When you save a page that you've just changed, you can mark your changes as "minor" in the edit summary. Minor edits generally mean spelling corrections, formatting, and minor rearrangement of text - any small and uncontroversial changes. It is possible to "hide" minor edits when viewing the "recent changes" link on the left side navigation bar of the Citizendium. If you accidentally mark an edit as minor, please edit the source again, and in the new edit summary, say that your previous edit was a major, not a minor edit.

Wiki markup
The wiki markup is the syntax system you can use to format a Citizendium page. The table below lists some of the edits you can make. The left column shows the effects, the right column shows the wiki markup used to achieve them. Some of these edits can also be made using the formatting buttons at the top of any page's edit box.

Examples
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" Start sections of articles as follows:
 * width=50% | What it looks like
 * width=50% | What you type
 * -valign="top"
 * -valign="top"

New section

Subsection

Sub-subsection


 * A Table of Contents will automatically be added to an article with four or more sections.

Sub-subsection
A single newline generally has no effect on the layout. These can be used to separate sentences in a paragraph. Some editors find that this aids editing.
 * - valign="top"

But an empty line starts a new paragraph.

A single newline generally has no effect on the layout. These can be used to separate sentences in a paragraph. Some editors find that this makes editing clearer.
 * When used in a list, a newline does affect the layout (see below).

But an empty line starts a new paragraph. You can break lines without starting a new paragraph.
 * - valign="top"

You can break lines without starting a new paragraph. marks the end of a list item.
 * Please use this sparingly.
 * Close markup between lines, do not start a link or italics or bold on one line and close it on the next.
 * - id="lists" valign="top"
 * To create a list:
 * Start every line with a star (asterisk).
 * More stars means deeper levels.
 * A newline in a list
 * A newline in a list

marks the end of a list item.
 * An empty line starts a new list.
 * It's easy to create a list:
 * Start every line with a star.
 * More stars means deeper levels.
 * A newline in a list


 * An empty line starts a new list.
 * - valign="top"
 * 1) Numbered lists are
 * 2) very organized
 * 3) easy to follow
 * 4) easier still
 * 1) easier still
 * 1) Numbered lists are
 * 2) very organized
 * 3) easy to follow
 * 4) easier still
 * - valign="top" id="definition"
 * Definition list : list of definitions
 * item : the item's definition
 * another item
 * the other item's definition
 * the other item's definition


 * Definition list : list of definitions
 * item : the item's definition
 * another item
 * the other item's definition


 * - valign="top"
 * You can create mixed lists
 * and nest them
 * like this
 * can I mix definition list as well?
 * yes
 * how?
 * it's easy as
 * a
 * b
 * c
 * c
 * You can create mixed lists
 * and nest them
 * like this
 * can I mix definition list as well?
 * yes
 * how?
 * it's easy as
 * a
 * b
 * c
 * - valign="top"
 * A colon indents a line or paragraph.
 * A colon indents a line or paragraph.

A manual newline starts a new paragraph.


 * This is primarily for displayed material, but is also used for discussion on Talk pages.
 * A colon indents a line.

A manual newline starts a new paragraph. When you want to separate a block of text, The blockquote command is useful, for example, to display a quotation.
 * - valign=top

The blockquote command is useful, for example, to display a quotation. (See formula on right):
 * - valign=top

IF a line starts with a space THEN it will be formatted exactly as typed; in a fixed-width font; lines will not wrap; END IF Centered text.
 * This is useful for:
 * pasting preformatted text;
 * algorithm descriptions;
 * program source code;
 * ASCII art;
 * chemical structures;
 * WARNING: If you make it wide, you force the whole page to be wide and hence less readable. Never start ordinary lines with spaces.
 * - valign="top"

Centered text. A horizontal dividing line: this is above it
 * Please note the American spelling of "center".
 * - valign="top"

and this is below it.

A horizontal dividing line: this is above it
 * Mainly useful for
 * disambiguation - but to be used sparingly, only to separate completely unrelated (groups of) meanings
 * separating threads on Talk pages.

and this is below it.
 * }

Images
Only images that have been uploaded to Citizendium can be used. To upload images, use the Upload Wizard.

After you upload an image with the Upload Wizard, the basic code to place it will appear right on the image page. Some things you can do to vary the placement are described below.

All uploaded images are at the image list.

'''NOTE: Citizendium is not yet able to totally support all of the following coding for image resizing and such. '''


 * }

See the Citizendium's image use policy. For further help on images, including some more versatile abilities, see the topic on Extended image syntax.

Character formatting
(see also: Chess symbols in Unicode)

No or limited formatting - showing exactly what is being typed
A few different kinds of formatting will tell the Wiki to display things as you typed them - what you see, is what you get!

Table of contents
At the current status of the wiki markup language, having at least four headers on a page triggers the TOC to appear in front of the first header (or after introductory sections). Putting anywhere forces the TOC to appear at that point (instead of just before the first header). Putting anywhere forces the TOC to disappear. See also compact TOC for alphabet and year headings.

Tables
There are two ways to build tables:
 * in special Wiki-markup (see How to make tables)
 * with the usual HTML elements: &lt;table&gt;, &lt;tr&gt;, &lt;td&gt; or &lt;th&gt;.

References and citations

 * The markup creates a numbered note


 * A collected citation list is created by


 * The markup gives a name to a note which can be marked up again by calling the name. No space can be used in the name.


 * Named references are called upon later in the text by


 * Guidance on citation style is in Help:citation style

Citation tools for Citizendium
There are some tools available to assist citations into Citizendium. See CZ:MediaWiki Citation Tools.

Enhancing your editing with JavaScript
You can enhance and make easier your experience using wiki markup through the use of JavaScript extensions. See Enhancing your editing with javascript extensions.