Difference between revisions of "VideoLAN Wiki:Syntax"

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:''See also: [[Documentation:EditingGuidelines]]''
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__FORCETOC__
Please follow these guidelines when editing this wiki.<br />
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{{See also|Documentation:EditingGuidelines}}
There will be more guidelines later.
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Please sign your name on talk pages with four tildes: <code><nowiki>~~~~</nowiki></code>. It will automatically expand to your username and date.
  
 
== The basics ==
 
== The basics ==
:''Note: You can practice editing at the [[Sandbox|Sandbox page]] whenever you like.''
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:''Note: You can practice editing at the [[Sandbox]] whenever you like.''
  
 
This wiki uses something called "wikimarkup", a way to include plain text on a page and modify how it looks. This is similar to both Wikipedia's markup and <abbr title="HyperText Markup Language">HTML</abbr>.<br />
 
This wiki uses something called "wikimarkup", a way to include plain text on a page and modify how it looks. This is similar to both Wikipedia's markup and <abbr title="HyperText Markup Language">HTML</abbr>.<br />
<!-- doesn't seem too informative
 
 
Commands to modify plain text include:
 
Commands to modify plain text include:
* "tags" around words, for example <code><nowiki><big>example text</big></nowiki></code> to display <big>example text</big>
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* "tags" around words, for example:
* "templates" (common snippets of formatting or often-used text), for example <nowiki>{{VLC}}</nowiki> to display {{VLC}}
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*: <code><nowiki><big>example text</big></nowiki></code> → <big>example text</big>
* a particular way of linking to other pages and websites on the Internet
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*: <code><nowiki><big><big>example text</big></big></nowiki></code> → <big><big>example text</big></big>
* a particular way of making things bold or italic
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*: <code><nowiki><big><big><big>example text</big></big></big></nowiki></code> → <big><big><big>example text</big></big></big>
* a particular way of inserting images
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*: <code><nowiki><small>example text</small></nowiki></code> → <small>example text</small>
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*: <code><nowiki><code>example text</code></nowiki></code> → <code>example text</code>
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* "templates" (common snippets of formatting or often-used text), for example:
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*: {{tl|VLC}} → {{VLC}}
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*: {{tl|VLC icon}} → {{VLC icon}}
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*: {{tl|VLC:latest version}} {{VLC:latest version}}
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* a particular way of linking to other pages and websites on the Internet:
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*: <code><nowiki>[[Sandbox]]</nowiki></code> → [[Sandbox]]
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*: <code><nowiki>[[Sandbox|Sandbox page]]</nowiki></code> → [[Sandbox|Sandbox page]]
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*: <code><nowiki>https://example.com</nowiki></code> → https://example.com
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*: <code><nowiki>[https://example.com Example]</nowiki></code> → [https://example.com Example]
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*: <code><nowiki>[https://example.com]</nowiki></code> → [https://example.com]
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* a particular way of making things bold or italic:
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*: <code><nowiki>'''example text'''</nowiki></code> → '''example text'''
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*: <code><nowiki>''example text''</nowiki></code> → ''example text''
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*: <code><nowiki>'''''example text'''''</nowiki></code> → '''''example text'''''
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* a particular way of inserting images:
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*: <code><nowiki>[[File:VLC - icon.png]]</nowiki></code> → [[File:VLC - icon.png]]
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*: <code><nowiki>[[File:VLC - icon.png|16px]]</nowiki></code> → [[File:VLC - icon.png|16px]]
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Single lines <em>are ignored by the software</em>. To add a line break, use <code><nowiki><br /></nowiki></code> or enter two newlines in the wikitext.
  
 
Another important feature is the page layout:
 
Another important feature is the page layout:
* making lists
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* making lists: simply start a line with *. For an indentation, use **.
* making tables
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* making tables: better explained [//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Table at Wikipedia]
* using page headings to create sections-->
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* using page headings to create sections: use pairs of equal signs around text, starting at two
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* To show code as pre-formatted text, insert a blank space at the beginning of each line or wrap in pre tags as <code><nowiki><pre>example text</pre></nowiki></code>:
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example text
  
If you have a minute, learn the basics of editing: a [//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Cheatsheet one-page summary] and [//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Editing an extensive manual] are available at the English Wikipedia.<br />
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If you have a minute, learn the basics of editing: a [//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Cheatsheet one-page summary] and [//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Wikitext an extensive manual] are available at the English Wikipedia.<br />
 
If you want to "dive right in", find the ''Edit Toolbar'' (directly above the edit box) and use the buttons and the dropdown help for assistance.
 
If you want to "dive right in", find the ''Edit Toolbar'' (directly above the edit box) and use the buttons and the dropdown help for assistance.
  
== Common conventions and best practices ==
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== Calling attention to pages ==
* Many articles explain how to manipulate code within VLC. It is standard practice to visually separate large chunks of code from the body of the article in order to make it easier to read. You can do this in several ways:
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It's understood that a wiki will eventually become outdated, and needs to stay up-to-date. You can help by:
** begin lines of code with a single space
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* Adding {{tl|Dead link}} after a dead link
** wrap the code in the tag <code><nowiki><pre>...</pre></nowiki></code>
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* Adding {{tl|Stub}} at the bottom of a page to show that it needs work
** use the in-line tag <code><nowiki><code>...</code></nowiki></code>
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* Adding {{tl|Check}} after something you think might be incorrect
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* Adding {{tl|Outdated}} to the bottom of out-of-date pages
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* Adding {{tl|Image requested}} on the page needing better imagery
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See also the [[VideoLAN Wiki:List of templates]] for an visual listing of (most) of the templates ([[Special:PrefixIndex/Template:|full list]])
  
* While making numbered lists, prefer list-making wikicode over manual lists; it makes managing large lists much easier
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== Further reading ==
* Generally the best way to link to other websites is with descriptive text. Users don't know where links go (within the wiki, Wikipedia, or another site) until they click the link
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* [//www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Help:Editing MediaWiki exhaustive reference guide]
* To end a line, use either <u>''two new lines''</u> (a single new line will be ignored) or the HTML entity <code><nowiki><br /></nowiki></code>
 
* Avoid adding in-line notes such as <code>FIXME</code> or <code>BROKEN LINK</code> within articles—use the [[Help:Templates|templates]] {{tl|Check}} and {{tl|Dead link}} instead. This will add an in-text visual reminder and will automatically add the page to maintenance categories
 
* If a page is very short or needs work, place {{tl|Stub}} at either the top or bottom of the page (somewhere out-of-the-way but visible) to help draw attention and add it to [[:Category:Stubs]]
 
  
=== Useful things ===
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[[Category:VideoLAN Wiki]]
* {{tl|VLC}} displays and links to {{VLC}}
 
* {{tl|VLC icon}} is a shorthand way to produce the image {{VLC icon}}
 
* {{tl|VLC:latest version}} will show the latest version of VLC
 
* {{tl|Font colour}}
 
 
 
== See also ==
 
* [//www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Help:Editing MediaWiki exhaustive reference guide]
 
* See the [[List of templates|Documented List of Templates]].
 
* See [[Special:PrefixIndex/Template:|all templates on {{SERVERNAME}}]]
 

Latest revision as of 05:07, 13 February 2019

Please sign your name on talk pages with four tildes: ~~~~. It will automatically expand to your username and date.

The basics

Note: You can practice editing at the Sandbox whenever you like.

This wiki uses something called "wikimarkup", a way to include plain text on a page and modify how it looks. This is similar to both Wikipedia's markup and HTML.
Commands to modify plain text include:

  • "tags" around words, for example:
    <big>example text</big>example text
    <big><big>example text</big></big>example text
    <big><big><big>example text</big></big></big>example text
    <small>example text</small>example text
    <code>example text</code>example text
  • "templates" (common snippets of formatting or often-used text), for example:
    {{VLC}} → VLC media player
    {{VLC icon}} → LargeVLC.png
    {{VLC:latest version}} → 3.0.12
  • a particular way of linking to other pages and websites on the Internet:
    [[Sandbox]]Sandbox
    [[Sandbox|Sandbox page]]Sandbox page
    https://example.comhttps://example.com
    [https://example.com Example]Example
    [https://example.com][1]
  • a particular way of making things bold or italic:
    '''example text'''example text
    ''example text''example text
    '''''example text'''''example text
  • a particular way of inserting images:
    [[File:VLC - icon.png]]VLC - icon.png
    [[File:VLC - icon.png|16px]]VLC - icon.png

Single lines are ignored by the software. To add a line break, use <br /> or enter two newlines in the wikitext.

Another important feature is the page layout:

  • making lists: simply start a line with *. For an indentation, use **.
  • making tables: better explained at Wikipedia
  • using page headings to create sections: use pairs of equal signs around text, starting at two
  • To show code as pre-formatted text, insert a blank space at the beginning of each line or wrap in pre tags as <pre>example text</pre>:
example text

If you have a minute, learn the basics of editing: a one-page summary and an extensive manual are available at the English Wikipedia.
If you want to "dive right in", find the Edit Toolbar (directly above the edit box) and use the buttons and the dropdown help for assistance.

Calling attention to pages

It's understood that a wiki will eventually become outdated, and needs to stay up-to-date. You can help by:

  • Adding {{Dead link}} after a dead link
  • Adding {{Stub}} at the bottom of a page to show that it needs work
  • Adding {{Check}} after something you think might be incorrect
  • Adding {{Outdated}} to the bottom of out-of-date pages
  • Adding {{Image requested}} on the page needing better imagery

See also the VideoLAN Wiki:List of templates for an visual listing of (most) of the templates (full list)

Further reading