VideoLAN Wiki:Syntax

Please follow these guidelines when editing this wiki. There will be more guidelines later.

The basics

This wiki uses the same general syntax as Wikipedia, because both use MediaWiki markup (Editing help on MediaWiki).

If you've ever edited on Wikipedia, this should look familiar.

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

To make a bulleted list, begin lines with asterisks *
To make a numbered list, begin lines with pound signs # (which will be automatically re-numbered if you add or remove items—this is generally smart for long or frequently-changing lists).

Add two apostrophes around a word or phrase to make it italic: ''example'' → example
Add three apostrophes around a word or phrase to make it bold: '''example''' → example
Occasionally, both are needed. Add five apostrophes around a word or phrase to make it both: '''''example''''' → example

The formula for creating an internal link is [[target page]] or [[target page|text to display]]
- [[VLC]] gives VLC
- [[VLC|this totally awesome media player]] gives this totally awesome media player
There are several ways to create external links: a simple outgoing link, a shortened link, or a shortened link with alternate text:
- http://example.com/ gives http://example.com/ (this makes for the clearest links)
- [http://example.com/] gives [1] (this should only be used if the site name is long or unimportant)
- [http://example.com/ text to display] gives text to display (useful, but can become confusing if over-used)

Use the editing toolbar to help you; it provides buttons to help you out.
Keep things simple, and don't be afraid to make mistakes.
Wikipedia has already prepared a cheat-sheet for you that you might find useful editing here.