View source for VideoLAN Wiki:Syntax

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

== The basics ==
''Note: You can practice editing at the [[Sandbox|Sandbox page]] 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 <span title="HyperText Markup Language" style="border-bottom:1px dotted;">HTML</span>.<br>

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>
* "templates" (common snippets of formatting or often-used text), for example <nowiki>{{VLC}}</nowiki> to display {{VLC}}
* a particular way of linking to other pages and websites on the Internet
* a particular way of making things bold or italic
* a particular way of inserting images

Another important feature is the page layout:
* making lists
* making tables
* using page headings to create sections

=== If you have a minute... ===
Begin by learning the basics. 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.

=== To start editing right away... ===
Find the Edit Toolbar directly above the edit box and use the buttons and the "Help" dropdown to guide you.

== Common conventions and best practices ==
* Frequently example code is shown, both for VLC commands or to document the internals of VLC. The following two tags currently exist to display text "as-is":
** Inline: <code><nowiki><code>...</code></nowiki></code>
** Block code: <code><nowiki><pre>...</pre></nowiki></code>
* While making numbered lists, prefer <code>#</code> notation for long lists, since the numbers are dynamic and automatically change when list items are added or removed
* Several ways to link to websites are available; the clearest way to link them is with text that says where the link goes, for example <code><nowiki>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VLC/ Wikipedia's entry on VLC]</nowiki></code>
* To end a line, use either ''two new lines'' or ''<code><nowiki><br></nowiki></code>''; single returns are ignored by the wiki, which expects two new-lines to signal a new line
* To mark text that is out-of-date, incorrect, or otherwise inaccurate, place {{tl|Check}} after the text to mark it with{{Check}} and add it to [[:Category:Pages to check]]
* 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]]

=== Remarks ===
Templates seem to be local to each wiki (except built-in MediaWiki templates), so the VideoLAN wiki lacks the wide selection of perfunctory templates Wikipedia offers ‒ for example, {{tl|citation needed}}, which inserts <sup>[''<span style="color:blue;">citation needed</span>'']</sup>.

Rules concerning style are much more relaxed, and you are advised to use common sense. If something works ''better'' than listed in the section above, <u>do that instead</u>.

''Almost all pages are out of date.'' Currently no campaign to clean this up has been launched, but in the future out-of-date pages might be noted with a template/category identification system.

=== Useful things ===
* {{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}}

=== Editing tips ===
* 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.

== 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}}]]