View source for VideoLAN Wiki:Syntax

:''See also: [[Documentation:EditingGuidelines]]''
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 <abbr title="HyperText Markup Language">HTML</abbr>.<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 ==
* 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:
** begin lines of code with a single space
** wrap the code in the tag <code><nowiki><pre>...</pre></nowiki></code>
** use the in-line tag <code><nowiki><code>...</code></nowiki></code>

* While making numbered lists, prefer list-making wikicode over manual lists; it makes managing large lists much easier
* 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
* 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]]

=== Remarks ===
Nota bene or NB means "important note". It's a Latin/Italian phrase that is used very often around the wiki to indicate how a page is to be interpreted, for instance, remarking that the page documents ''past'' conventions. Generally, read this before anything else on the page.

Most pages are written in loosely British English, rather than American English. Contribute in whatever style of English you feel comfortable writing in.

=== 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}}]]