Difference between revisions of "VideoLAN Wiki:Syntax"

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Please follow these guidelines when editing this wiki.<br>
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There will be more guidelines later.
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== The basics ==
 
''Note: You can practice editing at the [[Sandbox|Sandbox page]] whenever you like.''
 
''Note: You can practice editing at the [[Sandbox|Sandbox page]] whenever you like.''
  
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'''<big>This guide is still in the process of being written</big>'''<br>
 
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<br>
 
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Please follow these guidelines when editing this wiki.
 
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There will be more guidelines later.
 
  
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== The basics ==
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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>
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This wiki uses the same general syntax as Wikipedia, because both use MediaWiki markup.<br>
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This wiki does <u>not</u> support the VisualEditor extension that [//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:VisualEditor Wikipedia does].
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Commands to modify plain text include:
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* "tags" around words, for example <code><nowiki><big>example text</big></nowiki></code> to display <big>example text</big>
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* "templates" (common snippets of formatting or often-used text), for example <nowiki>{{VLC}}</nowiki> to display {{VLC}}
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* a particular way of linking to other pages and websites on the Internet
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* a particular way of making things bold or italic
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* a particular way of inserting images
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Another important feature is the page layout:
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* making lists
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* making tables
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* using page headings to create sections
  
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Familiarising yourself with wikimarkup is probably a good idea, and the convenient one-page summary of wiki syntax is provided at the English Wikipedia [//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Cheatsheet here]. Anything you forget during editing can be looked up using the "Help" section of the Edit Toolbar (located immediately above the edit box).
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=== If you have a minute... ===
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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.
  
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== VideoLAN wiki syntax ==
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=== To start editing right away... ===
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Though VideoLAN wiki inherits some of the functionality found on Wikipedia, not everything is quite the same.<br>
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Find the Edit Toolbar directly above the edit box and use the buttons and the "Help" dropdown to guide you.
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If you are familiar at all with templates on Wikipedia, you've most definitely used {{tl|cn}} to generate <sup>[''<span style="color:blue;">citation needed</span>'']</sup>—no such template exists here; nor does {{tl|broken link}}, {{tl|which}}, {{tl|update needed}}, {{tl|clarification needed}}, and similar widgets that remark on information not being the clearest or most recent.<br>
 
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Rather, {{tl|Check}} is the current way to mark text that needs checking, by displaying an in-line note and adding the page to the generic clean-up category [[:Category:Pages to check|Pages to check]].
 
  
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Additionally, a few things are handy to know:
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== Common conventions and best practices ==
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* {{tl|VLC}} displays and links to {{VLC}}
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* 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":
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* {{tl|VLC icon}} is a shorthand way to produce the image {{VLC icon}}
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** Inline: <code><nowiki><code>...</code></nowiki></code>
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* {{tl|VLC:latest version}} will show the latest version of VLC (indispensable)
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** Block code: <code><nowiki><pre>...</pre></nowiki></code>
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* 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
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* 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>
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* 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
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* 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]]
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* 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]]
  
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== Best practices ==
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=== Remarks ===
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TODO
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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>.
  
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=== Lists ===
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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>.
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TODO
 
  
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=== Linking ===
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''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.
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TODO
 
  
 
=== Useful things ===
 
=== Useful things ===
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* to link to a Wikipedia article on "example", use <nowiki>[[Wikipedia:example]]</nowiki>
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* {{tl|VLC}} displays and links to {{VLC}}
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* {{tl|VLC icon}} is a shorthand way to produce the image {{VLC icon}}
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* {{tl|VLC:latest version}} will show the latest version of VLC
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* {{tl|Font colour}}
  
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== Editing tips ==
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=== Editing tips ===
 
* Use the editing toolbar to help you; it provides buttons to help you out.
 
* 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.
 
* Keep things simple, and don't be afraid to make mistakes.
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* Adding a line after a sentence <u>will not</u> make the next bit appear on a new line: for the convenience of coders, it will appear on the ''same line''. To get it on a different line, either use <code><nowiki><br></nowiki></code> or two lines.
 
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== Links ==
 
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* [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Help:Editing MediaWiki exhaustive reference guide]
 
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== Templates ==
 
  
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== See also ==
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* [//www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Help:Editing MediaWiki exhaustive reference guide]
 
* See the [[List of templates|Documented List of Templates]].
 
* See the [[List of templates|Documented List of Templates]].
 
* See [[Special:PrefixIndex/Template:|all templates on {{SERVERNAME}}]]
 
* See [[Special:PrefixIndex/Template:|all templates on {{SERVERNAME}}]]

Revision as of 02:26, 1 November 2014

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

The basics

Note: You can practice editing at the 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 HTML.

Commands to modify plain text include:

  • "tags" around words, for example <big>example text</big> to display example text
  • "templates" (common snippets of formatting or often-used text), for example {{VLC}} to display VLC media player
  • 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 one-page summary and 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>...</code>
    • Block code: <pre>...</pre>
  • While making numbered lists, prefer # 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 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VLC/ Wikipedia's entry on VLC]
  • To end a line, use either two new lines or <br>; 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 {{Check}} after the text to mark it with[Please check this] and add it to Category:Pages to check
  • If a page is very short or needs work, place {{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, {{citation needed}}, which inserts [citation needed].

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, do that instead.

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

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

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