APG Wiki: Scribe's Manual

=Scribe's Manual =
 about pageWIKI STATISTICS
 articles •
 files •
 edits •
 active users
 scribe's manual • rules • about page
 Wiki Announcements and Updates 📡 
Announcements
Summer Event 2 was released meaning changes to the other items need to be made
JustSomeButter: Gonna try to keep things updated the best I can with more details.
Wiki Updates
Added the amount damage events deal to Events
Updated Meteor to Events
Added Chain Lightning, Plate Grow, and Plate Shrink Pages to Powers
Added the amount of damage gears do to Gears
Added summer splash event intermission music - Palm Beach by Filippo Vicarelli to Seasonal Music
NOTES: 
* This page is a resource for new wiki editors looking to contribute, so most of the content in this page does not cover the gaem itself.
* To learn about the Wikitext syntax, go here: https://community.fandom.com/wiki/Help:Wikitext
* Most of the sections in this guide deviate from existing Fandom help articles. To read all of them, go here.
* For all templates, go here: Templates
== Overview ==
This wiki serves as a resource for players to read about the gaem and find new info. Users looking to contribute can help by making pages for uncovered topics, add images and new info to a page, fixing errors and grammatical issus, linking new pages, and much more. Contributing to the wiki helps us and the playerbase of APG. As such, this page exists for new readers and editors as a resource on the basics of page making, styling, contributing, and next steps. There's always something to be edited here on the wiki, and anyone is welcome. 
- this page covers both visual and source editor, as they both have pros and cons.
__TOC__
==Making a Page==
=== Creation ===
When making a new page, check to see if the topic you are writing about hasn't been covered already. You can check by searching or using the navigation header.
To make a page, go to the 3-dotted menu in the top-right corner, and click "Add new page". From there, title the page (make it about the topic you are covering), and you will be taken to the visual editor, where you can begin writing.
=== Starting the Page ===
A few things should be prioritized when making a new page. One of those things is adding notices. Think about what your topic is. Is it a special event? Does it include removed content? Will be a really long page? If the answer is yes, you should include one of these templates. 
Let's say that you're not gonna be able to finish the page. You can add the PageIsUnderConstruction template when this happens. 
*Visual Editor: Go to the insert tab at the top of the editing tools and navigate to the button in the dropdown menu. Then search Page Is Under Construction and click on it, then click the "insert" button. The template should appear at the top of the page.
*Source Editor: Go to the top of the page and type {{, then put PageIsUnderConstruction, then end with }}. Make sure that there are no spaces. You can view your edits by switching to visual editor or using the preview button.
NOTE: Notice templates should ALWAYS be used at the top of the article. 
===Organization: Headings===
Headings are used to mark a new section of the article. When making a new article, an overview section should be added first to provide a short summary about the article. Other headers can be added, but the overview section should always be added first.
In source code, you can create a header by putting a equal sign, space, then the heading title, then another space, then the same amount of equal signs as the first. 
 = Heading =
 == Sub-Heading 1 (2) ==
 === Sub Heading 2 (3) ===
 ==== Sub-Heading 3 (4) ====
 ===== Sub-Heading 4 (5) =====
To create a header in visual mode, you can use the dropdown menu in the top-left to set a new header. 
IMPORTANT NOTE: Do not rely solely on visual editor. Having skills in source mode is very important as some things can only be achieved in source mode. 
=== Links and Important Text ===
When mentioning something that relates to a certain topic, it should provide a link to said related topic. (ex. Witnessing a white hole gives the "inverse singularity" badge.) Note that this does not mean everything that relates to a topic should have links, as it is unnecessary and not needed. When adding an important piece of text, it should be either bolded, italicized, or underlined.
=== Trivia Section ===
When you still have some leftover info that doesn't fit anywhere else on a page, it should be put into a Trivia section. Trivia sections are usually formatted like this:
* Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. 
** Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation dukzae is a noob laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
* Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.
* xcepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
NOTE: Trivia sections should always be added at the bottom of a page.
=== Tables ===
Tables are used to organize a piece of data or a series of info, into neat categories. They can be positioned anywhere on a page (left-center-right). Never add a caption, as this is never used. If the table has a lot of information (for say, the Events page), then the collapsible option should be enabled. When making a new table, click on a header section and make a new one above it. Merge the top header by clicking and dragging the cells. This will be your table headr.
When creating a table in source mode, type {| class="mw-collapsible fandom-table". The mw-collapsible part makes the table collapsible. On the next line, type |+ Table. This sets the table title, which can be changed to whatever you like. Next line, type
! colspan="#" | Header. colspan means how many columns there are, and the header can be changed to whatever you like. On the next two lines do |-, then ! Col 1, and replace the "Col 1" with what the column will be about. If there are 4 columns, repeat line 2 until you have 4 columns. Next, add another |-, then add a | for the amount of columns you have, and with each |, add whatever the row is about. After # amount of rows, add a |- and repeat for the amount of rows that you need. Once the table is finished, close it out with a |}.
You should get a result like this:
Table Title
Header	Header	Header	Header
Col 1 	Col 2 	Col 3 	Col 4
info 	info 	info 	info
info 	info 	info 	info
To create a table in visual mode, head to the "Insert" dropdown and click on Table. Customize it the way you want.
==Styling a Page==
=== Uploading and Inserting Images, Videos, and More===
Adding media is important for articles, as they add a level of clarity and help visualize the topic you are writing. This section covers images, audio, and video/gifs.
==== Images ====
Images are used to add context to a piece of info, and to visualize it. Adding an image is really simple, as there are 2 methods of doing so. When adding an image, it should typically be positioned on the right side of the page, but can be positioned in the left or center for viewing purposes.
For the first method, in the visual editor click the button, then select upload. Select the image file you want to upload to the wiki (MUST FOLLOW RULES AND FANDOM Terms of Service). Make sure to set a unique name that describes the image.
The second method is a mass upload, which allows you to upload multiple images in one. In visual mode, click the button, then select your images. There you have 2 options: Upload individually, or upload all.
After uploading the image, you can upload the image by going to the button, then clicking the image you had just uploaded. From there, click the "Use That Image" button and upload the image, which can then be oriented to the left, center, or right of the page. You also have the option to add a caption using the Thumbnail option in the advanced section. Captions should be applied to most images as they describe what is happening in the image.
NOTES: The second method does not allow you to change the filename. The first method is recommended. Images have the option to wrap around text, or not. This can interfere with headers, and if it does, try moving the image down or making it small so it doesn't interfere with the header.
Source code option will be added soon (lol totally wild is poopy and lazy even tho he mad this enitr pageeee lollsies).
==== Audio ====
Preferably, you should use .ogg files for audio files, but .mp3 files are also allowed. To upload audio go to Special:Upload, then select your audio file. Upload your audio. In source mode, add a link to your audio file: [[File:Example.ogg]]. Here's an example of mine:thumb
====Video/GIFs====
To add a GIF to a page, use the same process as an image. To add a video, link the video. 
=== Gallery ===
Galleries are collections of uploaded files and videoes. There are two main gallery formats:
* Fandom galleries, used on Fandom wikis (what we use)
* MediaWiki galleries, used on Gamepedia wikis
When making a gallery, please use Fandom galleries as they are easier and preferred.
Below is the syntax for a basic gallery. By default, captions appear below the images, but this behavior can change depending on the gallery type or mode. The link parameter functions the same as linking from an image thumbnail.
<gallery widths=200>
Example.jpg
Example.jpg|caption text
Example.jpg|link=Help:Contents
Example.jpg|caption [[Help:Links|with a link]]|link=Help:Contents
...
</gallery>
APG logo.webp
APG logo.webp|caption text
APG logo.webp|link=Help:Contents
APG logo.webp|caption with a link|link=Help:Contents
==== How To Add A Gallery ====
You can insert galleries in both Visual Editor and Source Editor, but gallery parameters can only be edited in Source Mode.
===== Visual Editor =====
You can use the dropdown menu and select the Gallery option. From there, select the media you want to use. You can then remove, and organize the image and/or video.
===== Source Editor =====
Type the <gallery> tag in the editor and then type in your images, then close it off with a </gallery> tag.
==== Gallery Parameters ====
Fandom galleries support three display types; two of them are controlled by the type parameter in the <gallery> tag: default galleries, slideshoss, and sliders, all explained below on their respective sections.
Below is a list of all parameters supported by default galleris:
Description 	Format and options 	Default
Max image widths, in pixels 	widths=[number] 	185
Images per row 	columns=[number] 	Fit to page
Gallery positioning 	position=[left/center/right] 	left
Spacing between images 	spacing=[small/medium/large] 	medium
Image orientation and cropping	orientation=[none/landscape/portrait/square]	none
Caption position 	captionposition=[within/below] 	below
Caption alignment 	captionalign=[left/center/right] 	left
Caption color 	captiontextcolor=[color code] 	Article text color
Caption size 	captionsize=[small/medium/large] 	medium
Border thickness 	bordersize=[none/small/medium/large] 	small
Border color 	bordercolor=[color code] 	Theme border color
Gallery caption 	caption=[text] 	No caption
"Navigation" modifier 	navigation=[true/false] 	false
==== Gallery Types ====
===== Slideshow =====
<gallery type="slideshow"> creates a slideshow of the images that the user can manually browse through. Captions are only displayed on hover as an overlay.
Below is a generic slideshow gallery with images and captions. Note that, by default, slideshows float to the left/center/right idkowjfawj of the page.
APG logo.webp|Caption 1
APG logo.webp|Caption 2
APG logo.webp|Caption 3
Description 	Format and options 	Default
Max image widths, in pixels	widths=[number] 	300
Cropping 	crop=[true/false] 	false
Show recent uploads 	showrecentuploads=[true/false]	false
Slideshow position 	position=[left/center/right] 	right
Slideshow caption 	caption=[text] 	No caption
===== Slider =====
<gallery type="slider"> creates a stylized automatic slideshow with a maximum of four images. Captions are displayed as titles—use |linktext= at the end of each image to display more text. Images are resized to a set width of 670px.
Here's an example of a generic slider with images, captions and links to articles. Note that sliders are always centered horizontally.
APG logo.webp|Caption 1|link=|linktext=Description 1
APG logo.webp|Caption 2|link=|linktext=Description 2
APG logo.webp|Caption 3|link=|linktext=Description 3
Sliders support only one parameters:
Description 	Format and options 	Default
Thumbnail orientation	orientation=[bottom/right]	bottom
==== Navigation Galleries ====
Navigation galleries are designed for users to be sent to a specific page when clicking on an image. This is useful for a gallery of characters, episodes, etc. that have their own individual pages. On the mobile web, navigation galleries have an optimized appearance for touch devices. Navigation galleries are supported on both MediaWiki and Fandom formats.
To set a gallery as a navigation gallery, add navigation=true to the <gallery> tag. Then, add |link=PAGENAME to set the links for each image. For example, the above gallery can be converted into a navigation gallery with the following code:
 <gallery navigation=true>
 Example.jpg|Caption 1|link=Help:Editing
 Example.jpg|Caption 2|link=Help:Adding images
 Example.jpg|Caption 3|link=Help:Videos
 </gallery>
===Table of Contents===
Table of Contents are a helpful way to quickly jumpcut to specific parts of an article, if four or more headings are added, then a Table of Contents is automatically applied. If you do not want this to occur, say the ToC isn't helpful, we can go into source editor and type __NOTOC__ on any line, so that no ToC shows up. If you want ghg the ToC to show up at a specific part of an article, then you can type __TOC__ on any line and the ToC will be positioned there.
===Bulleted, Numbered Lists and Indentation===
Bulleted and Numbered lists order a chunk of text. Bulleteded lists look like this: 
*Text 1
*Text 2
*Text 3
Numbered lists look like this:
#Text
#Text
#Text
They should be used for different things, ie. Numbered lists should be used as steps in a piece of instruction, Bulleted lists can be used for order and trivia etc. 
To nest a list in visual editor, click tab on a line of text.
*Text 1 
**Nested Text 1
*Text 2
To go back, hold down shift and click tab.
To make and nest a list in source mode, add either a * for a bulleted list, or a # for a numbered list at the beginning of a line, then type in your text. To indent, add another * or #.
Indentation can only be achieved in source code. To do this, go and put : at the start of a new line, then your text. The more you need to indent, the more : you add.
 Text
 : Indented
 :: Indented 2
The result should look like this:
Text
:Indented
::Indented 2
Indented text looks weird though, so we don't recommend using it.
=== Linking Text ===
To link text, highlight a piece of text, and click the button, then find the page you want the text to link to. This works for both visual and source editor.
==Contributing to a Page==
Contributing to the wiki helps us in many ways, when it's from a simple grammatical fix, to a whole new page, it will help the APG Wiki's progress go solwer lol. You can help in many ways, such as:
===Grammatical Issues/Errors===
Removing grammaticol errors on pages helps improv the wikee and makes it cleanr.
===Replacing/Fixing Bad Edits===
See a bad edit that provides no clarity whatsoever? Remove it or edit it to make it better.
===Linking Pages===
When a topic that is on a page is mentioned, like events for example, it should provide a link to that page.
===Updating Pages When an Update Comes Out===
This wiki is edited constantly due to updates coming out all the time, so we may not be able to keep up. Updating and adding new info when updates comes out helps us a ton.
===Adding Templates and Categories===
When a page needs a template like the page covers a seasonal event, you should add the PageHasLimitedEvent template to it. Same thing goes for categories. and deez nuts
===Old, Limited, and Removed Stuff===
When mentioning these on a page, they should either go into a removed or trivia section on a page.
==Advanced MediaWiki==
This section assumes that you are advanced enough in MediaWiki and Wikitext to continue, as it is the advanced section of the manual.
=== Namespaces ===
Namespaces are a way of separating content on a wiki, similar to categories. Each page belongs to exactly one namespace.
====Basic Namespaces ====
*Main or article namespaces contains the informational content of the wiki. It is the default namespace and does not use a prefix. Only the Main namespace is indexed by public search engines such as Google or Bing.
*Project namespace's use varies from wiki to wiki. On some, it may be used for guidelines and policies, deletion discussions, admin right requests, and other behind-the-scenes details; other wikis use it for other purposes, or don't use it at all. Its prefix is the title of your wiki (the same one used in the {{SITENAME}} variable). If you don't know the name of the wiki (or just don't want to bother to type it,) you can use the shortcut, "Project:" as a substitute. This will be converted automatically to the real name of the wiki.
**Namespace example: :Example
*User namespace is used for information about users of the wiki. A user has a main user page and possibly some subpages. The main user page is linked from page histories and from recent changes. A user page has links to a user's talk page and contributions.
*File namespace is used for uploaded files, and pages in it can be referred to file description pages. They are used for information about images or other files. Every image file uploaded will show the information given in the upload summary on the file description page.
*MediaWiki namespace contain behind-the-scenes code and message such as link labels and color schemes. These are only editable by admins and bureaucrats .
*Template namespace can be used for small standard texts which need to be inserted on a number of pages. Templates can be things like infoboxes or items in a list. They can be inserted with {{Template name}}; see Help:Templates for a more in-depth description.
*Category namespace contains categories of pages, with each displaying a list of pages in that category and optional additional text; see Help:Categories.
*Help namespace is for help pages. Links to the Help namespace will redirect you to Community Central, if the article exists on Community Central. Wikis can also add new help pages that are unique to their wiki in this namespace.
====Additional Namespaces====
*Forum namespace can be used for threaded forum messages. These are normally conversations and questions for the entire wiki to contribute in. See Help:Wiki-style forums. Note: It is suggested to use Discussions instead.
====Talk Namespaces====
Except for special pages, each namespace has an associated talk namespace. The talk namespaces are designated by adding talk: to the normal prefix. For example, the talk namespace associated with the unprefixed main article namespace has the prefix Talk:, while the talk namespace associated with the User: namespace has the prefix User talk:. Most of the pages in the talk namespaces are used to discuss changes to the corresponding page in the associated namespace.
Pages in the user talk namespace are useful for leaving messages for a particular user, since they will get automatic notification of any messages left there; see Help:Profiles.
====Virtual Namespaces====
There are two virtual namespaces that do not relate to pages stored in the database.
*Special pages, or the special namespace, are automatically generated and uneditabl pages, such as Special:RecentChanges or Special:UserLogin. They're vital to the MediaWiki software.
*The Media prefix can be used to link directly to any file or sound clip, in the form [[Media:Image.jpg]] or [[Media:Sound.ogg]], rather than linking to the image description page.
=== Magic Words ===
NOTE: Most of the text in this section is taken and abridged from this article: Help:Magic words. Please read this to learn more about magic words.
A magic word is a keyword or phrase recognized by the MediaWiki software (upon which Fandom is built) which triggers the software to do something special on the page. There are two types of magic words: those that are enclosed by double curly braces and those that are enclosed by double underscores (see below).
There are three general typs of magic words:
* Behavior switches: these are uppercase words surrounded by double underscores, e.g. __FOO__.
* Variables: these are uppercase words surrounded by double braces, e.g. {{FOO}}. As such, they look a lot like Templates.
* Parser functions: these take parameters and are either of the form {{foo:...}} or {{#foo:...}}.
It's generally best to add and edit magic words using a source editor.
To add a magic word, simply add the magic word to the content of the page somewhere. It will look like code in the editor, but after you save or preview, it will display as intended. Magic words will show up highlighted (in red for source editor, gray for visual editor).
==== Common Magic Words ====
* {{PAGENAME}} outputs the name of the page the word is placed on. ()
* {{SITENAME}} outputs the name of the community. ()
* {{NUMBEROFEDITS}} outputs the Contribution count of the community. ()
* {{CURRENTDAYNAME}} outputs the current day of the week. ()
* {{NUMBEROFARTICLES}} outputs the number of articles on your community. ()
* {{FULLPAGENAME}} outputs the full name of the page, i.e. with the namespace prefix, of the page it is placed on. ()
* {{NAMESPACENUMBER}} displays the ID (number) of the page's namespace. ()
* __NOTOC__ hides the table of contents on a page.
* __TOC__ places the table of contents exactly where this is entered. It overrides the NOTOC switch.
* __NOEDITSECTION__ hides the "edit" links beside all headings on the page. To hide the edit link beside a particular heading, specify the heading using an HTML tag such as heading rather than with the usual wiki equals-signs syntax ( == heading == ).
* __NEWSECTIONLINK__ replaces the "Edit" button with "Add topic", for adding new sections on a non-talk page.
* __NONEWSECTIONLINK__ replaces the "Add topic" button with "Edit", on talk namespaces.
* __HIDDENCAT__ placed on a category page, it makes the category hidden.
* __EXPECTUNUSEDCATEGORY__ removes the category from Special:UnusedCategories which is helpful for tracking categories which should not necessarily appear as "unused" even when they are empty.
==== Other Useful Magic Words ====
===== Behavior Switches =====
A behavior switch controls the layout or behavior of the page and can often be used to specify desired omissions and inclusions in the content.
Word 	Word 	Description
Table of contents 	Table of contents 	Table of contents
 	 	
__NOTOC__ 	__NOTOC__ 	Hides the table of contents (TOC).
 	 	
__FORCETOC__ 	__FORCETOC__ 	Forces the table of contents to appear at its normal position (before the first header).
 	 	
__TOC__ 	__TOC__ 	Places a table of contents at the word's current position (overriding __NOTOC__). If this is used multiple times, the table of contents will appear at the first word's position.
Editing 	Editing 	Editing
 	 	
__NOEDITSECTION__ 	__NOEDITSECTION__ 	Hides the section edit links beside headings. This is especially useful, where a heading is created from within a template: the normal wiki section-edit would in this case edit the template code, which is normally counterintuitive to the user. If a template contains multiple headings, it may be necessary to add "__NOEDITSECTION__" after each heading.
 	 	
__NEWSECTIONLINK__	__NEWSECTIONLINK__	Adds a link ("+" by default) beside the "edit" tab for adding a new section on a non-talk page (see Adding a section to the end).
 	 	
Categories 	Categories 	Categories
 	 	
__NOGALLERY__ 	__NOGALLERY__ 	Used on a category page, replaces thumbnails in the category view with normal links.
 	 	
__HIDDENCAT__ 	__HIDDENCAT__ 	Used on a category page, hides the category from the lists of categories in its members and parent categories (there is an option in the user preferences to show them).
 	 	
 	 	
=====Variables=====
Variables return information about the current page, wiki, or date. Their syntax is similar to templates. Variables marked as "[expensive]" are tracked by the software, and the number that can be included on a page is limited.
If a template name conflicts with a variable, the variable will be used (so to transclude the template :PAGENAME you would need to write {{:PAGENAME}}). In some cases, adding parameters will force the parser to invoke a template; for example, {{CURRENTDAYNAME|x}} transcludes :CURRENTDAYNAME, not the variable.
======Date and time======
The following variables return the current date and time in UTC.
Due to MediaWiki and browser caching, these variables frequently show when the page was cached rather than the current time.
The date and time magic words are formatted in the wiki content language. Since 1.19, they depend on the page content language.
Variable 	Output	Description
Year 	Year 	Year
{{CURRENTYEAR}} 	 	Year
Month 	Month 	Month
{{CURRENTMONTH}} 	 	Month (zero-padded number)
{{CURRENTMONTH1}} 	 	Month (unpadded number)
{{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} 	 	Month (name)
{{CURRENTMONTHNAMEGEN}}	 	Month (genitive form)
{{CURRENTMONTHABBREV}} 	 	Month (abbreviation)
Day 	Day 	Day
{{CURRENTDAY}} 	 	Day of the month (unpadded number)
{{CURRENTDAY2}} 	 	Day of the month (zero-padded number)
{{CURRENTDOW}} 	 	Day of the week (unpadded number), 0 (for Sunday) through 6 (for Saturday)
{{CURRENTDAYNAME}} 	 	Day of the week (name)
Time 	Time 	Time
{{CURRENTTIME}} 	 	Time (24-hour HH:mm format)
{{CURRENTHOUR}} 	 	Hour (24-hour zero-padded number)
Other 	Other 	Other
{{CURRENTWEEK}} 	 	Week (number)
{{CURRENTTIMESTAMP}} 	 	YYYYMMDDHHmmss timestamp
The following variables do the same as the preceding ones, but using the site's server config or $wgLocaltimezone.
*{{LOCALYEAR}}
*{{LOCALMONTH}}
*{{LOCALMONTH1}}
*{{LOCALMONTHNAME}}
*{{LOCALMONTHNAMEGEN}}
*{{LOCALMONTHABBREV}}
*{{LOCALDAY}}
*{{LOCALDAY2}}
*{{LOCALDOW}}
*{{LOCALDAYNAME}}
*{{LOCALTIME}}
*{{LOCALHOUR}}
*{{LOCALWEEK}}
*{{LOCALTIMESTAMP}}
======Technical metadata ======
Note: Revision variables return data about the latest edit to the current page, even if viewing an older version of the page.
Variable 	Output 	Description
Site 	Site 	Site
{{SITENAME}} 	 	The wiki's site name ($wgSitename).
{{SERVER}} 	 	Domain URL ($wgServer).
{{SERVERNAME}} 	 	Domain name (no longer dependent on $wgServerName as of version 1.17).
{{CONTENTLANGUAGE}} {{CONTENTLANG}}	 	The wiki's default interface language ($wgLanguageCode).
Page 	Page 	Page
{{PAGEID}} 	 	Returns the page identifier.
Latest revision to current page 	Latest revision to current page	Latest revision to current page
{{REVISIONDAY}} 	 	Day edit was made (unpadded number).
{{REVISIONDAY2}} 	 	Day edit was made (zero-padded number).
{{REVISIONMONTH}} 	 	Month edit was made (zero-padded number).
{{REVISIONMONTH1}} 	 	Month edit was made (unpadded number).
{{REVISIONYEAR}} 	 	Year edit was made.
{{REVISIONTIMESTAMP}} 	 	Timestamp as of time of edit.
{{REVISIONUSER}} 	 	The username of the user who made the most recent edit to the page, or the current user when previewing an edit.
{{REVISIONSIZE}} 	 	The size (bytes of wikitext) of the current revision of this page
======Statistics======
Numbers returned by these variables normally contain separators (commas or spaces, depending on the local language), but can return raw numbers with the ":R" flag (for example, {{NUMBEROFPAGES}} → and {{NUMBEROFPAGES:R}} → ). Use "|R" for magic words that require a parameter like PAGESINCATEGORY (for example {{PAGESINCATEGORY:Help}} and {{PAGESINCATEGORY:Help|R}}, or {{PAGESINCATEGORY:Help|subcats}} and {{PAGESINCATEGORY:Help|subcats|R}}). Also applicable to {{PAGESIZE:page name}} hereinbefore.
Variable 	Output	Description
{{NUMBEROFPAGES}} 	 	Number of wiki pages.
{{NUMBEROFARTICLES}} 	 	Number of pages in content namespaces excluding redirects.
{{NUMBEROFFILES}} 	 	Number of uploaded files.
{{NUMBEROFEDITS}} 	 	Number of wiki edits.
{{NUMBEROFUSERS}} 	 	Number of registered users.
{{NUMBEROFADMINS}} 	 	Number of users in the sysop group.
{{NUMBEROFACTIVEUSERS}}	 	Number of active users, based on the criteria used in Special:Statistics.
======Page names ======
Variable 	Output	Description
{{FULLPAGENAME}} 	 	Namespace and full page title (including all subpage levels).
{{PAGENAME}} 	 	Full page title (including all subpage levels) without the namespace.
{{BASEPAGENAME}} 	 	Page title of the page in the immediately superior subpage level without the namespace ("Title/foo" on "Help:Title/foo/bar").
For more complex splitting, use {{#titleparts:}} from the ParserFunctions extension.
{{SUBPAGENAME}} 	 	The subpage title ("bar" on "Help:Title/foo/bar").
{{SUBJECTPAGENAME}} {{ARTICLEPAGENAME}}	 	Full page name of the associated subject page.
{{TALKPAGENAME}} 	 	Full page name of the associated talk page.
{{ROOTPAGENAME}} 	 	Name of the root of the current page. Would return Title on page Help:Title/Foo/Bar
The {{BASEPAGENAME}} and {{SUBPAGENAME}} magic words only work in namespaces that have subpages enabled. See mw:Manual:$wgNamespacesWithSubpages for information on enabling subpages.
These can all take a parameter, allowing specification of the page to be operated on, instead of just the current page:
*{{PAGENAME:Template:Main Page}} → 
Page titles containing certain characters, such as apostrophes ' or asterisks *, may produce unexpected results when handled with these magic words, e.g. {{PAGESINCATEGORY:{{PAGENAME}}}}. 
======URL encoded page names======
The following are equivalents encoded for use in MediaWiki URLs (i.e. spaces replaced with underscores and some characters HTML escaped using numeric character encoding):
*{{FULLPAGENAMEE}}
*{{PAGENAMEE}}
*{{BASEPAGENAMEE}}
*{{SUBPAGENAMEE}}
*{{SUBJECTPAGENAMEE}}
*{{ARTICLEPAGENAMEE}}
*{{TALKPAGENAMEE}}
Note that {{PAGENAME}}, {{PAGENAMEE}} and {{urlencode:}} have distinct implementations. See mw:Manual:PAGENAMEE encoding for details.
=====Parser Functions =====
To learn about parser functions, check out this article to learn more.
===Templates===
Templates are pages designed to be used on other pages. They are found in the Template namespace as seen above, and usually display material that needs to be shown on multiple pages at the same time. Templates are vital tools for wikis to run efficiently.
There are many different types of templates that fulfill different purposes. Templates like infoboxes or citations promote a uniform style on the wiki, while others are used in tandem to structure a single page, such as the main page.
Template pages are created and modified using the source editor. Most templates can be added, or transcluded, on pages while using any editor interface, but complicated templates may be easier to work with in the source editor. Editing a transcluded template will update how it appears on all of the pages where the template is transcluded.
====Making a Template====
#Create a new page with with the title like this: Template:[Your template name]
#*Note: Always use Pascal Casing when making a new template.
#A popup will appear asking you to choose a template type. Select the option that matches the template you want to make or select "Unknown" if you're not sure, then click the "Save" button at the top-right.
#Type a few words or a sentence in the editor. Example: This is example template text. For demo purposes only.
#Click "Save" at the bottom right. You've just created a template!
You can test your template using the public wiki sandbox, or use your own personal sandbox.
For a full guide on creating and using templates, visit Help:Templates on MediaWiki to learn more.
===MediaWiki pages ===
Note: Only administrators and higher ranks can edit pages in the MediaWiki namespace.
====ImportJS====
MediaWiki:ImportJS is a page where you can import scripts from your local wiki community and the Fandom Developers website (dev.fandom.com). 
All local files and Dev Wiki imports must be in the MediaWiki namespace to work. When stating files to import, the MediaWiki namespace should not be included in the name.
The system attempts to load each line, ignoring invalid titles. Thus you can achieve comments by prefixing a line with //, or #, or any other invalid title character.
 //local JS file, located at "MediaWiki:Cat.js"
 Cat.js
 
 // Dev Wiki script, located at "MediaWiki:UploadMultipleFiles.js"
 dev:UploadMultipleFiles.js
====Extensions====
NOTE: Most of the text in this section is taken and abridged from this article: Help:Extensions.
Extensions are features and add-ons developed for MediaWiki. They are designed by Fandom staff or third-party developers for either expanding the function of a wiki or overriding a built-in MediaWiki feature for customization purposes.
===== Requesting an Extension =====
Check Special:Version to see if the extension you want is not already installed. Fandom has a significant amount of extensions installed by default. Many other extensions already exist in the Fandom codebase and can be enabled upon request. You can check which extensions Fandom offers later on this page. Some basic content tools, such as Variables, are automatically enabled by staff when requested.
If Fandom does not offer a particular extension, you may request the Fandom engineering team investigate installing it by using the contact form and linking to the MediaWiki extension page along with an explanation as to why it's needed. Please be aware that the engineering team may take a few months to review the extension. Most extension requests will be rejected; this is mainly due to the amount of rewriting an extension would require to live on the Fandom codebase servers. 
As such, it's always good to ask yourself when looking at an extension on MediaWiki.org whether the extension is up to date, is well-maintained, and allows for a caching layer. If the answer to any of these questions is no, then chances are Fandom will not be able to install the extension.
===== Default Extensions =====
====== Users and admins ======
; Global CSS and JS
: Adds global user CSS and JavaScript to all wikis, fetched from English Community Central.
====== Wiki tools ======
; ArticleComments
: Way to leave a quick message on a blog post or article page.
; CategoryTree
: AJAX based gadget to display the category structure of a community.
; CharInsert
: Allows creation of JavaScript box for inserting non-standard characters.
; Cite
: Adds <ref[ name=id]> and <references/> tags, for citations.
; CLDR
: Contains local language names for different languages, countries, currencies, and time units extracted from CLDR data.
; CommunityPage
: Provides a page for the community, to list things that need to be done on the wiki.
; DPLforum
: DPL-based forum extension using article pages.
; EasyTimeline
: Editors can create timelines of events using this tool's syntax.
; EmbedVideo
: Embeds videos from popular sources directly in pages.
; FandomEmbedVideo
: Embeds videos from YouTube, Metacafe and many other sites.
; ImageMap
: Allows client-side clickable image maps using <imagemap> tag.
; InputBox
: Allow inclusion of predefined HTML forms.
; InteractiveMaps
: Adds a map creation tool to create a JSON based map.
; LabeledSectionTransclusion
: Allows transclusion of parts of pages rather than just whole pages.
; Math
: Adds syntax for on-page math formulas.
; Maps
: Easily create Earth-based maps with wiki-fied markers.
; MessageWall
: Communication tool that allows users to send public messages to other users.
; MsUpload
: Tool built into the source editor to upload multiple images.
; ParserFunctions
: Enhance parser with logical functions.
; Poem
: Adds <poem> tag for poem formatting.
; PortableInfobox
: Adds the portable infobox XML syntax to present a summary of the topic of the page.
; RandomImage
: Provides a random media picker using <randomimage />.
; RandomSelection
: Displays a random option from the given set.
; RSS Pie
: Embeds RSS feeds from any site onto a page.
; Scribunto
: Framework for embedding scripting languages into MediaWiki pages.
; SocialLogs
: Tool that helps admins and moderators keep an eye on their wiki's social activity.
; Tabber
: Methods for having "tabbed" content.
; TemplateData
: Allows editors to specify how templates should be invoked.
====== Spam and blocking ======
; ConfirmEdit
: Simple captcha implementation.
; TitleBlacklist
: Regex based tool for blocking disruptive page titles.
====== Other tools ======
; ArticleMetaDescription
: Adding meta-description tag containing snippet of the Article.
; SyntaxHighlight
: Code syntax highlighter - supports many languages.
===== Available on request =====
This is a non-comprehensive list of MediaWiki extensions that are available upon request to Fandom.
; Achievements
: Add badges to users to encourage contributions.
; Arrays
: Provides parser functions that operate on arrays.
; ContentReview
: Allows for site JS (not including ImportJS).
; DynamicPageList (DPL)
: Content listing tool, which adds the <dpl> tag.
; Editcount
: Shows how many edits a particular user has made on the wiki, per namespace.
; Gadgets
: Creates and allows usage of "gadgets" for users.
; Loops
: Provides parser functions for performing loops.
; LuaCache
: Exposes MediaWiki's ObjectCache through a Lua interface with Scribunto.
; RecentChangesPatrol
: Allows marking edits as checked and conform to the policies of the wiki.
; Thanks
: Allows thanking other editors for their contribution in pages.
; Variables
: Allows you to define a variable on a page then use it later in that same page.
; VariablesLua
: Provides support for the Variables extension in Lua modules with Scribunto.
; WikiHiero
: Syntax to display hieroglyphs.
===== Restricted extensions =====
These extensions are subject to access restrictions, and administrators are only given access when there is a clear and current need for them.
; AbuseFilter
: Tool for automatically catching non-constructive edits.
; CheckUser
: Grants users with the appropriate permission the ability to check user's IP addresses and other information. (This is generally a staff-only tool, but a few administrators of big wikis also have access to it.)
; Nuke
: Gives SOAPs, Wiki Representatives, and Fandom Staff the ability to mass delete pages. (Wiki admins can also use the nuke script to mass delete pages created by a specific user.)
; ProtectSite
: Allows SOAPs, Wiki Representatives, and staff members to temporarily block various site modifications. (This is enabled as deemed needed. Local administrators of a wiki generally do not have access to it.)
; SpamBlacklist
: Regex-based tool for filtering URL spam.
; Semantic MediaWiki
: No longer requestable. Its "Help" page on this wiki redirects here, but discussion may be best confined to Semantic MediaWiki's official documentation site.
; TabView
: Gives an easy way of combining pages into one page with a tab for each sub-page.
===HTML & CSS===
HTML and CSS are core languages that power the web, and can be used in Fandom's source editor.
==== HTML ====
Some HTML elements can be used in Wikitext. Here is a comprehensive list of all of them:
;abbr
: abbreviation
;b
: bring attention
* Wikitext: three single quotes text 
;bdi
: Bidirectional isolate
;bdo
: Bidirectional text override
;big
: Make text bigger
* big is deprecated in HTML, but not in wikitext
;blockquote
: Block quotation
;br
: Line break
;caption
: Table caption
;cite
: Citation, i.e. reference to a cited creative work.
;code
: Inline computer code
;data
: Data, linked to machine-readable translation through value attribute.
;dd
: Description details for a description term element, inside a description list.
* Wikitext: : starting the line, respectively for description list details.
;del
: Deleted text
;dfn
: Definition. Wrap a term/phrase which is being defined.
;div
: Content division, to apply CSS formatting to a block.
;dl
: Description list
;dt
: Description term, inside a description list.
* Wikitext: ; starting the line, respectively for description list term.
;em
: Emphasis
;h1
: Section heading - levels 1 to 6
* Wikitext: pairs of equal signs (see help about formatting).
Note when you edit a section headed by an HTML heading, the edit summary will not be prefilled.
;hr
: Thematic break
* Wikitext: 4+ dashes (----) starting a line.
;i
: Idiomatic text
* Wikitext: two single quotes, e.g. idiomatic text.
;ins
: Added text
;kbd
: Keyboard input
;li
: List item
* Wikitext: # or * starting the line, respectively for ordered list and unordered list.
;link
: External resource link
* Must have itemprop and href attributes set.
;mark
: Marked or highlighted text
;meta
: Metadata
* Must have itemprop and content attributes set.
;ol
: Ordered list
;p
: Paragraph
* Wikitext: text between empty lines.
;pre
: Preformatted text
* Content is not parsed, as in a ‎<nowiki> tag. Wikitext: line starting with a blank space, i.e.  preformated text.
;q
: Inline quotation
;rp
: Ruby fallback parenthesis
;rt
: Ruby text: annotation rendered near the base text. Inside a ruby tag.
;ruby
: Ruby annotation. Encloses rt and rp.
;s
: Strikethrough, for no longer accurate or relevant text.
;samp
: Sample output, inline ouput text of a computer program.
;small
: Side comment.
;span
: Content span, to apply CSS formatting to an inline text.
;strong
: Strong importance.
;sub
: Subscript
;sup
: Superscript
;table
: Table, for tabular data
* Wikitext: see help page about tables.
;td
: Table data cell, inside a tr tag.
* Wikitext: see help page about tables.
;th
: Table header cell, inside a tr tag
* Wikitext: see help page about tables.
;time
: Date/Time
;tr
: Table row, inside a table tag.
* Wikitext: see help page about tables.
;u
: Unarticulated annotation.
;ul
: Unordered list.
;var
: Variable
;wbr
: Line break opportunity.
==== CSS ====
CSS can be used in pages and in the MediaWiki:Common.css page to customize the look of things.
=== Table Classes and Customization ===
NOTE: Most of the text in this section is taken and abridged from this article: Help:Tables/Wikitext.
Tables can be customized using CSS classes. This section doesn't describe all of them, but it will help to give you an idea as to how you can customize your tables.
==== HTML vs. Wikitext ====
Wikitext is, in many ways, just shortcut for HTML. If you're familiar with HTML, you probably already know how to build a wikitext table. Here's a chart that will help you understand the connection between wikitext and HTML:
Description 	You type	
Begin table
(equivalent to ) 	 	
Table caption
(equivalent to ) 	+ 	
Begin table row
(equivalent to ) 	- 	
Table header (part of a row; equivalent to )	! or !! 	
Table cell (part of a row; equivalent to ) 	or 	
End table
(equivalent to ) 	} 	
Table prerequisites in Tabbers 	{{!}} 	
There are several default table classes on Fandom, that style the table. To add them, simply do:
 
and replace "<class>" with the classes below.
NOTE: All tables in mobile are automatically set to article-table, even if you set a specific table class.
Here are the default classes of Fandom:
* <no class> - Makes a grid-like layout, with no styling. (Don't use it for design!!!)
* wikitable - Default MediaWiki styling of tables. Adds a simple border to all rows/columns. On table headers, it fills the background with a grey color.
* article-table - A modern-like table design. Adds a border to seperate rows (gutter), and colors all rows with a semi-transparent grey color. The header cells are colored grey, similar to wikitable
* fandom-table - Similar design with wikitable, but with bigger padding. Has a sticky header, too.
Here is an example of the table classes in action:
===== No Class =====
Header	Another
Foo 	Bar
Example
Header	Another
Foo 	Bar
===== wikitable Class =====
Header	Another
Foo 	Bar
Example
Header	Another
Foo 	Bar
===== article-table Class =====
Header	Another
Foo 	Bar
Example
Header	Another
Foo 	Bar
===== fandom-table Class =====
Header	Another
Foo 	Bar
Example
Header	Another
Foo 	Bar
==== Mobile-Friendly Tables ====
As explained elsewhere, tables don't always display well on mobile web.
The best approach is to keep things as simple as possible. Look at the following wikitext, and then notice, on your phone, how the table works on that smaller display:
 
Page 	Rank 1	Rank 2	Rank 3
Page A	1 	2 	3
Page B	1 	2 	3
Page C	2 	3 	4
...which gives:
Page 	Rank 1	Rank 2	Rank 3
Page A	1 	2 	3
Page B	1 	2 	3
Page C	2 	3 	4
==== More Tables ====
Tables can be made significantly more advanced than the example above. If you want to explore other options for wikitext tables, you could start by consulting the MediaWiki help page for tables. But remember that much of what you'll see in places like mediawiki.org or Wikipedia's help page don't really consider the effects of tables in mobile. It's important to always check your work with tables on an actual phone to see how well it displays for the many mobile readers of your wiki.
It is also possible, in some specific use cases where data needs to be calculated, to use templates or even to use Lua-based templates, both to create pre-existing table structures, or to use templates within cells.
===Special Characters===
Symbols and other special characters not available on your keyboard can be inserted through a special sequence of characters. Those sequences are called HTML entities. For example, the following sequence (entity) &rarr; when inserted will be shown as right arrow HTML symbol → and &mdash; when inserted will be shown as an em dash HTML symbol —. 
----
Hover over any character to find out the symbol that it produces. Some symbols not available in the current font will appear as empty squares. 
HTML symbol entities	HTML symbol entities	HTML symbol entities	HTML symbol entities	HTML symbol entities	HTML symbol entities	HTML symbol entities	HTML symbol entities	HTML symbol entities	HTML symbol entities	HTML symbol entities	HTML symbol entities	HTML symbol entities	HTML symbol entities	HTML symbol entities	HTML symbol entities	HTML symbol entities	HTML symbol entities	HTML symbol entities	HTML symbol entities	HTML symbol entities	HTML symbol entities	HTML symbol entities	HTML symbol entities	HTML symbol entities	HTML symbol entities	HTML symbol entities	HTML symbol entities	HTML symbol entities	HTML symbol entities	HTML symbol entities	HTML symbol entities
Á 	á 	Â 	â 	´ 	Æ 	æ 	À 	à 	ℵ 	Α 	α 	& 	∧ 	∠ 	Å 	å 	≈ 	Ã 	ã 	Ä 	ä 	„ 	Β 	β 	¦ 	• 	∩ 	Ç 	ç 	¸ 	¢
Χ 	χ 	ˆ 	♣ 	≅ 	© 	↵ 	∪ 	¤ 	† 	‡ 	↓ 	⇓ 	° 	Δ 	δ 	♦ 	÷ 	É 	é 	Ê 	ê 	È 	è 	∅ 	  	  	Ε 	ε 	≡ 	Η 	η
Ð 	ð 	Ë 	ë 	€ 	∃ 	ƒ 	∀ 	½ 	¼ 	¾ 	⁄ 	Γ 	γ 	≥ 	> 	↔ 	⇔ 	♥ 	… 	Í 	í 	Î 	î 	¡ 	Ì 	ì 	ℑ 	∞ 	∫ 	Ι 	ι
¿ 	∈ 	Ï 	ï 	Κ 	κ 	Λ 	λ 	⟨ 	« 	← 	⇐ 	⌈ 	“ 	≤ 	⌊ 	∗ 	◊ 	‎ 	‹ 	‘ 	< 	¯ 	— 	µ 	· 	− 	Μ 	μ 	∇ 	  	–
≠ 	∋ 	¬ 	∉ 	⊄ 	Ñ 	ñ 	Ν 	ν 	Ó 	ó 	Ô 	ô 	Œ 	œ 	Ò 	ò 	‾ 	Ω 	ω 	Ο 	ο 	⊕ 	∨ 	ª 	º 	Ø 	ø 	Õ 	õ 	⊗ 	Ö
ö 	¶ 	∂ 	‰ 	⊥ 	Φ 	φ 	Π 	π 	ϖ 	± 	£ 	′ 	″ 	∏ 	∝ 	Ψ 	ψ 	" 	√ 	⟩ 	» 	→ 	⇒ 	⌉ 	” 	ℜ 	® 	⌋ 	Ρ 	ρ 	‏
› 	’ 	‚ 	Š 	š 	⋅ 	§ 	­ 	Σ 	σ 	ς 	∼ 	♠ 	⊂ 	⊆ 	∑ 	⊃ 	¹ 	² 	³ 	⊇ 	ß 	Τ 	τ 	∴ 	Θ 	θ 	ϑ 	  	Þ 	þ 	˜
× 	™ 	Ú 	ú 	↑ 	⇑ 	Û 	û 	Ù 	ù 	¨ 	ϒ 	Υ 	υ 	Ü 	ü 	℘ 	Ξ 	ξ 	Ý 	ý 	¥ 	ÿ 	Ÿ 	Ζ 	ζ 	‍ 	‌ 	 	 	 	
===Math [NOT WORKING ATM]===
NOTE: The math extension currently does not work on our wiki, so we can't properly display math formulas. In the meantime, read this article to learn about the Math extension.
You can insert math formulas in pages using the <math> tag.
==== Visual Editor ====
You can use the dropdown menu to access the math formula menu. 
==== Source Editor ====
# Open source editing mode for an article.
# Write your math code in the following format: <math>math to be displayed</math>.
# For example, the equation '3 x 2 = 6' can be displayed using:
## <math>{3 ~ \times ~ 2 ~ = ~ 6}</math>
# Which generates this:
## ERROR
# In-line formulas require display="inline" attribute:
## <math display="inline">V = \frac{4}{3}\pi R^3</math>
# Which can be used to generate this:
## The volume of a sphere is ERROR
# Regular text can be added to a math formula like so:
## <math display="inline">\rho_{\text{Air}} = 1.225~\text{kg/m}^3</math>
# Which will render like this:
## ERROR
# For details on how to write the math formulas themselves, see Help:Displaying a formula, on Wikipedia.
===Bots ===
Bots are pieces of software used on wikis to make semi-automated and automated edits to pages. Bots are most often used to make repetitive edits to many pages, such as moving a group of pages to a new category, fixing links to disambiguation pages, or to search for misspelled words and replace them with correct ones.
It is recommended by Fandom to use a second account to set up a bot. (Performing bot edits using your main account makes it easy to make mistakes and cause confusion.)
====How To Add Bots [STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS]====
this section is still a work in progress! in the meantime, read this article to learn more about bots and adding them. - Wild_ 22:48, 4 January 2024 (UTC)
== Lua on Fandom [STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS] ==
=== About Lua ===
Lua is a programming language used for many thing, and is available as a templating language on Fandom, helping to provide users with the ability to create more maintainable templates and to improve the page performance. It is provided by the Scribunto extension.
Lua is a different coding experience to basic wikitext templates, resembling a more ‘traditional’ programming syntax. It offers two key advantages:
# Logical functionality is natively built into the Lua language, making the implementation of basic logic much easier in Lua than via MediaWiki's methods.
# Because Lua is streamlined for logical operations, it performs better than its wikitext counterparts.
Lua is not intended to replace JavaScript, CSS, or all wikitext templates.
this section is still a work in progress! in the meantime, you can read this article to learn more about Lua. - Wild_ 19:26, 4 January 2024 (UTC)
==Next Steps ==
Thank you for reading this article! Now that you've learned most of the stuff about MediaWiki and editing, you can:
* Continue to edit the wiki and be a contributor!
* Join the APG Wiki Discord! (message - Wild_ for more info.)
* Become a legendary scribe!