Guide:Sandboxes

Template:Guide

This guide covers how to utilise a **Sandbox**. A sandbox is a page that users may edit however they want. This is for users to experiment and gain familiarity with how to use the wiki source code. A sandbox is for editing experiments. You can feel free to try your skills at formatting there. To edit a Sandbox page, click on "Edit" at the top of the page, make your changes, and click the "Publish" or "Save" button when you are finished. Anything added on the Sandbox will eventually be deleted and the page reverted to blank. Please do not place offensive or libelous content in the sandbox.

## Changing Default Editor

First things first. Before beginning, please ensure that you change your default editor mode from Visual Editor to Source Editor. This will make it easier for you to do the necessary coding, in order for your links, images and templates to appear the way they were intended.

### Steps to Changing your Editor

1. On the top right of the page, you should see the pic of your avatar, located to the right of the Search feature. Next to that circle, you'll notice an arrow icon. If you hover your mouse over the arrow, a drop-down menu appears. Left-click 'My Preferences'.

2. A seperate page loads up that shows your user account's personal preferences. You'll notice several tabs on top, with various topics such as: **My Info**, **Email**, **Editing**, **Under the Hood** & **Facebook Connect**

3. Left-click **Editing**.

4. A seperate page opens. At the very top you'll see **Editing Experience**. Underneath that, you should see **Preferred Editor**.

5. In the white box, it will say **Visual Editor**, which is the default editor. Click on the little arrow to the right, and a drop-down menu appears. Left-click **Source Editor**.

6. When you are done, be sure to drop down to the bottom left of the page and click on the **Save** button. Now when you select the Edit button on a page, it will automatically go into Source Editor mode.

7. You're done!

### Steps to Creating a Sandbox

Template:Sandbox

-As a first step, you should have chosen a user name and logged into the wiki.

-Whenever you are logged in, your user name appears at the top of any page on the Wiki.

-Click on your user name to visit your personal User profile page, and then click on the **Edit Profile** tab. Then it will place your profile page into source editor mode.

-In order to create a sandbox, write this link code on the Edit screen.

Example: **[[User:John Doe/Sandbox|John Doe's Sandbox]]**.

-When you finish editing your Profile page, click on the **Save** button at the bottom of the Edit screen and you will be returned to your User Profile page where your Sandbox link will show up as a red hyperlink.

-Left-click the red hyperlink. This will take you to a seperate page.

-Click on the **Create** button on the top. This will take you into source editor mode.

-Next put your article together according to the appropriate. You will be creating an article that is essentially the exact same as a regular article, just kept private until you are ready to publish it.

When you are done with this particular article please add the following source code at the end of it:

<div>

Now if you'd like to add another topic, it will separate the two topics, but keep them both on the Sandbox, in an easy to read format. To start another topic, simply begin with the source code you used at the beginning of the first article at the top of the sandbox:

<div style="background-color: #000000; border: 4px solid #000000; padding: 15px;">

<div>

Then add the appropriate Infobox for your article, and simply begin editing. You can always come back later and make additional edits, add pictures or reformat anything you aren't happy with. This is an excellent tool for familiarizing yourself with the wiki source code, as well as not cluttering up the wiki with articles that don't meet the Article Quality Policy's three-paragraph minimum.

From then on, you may at any time, when you go to your User **Profile** page, click on the blue Sandbox link and it will take you to your personal Sandbox, where you can use it for learning the wiki code and for working on articles you want to create and contribute to the Wiki.

When you are ready to turn your sandbox into a real page, you can just go to source, copy everything, create a new page, and paste there. Further instructions on page creation are here.

Happy editing!