Help:Editing manual: Difference between revisions

[[File:bg3wiki_help.png|thumb|right|Illithid wisdom sent you here...]]

It's not always obvious where to start. If you're looking for inspiration, try checking the following:

* [[Special:WhatLinksHere/Template:UnderConstruction|Under Construction]]: Pages marked as under construction; check the page history and coordinate via the Discord server if a page is actively being worked on.

See [[Special:SpecialPages]] for a full list of Special pages.

This is just a basic introduction to working with wiki pages. Refer to [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Help:Contents MediaWiki Help:Contents] for overall MediaWiki help, or [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Help:Formatting MediaWiki Help:Formatting] for detailed help with MediaWiki markup.

If you are anxious about editing a wiki for the first time, don't be. If you are adding missing information, there is very little you can do wrong. A wiki page is designed to be a malleable document that can easily be edited and corrected, and usually should be. Any mistakes can easily be corrected by another editor, and the few things that might have repercussions are automatically locked behind permissions.

If you are unsure about your edit for any reason, you can leave a relevant comment on the talk page, via the 'Discussion' tab at the top of any page you are editing, or ask for guidance in the wiki Discord server. If you are acting in good-faith, all contributions are welcome. Read on for the specifics on how to make your first edit.

[[File:edit_visual_or_source.png|right|thumb|Visual Editor and Source Editor buttons]]

[[File:switch_visual_or_source.png|right|thumb|Switching between editor types]]

* The Source Editor is more powerful and flexible, but requires at least a basic understanding of wiki markup.

Similarly, to edit an existing page, click either '''Edit''' (opens Visual Editor) or '''Edit source''' (opens Source Editor) above the page. Within either editor view, you can switch between the Visual Editor and the Source Editor at any time via the upper-right menu button.

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Click the '''View history''' button above a page to see a history of edits performed on that page. Each line describes a revision of the page, including date/time, the contributor who made that edit, and (ideally) the reason for the edit. This can be helpful if you're not sure why an edit was made.

Remember: The wiki is a living project, and wiki editing is a collaborative effort! Be prepared for your contributions to be tweaked, copyedited, hacked to pieces, or completely deleted.

See [[:Help:Searching for BG3Wiki]] for browser-specific instructions on how to more quickly and easily find wiki pages at any time.

[[File:multimedia_search.png|right|thumb|Use the Multimedia option to search for images]]

The built-in [[Special:Search|Search]] function is also very powerful. You can use it to find pages, images, categories, templates, and more.

[[File:category_example.png|right|thumb|Example of a Category]]

A '''[[Special:Categories|Category]]''' is exactly what you'd expect: a page that collects all the pages that have been added to that Category.  

The '''Everything''' search option includes Categories in the search results. You can also find them on the [[Special:Categories]] page. Categories can prove useful when looking for a specific image or page, particularly when you don't know the exact name of the thing you're looking for.

[[File:visual_editor_categories.png|right|thumb|Adding Categories in the Visual Editor]]

Categories are only useful when pages are actually added to them. This is handled automatically when using certain [[#Templates|Page Creation Templates]], but in many cases, you'll want to manually add pages to additional categories.

* When using the Source Editor, use the markup {{code|<nowiki>[[</nowiki>Category:<em>Name of Category Here</em><nowiki>]]</nowiki>}} anywhere on the page (typically near the top or bottom, for organizational purposes) to add that page to a category. You can repeat this as many times as needed for additional categories.

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[[File:upload_file.png|right|thumb|Uploading a file]]

If you can't locate an image you need, it may not be uploaded to the wiki yet. In this case, you can upload an image from your computer using the [[Special:Upload|Upload File]] function from the left-hand navigation toolbar.

Templates are powerful tools and can become very complex. For a much more in-depth look into templates, see [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Help:Templates MediaWiki Help:Templates].

We use templates like [[:Template:WeaponPage|WeaponPage]] to maintain a clean, consistent style across a large number of pages that share similar properties, such as [[Spell]]s, [[Weapon]]s, and other [[Equipment]]. These templates take your input in the form of standard parameters and use it to generate a pre-formatted page, optimise the page for search engines and embedded social media links, and add the page to the appropriate categories.

Another great benefit of this approach is that it allows us to populate database tables with the provided information. For example, every time you add a new item to the wiki using the appropriate page template, it automatically adds the item to a database table which can be queried from elsewhere. This is, for example, how the lists on weapon type pages like [[Longswords]] are generated.

When information is added to the wiki using an appropriate page creation template, the information is also made available in a database table. These tables can be queried from other pages, to display the data there as well, instead of having to link the user to the original page, or having to copy-paste the content.

Writing these queries can be quite complicated. So, the wiki offers templates that do the heavy lifting for you. A primary example is the [[Template:Condition|Condition]] template, which you provide with the name of a condition, and it queries the data for you, displaying the effects of that condition in a nice format.

Other templates can be used in a more focused fashion to insert frequently used, pre-formatted information or to add visual flair to a page, such as <code><nowiki>{{MediumArmour}}</nowiki></code> ({{MediumArmour}}) or <code><nowiki>{{action|bonus}}</nowiki></code> ({{action|bonus}}). These types of templates are often embedded within other, larger templates like Page Creation Templates, but they can and should also be used on their own where appropriate.

** {{SmItemIcon|Dagger +1}} for a simple iconlink use {{InfoBlob|<nowiki>{{SmItemIcon|Dagger +1}}</nowiki>}}

[[File:visual_editor_template.png|right|thumb|Inserting a template with the Visual Editor]]

* When using the Visual Editor, select '''Insert''' &gt; '''Template''' from the toolbar and start typing a template name. The visual editor may not always display documentation for the template or its parameters, so be sure to open the template's page for usage information.

** Result: This attack has {{Advantage}}

Some templates have optional or required '''parameters''' that change the output of the template, giving it more versatility.

{{AttributeBlock|8|15|7|6|10|8|hp=12|dex save = yes|race=Bird|hp=10}}

Template creators are encouraged to document (on the template's page itself as well as via the TemplateData button on the same page) how to use that template, including usage examples and accepted values for any template parameters. If you're unfamiliar with a particular template, navigate to its page to learn how it works. If a template page does not show any usage instructions, it could still be a work in progress, and you may want to check with its creator before using it.

See [https://bg3.wiki/wiki/Special:AllPages?namespace=10 All Pages (Template namespace)] for a full list of available templates on bg3.wiki.

* The {{code|<nowiki>{{DamageInfo}}</nowiki>}} and {{code|<nowiki>{{DamageText}}</nowiki>}} templates can insert pre-formatted damage information based on the parameters you provide, like so:

**{{code|<nowiki>{{DamageInfo|2d6+1|Slashing|modifier=melee}}</nowiki>}} displays {{DamageInfo|2d6+1|Slashing|modifier=melee}}

** {{code|<nowiki>{{SmallIcon|Magic Missile Icon.png}} [[Magic Missile]]</nowiki>}} displays {{SmallIcon|Magic Missile Icon.png}} [[Magic Missile]], the better alternative to this is [[Template:SAI]].

Check out the [[Help:Style Guide|Style Guide]] for more information on style guidelines followed by bg3.wiki.