Help:Wiki University Wikitext--Tutorial

Lesson structure

 * This is a set of short lessons to teach you the fundamentals of Wikitext. Wikitext is the computer language of FamilySearch Wiki as well as all other Wikis.
 * The lessons are designed to help you learn the language in small easy to digest bites.
 * The exercise and/or questions at the end of each lesson are designed to help you learn how to apply the principles taught in the lessons. Please do not pass them up.
 * The lessons will help you to assimilate the knowledge necessary for you to edit and/or add content to FamilySearch Wiki.
 * The left sidebar will give you some idea of the items we will cover in these Wikitext lessons.

What is Wikitext?

 * It is the underlying language of all Wikis whether it be FamilySearch Wiki, Wikipedia or Wikimedia.
 * However Wikitext has very limited capabilities.
 * Basically, all it can do is put black letters on a white background. It is very limited in what it can do to make a page interesting to look at. For that we need CSS Cascading Style Sheets.

HTML - Language of the Internet

 * All internet sites including FamilySearch Wiki are based on the programming language called HTML, which stands for Hyper Text Markup Language. There is a separate course for HTML programming.
 * Wikitext is actually a simplified version of HTML.
 * HTML will give you more capabilities than Wikitext.

CSS - Cascading Style Sheets

 * These are series of codes which can add a little character to a page such as borders and background colors. CSS basically controls how a page will look to our patrons.

Sandbox page

 * If you have not done so already, please create a sandbox page you can practice your wikitext lessons.
 * To create a sandbox page for practicing enter this into the search box: "user:your user name/sandbox/name of page you want to practice your wikitext"
 * For example " User:johnsmith/sandbox/wikitext homework ".


 * After you have typed in the name you want for your sandbox practice page, hit the enter key or click search icon on left side of search box.
 * A list will then appear and your entry will appear at the top of the list in red, The red just means that your sandbox page has not been created yet.
 * Click on that "red link," and an blank edit box will appear with the name of the sandbox page you just created displayed at the top.
 * As soon as you enter something in the edit box and save it, it will be a permanent page.
 * This will be the place to save your homework to refresh your memory when needed from time to time.

Try these out
 Quick Quiz
 * What is CSS?
 * A. Code to give character to wiki pages
 * B. Change color of text
 * C. Add background color to text
 * D. All of the above


 * What is Wikitext?
 * A. Simplified form of HTML
 * B. Language for all of the Internet
 * C. Language only for Wikipedia
 * D. None of the above


 * What is HTML?
 * A. Stands for Hyper Text Markdown Language
 * B. Language for all of the Internet
 * C. Created from wikitext
 * D. All of the above

Check your answers