All The Tropes:Tips for Editing

To edit a page, simply click the Edit link at the top of the page (or a section) and then modify the text in any way you want. Yes, you can even edit pages that others have created -- that's part of wiki nature.

The rules for basic page editing are fairly simple -- start each line without spaces and put a blank line between paragraphs. There are more markups for lists and other specialized text, if you want to do that. You also have a Sandbox (usually available as a link in your user menu above the page menu in most skins) where you can try things out in a way that won't affect any of the pages on this site.

To create references to other pages, surround page titles with double square brackets, like so:. This automatically creates a hyperlink. If you are a refugee from TV Tropes, be aware that MediaWiki does not recognize CamelCased TVT-style Wiki Word links.

Make titles for new subjects, even if you don't have anything to say about them. Maybe someone will come along and fill out a page for the new link.

Use the Summary box to briefly summarize your edit if there is the slightest chance that anyone might question it -- try to err on the side of including a summary. This helps stop edit wars before they start. To make it easier, we offer a gadget which provides two dropdown lists of common major and minor edit reasons, so you can just pick and click without having to come up with something.

To just plain start a new page: The quickest way is it to add a link for it on an existing page or in your Sandbox. You can also do a search on your intended page name, and click the "Create this page" link that will be among the options displayed when it isn't found. (And if it is found, you might want to consider a different name.)

However, if it's a Trope page you want to create, the best way is to post your proposed page in the Trope Workshop. You don't have to do this, but you're less likely to create a page that lacks sticking power or duplicates an existing page.

Unlike TV Tropes, you usually will not have to reload a page after editing and saving it.

Every page is in a namespace. Top-level pages, like works, tropes and creators, live in the Main namespace. However, each one defines a namespace in which its subpages -- like Trivia, Characters, Analysis, and so on -- live. Each of those also defines a sub-namespace for its own subpages. Most pages won't have anything more than one or two levels deep, but works with lots of Characters (or many seasons and episodes' worth of recaps) can go deeper, resulting in page names that look like "Name of Story/Characters/Bad Guys" or "TV Show/Recap/Season 4/Episode 10". (Of course, not everyone pays attention to this, and we've inherited a lot of weird namespacing from TV Tropes, but that's what the Wiki Magic is for.)

Not sure how to write for wiki? How to Write An Example and the Style Guide describe wiki writing conventions.

If you go to edit a page and change your mind, just click the "cancel" button below the edit summary.

Pay close attention to where you edit, or your comment might end up somewhere you don't want it to be.