Help:Formatting References
Section Headings
There are five levels of section headings available in wikitext. Level 1 should not be used — it is reserved for the page title, which is automatically displayed at the top of every page.
Use equal signs to mark the beginning and end of a heading. Do not include any text after the final equal sign on the line.
Example:
== Level 2 == === Level 3 === ==== Level 4 ==== ===== Level 5 ===== ====== Level 6 ======
Headings help organize content, create a table of contents automatically, and improve readability for both editors and readers.
Emphasis
Wikitext provides simple markup for emphasizing text. You can italicize, bold, or combine both styles for strong emphasis. These are especially useful for clarity in documentation and highlighting key terms or phrases.
| wikitext | Result |
|---|---|
''Italics'' |
Italics |
'''Bold''' |
Bold |
'''''Bold Italics''''' |
Bold Italics |
Emphasis should be used sparingly and consistently. Avoid mixing styles excessively, and reserve bold italics for special cases where strong emphasis is genuinely needed.
Lists
Bulleted Lists
Bulleted lists are created using asterisks (*) at the beginning of each line. Additional asterisks increase the indentation level.
The following example was pulled from the MediaWiki manual:
| wikitext | Result |
|---|---|
* Start each line * with an [[Wikipedia:asterisk|asterisk]] (*). ** More asterisks give deeper *** and deeper levels. * Line breaks <br>don't break levels. *** But jumping levels creates empty space. Any other start ends the list. |
Any other start ends the list. |
* combine bullet list ** with definition ::- definition ** creates empty space |
|
* combine bullet list ** with definition *:- definition ** without empty spaces |
|
*bullet list :- definition :* sublist that doesn't create empty :* spaces after definition |
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Use bulleted lists to group items without implying order. For steps or procedures, consider using numbered lists instead. Be mindful of nesting — consistent structure improves readability and editing clarity.
Numbered Lists
Numbered lists are created using the number sign (#) at the beginning of each line. These lists are useful for sequences, steps, or anything that benefits from a defined order.
| wikitext | Result |
|---|---|
# Start each line # with a [[Wikipedia:Number_sign|number sign]] (#). ## More number signs give deeper ### and deeper ### levels. # Line breaks <br>don't break levels. ### But jumping levels creates empty space. # Blank lines # end the list and start another. Any other start also ends the list. |
Any other start also ends the list. |
<nowiki>#</nowiki> use "nowiki" tags to display a literal (#) at the beginning of a line without interpreting it as a numbered list. |
# use "nowiki" tags to display a literal (#) at the beginning of a line without interpreting it as a numbered list. |
Numbered lists follow the same indentation logic as bulleted lists. Each additional # indicates a deeper level. For best results, maintain consistent structure and avoid skipping levels unnecessarily.
Definition Lists
Definition lists allow you to associate terms with one or more definitions. Each term starts with a semicolon (;) and each definition begins with a colon (:). Trailing colons in terms are automatically stripped. To force a visible colon, escape it using the HTML code :.
| wikitext | Result |
|---|---|
;item 1 : definition 1 ;item 2: : definition 2 ;item 3: : definition 3 ;item 4 : definition 4-1 : definition 4-2 |
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This creates a clean layout where related terms and explanations are grouped visually.
Definition Lists are useful when formatting glossaries, metadata fields, or structured notes in a way that remains compact and readable.
