Help:Renaming a page

Quick Reference: To rename a wiki article page, open the page, click on the option Move and follow the instructions.

What does it mean to "Move" a page?
Moving(renaming) a page means giving it another name. In other words, the content on a page contained under one title is moved to a new page with a different title. The page is "renamed." Occasionally we misspell a word when creating a new article and don't realize it until after we spent a significant amount of time writing the article. Rather than deleting the article, or copying and pasting the content into a new article, we can simply move it in a couple of easy steps. Also, some titles may be much too vague to explain what a user may find in an article. For example, if I have created an article titled "Death Records," and I later realize that I forgot to include the locality in the title, I can move the article/page to a new page titled "Colorado Death Records."

What if someone tries to search for the old title?
If someone has linked to the old title, or tries to search for the old title, they will simply arrive at the page with the new title, similar to redirecting a page.

Before moving/renaming pages
Before moving pages that you did not create, it is common courtesy to use the "Discussion" link for that page to explain your reasons for wanting to move/rename the page, the proposed new title, and the time period within which you plan on moving the page. This allows the original author or authors time to respond, and to give reasons for not moving the page. The author also may recognize the need to move the page and may encourage the change.

Deciding on a page title can be a difficult aspect of wiki organization, and one which can often provoke debates. If the move you have in mind is one which could be considered controversial, you should consider giving sufficient time for users to respond to your proposal to move the page.

How to move/rename a page
1. Log in to the FamilySearch Research Wiki.

2. Navigate to the page you want to move. This may be done by searching for the title of the page.

3. If you created the original page, skip to step 5. If you did not create the page, click the "Discussion" link in the page editing options. This should appear near the top of the page. Type a proposal for moving the page, as described above in the section titled, "Before moving/renaming a page."

4. After considering all feedback from the FamilySearch Research Wiki regarding the proposed move, proceed to step 5 as needed.

5. Click the "Move" link in the page editing options. This should appear near the top of the page.

6. In the "To new title" box, type the name of the newly proposed title, paying close attention to spelling, capitalization, and clarity. Include the location in the title to distinguish it from similar articles (see below).

7. Type a reason for moving the page in the "Reason" box, and then click "Move page" (see below).

8. The contents of the former page will now appear on the new page with the new title, including the editing history (see "What happens when I move a page?")

What happens when I move a page?
Moving a page is done by using the "" link, entering the new article title/name and clicking 'Move Page'. If you move page "A" to a newly titled page "B", this operation will do the following:


 * Creates the new page "B", with contents from page "A"
 * Replaces the contents of page "A" with a "redirect" to page "B"
 * Moves all of the editing history from page "A" so that it appears under "B"'s history tab.
 * When users try to search for title "A," they will automatically arrive at page "B."

The third point is important. By using the 'Move' feature, you also move the editing history, which is desirable in most situations. The editing history allows people to see how the contents of the page were built up, and who contributed what. If you move contents around by copying and pasting (not using the move feature), the editing history will not be included in the new page.

Because the move operation leaves behind a redirect, it should not result in any broken links, however you might want to hunt down the pages which link in to the redirect, and change their text to link directly to the new title. The 'What links here' toolbox feature is useful when doing this (see below).

Undo a move
As with all wiki editing, a move operation can be reversed (by any registered user). To reverse a move operation, simply follow the steps for moving an article, and include the original title in the "To new title" box. In other words, to move the page back, e.g. move page "B" back to "A".

The page title "B" will still be left behind, as a redirect from "B" to "A". Any user can remove the redirect and propose that the page be deleted. However the final deletion will require sysop privileges.

Related Content

 * Help:Name a new article
 * Help:Editing a Page
 * Move - template that can be used to mark a page to be moved/renamed