Help:VisualEditor

What is VisualEditor?
Visual Editor is a editing software used in the March 2016 upgrade of the FamilySearch Research Wiki. This editor replaces the Rich Text Editor used in the previous version of the Wiki. This new way of editing allows all users to edit pages without learning wikitext. In addition, VisualEditor works in most commonly-used browsers, such as, Chorme, Firefox, Internet Explorer 10 or higher, and Safari.

When to Use Visual Editor
Use VisualEditor when you want to do the following:
 * Edit text on a page
 * Edit text on a table
 * Add or fix a URL
 * Edit text on a table
 * Add references, templates, and images
 * Indent bullet and numbered lists
 * Add special characters, including diacritics, such as, ö.

Visual Editor should not be used:
 * Edit in wikitext - you must use the Edit Source Tab to edit in Wikitext
 * Create tables
 * Add rows or columns to a table
 * NOTE: The wikitext editor, Edit source must be used to accomplish all the tasks the VisualEditor cannot do. You can find instructions and lessons on how to edit in wikitext,  here.

How to Edit in VisualEditor

 * Note: You must be logged into the FamilySearch website to edit in the Wiki and to see all options for editing.

"Edit" tab
To edit a page using Visual Editor, click on the "Edit" tab located in the top right hand corner of the screen. This will open a edit page with a tool bar with icons to help with additional editing features.



Icons on the tool bar - left to right


'''NOTE: some icons on the VisualEditor tool bar have shortcuts to completing an action. Hover over the icon to learn the shortcut available.

Undo:
 * This reverts the last edit you made.

Redo:
 * This repeats the last edit you made.

Format heading:
 * To change text to different heading levels, use the "Format heading" drop down menu on the toolbar. Clicking on the arrow beside "Paragraph" will give you the options available for headings. To change a word or phrase to a heading, first highlight the words, then click on the correct heading level from the list. NOTE: Never use the option, "Page Title" as it will hide the current Page title. If you wish to rename a page, use these instructions.

Style text:
 * There are several options in creating different styles for text using the VisualEditor toolbar including: bold, italic, subscript, superscript, strikethrough, computer code, and underline. First highlight the word you wish to change text style, then click on the arrow beside the Style Text icon. If you wish to undo any text already formatted, use the last option on the list, clear formatting.

Link:
 * Hyperlinks can be created by using the Link icon. Both external links and internal links to Wiki pages can be created using this icon.  Highlight the word or phrase you wish to make a link and click on the Link icon. A small dialogue box will appear. Put the URL or the name of the Wiki page in the text box, then click on the arrow on dialogue box.  The link will be automatically created.


 * ADD IMAGE

Numbered list:
 * A numbered list can be created by placing the cursor on a new line or before text and then, clicking on the Numbered list icon. A subsequent number will appear every time you press enter within the list.

Bullet list:
 * A bullet list can be created by placing the cursor on a new line or before text and then, clicking on the Bullet list icon. A new bullet will appear every time you press enter within the list.

Decreased indentation: This is only available when highlighting or editing a numbered or bullet list. This will move the list to the right and does add an additional bullet that cannot be removed.

Increased indentation: This is only available when highlighting or editing a numbered or bullet list. This will move the list to the left, if the text is already indented.

Insert list
 * The Insert list has many options on its drop down menu: Reference, Media, Gallery, Template, Reference List, and Special character.
 * Reference: Use this to create a reference on the page. Move the cursor to where you wish to place the reference and click on the Reference link. A dialogue box will appear and ask you to type in the reference note.  When you are finished, click on Insert Reference.

Save the page
Once you have completed editing the wiki page, you will need to save your changes. Save the page by clicking the green "Save page" button. A dialogue box appears to add a brief explanation of the changes you made to the article. You can review your changes in wikitext you made compared to the previous page by clicking on Review your changes. When you are ready to save the page, click on the green, Save button.

Pages that cannot be edited with VisualEditor
Some articles in specific namespaces do not have the option to edit in VisualEditor:
 * Template pages/namespace
 * Help pages/namespace
 * Talk pages/namespace
 * FamilySearch Wiki pages/namespace

For more help on VisualEditor
For additional help on VisualEditor, go to the MediaWiki article.