Help:Basic Editing

General Editing Basics
Watch a video demonstration of how to do basic editing.

There are a few things you should know about editing:


 * You must be signed-in to edit. To learn how to register click here.


 * The Wiki allows you to edit in a "WYSIWYG" (What You See Is What You Get) environment somewhat like a word processing program. The editor has a limited set of formatting features which are common to word processors, along with features that are unique to working in the Wiki environment (see Intermediate editing for explanations of all features).




 * Example: The capital B button outlined in red allows users to add bold formatting to text. 
 * Example: The capital I button outlined in red allows users to add italic formatting to text. 
 * Example: The captial U button outlined in red allows users to underline text.


 * You must click the Save page button at the bottom of the editing page to save your work (see Advanced editing).
 * You should document your changes by summarizing them in the Summary field below the edit window.
 * You should save your work frequently because the Wiki session may time out. Clicking the Show preview button will also refresh your Wiki session.
 * You may sometimes encounter "disgruntled" or even "mean" people on the Wiki. Please read the Wiki policies and guiding principles to learn how to deal with such situations or receive help in the FamilySearch Wiki Forums.

Wiki Editing is as Easy as 1-2-3!

 * 1) Before you can edit, you must first sign in. If you haven't previously registered, click here to register.
 * 2) To see how this works, edit your own User Page. Access your User Page on the Navigation bar by scrolling down and clicking on your Username under "Personal tools."
 * 3) When your User Page is displayed, click Edit near the top of the side bar. This will open the Rich Text Editor window. It will have the toolbar pictured above along the top of the editing window.
 * 4) Select the Heading 2 font in the "Format" drop down menu on the left side of the toolbar.
 * 5) Type a heading title for the first section of your User Page, such as "John Doe's User Page" and press your Enter key. The "Format" will automatically change to the "default" format of Normal.
 * 6) Add some information to your user page beneath the heading you created.
 * 7) Click Save page at the bottom of the screen to save your work.

Congratulations! You have just created your first Wiki page!