Help:Adding Links

Types
A link is a hyperlink or method for navigating to another page in the wiki or on the internet. There are several kinds of links that you can use in the FamilySearch wiki:


 * 1) An internal link provides a link to other pages in the FamilySearch wiki.
 * 2) An external link provides a link to pages that are not part of the FamilySearch wiki.
 * 3) An interwiki link provides a link to pages on other wikis, such as Wikipedia.
 * 4) An interlanguage link provides access to the FamilySearch wiki in other languages. Currently not available on the FamilySearch wiki.

Ways to Add Links
You can add a link to a page in one of three ways:

Watch a video demonstration of how to add a link.
 * 1) Use the Rich Editor to add internal and external links and to use templates using features similar to those found on many word processors..
 * 2) Use the  Standard Editor  and Wikitext to add code manually for features not enabled in the rich editor, including internal or external link or to use a template.
 * 3) Use a Template to add interwiki links and other links that need special requirements set up. You can use either the rich editor or wikitext to add a template link.

Page Editors
The FamilySearch Wiki uses two types of editors to create and edit pages:


 * 1) The Rich Editor has a toolbar similar to many word processors. [[Image:RichEditor.jpg|500px]]  To switch to the Standard Editor, click on [Disable rich editor].
 * 2) The Standard Editor works in Wikitext and its limited tools help you edit a page. [[Image:StandardEditor.jpg|500px]]  To switch to the Rich Editor, click on [Rich Editor].

Editing
To add or edit pages in the FamilySearch Wiki, you must be a registered user. To register, go here.

To add or edit a link on a page, do the following:


 * 1) [[Image:HighlightEdit Link.png|right|150px]]Sign in to the FamilySearch Wiki.
 * 2) Navigate to the page where you want to add or edit a link. If the page does not exist, then create it.
 * 3) Once you have reached the page you want to edit, click the Edit option in the sidebar to open the editing window.

Internal and External Link

 * 1) Enter and highlight or highlight the existing text that you want to use for your link. The text does not have to match the title of page you are linking.
 * 2) Click on the globe/earth icon with an unbroken chain [[Image:LinkGlobe.jpg|20x20px]] in the toolbar to open the link window. [[Image:RichEditorHighlightText.jpg]]

Internal Link

 * 1) Start typing the name of the FamilySearch Wiki page to which you want to link in the Link field. Pages that match what you type appear in the window below the Link Field. [[Image:RichEditorTypeLink.jpg]]
 * 2) Highlight the desired page from the list and click OK to complete setting up the internal link. [[Image:RichEditorHighlightDesiredLinkt.jpg]]

External Link

 * 1) When you first begin adding external links, you may want to check with an experienced contributor for helps and guidelines.
 * 2) Without closing the edit session, open another (new) session window or tab in your browser.
 * 3) Browse to the page to which you want to link. The address of the page appears in the browser's address bar.
 * 4) Highlight and copy the address and then paste it into the Link field of the link window. (Be sure to include the “http://” portion of the address.)
 * 5) Click OK to complete setting up the external link. [[Image:Link(field) Window.png]]

Template Link
"The example uses the Wikipedia Template Wpd and adds optional link text parameter. The result for this template entry is 'See also ' In the rich editor, templates appear as ."
 * 1) Open the editor and place your cursor where you want to add the template link.
 * 2) Click on the  {T}  icon in the editor's toolbar. This will open the Template editor window. [[Image:RichEditorTemplateText.jpg]]
 * 3) Type two left curly braces  .
 * 4) Click OK to finish setting up the template. [[Image:Template Properties Text.png]]

Link Templates
Currently, five link templates are available, each with their own set of instructions:


 * Family History Library Catalog (FHLC). Instructions: FHL
 * Record Search. Instructions: RecordSearch
 * WorldCat/OCLC (English Language). Instructions: WorldCat
 * Wikipedia (English Language). Instructions: Wpd
 * Internet Archive (Wayback machine). Instructions: Wayback

Internal Link (text matches page title)

 * 1) Type and highlight or highlight the title to the existing internal page you are linking.
 * 2) Click the [[Image:StandardEditorInternalLink.png|20x20px]] button.

"The result is 'See also Pennsylvania Biography .' and is displayed on your page as 'See also Pennsylvania Biography.'" You can also add an internal link directly into the editor by typing two left brackets, the page title of the linked page, and two right brackets. For example: Pennsylvania Biography

Internal Link (text does not match page title)

 * 1) Type and highlight or highlight the title of the existing internal page and desired text (separated by the pipe  |  symbol).
 * 2) Click the [[Image:StandardEditorInternalLink.png|20x20px]] button.

"The result is 'See also Biographies .' and is displayed on your page as 'See also Biographies.'" You can also add an internal link directly into the editor by typing two left brackets symbol, the desired text, and two right brackets. For example: Biographies

External Link

 * 1) Without closing the edit session, open another (new) session window or tab in your browser.
 * 2) Browse to the page to which you want to link. The address of the page appears in the browser's address bar.
 * 3) Highlight and copy the address and then paste it into the editor (Be sure to include the “ http:// ” portion of the address).
 * 4) At the end of the address, type a space and the text you want to use for the link.
 * 5) Highlight the address through the text you want to use for the link.
 * 6) Click the [[Image:StandardEditorExternalLink.png|20x20px]] button.

"The result is 'See also Famous Pennsylvanians .' and is displayed on your page as 'See also Famous Pennsylvanians.'" You can also add an external link directly into the editor by typing a single left bracket [, typing or pasting the internet address of the linked page (don't forget the http:// portion) followed by a space and the desired text and a single right bracket ]. For example: Famous Pennsylvanians

Template Link
Templates are typed directly into the standard editor.


 * 1) Type two left curly braces  .

"The example uses the Wikipedia Template Wpd and adds optional link text parameter. The result for this template entry is 'See also .'"

Link Templates
Currently, five link templates are available, each with their own set of instructions:


 * Family History Library Catalog (FHLC). Instructions: FHL
 * Record Search. Instructions: RecordSearch
 * WorldCat/OCLC (English Language). Instructions: WorldCat
 * Wikipedia (English Language). Instructions: Wpd
 * Internet Archive (Wayback machine). Instructions: Wayback

How do I edit a link?
Links to both internal FamilySearch Wiki pages and external internet pages can and often do change.


 * In the Standard Editor, type the new page, internet link address, or template text over the old material.
 * In the Rich Editor, place your cursor over the link text and click the the blue globe/earth icon with an unbroken chain [[Image:LinkGlobe.jpg|20x20px|text-bottom]] on the toolbar. Then replace the page title or internet address link with the correct link.
 * If you are editing a template in the Rich Editor, highlight the template [[Image:TemplateSymbolInRichEditor.png]] and click on the template  {T}  icon on the toolbar. Then edit the template text.

Don't forget to summarize what you have done so others know the change you've made.

Does the text on the page need to match the title of the linked page?
It is not required, but the linking text should clearly convey the content of the linked page to the researcher and may 1) expand on the title of the linked page, 2) be more concise and 3) external links, which should always use linking text in place of the full internet http:// address.

Example 1:

Page Title: Mennonites Linking Text: Researching Mennonite Records

Example 2:

Page Title: Pennsylvania Biography Linking Text: Biographies

Example 3:

Page URL: http://www.classbrain.com/artstate/publish/article_561.shtml Linking Text: Famous Pennsylvanians

How do I specify the Standard Editor?
Under certain circumstances, the Rich Editor will clean out parameters that you want to keep. In those cases, you can prevent the Rich Editor from being used by adding the magic word __ NORICHEDITOR __ to each section. Then, when you edit the section or page, the Standard Editor will open instead. You can also switch to the standard editor by clicking on Disable Rich Editor above the editing window. As long as the __ NORICHEDITOR  __ text is not included in the section (or anywhere in the page if you are editing the entire page), you can switch back to the Rich Editor.

How do I avoid making a Link?
Generally, when you type an URL address (with the http:// ), it will be transformed to an external link. To avoid making a link, put the URL address between  tags in the Standard Editor:

http://mediawiki.org &lt;/nowiki&gt;

Can I create a new page by adding a link?
Yes. You do this by typing the title of the non-existing page as your link. This works only for internal links and will display the new page link in red text. When you click on the link, you will be taken to a new page that will not exist until you edit and save it.

Before you use this method to create a new page, search the FamilySearch Wiki to make sure it does not already exist. If you have not already done so, please read the material on the Creating a page page.

What happens if I add a link to a page that does not exist?
The link to the non-existing page will be created, but the link will be displayed in red text. You can use this method to create new pages in the FamilySearch Wiki as you edit an existing page. If you click on the link, it will take you to the page where you can create it.

What do the symbols at the end of the External Links mean?
The following symbols can appear behind an external link.


 * 1) [[Image:ExternalLinkSymbol.png|20x20px]] This is the standard external link symbol. Internal links have no symbol attached to the link text.
 * 2) [[Image:ExternalSecureLinkSymbol.png|20x20px]] This link symbol indicates that the link is a secure link, using https:// in the link address.
 * 3) [[Image:DocumentSymbol.png|20x20px]] The document symbol indicates a link to a document and not a Wiki page.
 * 4) [[Image:AudioSymbol.png|20x20px]] The audio (sound) symbol indicates a link to a sound file.
 * 5) [[Image:VideoSymbol.png|20x20px]] The video symbol indicates a link to a video file.
 * 6) [[Image:EmailSymbol.png|30x40px]] The email symbol indicates an email address and will usually start the email program. Please do not use.

What is an Interwiki Link?
Interwiki links are Links to other wiki's such as Wikipedia. These appear as an internal link, but contain the name of the wiki: History of Pennsylvania. Please use the Wikipedia Template Wpd instead of this method for linking to Wikipedia pages.

What is an Inter-language Link?
An inter-language link is a link to a Wiki page in a different language. Inter-language links are usually found in a bar at the bottom of the page. The links are created using the H-langs template. If this page is available in other languages and someone has added the links, you will see a bar displaying the links at the bottom of the page.

__NORICHEDITOR__