Help:Talk pages
Every page on the wiki with user-generated content has its own space for discussion called a talk page. Talk pages are used to discuss the associated article, template, category, etc. A user's talk page can be used to communicate with that user.
Accessing a talk page
From any page, you can access its talk page from the "Discusssion" tab at the top of the page. If the talk page doesn't exist yet, the link will appear in red, in which case it will take you directly to an editing screen where you can be the first to start the discussion.
A talk page works much like any other page on the wiki, except it exists in a Talk: namespace to keep it separate from other types of pages.
Talk page formatting conventions
Talk pages may seem confusing at first to those who are not familiar with editing wikis, but there are certain conventions that make it orderly and accessible to engage in discussions on a free-form wiki page:
- At the end of your post, sign and date it by typing four consecutive tilde characters (
~~~~). This sequence will be converted into your signature when you save the page. - Start a new topic by placing it at the end of the page (the bottom) under a
==level 2 heading==. This is done for you if you follow the "New topic" link at the top of the talk page. - Indent replies using colons (
:) at the beginning of the line. Always use one more colon than the post you are replying to.
Example
The following example shows how to use the talk page formatting conventions.
| Wikitext | Rendered |
|---|---|
==Modifier display bug== The modifiers on this item are totally krangled. What gives? --[[User:Example|Ranger]] 18:07, 26 August 2018 (UTC) : I've tweaked the item module. How's that? -- [[User:Example|Shadow]] 11:21, 28 August 2018 (UTC) :: Looks good! --[[User:Example|Ranger]] 1:09, 29 August 2018 (UTC) :: Much better! --[[User:Example|Templar]] 1:22, 29 August 2018 (UTC) |
Modifier display bug
The modifiers on this item are totally krangled. What gives? --Ranger 18:07, 26 August 2018 (UTC) |
Editing discussions
Existing discussions can be edited to improve readability, better utilise formatting conventions, and provide attribution to posts that are missing signatures. Although it is certainly possible to edit other's posts, it is considered bad etiquette to modify their wording. If it is necessary to make a factual correction, you should reply to the post instead of editing it.
Modifying headings
Ensure that each topic starts with a ==level 2 heading== that describes what it is about. Headings can be modified to better describe the topic of discussion.
Moving a discussion
If a discussion would be better placed on a different talk page, then it can be moved. Copy the wikitext of the discussion and paste it in the new location. Instead of deleting the discussion from its original location, note that it was moved using {{discussion top}} and {{discussion bottom}}.
==Topic heading==
{{Discussion top|status=moved|moved=New page#Topic heading}}
... Discussion text...
{{Discussion bottom}}
Other edits
If someone forgets to sign their post, use {{unsigned}} to provide attribution.
In deep threads, {{outdent}} can be used to reset the indentation level.