Wikitext cheat sheet

Wikitext Cheat Sheet

Introduction

This cheat sheet summarizes standard wiki markup used on RetroWikipedia. Articles should follow clear structure, neutral tone, and consistent style. For citations, use reliable secondary sources when applicable.

Text Formatting

• Italic: italic
• Bold (first mention only): bold
• Bold italic (rare): bold italic
• Code or literals: example
• Escape wikitext: [[Not a link]]

Headings

Use sentence case for section titles. Don’t skip heading levels.

= Page title =        ← not shown in body, handled by the software
== Overview ==
=== Subsection ===
==== Deeper subsection ====

Links

• Internal: RetroComputing
• Custom label: retro tech
• Section link: Apple II#Expansion cards
• External: Example
• Avoid overlinking the same term more than once per section.

Lists

• Bulleted: * Item
• Numbered: # Step
• Nested:

* Item
** Sub-item
# Step
## Sub-step

Block Elements

• Indent: : for discussion/talk pages only
• Horizontal rule: ----
• Definition list:

; Term
: Definition

Templates

• Call template:

  Wikitext cheat sheet

• With parameters:

  Apple II

• Place templates above the lead (e.g., hatnotes, infoboxes)

Categories

• At the bottom of the page:

• One category per line. Use the most specific appropriate category.

Code and Syntax Highlighting

Use only for technical material (e.g., BASIC, assembly):

<syntaxhighlight lang="basic">
10 PRINT "HELLO WORLD"
20 GOTO 10
</syntaxhighlight>

Tables

Use only when data is better presented in rows/columns:

{| class="wikitable"
! Model !! Release Year
|-
| Commodore 64 || 1982
|-
| Amiga 500 || 1987
|}

Images and Media

[[File:Example.jpg|thumb|Alt text for accessibility|Caption]]

• Always include alt text or descriptive captions.
• Default image alignment is right (`thumb` implies it).
• Do not overload pages with decorative images.

Magic Words

• Hide TOC:
• Force TOC:
• Page name: Wikitext cheat sheet

Best Practices

• Use proper punctuation and grammar.
• Write in neutral, encyclopedic tone.
• Avoid first-person or promotional language.
• Structure articles consistently:

== Overview ==
== History ==
== Features ==
== Reception ==
== References ==
== External links ==

• Use the Preview button before saving.

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This guide helps contributors follow consistent style and formatting on RetroWikipedia. For help, see the community portal or editing guidelines.