User:BadCatMan/Quick Start Guide

The Quick Start Guide aims to help new editors quickly and easily begin working on the Forgotten Realms Wiki.

Getting Started
We recommend new editors start by making minor changes: fixing a typo or grammar error, making a link, or adding a little lore or a source to an existing article. This will help you get used to the editing programs, wiki styles, and common practices. With more experience, you might want to make a new page, but consider starting on small topics that will let you focus on formatting, citations, infoboxes, and categories. With a lot of experience, you'll become a regular editor and might consider major topics, with long pages, groups of related pages, and additional features.

Adding to an Existing Article
Just find an article on the wiki to correct or add to, and go to the Edit button in the top-right corner of the page. Clicking it will default to the VisualEditor (see below for details on the editing programs). The drop-down menu beside it will give other options:
 * Classic editor: Choose the Classic or Source editor.
 * History: The page's revision history (not covered here)
 * Rename: For changing a page's name (leave this for experienced editors).
 * Talk: The Talk page, for discussing issues with the page. The number in brackets is the number of messages. If you're unsure about an issue, discuss it here. This is edited just like a normal page.

In the editing window, simply make the changes and then click Save. It will then ask you to fill in the Summary. Saying what you did and why will help other editors check and follow-up on your change.

If you're using the Classic/Source or Rich-Text editors, you'll find the Edit Summary on the right-hand side. You can also use Preview to see how the finished page will look on Mobile and Desktop screens; use this to see if your change works or not.

Choosing Your Editor
Fandom offers three different editing programs: If you have an account with Fandom and are logged in, you can set your preferred/default editor through Preferences. FRW admins recommend the Source Editor even for new users; it's the best way to learn wiki code while making few errors.
 * VisualEditor: The default. The page appears as normal, but can be typed in and has word-processing options. You can click a link to change its destination or click the infobox to fill in the entries. The VisualEditor is best for basic corrections and additions, but it does not function well with templates (e.g., references, infoboxes). This often trips new editors up, so take care and consider another editor for complex changes.
 * Classic/Source Editor: The original, still used by Wikipedia. This gives the raw text of the page, showing the wiki code used to create it. The code isn't too complex and you'll quickly see how a wiki article is generated. Many experienced wiki editors prefer it, and the FRW recommends it for dealing with our citation templates and adding infoboxes.
 * Classic Rich-Text Editor: Only available through Preferences. Mostly like VisualEditor, it lets you switch between Visual and Source views. However, this is even less useful for templates.