Miscellaneous desk
< December 31	<< Dec \| January \| Feb >>	Current desk >

Welcome to the Wikipedia Miscellaneous Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is a transcluded archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

January 1[edit]

Making a new article[edit]

Dear Wikipedia Team, Is it possible to write a new document without having to learn WikiCode? Sincerely, NeraSpikeFire NeraSpikeFire (talk) 01:14, 1 January 2022 (UTC)[reply]

As someone said (more or less) above, you can write a starter article consisting only of text, and passers-by who think it worthwhile will add the bells-and-whistles. But have you tried Sandbox?

(Wikipedia Team now includes you, by the way.) —Tamfang (talk) 04:52, 1 January 2022 (UTC)[reply]

See Wikipedia:Sandbox and also Wikipedia:VisualEditor which allows you to edit without learning WikiCode. However, I'm a complete dunce at anything remotely technical but was able to master the basics of WikiCode quite easily. Also Wikipedia:Teahouse is a great place if you're starting out. Alansplodge (talk) 11:40, 1 January 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Different people prefer different approaches to mastering a subject, whether it is learning Japanese or learning to bake a pecan pie. One extreme is by trial and error, imitating others and figuring out the rules (that is, what works and what doesn't) in the process. In language learning, this is sometimes called the natural method; it is how children acquire language. The other extreme is to study all the rules vigorously before the first practical step; this is recommended for beginning brain surgeons. Both extremes have a steep learning curve, and it is generally best to use a hybrid approach – like learning from failures by understanding how they relate to the rules. Contributing productively to Wikipedia is no different. The Visual Editor works great, but by looking at the raw wikitext of examples that resemble what you want to achieve, copying and modifying it, you will master this skill soon enough. Next to using the common Wikipedia:Sandbox you can also create your own, personal sandbox for experimenting. This has the advantage that your edits persist; you can come back to them days later and they will still be there. --Lambiam 14:05, 1 January 2022 (UTC)[reply]