Help:Starting a new page

A new page is distinguished from a blank page: the latter has a page history. However, creating a new page is just like editing a blank page, except that the message that is in MediaWiki:Newarticletext appears, which can be different per project.

New pages can be created by following a link to a nonexistent page ("red link") or by editing the last part of the URL of another page in the same project. It is useful to create a page by following a link, or create links to the new page right after creating the page, to avoid the new page being isolated.

(For general editing matters, in particular the markup language of the wikitext, see Help:Editing.)

General principles

• Search to see whether someone has written a similar page before you start one yourself.
• Review conventions of the project you are working in regarding e.g.:
  • the naming; see also Help:Page name.
  • whether a separate page is justified; perhaps it is better to add the text to a related page (especially if the text is not very long); that page can always be split later, after it has grown.

Starting a page from an existing link, after creating one, or after a search

To start a new page, you can start from a link to the title of the new page. On the English Wikipedia, due to w:MediaWiki:Nogomatch, another way is to perform a search (as you should have done before) with the Go button and coming up with nothing, pressing "create the article".

Internal links to non-existing pages are typically created in preparation of creating the page, and/or to encourage other people to do so. Typically they look different from links to existing pages, depending on settings: a different color or with a question mark (sometimes they are called "red links" after one of the default settings). Links to non-existent pages are created using the [[newpage]] inside the wiki editor (in this case an empty page "newpage" would be created).

Such a link is to the edit mode of the non-existing page, which allows creating it, just like editing a blank page.

Before following the edit link, decide whether you want to give the new page the suggested name. If not, first edit the link on the referring page.

Of course you can also create the link yourself, in a related page or index page. However, it may be better to wait with creating links until after creating the new page, especially if the link would replace one to an existing page. In that case you can create the link but just press Preview, not Save (a previewed link also works) or create the link first only on your user page.

Note that links on related pages are not only convenient for navigation, but also make people aware of the new page (those who happen to read a related page, but also those who watch such a page).

Starting a page through the URL

Entering the URL for a page that has not been created will still display a regular page.

The page at that URL will display the default 'no article' message (see MediaWiki:Noarticletext). The new page will still have the usual edit link, which will allow anyone to begin adding content.

So a "broken link" from within or outside the project is, in a way, not really broken, as long as the first part of it is correct.

Editing the last part of the URL of an existing page (in the same project) is an easy way to create the URL for a new page.

An interwiki link to a non-existent page gives the same result, but is not recommended.

To get access to a MediaWiki project with all the links at the edges, but without superfluous loading of any page, you can bookmark a non-existing page.

Creating an empty page

Occasionally it is useful to create an empty page. How?? For example a template can be made such that, depending on a parameter, it produces either just a standard text or also an additional text. This is done by having it call another template, of which the name is a parameter; one version of the other template contains the additional text, the other version is blank. See optional text.

A blank page cannot be created directly; first create a non-blank page, e.g. with just one character, then edit the page to blank it.

From some other editing environment

Although pasting existing text into the wiki is often the simplest way to start, you may want to try converting from Word or HTML to wiki markup.

Protecting a page from being created

It is not really possible to protect a page from being created, but one can create a page with a standard text such as in w:en:Template:Deletedpage and protect that page. Note that sometimes a terminology like "This page should not be created." is used even though for the system the page exists. Therefore it is not suitable for demonstrating a link to a non-existing page.

Links to other help pages

Help contents

Meta · Wikinews · Wikipedia · Wikiquote · Wiktionary · Commons: · Wikidata · MediaWiki · Wikibooks · Wikisource · MediaWiki: Manual · Google

Versions of this help page (for other languages see further)

What links here on Meta or from Meta · Wikipedia · MediaWiki

Reading

Go · Search · Namespace · Page name · Section · Backlinks · Redirect · Category · Image page · Special pages · Printable version

Tracking changes

Recent changes (enhanced) | Related changes · Watching pages · Diff · Page history · Edit summary · User contributions · Minor edit · Patrolled edit

Logging in and preferences

Logging in · Preferences

Editing

Starting a new page · Advanced editing · Editing FAQ · Export · Import · Shortcuts · Edit conflict · Page size

Referencing

Links · URL · Interwiki linking · Footnotes

Style and formatting

Wikitext examples · CSS · Reference card · HTML in wikitext · Formula · Lists · Table · Sorting · Colors · Images and file uploads

Fixing mistakes

Show preview · Reverting edits

Advanced functioning

Expansion · Template · Advanced templates · Parser function · Parameter default · Magic words · System message · Substitution · Array · Calculation · Transclusion

Others

Special characters · Renaming (moving) a page · Preparing a page for translation · Talk page · Signatures · Sandbox · Legal issues for editors