DokuWiki Help Authoring Guide - DW Edit Wiki Markup
Scope and Outcome
This guide covers the same article lifecycle as the visual guide, but from DW Edit mode. It includes syntax-safe patterns for headings, lists, media, links, callouts, related topics, and revision control.
Access and Setup
- Sign in with edit rights and open a reference page in the target namespace.
Signed-in article view with namespace path and page tools visible. - Open Create Page from Page Tools when creating new content.
Create Page entry highlighted in page tools menu. - For existing content updates, open Edit and set mode=dwiki.
URL and mode selector showing ''mode=dwiki'' with source textarea visible. - Enable line numbers or monospaced view if your editor skin supports it.
DW Edit text area with line number gutter visible.
Create a New Page (DW Edit Path)
- In Create Page, select Sidebar Location node where the page belongs.
Sidebar tree with selected node and nearby siblings for context. - Set placement mode (Nested/Before/After) to control nav order.
Insert mode dropdown expanded and selected option boxed. - Enter Page ID using clean token rules (no spaces, prefer lowercase + underscores).
Page ID input with valid sample and invalid examples annotated. - Enter Page Title for the H1 heading.
Page title field and note that it generates the starting H1 text. - Set Open in Editor = DW Edit (text).
Editor mode dropdown with DW Edit selected. - Create the page and verify redirect to raw markup editor.
DW Edit source textbox opened with starter H1 line at top.
Core Markup Patterns (Use Exactly)
Heading syntax:
- H1: ====== Article Title ======
- H2: ===== Section =====
- H3: ==== Subsection ====
- H4: === Detail ===
Text emphasis:
- Bold: text
- Italic: text
- Underline: text
- Monospace/code inline:
text
List patterns:
- Ordered step: two spaces + dash + space ⇒
- Step text - Nested bullet under a step: four spaces + star + space ⇒
* Detail - Keep list clusters tight; avoid empty lines that split flow.
Image/link patterns:
- Internal article link: pageid
- Link with custom label (only when needed): Readable Label
Write Procedural Content in DW Edit
- Keep one H1 at top; begin task sections with H2 headings.
DW Edit source showing H1 and first H2 lines with syntax highlighted. - Start each user action as a numbered-step list item (
-).
Source lines with ordered steps and visible indentation marks. - Attach screenshot refs directly in-step using
\line breaks.
Single step line showing action + ''\'' + image token in one logical line. - Attach callouts in-step (Note/Warning/etc.) using another
\segment.
Step line containing action, image token, and warning sentence separated by ''\''. - For non-sequential details of one step, add nested bullets indented under that step.
Step followed by indented ''*'' bullet lines (4 spaces) in source view. - Do not insert blank lines between a step, its nested bullets, and the next step when continuity matters.
Side-by-side good vs bad source snippet with blank-line regression highlighted. - Reserve heading syntax for real sections only; do not use headings as callouts.
'' text.
Add and Maintain Related Topics (DW Edit Standard)
- At the end of the article, add heading exactly:
==== Related Topics ====.
End-of-article source with exact Related Topics heading boxed. - List one internal link per line under that heading.
Related topic block with one clean internal link on each line. - Do not duplicate a target with both plain and labeled link variants.
good single line kept. - Prefer
pageidformat unless explicit label override is required.
Example conversion from labeled/bolded link to clean page-id-only link. - Check for
.htmlstyle legacy links and convert to internal page IDs when possible.
Source snippet with old html-like target and corrected internal target.
Edit Existing Articles in DW Edit
- Open existing article in DW Edit mode and scan full source before changing anything.
Large source textarea with scroll indicators and key anchors marked. - Locate target section by heading and confirm surrounding list structure.
Search/highlight in source showing heading and nearby list lines. - Apply edits without reflowing unrelated whitespace around stable sections.
Edited chunk with untouched adjacent lines annotated. - After list edits, manually verify indent counts on every list line.
Visible whitespace/indent guide showing 2-space and 4-space patterns. - After image edits, confirm each media token resolves in correct namespace.
Media token lines with namespace prefixes boxed and compared. - Run Preview and inspect rendered list continuity and image placement.
Preview rendering with source pane still visible for cross-checking.
Revision Management and Rollback
- Before major changes, copy a temporary local snapshot of the current source block.
Source text selected and copied to temporary note file for safety. - Enter clear revision summary on every save.
'Updated restore workflow images and corrected step sequencing'. - Open Revisions and compare old/new versions after publish.
Revisions page with two versions selected and compare action highlighted. - If formatting regressed, restore known-good revision and then reapply only targeted edits.
Restore flow with warning dialog and safe reapply plan callout. - Document rollback reason in next summary for audit clarity.
Follow-up summary note showing rollback explanation.
Comprehensive DW Edit Feature Matrix
- Headings: H1-H4 with strict hierarchy.
- Text formatting: bold, italic, underline, monospace.
- Lists: ordered workflow lines (
-) and nested bullets (*). - Line breaks:
\for attaching notes/images/callouts to steps. - Links: internal, labeled internal, external (with caution).
- Media: namespace-based image embedding with captions.
- Tables: wiki table syntax for reference matrices.
- Code:
<code>…</code>for command/config examples. - Callouts: inline Note/Warning/Info/Tip text, not decorative headings.
- Related Topics: one link per line, no duplicate targets.
- Revisions: summary discipline, compare, restore, and post-restore verification.
High-Detail Screenshot Placeholder Conventions
- Every procedural step should have at least one placeholder directly below it.
Document excerpt showing step followed immediately by placeholder token. - Use filenames that map to section + sequence (example: dwiki_edit_042.png).
Folder screenshot with filename ordering and one-to-one placeholder mapping. - Write placeholder descriptions so an annotator can place arrows without asking follow-up questions.
Placeholder text example with explicit control names, location cues, and intended emphasis. - Call out where numbered stamps should appear in multi-click images.
Composite UI screenshot with suggested stamp positions 1,2,3 indicated in description. - Call out where bounding boxes should isolate dialogs, warnings, and final save controls.
Example screenshot annotated with box regions referenced by description text.
