wikitext

Wikitext is a markup language used to create and format content within the Wikimedia Project, notably Wikipedia. It allows contributors to add structure, links, references, formatting, and other features to articles and pages in a standardized way. Wikitext is designed to be simple to learn and write, enabling volunteers and editors to produce complex, well-formatted content without requiring extensive technical skills.

The syntax of Wikitext relies on a series of special characters, tags, and conventions. For example, double square brackets are used to create internal links to other Wikimedia pages, such as [[Artificial Intelligence]]. Templates, which are reusable content blocks, are embedded using double curly braces, like {{Infobox}}. Formatting options include apostrophes for italics and bold, such as ''italic'' or '''bold'''. References and citations are typically included with <ref> tags, which link to footnotes or reference sections.

Wikitext serves as an intermediary layer between the raw text input by editors and the rendered, visually formatted article displayed to users. When articles are viewed, the Wikitext markup is processed and converted into HTML, the standard language of web pages. This process ensures consistency and readability while maintaining a flexible editing environment.

While Wikitext remains the foundational markup language for Wikimedia projects, there is ongoing development toward more advanced or user-friendly editing systems, such as VisualEditor, which allows users to edit pages using a more familiar, word-processor-like interface. Despite this, Wikitext continues to be widely used and essential for precise editing, customization, and maintenance of Wikimedia content.

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