Help:View source/en
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| MediaWiki Handbook: Contents, Readers, Editors, Moderators, System admins +/- |
When a page is protected, certain users can't edit it. Semiprotection disallows IPs and new users from editing a page, while full protection stops anyone but sysops. However, no matter what level of protection a page is given, any user is free to view the source, an action that is denoted view source where the edit tab typically is. In this way, anybody can copy and examine the wikitext of a page to their heart's content, but no changes can be made.
The appearance of view source is not limited to inability to edit due to page protection. For example, users without the editinterface permission will see "view source" when trying to edit a page in the MediaWiki namespace.
Often, the view source function will be forced to all users when the database is locked down by developers for maintenance or when the slave server needs to catch up to the job queue.
The view source form is shown below.
Links to other help pages
- Help contents
- Meta · Wikinews · Wikipedia · Wikiquote · Wiktionary · Commons: · mw: · b: · s: · mw:Manual · Google
- Versions of this help page (for other languages see further)
- Meta · Wikinews · Wikipedia · Wikiquote · Wiktionary
- What links here on Meta or from Meta · Wikipedia · MediaWiki
- Reading
- Go · Search · Stop words · 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 · User style
- Editing
- Starting a new page · Advanced editing · Editing FAQ · Edit toolbar · Export · Import · Shortcuts · Edit conflict · Page size
- Referencing
- Links · URLs · Piped links · Interwiki linking · Footnotes
- Style and formatting
- Wikitext examples · CSS · Reference card · HTML in wikitext · Formula · List · Table · Sorting · Colors · Images and file uploads
- Fixing mistakes
- Show preview · Testing · Reverting edits
- Advanced functioning
- Expansion · Template · Advanced templates · Parser function · Parameter default · Variable · System message · Substitution · Array · Calculation · Embed page
- Others
- Special characters · Renaming (moving) a page · Talk page · Signatures · Sandbox · Legal issues for editors
