Wikipedia:Don't use the VisualEditor: Difference between revisions

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{{see also|Wikipedia:VisualEditor#Limitations}}

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{{nutshell|Be careful when you are using the VisualEditor, as it can sometimes create problematic changes to wiki syntax that go beyond purely [[WP:COSMETIC|cosmetic]] changes.}}

{{notice|This page is aimed more at experienced users who have yet to switch to source editing. New users will still find the VisualEditor quite useful.}}

The [[Wikipedia:VisualEditor|VisualEditor]] is a great way for new contributors to dive into editing. It allows for new userseditors to immediatelyeasily make minor changes to articles.

However, for userseditors thatwho regularly useedit theWikipedia, VisualEditoror who want to make significant or complex changes, itthe VisualEditor comes with serious limitations. TheMost most regularfrequent editors should use the source editor for most edits, using the VisualEditor only for minor or specific kinds of changes.

== Differences between the VisualEditor and the source editor ==

The VisualEditor is a bit like Microsoft Word, or a bit like using Wix or GoDaddy to build a website. Just as these tools are great for casual editors, the functionality is limited and often poor for more advanced users. Using the source editor to edit the wikitext markup language on a page provides far more power and control than [[WYSIWYG]] editors.

Some problems with the VisualEditor include:

* misaligning comments in templates

* changing the format of tables constructed in a specific manner

* messing with line breaks after multiline parameters and comments

* adding or removing spacing in:

** template parameter names

** lists

** headers

** tables

* adding extraneous numbers to reference names (see {{phab|T375306}})

* issues with copying and pasting ISBNs and other identifiers (see {{phab|T174303}} and {{phab|T162291}})

* deletion of HTML comments (see {{phab|T247498}})

Most of these are cosmetic changes, but they make it difficult to view what actually changed in diff view. It comes down to the fact that a WYSIWYG editor will always utilize a predefined format in programming.

== Problems documented with the VisualEditor ==

See [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia%3ASandbox&diff=1286606399&oldid=1286606320 this] sandbox edit as an example of some problems caused by using the VisualEditor.

== Making the switch ==

The VisualEditor is a great way for new contributors to dive into editing. It allows for new users to immediately make minor changes to articles.

* [[Special:Preferences#mw-input-wpvisualeditor-betatempdisable|Go to this section in Preferences]].

* Uncheck "Enable the VisualEditor".

* Click {{button|Save}}.

Alternatively, you can enable the source editor inside the VisualEditor, but that can have performance issues for long pages.

However, for users that regularly use the VisualEditor, it comes with serious limitations. The most regular editors should use the source editor for most edits, using the VisualEditor only for minor changes.