Wiki pages
A page is the core feature of a wiki. All URLs in a wiki should lead to an editable page so that users can freely create/edit/delete the pages.
A basic page
A page like this one shows you the basic features of DokuWiki. The first header is considered as the title of the page. An example of basic features in DokuWiki include links and images.
Section
The headings in a page define sections. A section begins with a header and ends at the next header or at the end of the page.
The different sections of a page generate the Table of contents, which you should see at the top right of this page.
Sections can be edited individually, see Section Editing.
Template
The layout of a page is defined not only by its wikitext, but also by its template. This page uses the default template bundled with DokuWiki.
Page lifecycle
Create a page
In DokuWiki, pages are created as in every other wiki. Simply create a link from an existing page to a non-existing page, follow this link, and click on Create this page
(on right menu in the default template). This is the most common and recommended way. It ensures all your pages are linked together correctly and you don't create orphans anywhere.
There's also a screencast available explaining it in detail.
Alternatives
There are some alternative ways as well:
- You may enter the name of a new page directly in the search field, and click the "Search" button and can choose
Create this page
(on right menu in the default template) of the results page. The new page will be named after your query. - Of course you can also open a non-existing page by manually manipulating the URL in your Browser
- There are also plugins to add a page: See plugins tagged with 'create'
NOTE: Make sure you properly link your newly created page from other pages, when using one of the alternative methods. Otherwise no one may find your page. (Though these pages may still be found by the index feature or through the search engine.)
Edit a page
Editing a page is done by clicking the Edit this page
button (on right menu in the default template) unless the page is created.
The creation or editing of a page leads you to an edit window that enables you to enter wikitext. Editing a page consists in putting your text inside the edit area, and adding some markup to enhance its layout.
In order to help you in the editing process, a preview feature enables you to look at the formatted page before saving it.
Once your page does match your criteria, you hit the save
button in order to save it. The page is then rendered into HTML, which is the standard output.
Delete a page
If you save an empty page, then DokuWiki will delete the page, and the associated pagename. Note that old revisions in the attic remain, this ensures accidentally removed pages can be restored easily.