View source for Wikipedia:Skin

{{Information page|WP:SKIN|WP:MONOBOOK}}
'''Skins''' in [[Wikipedia]] are different layouts of Wikipedia. On Wikipedia, as a website using the software [[MediaWiki]], you can change the style of the page if you have a [[Wikipedia:Why create an account?|Wikipedia account]] (see [[#How to change the skin|below]] to change skin without logging in).  If you are not logged in, you can only use the default skin, Vector. There are a total of 6 alternative skins, mostly kept for historical reasons. They don't have many features because they are not actively developed. The standard skin is '''Vector''', which was introduced in 2010. However, some users use the skin '''Monobook'''. Only these two skins are recommended.

== Screenshots ==
{{Navbox with collapsible groups
| title  = Screenshots
| navbar = off
| group1 = Cologne blue (<span class="plainlinks">[http://simple.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Skin&useskin=cologneblue Preview]</span>)
| list1  = [[Image:Cologneblue.css.png|640px]]
| group2 = Modern (<span class="plainlinks">[http://simple.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Skin&useskin=modern Preview]</span>)
| list2  = [[Image:Modern.css.png|640px]]
| group3 = MonoBook (<span class="plainlinks">[http://simple.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Skin&useskin=monobook Preview]</span>)
| list3  = [[Image:Monobook.css.png|640px]]
| group4 = Vector (default) (<span class="plainlinks">[http://simple.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Skin&useskin=vector Preview]</span>)
| list4  = [[File:English_Wikipedia_screenshot.png|640px]]
}}

==How to change the skin==
Once you have an [[WP:WCAA|account]], go to [[Special:Preferences|your settings]] and go to the "Skin" section of the ''Appearance'' tab. With the default skin, this page can be accessed at any time from the "my settings" link placed on the top right corner. Choose your skin and then click Save. Then, all pages will be loaded with the new selected skin.
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== Customisation (advanced users) ==
{{main|Wikipedia:Customisation}}
Users can customise the way default skins<ref>Default Wikipedia skins are defined in several [[CSS]] and [[JavaScript]] files. Some of them are only editable by people having write access to the Wikimedia Foundation servers and some are simple wiki pages belonging to the [[WP:MWN|MediaWiki namespace]]. These wiki pages can be seen directly on Wikipedia, but to prevent [[Wikipedia:VAN|vandals]] from breaking the whole website appearance, they are [[WP:PP#full|fully protected]], hence making them only editable by [[Wikipedia:ADM|administrators]] (however, any changes can be suggested on their [[Wikipedia:Talk page|talk page]]). See [[Wikipedia:Catalogue of CSS classes]]</ref> appear using specific subpages of their [[Wikipedia:User page|user page]]. These subpages are viewable by anybody but can only be edited by the user that the subpage belongs to and by administrators. Modifying these wiki pages only affects his or her owner. 

Customisation may involve one or both of
# [[Cascading Style Sheets]] or "CSS" (found in the user's ".css" files)
# [[JavaScript]] (found in the user's ".js" files)

There are two ways to apply customisation:
# Using [[Special:MyPage/common.css]] and [[Special:MyPage/common.js]] links, which point to a location which applies to ''all'' of a user's skins. 
# Using [[Special:MyPage/skin.css]] and [[Special:MyPage/skin.js]] links which to point to a location which applies only to a user's current skin. For example, if you're using the default Vector skin, [[Special:MyPage/skin.css]] takes you to [[Special:MyPage/vector.css]], and if you switch skins to Monobook, its contents will no longer apply.
You can use both the common and the skin-specific files; if you do this, the common file is loaded before the skin-specific one.

Note: these links are redirects to ''your own'' customisation subpages; [[Special:MyPage]] is an alias for your userpage (try it and see). 

If you have edited your personal skin files then you need to wait at least 30 seconds for the servers to update, then [[Wikipedia:Bypass your cache|bypass]] your browser cache to see the change.

See also [[meta:Vector#How do I import my monobook.css subpage?|How to import Monobook settings into Vector]]. For the list of all CSS and JavaScript files involved in the rendering process, see [[Wikipedia:Catalogue of CSS classes]].

=== CSS ===
{{main|Wikipedia:Customisation#Personal CSS}}

The CSS files can be used for all manner of customisation for those fluent in [[Cascading Style Sheets]] (CSS). A common use which is relatively straightforward is hiding a system message or template you don't wish to see; see [[Wikipedia:Customisation#Hiding_specific_messages]]. 

=== JavaScript ===
{{main|Wikipedia:JavaScript}}
On Wikipedia, JavaScript can be used to add new features such as add find/replace textboxes or give advanced rollback options. There are scripts to customise everything, from default font style to custom buttons.

Many script pages can be [[Template:js|imported and used]]. Different scripts can also be used in conjunction with each other to accomplish several tasks at once. Some scripts are available as "Gadgets", which means they can be installed by simply ticking a box in the "Gadgets" tab of [[Special:Preferences]].

In order to add pre-existing scripts to your JavaScript page, add <code><nowiki>{{subst:js|name of script}}</nowiki></code> to the file. More detailed instructions can be found at the [[Wikipedia:WikiProject User scripts/Tutorial]].

==Notes==
{{reflist}}
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==Related pages==
*[[Help:Cascading style sheets]]
*[[meta:Customization:Explaining skins]]
*[[mw:Manual:Skins/From Meta]]
*[[mw:Manual:Gallery of user styles]]
*[[Help:Skins]]