Visual editing

Wikis can also make WYSIWYG editing available to users, usually through a
JavaScript control that translates graphically entered formatting instructions into
the corresponding HTML tags or wikitext. In those implementations, the markup of a
newly edited, marked-up version of the page is generated and submitted to the
server transparently, shielding the user from this technical detail. An example of
this is the VisualEditor on Wikipedia. WYSIWYG controls do not, however, always
provide all the features available in wikitext, and some users prefer not to use a
WYSIWYG editor. Hence, many of these sites offer some means to edit the wikitext
directly.

Version history
Some wikis keep a record of changes made to wiki pages; often, every version of the
page is stored. This means that authors can revert to an older version of the page
should it be necessary because a mistake has been made, such as the content
accidentally being deleted or the page has been vandalized to include offensive or
malicious text or other inappropriate content.

Edit summary
"Edit summary" redirects here. For the Wikipedia help page, see Help:Edit summary.
Many wiki implementations, such as MediaWiki, the software that powers Wikipedia,
allow users to supply an edit summary when they edit a page. This is a short piece
of text summarizing the changes they have made (e.g. "Corrected grammar" or "Fixed
formatting in table"). It is not inserted into the article's main text but is
stored along with that revision of the page, allowing users to explain what has
been done and why. This is similar to a log message when making changes in a
revision-control system. This enables other users to see which changes have been
made by whom and why, often in a list of summaries, dates and other short, relevant
content, a list which is called a "log" or "history".

Navigation
Within the text of most pages, there are usually many hypertext links to other
pages within the wiki. This form of non-linear navigation is more "native" to a
wiki than structured/formalized navigation schemes. Users can also create any
number of index or table-of-contents pages, with hierarchical categorization or
whatever form of organization they like. These may be challenging to maintain "by
hand", as multiple authors and users may create and delete pages in an ad hoc,
unorganized manner. Wikis can provide one or more ways to categorize or tag pages
to support the maintenance of such index pages. Some wikis, including the original,
have a backlink feature, which displays all pages that link to a given page. It is
also typically possible in a wiki to create links to pages that do not yet exist,
as a way to invite others to share what they know about a subject new to the wiki.
Wiki users can typically "tag" pages with categories or keywords, to make it easier
for other users to find the article. For example, a user creating a new article on
cold-weather biking might "tag" this page under the categories of commuting, winter
sports and bicycling. This would make it easier for other users to find the
article.

Linking and creating pages

Links are created using a specific syntax, the so-called "link pattern".
Originally, most wikis[citation needed] used CamelCase to name pages and create
links. These are produced by capitalizing words in a phrase and removing the spaces
between them (the word "CamelCase" is itself an example). While CamelCase makes
linking easy, it also leads to links in a form that deviates from the standard
spelling. To link to a page with a single-word title, one must abnormally
capitalize one of the letters in the word (e.g. "WiKi" instead of "Wiki").
CamelCase-based wikis are instantly recognizable because they have many links with
names such as "TableOfContents" and "BeginnerQuestions". A wiki can render the
visible anchor of such links "pretty" by reinserting spaces, and possibly also
reverting to lower case. This reprocessing of the link to improve the readability
of the anchor is, however, limited by the loss of capitalization information caused
by CamelCase reversal. For example, "RichardWagner" should be rendered as "Richard
Wagner", whereas "PopularMusic" should be rendered as "popular music". There is no
easy way to determine which capital letters should remain capitalized. As a result,
many wikis now have "free linking" using brackets, and some disable CamelCase by
default.

Searching
Most wikis offer at least a title search, and sometimes a full-text search. The
scalability of the search depends on whether the wiki engine uses a database. Some
wikis, such as PmWiki, use flat files.[13] MediaWiki's first versions used flat
files, but it was rewritten by Lee Daniel Crocker in the early 2000s (decade) to be
a database application.[citation needed] Indexed database access is necessary for
high speed searches on large wikis. Alternatively, external search engines such as
Google Search can sometimes be used on wikis with limited searching functions to
obtain more precise results.

History
Main article: History of wikis

Wiki Wiki Shuttle at Honolulu International Airport

WikiWikiWeb was the first wiki.[14] Ward Cunningham started developing WikiWikiWeb
in Portland, Oregon, in 1994, and installed it on the Internet domain c2.com on
March 25, 1995. It was named by Cunningham, who remembered a Honolulu International
Airport counter employee telling him to take the "Wiki Wiki Shuttle" bus that runs
between the airport's terminals. According to Cunningham, "I chose wiki-wiki as an
alliterative substitute for 'quick' and thereby avoided naming this stuff quick-
web."[15][16]

Cunningham was, in part, inspired by the Apple HyperCard, which he had used.
HyperCard, however, was single-user.[17] Apple had designed a system allowing users
to create virtual "card stacks" supporting links among the various cards.
Cunningham developed Vannevar Bush's ideas by allowing users to "comment on and
change one another's text."[2][18] Cunningham says his goals were to link together
people's experiences to create a new literature to document programming patterns,
and to harness people's natural desire to talk and tell stories with a technology
that would feel comfortable to those not used to "authoring".[17]

Wikipedia became the most famous wiki site, launched in January 2001 and entering
the top ten most popular websites in 2007. In the early 2000s (decade), wikis were
increasingly adopted in enterprise as collaborative software. Common uses included
project communication, intranets, and documentation, initially for technical users.
Some companies use wikis as their only collaborative software and as a replacement
for static intranets, and some schools and universities use wikis to enhance group
learning. There may be greater use of wikis behind firewalls than on the public
Internet. On March 15, 2007, the word wiki was listed in the online Oxford English
Dictionary.[19]

Alternative definitions