Help:Contributing/code

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Code appears on this wikibase in two forms; this page covers both:

  • In-page code — written directly on a page with the block and inline methods below. This is the normal case: use it whenever the code belongs to the page it is on.
  • Semantic code snippets — code stored once as data, a code-snippet item, reusable and linked to what it implements. Reserve them for snippets that are likely to be reused — implementations of known algorithms such as A* — see Code-snippet items below.

Code blocks on wiki pages

What you want What you type What you get
Plain block — exactly as typed, no wiki markup, HTML escaped. Safe for logs and config pastes. 
<pre>[2026-08-19 14:32:01] wikibase.updater: entity Q42 updated</pre>

[2026-08-19 14:32:01] wikibase.updater: entity Q42 updated
Highlighted block — Pygments colours and a copy button. 
<syntaxhighlight lang="sparql" copy>SELECT ?item WHERE { ?item wdt:P1 wd:Q6 } LIMIT 5</syntaxhighlight>
 
SELECT ?item WHERE { ?item wdt:P1 wd:Q6 } LIMIT 5
Plain inline code — monospace in a sentence, no colours. For short tokens with no markup-significant characters. <code>latestId</code> latestId
For highlighted inline code — monospace in a sentence, with colours. 
<syntaxhighlight lang="python" inline>print("hello")</syntaxhighlight>
 print("hello")

Anything inside <syntaxhighlight> or <pre> is rendered literally — wiki markup and HTML are not interpreted.

Don't wrap Wikimarkup content inside code tags — it will not be parsed. A link or template in a code tag renders as plain text: [[Special:AddCodeSnippet]] shows [[Special:AddCodeSnippet]], not a link. Write it as normal wikitext to get the link: code-snippet items.

Be careful with <code>: it does not escape HTML — text such as <, > or & inside it is read as markup. Use it for short plain tokens without those characters (#, quarto render, latestId); it is lighter to render. Use <syntaxhighlight lang="…" inline> when the snippet contains <, > or & (it escapes content) or when you want colours. Never use <code> for blocks — <pre> or <syntaxhighlight> instead.

Most languages can be highlighted

Any Pygments lexer alias works as the lang attribute — use the lowercase canonical name:

  • sparql — SPARQL queries (this wiki's query service)
  • python, javascript, bash, sql, json, wikitext — commonly used
  • Full list: Pygments lexers (use the alias column)

Excellent options for syntaxhighlight

Every block-mode snippet carries copy (see the house rules); the options below combine with it.

Option You type You get
line — show line numbers 
<syntaxhighlight lang="sparql" line copy>SELECT ?item WHERE {
?item wdt:P1 wd:Q6 .
}</syntaxhighlight>
 
SELECT ?item WHERE {
?item wdt:P1 wd:Q6 .
}
start="5" — first line number (with line) 
<syntaxhighlight lang="sparql" line start="5" copy>SELECT ?item WHERE {
?item wdt:P1 wd:Q6 .
}</syntaxhighlight>
 
SELECT ?item WHERE {
?item wdt:P1 wd:Q6 .
}
highlight="1,3" — highlight specific lines (comma-separated) 
<syntaxhighlight lang="sparql" highlight="1,3" copy>SELECT ?item WHERE {
?item wdt:P1 wd:Q6 .
}</syntaxhighlight>
 
SELECT ?item WHERE {
?item wdt:P1 wd:Q6 .
}
inline — render as inline code instead of a block 
<syntaxhighlight lang="sparql" inline>LIMIT</syntaxhighlight>
 LIMIT
copy — add a button that copies the block 
<syntaxhighlight lang="sparql" copy>SELECT ?item WHERE { ?item wdt:P1 wd:Q6 } LIMIT 5</syntaxhighlight>
 
SELECT ?item WHERE { ?item wdt:P1 wd:Q6 } LIMIT 5

inline and copy are mutually exclusive — copy is for blocks, inline is for inline code.

Blocks larger than 100 kB are not highlighted by default.

Full parameter reference: SyntaxHighlight extension parameters (official).

Differences from Markdown

  • No fenced blocks — ``` does nothing here. Use <pre> or <syntaxhighlight>.
  • Every block-mode snippet include copy: Use <syntaxhighlight lang="…" copy>, so readers get a copy button.
  • Prefer <syntaxhighlight lang="…"> for anything syntax-highlightable; <pre> for config dumps and logs where colours add noise.

Code-snippet items

Most code is written in-page, with the methods above — that is the default, and it is right for one-off examples, page-specific commands and configuration dumps. A code-snippet item (a semantic code snippet) stores the code instead as an item: the code is kept in one place, with provenance and a semantic link to what it implements, and every embed shows that one copy.

Normally, use in-page code. Reserve Special:AddCodeSnippet for snippets that are susceptible to be reused — most usefully, implementations of known algorithms or techniques (A*, quicksort, …) that several pages may want to display, or that readers should be able to find by what they implement. A snippet that belongs to a single page stays in-page.

Adding a snippet

Open Special:AddCodeSnippet and fill the form:

Field What it is
Label A short title for the snippet (e.g. A* search in Python).
Content The code itself. Paste it as-is — line breaks are preserved on save and shown again when the item is edited.
Programming language The language of the code (the same Pygments list as above).
Implementation of Optional: the known algorithm, technique or concept this snippet implements — search and pick the entity (several allowed, comma-separated). This link is what makes the snippet findable by what it implements.
Attributed to / Source / Source URL / Date Provenance, same as quotations.

Saving creates the item and redirects to it.

From the item page, click Copy embed code and paste the iframe on any page — this wiki or a third-party site. The embed always shows the item's current content: improving the snippet once improves every page that embeds it.

Editing code-snippet items

A stored code-snippet item (created via Special:AddCodeSnippet) is edited from its item page: click Edit content under the title, or go to Special:UpdateCodeSnippet with the item's id (e.g. Special:UpdateCodeSnippet/Q100). The code field shows the stored text exactly as entered (real line breaks); the programming-language picker carries the current value. Fields you leave blank keep their existing values.

See also

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