Guidance for Scribes

On August 8, 2023, Habitica staff removed all guilds and the Tavern from Habitica. For information and frequently asked questions, read here.
In conjunction with this, the Scribe contributor path also ceased to exist. Tiers will no longer be awarded for Scribe activities.

This page intentionally contains outdated links to one or more guilds on Habitica. Guilds and the Tavern were removed from Habitica on August 8, 2023 and these links will no longer work.

The reason provided for keeping these links was: Links have been left in place for historical reference.

This is an evolving guide about how to make contributions to the wiki and what to work on.

The goal of Habitica's Scribes is to create and maintain an accurate, up-to-date, complete, and easy-to-use guide for players of Habitica. Until August 8, 2023 you could join the Scribes in the Wizards of the Wiki guild to ask questions, discuss editing, and learn new things. There is also a Wizards of the Wiki channel on Discord, which will still be accessible after Habitica ends all the guilds.

Quick Tips[]

Habitrpg style qrc — Quick Reference Card for Habitica Scribes.

The tips in this section and the printable quick reference card to the right are critical parts of these guidelines, but please read through this Wiki page for the full set of guidelines.

Writing tone should be informative and semi-professional. Use third person (e.g. the player, they) in the opening of an article. You can use second person in later paragraphs or sentences (like this one), but never write in the first person.
The length of the page or section should be as long as needed but no longer; be informative and concise. Try not to be redundant and repeat things.
Use text formatting (e.g., bold, italics) sparingly. Do not use colored text or text decorations (e.g., strikethrough, overline, underline).
Use American English grammar and spelling, with the exception of "grey". Write in complete sentences unless in a table. Use the singular third-person pronoun "they" instead of alternatives such as "he/she". Capitalize Habitica terms that have a special meaning in the context of Habitica (e.g., XP, Dailies, Tavern).
Add relevant internal and external links to the article.
Avoid spoiling information about upcoming changes, additions, or events; if spoiling a feature that is already implemented, use the spoiler template.
Add images if they are useful in the context of the article; search for the image you need in Special:NewFiles and in the various image categories before adding it to avoid duplicates. When updating an existing image, upload it as a new version of the same file instead of as a new image.
Add categories to articles if an obvious/useful category is missing. Check a category's page for information before adding it to pages, and refrain from creating categories that are not in use.
Include an informative and accurate edit summary whenever you make edits. This helps other editors check your work.
Only rename a page if absolutely necessary; if you do, use Special:WhatLinksHere (accessible from the "My Tools" drop-down option in the sticky footer toolbar) to fix links to the page.
If you believe a page needs to be deleted, go to Classic Editor -> Source and enter
```
{{delete|Reason for deletion}}
```
at the top of the page; please include the reason for deletion.
Join the Wizards of the Wiki guild. Post there when you have questions. Discuss potential large changes there before making them.
If you're looking for ideas of what would be helpful, the Wiki Wizards' Wall o' Wishes is a list of things to do that experienced Wiki Wizards have determined would be useful to do.

How to Start[]

You can begin contributing to the Habitica Wiki by signing up for a Fandom account. Your username does not have to be the same as your Habitica Username in order for you to earn credit for your work when requesting a contributor tier. Be sure to sign in to the wiki every time you edit so you can get credit towards a tier. (Signing in to the wiki also allows you to earn Fandom badges and build up editing streaks; however, they are not directly related to Habitica's contributor tiers.)

After signing up, if you feel like testing the waters of the Habitica Wiki community and the wiki's editor, feel free to fill out your profile page with some information about yourself and create a Blog Post about how you use your Habits and Dailies. Let us get to know you!

If you are new to wikis, you may want to read the tutorial and view the list of help pages for guidance.

If you need help editing, read Help:Editing or the tutorial.

It's also important to read this entire page! Refer back to it frequently to refresh your memory, especially when starting a type of edit that you haven't done before.

What to Write[]

Writing for the wiki isn't just about creating brand new pages; it's also about managing the quality of what currently exists.

Starting scribes with little to no previous wiki creating or editing experience may want to begin by helping to clean up existing articles. All of the Wiki Scribes are volunteer writers of various writing and national backgrounds who make changes at multiple points during the day; we will never quite be rid of typos and grammatical errors, so fixing the little things (even missing periods) has value. Consider making minor edits as a way to learn how to navigate the site and use the editor instead of immediately trying to make large additions to pages or create full articles.

Habitica is an ever-evolving product; new features are added regularly and some updates may change features in a way that requires wiki pages to be edited. Scribes are encouraged to make these edits as they find them. In addition to the Wizards of the Wiki guild mentioned above, where suggestions for editing ideas are sometimes posted, you can consult the following to learn about and keep track of updates to Habitica:

As you become more comfortable with editing the wiki, check out Beyond the Classic Editor:Advanced Wiki Editing for instructions on making more advanced edits.

Before making major changes, use the Wizards of the Wiki guild to discuss article contents, suggested improvements, and resolve any conflicts. Sometimes it might be helpful to create a suggested edit in your Sandbox before making major changes to the actual page, so that others can better visualize what you have in mind. You can also use an article's talk page to discuss suggested edits, but the Wizards of the Wiki guild is usually the best place to ask first. When you write on a talk page, don't forget to sign your edits. Wherever you discuss suggested changes, remember that respect and friendliness are key.

You can find a list of useful templates at Category:Templates, some of which are documented on Habitica Wiki:Templates.

New wiki editors may want to exercise caution before making the following types of edits:

Edits to existing pages in The Keep. Since pages in The Keep are often personal pages (e.g., pages dedicated to a party, guides about how a particular player likes to use Habitica), most pages in The Keep do not need to be edited, even to add clarity/links or fix problems such as formatting issues (exceptions include violations of the Community Guidelines). If a page in The Keep is not one person’s or party’s personal page and seems to be worth editing, please ask about it in the Wizards of the Wiki guild.
Edits to pages with the Under Construction banner. Wiki editors may already be actively working on these pages, so additional edits, however minor, may disrupt their workflow. If you are interested in working on one of these pages, take a look at the history of the page (accessible via the Edit button’s drop-down menu, via the My Tools menu on the wiki's toolbar, or by appending ?action=history to the end of the page’s URL). If there are recent edits, get in touch with the editor(s) responsible in order to express your interest in helping with the page. If there are no recent edits, take a look at the Talk page for any notes on what needs to be done and feel free to ask about how to proceed in the Wizards of the Wiki guild.
Links to wiki pages that do not currently exist. Note that the Habitica Wiki avoids using broken links. Additionally, for the most part, the links listed at Special:WantedPages do not need to be edited (nor those pages created) as they are generally from old wall messages/blog posts.

Subscribing to Changes[]

If you want to follow changes to this wiki or look out for new users and edits, use Special:RecentChanges. This is also a great way to learn about what changes occur regularly on the wiki.

Newbie Wiki Tips[]

Using the source editor (rather than the visual or classic editor) is recommended, as it is more powerful, allows for more precise editing, and enables you to view helpful comments that may have been left by other editors.
- You can make it your default editor via the "Preferred editor" drop-down in the editing tab of your Fandom preferences. If the source editor is not your default editor, you can still access it by clicking the drop-down arrow on a page's "Edit" button.
- Note that the source editor uses the wikitext markup language.
Fandom's "achievement points" and Badges are used as a rough, partial guideline to determine eligibility for Habitica's contributor tiers, but they are not as important as the quality of your contributions to the wiki. Activities that earn you points but don't improve the wiki, such as comments on old blog posts, will not help you earn a contributor tier.
One of the many Fandom badges is earned by maintaining a daily editing streak for up to one year consecutively. Editing streaks are not considered at all when assessing your suitability for contributor tiers. However, if you'd like to earn the streak badges for your own satisfaction, here are some tips for maintaining your editing streaks:
- When you first create a wiki account, set your timezone immediately in your Preferences. Changing the timezone can reset your editing streak.
- Wiki editing streaks are counted as edits per UTC day. To ensure you keep your streak, set a Daily to edit the wiki after midnight in UTC time.

Style[]

Tone[]

The tone of the article should be informative and semi-professional. Basically, this means opening all articles with clear-cut and concise definitions of the topic in question, followed by a well-organized and thorough rundown of the topic in detail. Third person is not necessary for articles and usually only used in the openings. Once you get into the meat of an article, it is preferred to use the second person, as most articles will have instructions or tasks for users of the site to follow. Never use the first person under any circumstances. Writing in all caps is considered yelling, and as such it is an improper tone for this Wiki.

First person: "I" style sentences, such as "I picked Rogue as my class because I was sneaky." Only acceptable if you're writing a personal Blog post; not anywhere else.
Second person: "You" style sentences, such as, "You can find your User ID on the User Icon > Settings > API Options page." Designed to tell you to take an action.
Third person: "Users" or "Habiticans" impersonal-style sentences, such as "Habiticans who logged in on Thanksgiving got a Turkey pet." As stated above, less preferred than second person.

Article Length[]

The article should be straight to the point and only as long as needed (especially for broader topics). However, do not go on a tangent and add fluff. Shorter articles are generally more accessible and usable than really long ones. Referencing related pages, however, is recommended and helpful for users in general. Always write the best that you can on all of your contributions.

Formatting[]

Wikitext[]

Wikitext is the markup language used by this wiki. A markup language can add formatting (e.g., italics), as well as images, tables, links, and other visual changes. You can use wikitext via the source editor, or via source mode in the VisualEditor (choose "Source Editor" under the menu at the right side of the toolbar). For more information about how to use wikitext, see Help:Wikitext.

Note that it is not necessary to use wikitext to edit the wiki. The default editor is the VisualEditor, which does not require use of wikitext. Each editor has a toolbar with buttons for basic formatting tasks like inserting an image or creating a bulleted list.

However, using wikitext in the source editor is recommended as it allows for more precise and powerful editing. You can make the source editor your preferred editor via the editing tab of your wiki preferences. If the source editor is not your preferred editor, you can still access it by clicking the drop-down arrow on a page's "Edit" button.

Text[]

Formatting of text can include bold or italic text, but these should be used sparingly. Text with too much formatting distracts the reader and decreases readability. Do not use text-decoration (overline, underline, etc.). Typical formatting of text does not need ~~strikethrough~~, and underlined text can easily be confused with hyperlinks.

Margins and Padding[]

Margins and Padding are names for space around an element, be it text, image, table, etc. As a wiki editor, you usually do not have to worry about this. When you get further into it, this can be handled via CSS and the style attribute. You can read up on the use here: margins and padding.

Grammar and Spelling[]

On this wiki, we follow standard English grammar rules.

This includes (but is not limited to) spacing and punctuation. Use one space between sentences. Abbreviations should be followed by periods (for example, e.g. and i.e.). Entries should be made in sentences, not note form, unless entering data in a list or table. If you see improper grammar in a wiki page, feel free to edit it! In addition, make sure you double-check (and maybe even triple-check) your edits after writing them to make sure you don't have any grammar mistakes lurking on the page.

Use singular "they" when you need a gender-neutral third-person pronoun. This is more inclusive and less awkward than alternatives like "he/she" and is accepted in many English style guides.

American English is the standard for spelling rules on this wiki. This means that color, personalize, and center are the correct spelling, whereas colour, personalise, and centre are not. The one exception to this rule is the spelling of grey. While American English generally uses gray as the standard spelling, this wiki, as well as Habitica, does not. In order to remain consistent with the rest of the wiki and between the wiki and Habitica, the standard spelling shall be grey (read more). Don't make an edit solely to change British English to American English unless it interferes with the functioning of a link or it is the incorrect spelling of a name. It is acceptable to change it while other substantial edits are being done, though.

When introducing serial lists, use the serial or "Oxford" comma, so a list of the type of tasks would be formatted as "Habits, Dailies, and To Do's."

Capitalization[]

Standard English rules of capitalization are almost always followed. This has two main cases:

At the beginning of sentences
With certain nouns (usually proper nouns, or Habitica terms such as "Market") and some adjectives

Proper nouns are capitalized (e.g., America, Habitica). (One exception is when a player has chosen to write their Display Name in lowercase; please respect the player's choice and use the same capitalization they do, e.g., former moderator shanaqui should not have their name written as "Shanaqui".)

Terms that have a special meaning in the context of Habitica should be capitalized. For example, Strength is a character stat; strength is something else (as in "I want to increase my physical strength so I have created several tasks with the Strength stat"). Words that refer to more general concepts in the game do not need to be capitalized. For example, "sword" in Habitica has the same meaning as it has in the real world and so is lower case.

The tables below give some examples of these guidelines.

Capitalized	Example
events	Summer Splash
abbreviations	XP, HP, MP, GP
task types (the word 'tasks' is not capitalized)	To Do's, Dailies, Habits, Rewards
character stats	Strength, Intelligence, Constitution, Perception
class names	Healer, Rogue, Warrior, Mage
equipment	Chain Mail, Orb of Rebirth
boss names (but the name should also match the quest scroll)	The Dread Drag'on of Dilatory, The SnackLess Monster
background names	Fairy Ring
names of eggs, pets, mounts	Wolf Egg, Desert Fox
user credentials	Username, Display Name, User ID, QR Code, API Token
other words that have a unique meaning in Habitica	the Tavern, Perfect Day, Grey Daily, Cron

Not capitalized	Example
food	potatoes
names of items that a player can possess several of	hatching potions
Gameplay terms that a) are not unique to Habitica and b) are unlikely to have another relevant meaning	quest, party, boss, drop, health

For capitalization of headers and subheadings, please see the chapter on Headers below.

As noted above, writing in all caps is considered yelling, and as such it is an improper tone for this Wiki.

If you need more information, please see Wikipedia.

Tables[]

Tables should be styled as they appear when the add table feature is used in the visual editing mode of the classic editor. This does not apply to sorting tables, or excessively large tables (see Mounts). Parameters for this in source mode are:

border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" class="article-table" style="width: 500px;"

Example caption
Example header	More header
Table contents	More contents

If you'd like to create tables using a graphical interface, TablesGenerator.com allows you to easily create MediaWiki tables that can then be copy-pasted into the wiki.

Colors[]

Use colors sparingly so as not to disrupt the global style. Colors should not be used for any text as they can be confused with broken links or links to other pages.

Links[]

Relevant internal links to articles help readers browse the wiki and help avoid dead-end pages. External links to GitHub issues and Trello cards can provide useful behind-the-scenes or historical information. Do not link to wiki pages that do not currently exist, as the Habitica Wiki avoids using broken links.

When creating links on a page, make sure that you link to the current page for the topic in question and that the target link in the source code (or edit link box) is appropriately capitalized.

You can add internal links by putting double square brackets around text designating the title of the page you want to link to. For example, [[Gold Points]] becomes Gold Points. You can also use a vertical bar (|) to customize the link title. For example, typing [[Gold Points|gold]] will produce gold. You can add external links by placing the URL within single square brackets. For example, [http://www.tablesgenerator.com/mediawiki_tables TablesGenerator.com] becomes TablesGenerator.com. Note the use of a space (not a bar |) to separate the URL from the optional link text.

Because the wiki is a work in progress, pages are occasionally consolidated, removed, or renamed. For example, the Gold Points page has previously been named Gold Points (GP) and Gold Coins. To prevent issues when other sites have linked to the pages on the wiki that no longer exist, the admins leave redirect links to deleted pages. This means that when new internal links are created, the auto-fill suggestion box includes these old link names. When wiki users click these old links, they are redirected to the new page. The new page alerts the user to the old link redirect with a message below the page title, "Redirected from [old page name]," as can be seen using the links in the above example. Link targets that are not capitalized in the source code also give this message. This issue does not affect functionality of the wiki, but using the correct link and preventing these messages improves the wiki's sense of professionalism.

Pluralizing and Adding Suffixes to Links[]

Plural versions of links can be formed by appending an 's' after the closing brackets. For example, [[Rogue]]s displays as Rogues. This has several benefits over the alternative ([[Rogue|Rogues]]): it is easier to type, clearer to read in the source code, and less likely to result in typos. This also works when adding a suffix (e.g., ‑ing, ‑ed, or ‑est) to a link. However, it is not necessary to make an edit solely to change link code from, say, [[Rogue|Rogues]] to [[Rogue]]s.

Interlanguage Links[]

Interlanguage links connect different language versions of the same page. They are completely manual and can be different from one language's page to another language's page, since they're not set up automatically. This is why you will see english Habitica wiki pages linked to many other languages, but non-english pages usually only linked back to the corresponding english page. For more information about interlanguage links, see the "Add Language Links" section on the Guidance for Linguistic Scribes page and Help:Interlanguage links.

When copying pages in order to create new ones of the same type, e.g., using an existing Quest page as a template for a new Quest page, be sure not to copy/import the interlanguage links. Having an incorrect link to a translated page can be confusing for wiki users, especially if the page they originally wanted to read does not exist or is not fully translated at that point.

Informative Link Text[]

The text for links should be informative. Avoid generic link text such as "link" or "page;" instead, use text that provides more information about the page being linked to. For example, "created a page outlining how to adapt Habitica to ADHD" is uninformative, whereas "created a page outlining how to adapt Habitica to ADHD" demonstrates good practice.

This is for the benefit of partially sighted and blind people using screen readers. Screen readers allow users to navigate from link to link while having the text for each link read aloud, so it is beneficial for link text to be informative about the subject matter of the link. This allows users to more easily determine when they want to follow the link or to direct the screen reader to read the surrounding text.

Titles[]

When creating a new page, do not use parentheses () in the title. Wiki pages with parentheses in the title will glitch due to a conflict with the formatting in the Tavern.

Headers[]

Liberal use of headers breaks up articles, enables easier reading, and allows the automatic generation of tables of contents. However, too many subheadings makes the text harder to read, especially if related content is being broken up unnecessarily. To keep text easy to follow, try to strike a balance in the number of headings used.

Headers and sub-headings should not be changed unnecessarily. They can be linked to from other pages and from locations outside the wiki (e.g., Habitica itself, GitHub, and blog posts) so any change to a heading will make these links nonfunctional. If it is essential to change a header, correct all links leading there from elsewhere in the Habitica wiki. Also, search likely locations in the Habitica website (habitica.com) for links to the heading. If you find any, create a new issue in GitHub to ask that the link be changed. You need to have a GitHub account in order to create a new issue. Creating a GitHub account is completely free. However, if you don't want to create one (and if you don't have on already), please report your findings in the Wizards of the Wiki guild instead, so that someone else can create the GitHub issue.

Headers and sub-headings are capitalized according to the rules described in Composition titles (a form of title case). However, if you see an existing header that does not have correct capitalization, please do not change it unless you are certain that there are no links to it.

Infoboxes[]

Individual item pages should have an infobox with an image, the tooltip description, and buy/sell prices - instead of listing this info in paragraph form. Example code for the template is as follows:

   {{infobox item
   | title         = Snowball
   | image         = Inventory special snowball.png
   | imagewidth    = 51 [default: 210 pixels]
   | imagecaption  = Throw a snowball at a party member.
   | buy           = 1 [[File:Gem.svg|link=Gems]]
   | sell          = -
   }}

Table of Contents (TOC)[]

The table of contents (TOC) will automatically generate after the fourth main sub-heading. The TOC can be forced to appear with less than four sub-headings by including the following code in the source view of the editor at the start of the wiki document: __TOC__. To shift the TOC to the right of the page, enter the following code into the source view of the editor at the top of the wiki document:

{| align="right"
| __TOC__
|}

Math Expressions and Formulas[]

The Habitica wiki supports mathematical markup using a variant of LaTeX. This is well documented in the Community Documentation, with further details about specific markup elements available in the Wikipedia help pages.

By default, the mathematical markup should render as black text with a transparent background, e.g.:

<math>{y = x^2 + 7x - 2}</math> produces

${y = x^2 + 7x - 2}$

Note that currently you can only enter mathematical markup in the source editor.

Emoji[]

Emoji are rarely used in the wiki - usually only when quoting text from Habitica that contains them. If copying and pasting the emoji doesn't work, another way to include an emoji in a wiki page is to write its HTML entity in the source editor. For example, for 🐘, you would write 🐘 (its HTML entity with decimal number) or 🐘 (its HTML entity with hexadecimal number) -- it doesn't matter which one.

You can find an emoji's HTML entity on the internet. One good place to look it up is FileFormat.Info. Either find the emoji in their list of emoji, then click on the corresponding Unicode link on the right side, or enter the emoji's name (in this example, "elephant") in the search field.

There are emoji which don't have a corresponding Unicode character and for which this method doesn't work—but in most cases, it does.

Another good source to look up different versions of emoji and copy them directly is Emojipedia.

Avoiding Spoilers[]

When looking for new information to add to the main namespace, stick to features that are already implemented, visible, and accessible to all players on Habitica. Information about planned or upcoming features available on GitHub and the various Trello boards may contain spoilers that the staff wish to keep as surprises for players. This is particularly important for world events, particularly those with multiple event-based reveals like the battles with world bosses.

For spoilers of already implemented content, such as resolution text for boss or collection quests, you can use the template Template:Spoiler start. The spoiler warning template, Template:Spoiler, should be used on any pages where most or all content consists of spoilers.

Images[]

Images should be added if they are useful in the context of the article; for example, if they help make a concept clearer, with the exception of the Whats New pages, which should match the Bailey announcements.

Before uploading a new image, search for it in Special:NewFiles and in the various Images categories. The image you want might already be uploaded and if so, you should not upload a duplicate (see Replacing v. Deleting below for more information). If you are having trouble finding an image, type a keyword in the Wiki search field. On the results page, select "Photos and Videos" in the left-hand toolbar. Select "Photos Only" under Filtering Options to see only images. To see the most recent images, select "Publish Date" from the Sorting Options menu.

Obtaining Image Files for Habitica Content[]

Images that have not already been uploaded can be found in Habitica's GitHub repositories. The locations were changed at the end of December 2021 so refer to the information below rather than any old bookmarks you may have.

Most of the images are in the habitica-images repository. They are organised in sub-directories by type, as listed below. Some types have further sub-directories, with names that should be self-explanatory. You can also refer to the page Beyond the Classic Editor:Advanced Wiki Editing for more detailed information on the content of the sub-directories.

/achievements - Achievement badges
/backgrounds - Backgrounds
/customize - Avatar customization options
/gear - Equipment
/misc - images that don't fall under other directories
/notifications - Notification icons
/npc - NPCs, including seasonal variants
/quests - Quest images (Bosses, Scrolls, Collection Quest items)
/shop - purchasable items that don't fall under other categories
/skills - Class Skill icons
/stable - most images related to Pets (Eggs, Food, Mounts, Pets, Hatching Potions); however Pets and Mounts sold by the Time Travelers are in /shop/time-travelers

Some images released before 2022 might exist only in an old branch in the main habitica repository ("branch" is a GitHub term that in this case means a snapshot of the GitHub content made at a particular time). If you cannot find an image in any of the directories listed above, look under these two directories:

File Types[]

Images should be uploaded as PNG with the highest resolution available. Under special circumstances, different image formats are allowed (e.g., if an animated GIF is essential).

Images should have transparent backgrounds unless the background is essential to understanding the information that the image is trying to present.

File Names[]

Standard images from Habitica, such as images of equipment and pets, as well as quest-related images, should use the file names that are used in Habitica itself; this is of special importance for equipment and quest scrolls. To find the file names used in Habitica, look in the GitHub locations described in the "Obtaining Image Files for Habitica Content" section above. For example, the Winter 2015 Healer armor has the file name broad armor special winter2015Healer.png. Don't use file names beginning with "shop_..." even if the shop version of the image is uploaded; instead, use the file name for the normal version of the image (e.g., use spookySparkles.png rather than shop_spookySparkles.png).

Avatar_Buff.png

Other images, such as example avatars or tasks, should be uploaded with generic but descriptive names. The name should accurately reflect the content of the image, distinguishing it from other images, without describing elements of the image that may be changed as Habitica evolves. For example, the image on the right was uploaded to show what the buff icon looks like on an avatar. It was correctly named Avatar_Buff.png.

Avoid using words in the file name that would be inaccurate or irrelevant should the image need to be updated in the future to represent changes to Habitica. For example:

Dates (e.g., Avatar_Buff_August_2014.png)
Version numbers (e.g., Avatar_Buff_version_1.png) or words indicating a new version (e.g., Avatar_Buff_updated.png or Avatar_Buff_modified.png)
Avatar names (e.g., Deborah_Buff.png)
Elements in the image that might change when the site is updated, such as colors or shapes (e.g., Buff_White_Arrow.png)

An exception can be made if it is absolutely necessary and not likely to change (e.g., July_2014_Mystery_Item.png).

Captions[]

Use the caption to explain what the picture shows and to clarify why it is included in the page.

Wide Captions[]

Throw a snowball at a party member.

When paired with smaller images, some captions may wrap undesirably as seen to the right.

You can use the {{infobox item}} template as follows to render the image without undesired wrapping:

{{infobox item
| title         = 
| image         = Inventory special snowball.png
| imagecaption  = Throw a snowball at a party member.
}}

Alt Text[]

Alt text, short for "alternative text," is text that describes an image. It's useful for visually-impaired visitors using screen readers, as well as for those who have images turned off. Because accessibility tools will identify images in various ways, alt text must be added for every image to create the right experience for wiki visitors.

Some guidelines to follow:

Alt text and captions should not duplicate information in any adjacent paragraphs. Duplicating text in any of these three fields will cause screen readers and other accessibility tools to share the same information repeatedly. Instead, these fields should work together to convey the information in the section.
- If an image duplicates or displays information already shown in adjacent paragraphs, alt text can be zeroed out by adding |alt= to the image source in the basic editor. This will cause accessibility tools to skip over the alt text.
- If the image is at its full size for display (as is the case with food, pet, and mount images), |link= should also be added to the image source to force accessibility tools to skip the image. Doing this will remove any links, including to a larger view of the image, so this should be used with intention.
- Another option is to use the alt text tag to direct the user's attention if the image is described in an adjacent paragraph OR if a caption contains all relevant descriptive information for the image, such as adding |alt=Description contained in paragraph or |alt=Description contained in caption

Decorative: A Habitican in a sparkling blue gown, holding a scepter, standing in a snowy landscape beneath a star-filled night sky.

Alt text should describe concisely what the image is meant to convey in context. For example, when the image on the right is displayed in a decorative context, it could have the following alt-text: Decorative: A Habitican in a sparkling blue gown, holding a scepter, standing in a snowy landscape beneath a star-filled night sky. If the same image were used in the context of the monthly subscriber items, the alt text could read Habitican wearing December 2022 subscriber set, Glacial Dress, Wand, and Tiara.
- Using the word Decorative: at the beginning signals to those using accessibility tools that the image is merely decorative and allows them the option to skip the alt text.
Once alt text for an image has been added, also add it to the image summary using its File:Image name.png page, so it can be easily adapted for other pages. Many pages may be able to use the same alt text to describe the image, which is why placing it on the file page is beneficial, but in specific cases it may be desired to slightly modify alt text that was useful on another page.

Replacing vs Deleting[]

Outdated images should be replaced rather than deleted if at all possible. Go to the image's page, then select the drop-down menu on the edit button next to the title. You will see the following options: History and Replace. Click on replace, then use the form displayed to upload the updated image. You can write a brief description of what has changed in the image, or why a new version is needed.

Once the form is submitted, the old version of the image will be replaced by the new one, but the old version will still be available in the file's history tab.

Note: There is an ongoing issue with the wiki caching so that for a little while after a replacement image is uploaded, the old image still shows. The wiki seems to occasionally have very aggressive caching that can hold on to the old version of an image for hours. It should rectify itself within a day, but if it doesn't, the issue can be reported to wiki staff and they'll manually clear out the cache. See also Community Central's Help:Purge page.

Using this method to replace an old image has a lot of advantages over uploading a completely new image. It means that you can see all versions of an image in one place, and it's very easy to revert to an old version if needed. It means that all links on the wiki and elsewhere will keep on working. It reduces clutter in the wiki's "Photo" section because there's only one entry for each image.

Most importantly, it makes it impossible for anyone to accidentally use an old version of an image. Someone who's editing a page and needs to choose an image will find it hard to pick the right one, and if more than one similar image is used across the site, then all of them have to be updated when Habitica changes. But if new versions of images are uploaded to "replace" old images rather than uploaded as new images, this issue disappears.

Note also that you can only replace an old image if the new one is of the same file type. You cannot, for example, replace a .jpg image with a .png image.
As stated in the File Types section on this page, when you upload an image you should always upload a PNG. Sometimes, however, you will find images of other file types on the wiki, like JPG's. As long as the image doesn't need to have a transparent background you can leave it as is. You should not delete an old JPG file and upload the same image as a PNG file.

Copyright[]

If you've uploaded an image from Habitica, make sure the image page's 'About' tab shows this license.

All images on the wiki must have accurate copyright (license) information in their descriptions. Here are some important points to consider:

Images from Habitica (artwork, screenshots, etc.) are licensed under the CC-by-NC-SA 3.0 license.
If your image is not from Habitica, make sure you are allowed to use it (i.e., ensure that using it on the Habitica wiki does not break any copyright licenses). You must find the image's license before you upload the image to the wiki. If you can't find the license, don't upload the image.
If you create an image by merging two or more images together, you must find the licenses for each image and choose the one that is most restrictive to apply to your merged image. It is essential that each image's license does allow you to use the image in this way. If one of the images is from Habitica, it is likely that Habitica's license is the most restrictive.

You can add license information when you upload the image to the wiki (that's easiest and is strongly recommended) or you can edit the image after you've uploaded it.

To add a license when you are uploading an image, when you get to the "Upload a Photo to the Wiki" screen:

Click on the "More options" link that you'll see near the bottom
Find the "Licensing" drop-down list
Select the appropriate option; for images from Habitica (artwork, screenshots, etc.), use "This is content or a screenshot from Habitica". On the image page, this will become the notice "This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License."

To add a license to an existing image:

Click on the image to open it in a pop-up screen
Click either on the blue file name at the top left of the screen, or on the "more info" button at the top right of that screen to go to the image's own wiki page. Note that you can only access an image's wiki page when you are logged in with your fandom account.
Click on the "edit" button (note: the source editor is recommended; if it is not your default editor, click the drop-down arrow on the "edit" button to access it)
In the text area that you will then see, copy and paste this text: == Licensing ==
On a new line under that text, paste in the correct code for the appropriate license:
- for images from Habitica (artwork, screenshots, etc.), all you need to paste in is {{CC-BY-NC-SA}}
- for images from other sources, find the appropriate license code at the Help:Image copyright tags page
In the Edit Summary box at the bottom of the edit page, paste in this text or similar: "Adding copyright information."
Click the "Publish" button.

Resizing[]

All in-game elements are not to be resized or scaled, either via the upload or visually in the wiki. Examples of in-game elements are pets, mounts, potions, eggs, food, achievement badges, backgrounds, etc.

This is because pixel artists (and occasionally other contributors and team members who need the art assets for various reasons) often use the Wiki as a source. Images on the Wiki that were not at in-game size have caused issues on this front before. If you are unclear if it can be scaled feel free to ask in the Wizards of the Wiki guild.

Adding Spacing and Preventing Awkward Overlaps[]

If the image is creating issues with the layout, you can add the following code to create a clear space to fix it.

{{clr}}

Wiki Promotional Art[]

Scene raking leaves — *Art by* Leephon
An example of wiki promotional art.

Some pages have decorative promotional art, depicting Habiticans engaging in activities relevant to the material on the page. These images can add flavor and help break up large areas of text. If you find a page that could benefit from this type of art and have an idea for it, submit your idea to the appropriate card on the Pixel Art Trello. Once your idea is approved, it will be added to a list of scenes needed. Artisans will then be able to claim and create the scene.

As wiki promotional art is decorative, it does not require captions.

Videos[]

Videos from YouTube and Vimeo can be included but should only be used if they improve the article significantly.

Categories[]

Fandom allows categories to be added to articles to group them according to topics. Be cautious about making any changes to categories! The categories currently in use and the pages they are assigned to have been carefully assessed and are unlikely to need many changes.

Never create a new category unless you have discussed your idea in the Wizard of the Wiki guild and received approval from the senior Scribes. Having too many categories, especially when they contain very few pages, have vague topics, or are similar to other categories, can add unnecessary clutter to the wiki and make it more difficult for users to find the most helpful categories.

Having too many pages in any given category will makes that category harder to use. The category may appear overwhelming, especially to new Habiticans, and the most important pages in it won't be easy to find. If you think that a page should be added to a particular category, consider it carefully before making that change! There is likely to be a good reason why the page is not already in that category. Ask in the Wizards of the Wiki guild and wait for approval before adding the page.

However, when a new article is created, it is appropriate to add it to a small number of suitable categories. You don't need to ask for approval for this.

Category pages (for example, Category:Contributing) can optionally contain one to two sentences explaining what the category is for. This is not necessary when the intention is obvious. Category pages should never contain more content than this because their primary purpose is to be a list of related articles. Before adding a new article to a category, read the category's explanation to help you work out if the article belongs there.

Most categories are reserved for certain types of pages - in particular, the categories listed in the Category Index should only be used for main wiki pages, unless noted otherwise (e.g. Category:Guilds and Category:Parties are for pages in the Armory). To avoid clutter, please don't add these categories to other types of pages (templates, blog posts, files, etc.).

Edit Summaries[]

When making edits, write a short summary of the changes that have been made in the Edit Summary box before publishing. (In the VisualEditor, the Edit Summary box is unlabeled but says "Describe what you changed" in grey when empty. In the Source Editor, the box is labeled "Summary:".) Depending on the edit, a few words may suffice, but major edits may need longer summaries or the inclusion of rationales. Providing these summaries allows other scribes to quickly get a sense of what has changed. It is also extremely helpful when filling out contributor tier applications, as these summaries are shown as part of the edit histories on user profiles in the 'Contributions' tab. In addition, it makes finding specific changes in a series of edits much easier.

If you have trouble remembering to fill out the edit summary, you can (if you have an account) set your user preferences to remind you if you leave the Edit Summary box empty. In the "Editing" section of your preferences, check the box reading 'Prompt me when entering a blank edit summary" (the second checkbox under "Editor") and save the change. This will remind you to enter an edit summary if you leave it blank on any page (except your own user page) on any Fandom wiki. If your edit summary is blank and you click "Save" you will be given a reminder reading "Reminder: You have not provided an edit summary. If you click "Save page" again, your edit will be saved without one.' You then have the option to type an edit summary as recommended or just save your edit without one.

In edit summaries, you can create links to subsections of the page you are editing by writing "/* Subsection Header Text */". For example, when correcting a typo in a subsection with header "Pet Quests", you could write "/* Pet Quests */ Corrected a typo.". When you open only a page subsection in the editor, the link to the opened section is created automatically both in the old Source Editor and in the edit summary reminder pop-up of the VisualEditor (visual and source mode), but not in the Edit Summary box of the VisualEditor (visual and source mode) before you click "Save". But you can also type it in manually. (That way, you can link to any subsection of the edited page, regardless of which part you opened in the editor).

Renaming Pages[]

On rare occasions, pages may need to be renamed. When pages are renamed, the wiki will automatically create a redirect page that will take old links to the new site. However, links on the wiki will not be updated automatically. The wiki will still function, but users will be alerted to the fact that the link is old with a message below the page title, "Redirected from [old page name]". To eliminate this message and maintain the sense of professionalism that the wiki strives for, you can use the special page WhatLinksHere to find those out of date links that renaming has created and fix them. Simply type the old page title into the appropriate box, and they will be displayed.

Deleting[]

If there are occasions for pages to be renamed, there will also be occasions for pages to be deleted. Only wiki admins can delete pages. If you think a page should be deleted, enter the classic editor and open the source tab. At the top of the page, add the following code with your reason for suggesting deletion:

{{delete|Reason for deletion}}

Keep in mind that at this time, redirect pages are a permanent fixture for the wiki. The wiki is here to provide information to users in a way that's convenient for them to use. Broken external links, whether from an outside site, the Habitica forums, or a page that a user bookmarked, make it less convenient for the readers to use the wiki. Therefore, redirect pages are kept in place so that these links will not give a "404 Page Not Found" error. This ensures that wiki users have a better experience when trying to locate information and increases the wiki's efficiency in providing consistent, up-to-date information. Remember, our goal is to create and maintain an accurate, up-to-date, and easy-to-use guide for players of Habitica, so if there is a redirect page that you firmly feel needs to be deleted, at the top of the page add the deletion code with the reason that the page should be deleted. From there, the wiki admins will discuss the reason and make a decision, and the page will either be deleted, or the deletion code can be removed.

Creating a User Sandbox[]

A Sandbox is a page that can be used to practice editing, to learn the formatting, and to put together drafts without necessarily publishing it to the main page. If you are someone who learns by doing, having a sandbox where you can test code, formatting, and design can be very useful. Below are the steps to create your sandbox.

1. Go to your user page. You can do this by hovering over your user icon at the bottom left of any wiki page, then clicking on "View Profile" at the bottom.

2. Add /Sandbox to the end of your URL. Click on the URL box in your browser, deselect the text, and type in /Sandbox at the very end. The resulting URL should look like this: (https://habitica.fandom.com/wiki/User:Username/Sandbox). Go to this page.

3. Since you have not yet created your sandbox, you will have the option to do so here. You can do this by clicking the Edit button right next to the page title. Alternatively, you can click on the link that says "create this page" in the explaining sentence above the 404-error-image.

4. If it opens up in the visual editor, select the option Source editing instead. You can find this option by clicking on the drop-down menu that says "Visual Editor" (next to the "kebab menu" on the top right), and selecting Source editing.

5. Paste the following code into the text box:

{{Sandbox}}
                                     <!--EDIT BELOW THIS LINE-->

6. Below this pasted text, you can begin to practice editing. One idea to begin with is to add a table of contents and links to useful templates and code that you often need to look up.

7. You may skip this step, but it can be helpful: If you want to preview the changes you made / see how the page will look once it's saved, you can click Show preview on the bottom left of the frame (the second button from the left).

8. Click on Save changes to save your page.

9. To find your Sandbox easily, add a link to it on your profile page. You can do so by pasting the following code into the source editor of your user page. You can find your user page by hovering over your user icon, and selecting View Profile. Then, click on Edit under the About tab, and select the Source Editor option. Here you can paste the following code, replacing "Username" with your own username:

[[User:Username/Sandbox|My Sandbox]]

You are free to also add additional information to your profile if you wish.

10. Voilà! You now have a Sandbox of your own! Experiment with it as you please!

Other Wiki Account Tips[]

Wiki Toolbar

Toolbar[]

If you have a wiki account, you can utilize the toolbar that is at the bottom of your screen to use shortcuts and other tools to do various functions. You can find more info on the toolbar here.

For a list of available toolbar tools, see this page.

Disabling Ads[]

If you have a Wiki account and wish to disable ads, you may go to your preference page, scroll down to the ads setting, select "Don't Show all Ads," and then save your preferences.

Purging Pages[]

Sometimes pages may be behaving oddly, like not showing changes. If this is happening, try adding ?action=purge to the end of the URL and going to that address. This causes the page to be reloaded and fixes many problems.