This guide explains how to create and edit wiki posts, including their purpose, permissions, and best practices.
Required user level: All users (with specific permissions based on group membership)
Wiki posts in Discourse are special types of posts that can be edited by multiple users which allows for collaborative editing and knowledge sharing within a community. They are particularly useful for documentation, FAQs, and other content that benefits from community input and regular updates.
You can see wikis in action in our Wiki category
Recognizing a wiki post
Wiki posts have a unique icon and a different, more prominent, edit button (for those who can edit them) to distinguish themselves from regular posts:
in:wikifilter within the site’s search box
Editing a wiki post
By default, members of the Trust Level 1 group (and above) can edit all wiki posts they have access to. This is controlled by the edit wiki post allowed groups site setting. To edit a wiki, navigate to the wiki post and click the edit button in the lower right corner. There is also an Edit Post button within the post’s edit history as well that serves the same purpose.
When the composer is opened to edit, it will allow you to edit all content of the post. If the first post in a topic is a wiki, wiki editors can also edit the topic’s tags. However, the title and category are only available to edit for those with the necessary permissions.
When an edit is made and the post is saved, a notification is sent to the post author making them aware of the edit.
The Wiki Editor badge is granted to users the first time they edit any wiki post.
Viewing edit history
To view the edit history of a wiki post, click on the edit indicator in the top right corner:
And the revision history and information is the same as for regular posts:
edit history visible to publicis disabled
Creating or removing a wiki post
To turn one of your own posts into a wiki post you need to be a member of the groups specified in the self wiki allowed groups setting (default: Trust Level 3). Staff and Trust Level 4 users can convert any post into a wiki.
Any post within a topic can be converted into a wiki. It’s common to make the first post a wiki, but it isn’t a requirement.
How to create a wiki post:
To convert a regular post into a wiki, open the … menu at the bottom of the post, select the wrench icon, and then select the ‘Make Wiki’ option.
How to remove a wiki post:
If a post is already a wiki, the Remove Wiki button will appear instead of the Make Wiki button.
Converting a wiki post back into a regular post will retain the edit history as normal.
Best practices
- Use wiki posts for content that benefits from collaborative editing, such as documentation.
- Respect other contributors’ work and make edits thoughtfully.
- Use the edit history to track changes and understand the evolution of the content.
FAQs
Can more than one person edit a wiki at the same time?
Simultaneous editing is not supported in wiki posts. If two users edit at the same time, the latest save will overwrite the previous save.
Can I prevent specific users from editing my wiki post?
No, wiki posts are designed for open collaboration. However, admins can adjust the edit wiki post allowed groups setting to limit who can edit wiki posts, or move topics to categories with more restricted access.
Can I lock a wiki post?
As a regular user this is not possible, but admins and moderators can lock a wiki post using the option in the post wrench.
Additional resources
Last edited by @Lilly 2024-11-04T22:51:42Z
Last checked by @hugh 2024-06-18T03:33:48Z
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