What is wikitext?

In the beginning, wikis were created using wiki syntax (or wikitext), a markup language that is used to format and to display the content. On many wikis, you still must know the wiki syntax. However, several wiki services now offer a much simpler approach. Here's a short video from the Wetpaint team that describes how the old approach for wikis differs with the newer approach:

As posted on YouTube by wpseattle

For those who choose to install your own wiki engine or who select a wiki service that does not provide a WYSIWYG editor, you'll need to know a little about wiki syntax, or wikitext. Although there may be a short learning curve for using wikitext to produce a page, it is nowhere close to the learning curve required to learn HTML. Unfortunately, there is no standard wikitext used across wiki engines or wiki farms. This potentially complicates the process for individuals who are involved in more than one wiki. This lack of standardized formatting across wiki programs also makes it difficult to transfer wikis across platforms or wiki servers.

Wikitext uses ordinary punctuation to format text on a wiki page. Examples of how basic formatting is performed on some wikis are discussed below with some noted differences:

• Bold text
  Bolding of text may require using HTML tags, such as <b> to start bold text, followed by the </b>to stop on some wikis. One wiki application requires that a pair of two single quotes be placed around the text to be bold. Another wiki service requires a pair of asterisks, that is, preceding and following the text to be bold with an asterisk (e.g., bold).

• Italized text
  Italicing text is often defined by using a single pair of quotes or an underscore around the text (‘italics’ = italics)

• Unordered list
  Using the asterisk symbol may define an item in a bulleted list on some wiki applications. Other wikis let you use the HTML tags to define lists (e.g., <ul>, <li>, </ul>)

• Ordered list
  Using the # symbol may define an item in a numbered list on some wiki applications. However, on other wikis, the asterisk (*) is used for an ordered list. Some wikis permit you to use the HTML tags to define order lists (e.g., <ol>, <li>, </ol>)

• Horizontal line
  Adding 4 dashes to the page may define a horizontal line on some wiki applications.

Because of the differences across wiki engines and wiki services, you would need to consult your wiki service for specific information on the wiki syntax required if a WYSIWYG editor is not provided.