Manual:Interface

Screenshot of the desktop view of MediaWiki 1.31
Screenshot of the mobile view

The MediaWiki interface is the entirety of the output HTML code of a wiki page except the body text itself. The interface includes the tabs above each page, the sidebar, and personal links.

Localizing the interface

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The default interface for many languages is defined in the MediaWiki localization files, and will update automatically if the language set by $wgLanguageCode or if a user's preferences are changed.

You can edit the text strings and images displayed for the current user interface language via the special page Special:Allmessages. For more information on this page and editing these messages, please see:

Customizing the interface

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Depending on one's requirements and programming expertise, there are several customization techniques available:

  • System messages – Most look and feel customizations can be done by modifying system messages using the Special:AllMessages page. Editing interface messages is typically straightforward, just like editing a normal wiki page. These messages set defaults for various parts of the user interface and contain a combination of plain text, wiki markup, CSS and JavaScript. For details, see the documentation of the individual messages.
  • Skins – Fundamental changes to the layout of the interface may require attaching functions to one or more skin hooks and/or the creation of a custom skin. For more information, please see Manual:Skins .
  • /JavaScript – improve browser behavior using some scripts. Includes a list of JavaScript variables.
  • /Stylesheets – improve layout and design using CSS.
  • /IDs and classes – a list of common CSS IDs and classes.


See also

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