Wikipedia:Tip of the day/November 6

Advanced signatures

It is good Wikiquette to sign your messages on talk pages. This is done by typing ~~~~ (four tildes). Do not sign article pages.

Some users have fancy signatures with lots of colors and links. Here are 3 different ways to do that:

  1. Edit directly in the signature box
    1. Go to your Preferences and type some wiki-markup code (and/or HTML markup code) into the signature box to augment your stock signature
    2. Check the box that says "Treat the above as Wiki markup"
    3. Press the "Save" button. Or...
  2. Use an HTML editor
    1. Open an HTML editor (e.g. Adobe Dreamweaver or Microsoft Expression Web)
    2. Design how you want your signature to look, putting links in it by adding brackets [[ ]]
    3. Select it and click the HTML tab and copy the code of your text into the signature box mentioned above.
    4. Be sure not to copy the tags at the beginning and end of the code that say <p> </p>. Or...
  3. Adapt someone else's signature
    1. Find a signature you like
    2. Click edit this page
    3. Copy and paste the signature into your signature box (see #1 above), but change all the links to your links: you do not want your signature leading to someone else's user page!

Do not use images, templates, or external links in your signature. Please ensure your custom signature complies with the relevant guideline. Use special code for displayed pipe character.