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</div> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="mw-content-container"> <main id="content" class="mw-body"> <header class="mw-body-header vector-page-titlebar"> <nav aria-label="Contents" class="vector-toc-landmark"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown vector-page-titlebar-toc vector-button-flush-left" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Toggle the table of contents" > <label id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-label" for="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only " aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-listBullet mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-listBullet"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">Toggle the table of contents</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-unpinned-container" class="vector-unpinned-container"> </div> </div> </div> </nav> <h1 id="firstHeading" class="firstHeading mw-first-heading"><span class="mw-page-title-namespace">Wikipedia</span><span class="mw-page-title-separator">:</span><span class="mw-page-title-main">Manual of Style/Hidden text</span></h1> <div id="p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown mw-portlet mw-portlet-lang" > <input type="checkbox" id="p-lang-btn-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox mw-interlanguage-selector" aria-label="Go to an article in another language. Available in 4 languages" > <label id="p-lang-btn-label" for="p-lang-btn-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--action-progressive mw-portlet-lang-heading-4" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-language-progressive mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-language-progressive"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">4 languages</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ar mw-list-item"><a href="https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%88%D9%8A%D9%83%D9%8A%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%A7:%D8%AF%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%84_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%B3%D9%84%D9%88%D8%A8/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D8%B5%D9%88%D8%B5_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AE%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%A9" title="ويكيبيديا:دليل الأسلوب/النصوص المخفية – Arabic" lang="ar" hreflang="ar" data-title="ويكيبيديا:دليل الأسلوب/النصوص المخفية" data-language-autonym="العربية" data-language-local-name="Arabic" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>العربية</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-az mw-list-item"><a href="https://az.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vikipediya:Stil_kitab%C3%A7as%C4%B1/Gizli_m%C9%99tn" title="Vikipediya:Stil kitabçası/Gizli mətn – Azerbaijani" lang="az" hreflang="az" data-title="Vikipediya:Stil kitabçası/Gizli mətn" data-language-autonym="Azərbaycanca" data-language-local-name="Azerbaijani" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Azərbaycanca</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-azb mw-list-item"><a href="https://azb.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%88%DB%8C%DA%A9%DB%8C%E2%80%8C%D9%BE%D8%AF%DB%8C%D8%A7:Manual_of_Style/Hidden_text" title="ویکی‌پدیا:Manual of Style/Hidden text – South Azerbaijani" lang="azb" hreflang="azb" data-title="ویکی‌پدیا:Manual of Style/Hidden text" data-language-autonym="تۆرکجه" data-language-local-name="South Azerbaijani" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>تۆرکجه</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-tr mw-list-item"><a href="https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vikipedi:Bi%C3%A7em_el_kitab%C4%B1/Gizli_metin" title="Vikipedi:Biçem el kitabı/Gizli metin – Turkish" lang="tr" hreflang="tr" data-title="Vikipedi:Biçem el kitabı/Gizli metin" data-language-autonym="Türkçe" data-language-local-name="Turkish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Türkçe</span></a></li> </ul> <div class="after-portlet after-portlet-lang"><span class="wb-langlinks-edit wb-langlinks-link"><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Special:EntityPage/Q8615031#sitelinks-wikipedia" title="Edit interlanguage links" class="wbc-editpage">Edit links</a></span></div> </div> </div> </div> </header> <div class="vector-page-toolbar"> <div class="vector-page-toolbar-container"> <div id="left-navigation"> <nav aria-label="Namespaces"> <div id="p-associated-pages" class="vector-menu vector-menu-tabs mw-portlet mw-portlet-associated-pages" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="ca-nstab-project" class="selected vector-tab-noicon mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Hidden_text" title="View the project page [c]" accesskey="c"><span>Project page</span></a></li><li id="ca-talk" class="vector-tab-noicon mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:Manual_of_Style/Hidden_text" rel="discussion" title="Discuss improvements to the content page [t]" accesskey="t"><span>Talk</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="vector-variants-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown emptyPortlet" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-variants-dropdown-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-variants-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Change language variant" > <label id="vector-variants-dropdown-label" for="vector-variants-dropdown-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">English</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="p-variants" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-variants emptyPortlet" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </nav> </div> <div id="right-navigation" class="vector-collapsible"> <nav aria-label="Views"> <div id="p-views" class="vector-menu vector-menu-tabs mw-portlet mw-portlet-views" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="ca-view" class="selected vector-tab-noicon mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Hidden_text"><span>Read</span></a></li><li id="ca-viewsource" class="vector-tab-noicon mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Hidden_text&action=edit" title="This page is protected.
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href="/w/index.php?title=Special:DownloadAsPdf&page=Wikipedia%3AManual_of_Style%2FHidden_text&action=show-download-screen" title="Download this page as a PDF file"><span>Download as PDF</span></a></li><li id="t-print" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Hidden_text&printable=yes" title="Printable version of this page [p]" accesskey="p"><span>Printable version</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="p-wikibase-otherprojects" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-wikibase-otherprojects" > <div class="vector-menu-heading"> In other projects </div> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="t-wikibase" class="wb-otherproject-link wb-otherproject-wikibase-dataitem mw-list-item"><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Special:EntityPage/Q8615031" title="Structured data on this page hosted by Wikidata [g]" accesskey="g"><span>Wikidata item</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> </div> <div class="vector-column-end"> <div class="vector-sticky-pinned-container"> <nav class="vector-page-tools-landmark" aria-label="Page tools"> <div id="vector-page-tools-pinned-container" class="vector-pinned-container"> </div> </nav> <nav class="vector-appearance-landmark" aria-label="Appearance"> <div id="vector-appearance-pinned-container" class="vector-pinned-container"> <div id="vector-appearance" class="vector-appearance vector-pinnable-element"> <div class="vector-pinnable-header vector-appearance-pinnable-header vector-pinnable-header-pinned" data-feature-name="appearance-pinned" data-pinnable-element-id="vector-appearance" data-pinned-container-id="vector-appearance-pinned-container" data-unpinned-container-id="vector-appearance-unpinned-container" > <div class="vector-pinnable-header-label">Appearance</div> <button class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-pin-button" data-event-name="pinnable-header.vector-appearance.pin">move to sidebar</button> <button class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-unpin-button" data-event-name="pinnable-header.vector-appearance.unpin">hide</button> </div> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div id="bodyContent" class="vector-body" aria-labelledby="firstHeading" data-mw-ve-target-container> <div class="vector-body-before-content"> <div class="mw-indicators"> </div> <div id="siteSub" class="noprint">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</div> </div> <div id="contentSub"><div id="mw-content-subtitle"><div class="subpages">< <bdi dir="ltr"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style">Wikipedia:Manual of Style</a></bdi></div></div></div> <div id="mw-content-text" class="mw-body-content"><div class="mw-content-ltr mw-parser-output" lang="en" dir="ltr"><div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none">Gives advice on using HTML comments in wikitext</div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236090951">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">"WP:HIDDEN" redirects here. For the guideline against hiding content in articles, see <a href="/wiki/MOS:DONTHIDE" class="mw-redirect" title="MOS:DONTHIDE">MOS:DONTHIDE</a>. For information about hidden categories, see <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:HIDDENCAT" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:HIDDENCAT">WP:HIDDENCAT</a>. For information about how to hide/show collapsed text, see <a href="/wiki/Template:Hidden" title="Template:Hidden">Template:Hidden</a>.</div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238436933">.mw-parser-output .ombox{margin:4px 0;border-collapse:collapse;border:1px solid #a2a9b1;background-color:var(--background-color-neutral-subtle,#f8f9fa);box-sizing:border-box;color:var(--color-base,#202122)}.mw-parser-output .ombox.mbox-small{font-size:88%;line-height:1.25em}.mw-parser-output .ombox-speedy{border:2px solid #b32424;background-color:#fee7e6}.mw-parser-output .ombox-delete{border:2px solid #b32424}.mw-parser-output .ombox-content{border:1px solid #f28500}.mw-parser-output .ombox-style{border:1px solid #fc3}.mw-parser-output .ombox-move{border:1px solid #9932cc}.mw-parser-output .ombox-protection{border:2px solid #a2a9b1}.mw-parser-output .ombox .mbox-text{border:none;padding:0.25em 0.9em;width:100%}.mw-parser-output .ombox .mbox-image{border:none;padding:2px 0 2px 0.9em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ombox .mbox-imageright{border:none;padding:2px 0.9em 2px 0;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ombox .mbox-empty-cell{border:none;padding:0;width:1px}.mw-parser-output .ombox .mbox-invalid-type{text-align:center}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .ombox{margin:4px 10%}.mw-parser-output .ombox.mbox-small{clear:right;float:right;margin:4px 0 4px 1em;width:238px}}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output table.ombox img{max-width:none!important}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .ombox-speedy{background-color:#310402}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .ombox-speedy{background-color:#310402}}</style><table class="plainlinks ombox ombox-notice" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><span typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/Blue_check.svg/30px-Blue_check.svg.png" decoding="async" width="30" height="30" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/Blue_check.svg/45px-Blue_check.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/Blue_check.svg/60px-Blue_check.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="600" data-file-height="600"/></span></span></td><td class="mbox-text"><div style="padding-top: 6px; padding-bottom: 5px;"><b>This <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Policies_and_guidelines#guide" title="Wikipedia:Policies and guidelines">guideline</a> is a part of the English Wikipedia's <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style">Manual of Style</a>.</b><br/><div style="font-size: 90%;"> It is a generally accepted standard that editors should attempt to follow, though <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Ignore_all_rules" title="Wikipedia:Ignore all rules">occasional exceptions</a> may apply. Any <i>substantive</i> edit to this page should reflect <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Consensus" title="Wikipedia:Consensus">consensus</a>. When in doubt, discuss first on the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:Manual_of_Style/Hidden_text" title="Wikipedia talk:Manual of Style/Hidden text">talk page</a>.</div></div></td><td class="mbox-imageright"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1252059228">.mw-parser-output .module-shortcutboxplain{float:right;margin:0 0 0 1em;border:1px solid var(--border-color-base,#a2a9b1);background-color:var(--background-color-base,#fff);padding:0.3em 0.6em 0.2em 0.6em;text-align:center;font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .module-shortcutboxleft{float:left;margin:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .module-shortcutlist{display:inline-block;border-bottom:1px solid var(--border-color-base,#a2a9b1);margin-bottom:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .module-shortcutboxplain ul{font-weight:bold}.mw-parser-output .module-shortcutanchordiv{position:relative;top:-3em}.mw-parser-output li .module-shortcutanchordiv{float:right}.mw-parser-output .mbox-imageright .module-shortcutboxplain{padding:0.4em 1em 0.4em 1em;line-height:1.3;margin:0}</style><div class="module-shortcutanchordiv"><span id="WP:HIDDEN"></span><span id="WP:INVISIBLE"></span></div><div class="module-shortcutboxplain noprint" role="note"><div class="module-shortcutlist"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Shortcut" title="Wikipedia:Shortcut">Shortcuts</a></div><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1126788409">.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul{line-height:inherit;list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol li,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul li{margin-bottom:0}</style><div class="plainlist"><ul><li><span class="plainlinks"><a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:HIDDEN&redirect=no">WP:HIDDEN</a></span></li><li><span class="plainlinks"><a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:INVISIBLE&redirect=no">WP:INVISIBLE</a></span></li></ul></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238436933"><table class="plainlinks ombox ombox-notice nutshell" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><span typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Walnut.png/30px-Walnut.png" decoding="async" width="30" height="30" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Walnut.png/45px-Walnut.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Walnut.png/60px-Walnut.png 2x" data-file-width="192" data-file-height="192"/></span></span></td><td class="mbox-text"><b>This page in a nutshell:</b> Hidden text, that is visible only when editing, can be inserted into articles, project pages, and other Wikipedia pages, by surrounding the text as follows: <code></code></td></tr></tbody></table> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1129693374">.mw-parser-output .hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol,.mw-parser-output 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.sidebar-title-with-pretitle{background:transparent!important}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .sidebar:not(.notheme) .sidebar-title-with-pretitle a{color:var(--color-progressive)!important}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .sidebar:not(.notheme) .sidebar-list-title,html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .sidebar:not(.notheme) .sidebar-title-with-pretitle{background:transparent!important}html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .sidebar:not(.notheme) .sidebar-title-with-pretitle a{color:var(--color-progressive)!important}}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .sidebar{display:none!important}}</style><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1246091330"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1246091330"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1246091330"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1246091330"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1246091330"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1246091330"><table class="sidebar sidebar-collapse nomobile nowraplinks hlist"><tbody><tr><th class="sidebar-title"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style">Manual of Style (MoS)</a></th></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-image"><div class="mw-inputbox-centered" style=""><form name="searchbox" class="searchbox mw-inputbox-form" action="/wiki/Special:Search" id="style-searchbox"><div class="cdx-text-input"><input class="mw-inputbox-input mw-searchInput searchboxInput cdx-text-input__input" name="search" placeholder="" size="25" dir="ltr"/></div><input type="hidden" value="Wikipedia:Manual of Style" name="prefix"/><br/><input type="submit" name="fulltext" value="Search the MoS" class="cdx-button"/><input type="hidden" value="Search" name="fulltext"/></form></div></td></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="background-color: #def; color:black; padding-left: 2px;;color: var(--color-base)"><a href="/wiki/Category:Wikipedia_Manual_of_Style_(content)" title="Category:Wikipedia Manual of Style (content)">Content</a></div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Accessibility" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Accessibility">Accessibility</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Biography" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Biography">Biography</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Disambiguation_pages" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Disambiguation pages">Disambiguation pages</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Organizing_disambiguation_pages_by_subject_area" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Organizing disambiguation pages by subject area">Organizing by subject</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Gender_identity" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Gender identity">Gender identity</a></li> <li><a class="mw-selflink selflink">Hidden text</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Infoboxes" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Infoboxes">Infoboxes</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Linking" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Linking">Linking</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Self-references_to_avoid" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Self-references to avoid">Self-references</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Words_to_watch" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Words to watch">Words to watch</a></li></ul></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="background-color: #def; color:black; padding-left: 2px;;color: var(--color-base)"><a href="/wiki/Category:Wikipedia_Manual_of_Style_(formatting)" title="Category:Wikipedia Manual of Style (formatting)">Formatting</a></div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Abbreviations" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Abbreviations">Abbreviations</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Capital_letters" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Capital letters">Capitalization</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Dates_and_numbers" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Dates and numbers">Dates and numbers</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Pronunciation" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Pronunciation">Pronunciation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Spelling" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Spelling">Spelling</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Text_formatting" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Text formatting">Text formatting</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Titles_of_works" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Titles of works">Titles of works</a></li></ul></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="background-color: #def; color:black; padding-left: 2px;;color: var(--color-base)"><a href="/wiki/Category:Wikipedia_Manual_of_Style_(images)" title="Category:Wikipedia Manual of Style (images)">Images</a></div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Captions" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Captions">Captions</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Image_use_policy#Adding_images_to_articles" title="Wikipedia:Image use policy">Image placement</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Icons" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Icons">Icons</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Images" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Images">Images</a></li></ul></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="background-color: #def; color:black; padding-left: 2px;;color: var(--color-base)"><a href="/wiki/Category:Wikipedia_Manual_of_Style_(layout)" title="Category:Wikipedia Manual of Style (layout)">Layout</a></div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Layout" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Layout">Layout</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Lead_section" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Lead section">Lead section</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Tables" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Tables">Tables</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Trivia_sections" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Trivia sections">Trivia sections</a></li></ul></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="background-color: #def; color:black; padding-left: 2px;;color: var(--color-base)"><a href="/wiki/Category:Wikipedia_Manual_of_Style_(lists)" title="Category:Wikipedia Manual of Style (lists)">Lists</a></div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Lists" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Lists">Lists</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Lists_of_works" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Lists of works">Lists of works</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Road_junction_lists" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Road junction lists">Road junctions</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Stand-alone_lists" title="Wikipedia:Stand-alone lists">Stand-alone lists</a></li></ul></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="background-color: #def; color:black; padding-left: 2px;;color: var(--color-base)">By topic area</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"><table class="sidebar sidebar-collapse nomobile nowraplinks" style="background-color: transparent; color: var( --color-base ); border-collapse:collapse; border-spacing:0px; border:none; width:100%; margin:0px; font-size:100%; clear:none; float:none"><tbody><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="background-color: #def; color:black; padding-left: 2px;;color: var(--color-base)"><a href="/wiki/Category:Wikipedia_Manual_of_Style_(legal)" title="Category:Wikipedia Manual of Style (legal)">Legal</a></div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Legal" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Legal">Legal</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Trademarks" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Trademarks">Trademarks</a></li></ul></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="background-color: #def; color:black; padding-left: 2px;;color: var(--color-base)"><a href="/wiki/Category:Wikipedia_Manual_of_Style_(arts)" title="Category:Wikipedia Manual of Style (arts)">Arts</a></div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"><table class="sidebar nomobile nowraplinks" style="background-color: transparent; color: var( --color-base ); border-collapse:collapse; border-spacing:0px; border:none; width:100%; margin:0px; font-size:100%; clear:none; float:none"><tbody><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Anime_and_manga" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Anime and manga">Anime and manga</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Comics" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Comics">Comics</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Film" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Film">Film</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Lyrics_and_poetry" title="Wikipedia:Lyrics and poetry">Lyrics and poetry</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Novels" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Novels">Novels</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Television" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Television">Television</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Video_games" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Video games">Video games</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Visual_arts" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Visual arts">Visual arts</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Writing_about_fiction" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Writing about fiction">Writing about fiction</a></li></ul></td> </tr><tr><th class="sidebar-heading"> <a href="/wiki/Category:Wikipedia_Manual_of_Style_(music)" title="Category:Wikipedia Manual of Style (music)">Music</a></th></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Music" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Music">Music</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Music_samples" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Music samples">Music samples</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Record_charts" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Record charts">Record charts</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Stringed_instrument_tunings" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Stringed instrument tunings">Stringed instruments</a></li></ul></td> </tr></tbody></table></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="background-color: #def; color:black; padding-left: 2px;;color: var(--color-base)"><a href="/wiki/Category:Wikipedia_Manual_of_Style_(history)" title="Category:Wikipedia Manual of Style (history)">History</a></div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Blazon" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Blazon">Blazons</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Military_history" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Military history">Military history</a></li></ul></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="background-color: #def; color:black; padding-left: 2px;;color: var(--color-base)"><a href="/wiki/Category:Wikipedia_Manual_of_Style_(regional)" title="Category:Wikipedia Manual of Style (regional)">Regional</a></div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Naming_conventions_(geographic_names)#Specific_topics" title="Wikipedia:Naming conventions (geographic names)">Specific naming conventions</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Canada-related_articles" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Canada-related articles">Canada</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/China-_and_Chinese-related_articles" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/China- and Chinese-related articles">China (and Chinese)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Egypt-related_articles" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Egypt-related articles">Egypt</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/France-_and_French-related_articles" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/France- and French-related articles">France (and French)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Hawaii-related_articles" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Hawaii-related articles">Hawaii</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/India-related_articles" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/India-related articles">India</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Indonesia-related_articles" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Indonesia-related articles">Indonesia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Ireland-related_articles" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Ireland-related articles">Ireland</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Japan-related_articles" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Japan-related articles">Japan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Korea-related_articles" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Korea-related articles">Korea</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Naming_conventions_(Macedonia)" title="Wikipedia:Naming conventions (Macedonia)">Macedonia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Malaysia-related_articles" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Malaysia-related articles">Malaysia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Pakistan-related_articles" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Pakistan-related articles">Pakistan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Philippines-related_articles" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Philippines-related articles">Philippines</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Poland-related_articles" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Poland-related articles">Poland</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Singapore-related_articles" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Singapore-related articles">Singapore</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Trinidad_and_Tobago/Style_guide" title="Wikipedia:WikiProject Trinidad and Tobago/Style guide">Trinidad and Tobago</a></li></ul></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="background-color: #def; color:black; padding-left: 2px;;color: var(--color-base)"><a href="/wiki/Category:Wikipedia_Manual_of_Style_(religion)" title="Category:Wikipedia Manual of Style (religion)">Religion</a></div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Islam-related_articles" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Islam-related articles">Islam</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Latter_Day_Saints" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Latter Day Saints">Latter Day Saints</a></li></ul></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="background-color: #def; color:black; padding-left: 2px;;color: var(--color-base)"><a href="/wiki/Category:Wikipedia_Manual_of_Style_(science)" title="Category:Wikipedia Manual of Style (science)">Science</a></div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Chemistry" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Chemistry">Chemistry</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Chemistry/Compound_classes" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Chemistry/Compound classes">Compound classes</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Chemistry/Chemicals" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Chemistry/Chemicals">Chemicals</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Chemistry/References_and_external_links" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Chemistry/References and external links">References and external links</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Chemistry/Safety" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Chemistry/Safety">Safety</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Chemistry/Structure_drawing" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Chemistry/Structure drawing">Structure drawing</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Computer_science" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Computer science">Computer science</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Mathematics" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Mathematics">Mathematics</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Medicine-related_articles" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Medicine-related articles">Medicine</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Template:Taxobox/doc" title="Template:Taxobox/doc">Taxonomy</a></li></ul></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="background-color: #def; color:black; padding-left: 2px;;color: var(--color-base)"><a href="/wiki/Category:Wikipedia_Manual_of_Style_(sports)" title="Category:Wikipedia Manual of Style (sports)">Sports</a></div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Cue_sports" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Cue sports">Cue sports</a> (<a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Snooker" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Snooker">Snooker</a>)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Figure_skating" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Figure skating">Figure skating</a> (<a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Figure_skating_terminology" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Figure skating terminology">Terminology</a>)</li></ul></div></div></td> </tr></tbody></table></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="background-color: #def; color:black; padding-left: 2px;;color: var(--color-base)"><a href="/wiki/Category:Wikipedia_Manual_of_Style_(related_guidelines)" title="Category:Wikipedia Manual of Style (related guidelines)">Related guidelines</a></div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Article_size" title="Wikipedia:Article size">Article size</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Article_titles" title="Wikipedia:Article titles">Article titles</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Categories,_lists,_and_navigation_templates" title="Wikipedia:Categories, lists, and navigation templates">Categories, lists, and navigation templates</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Categorization" title="Wikipedia:Categorization">Categorization</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Hatnote" title="Wikipedia:Hatnote">Hatnotes</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Subpages" title="Wikipedia:Subpages">Subpages</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Make_technical_articles_understandable" title="Wikipedia:Make technical articles understandable">Understandability</a></li></ul></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-below"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Simplified_Manual_of_Style" title="Wikipedia:Simplified Manual of Style">Overview</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Contents" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Contents">Contents</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Styletips" title="Wikipedia:Styletips">Tips</a></li></ul></td></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-navbar"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239400231">.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:inline;font-size:88%;font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .navbar-collapse{float:left;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .navbar-boxtext{word-spacing:0}.mw-parser-output .navbar ul{display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;line-height:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::before{margin-right:-0.125em;content:"[ "}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::after{margin-left:-0.125em;content:" ]"}.mw-parser-output .navbar li{word-spacing:-0.125em}.mw-parser-output .navbar a>span,.mw-parser-output .navbar a>abbr{text-decoration:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-mini abbr{font-variant:small-caps;border-bottom:none;text-decoration:none;cursor:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-ct-full{font-size:114%;margin:0 7em}.mw-parser-output .navbar-ct-mini{font-size:114%;margin:0 4em}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .navbar li a abbr{color:var(--color-base)!important}@media(prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .navbar li a abbr{color:var(--color-base)!important}}@media print{.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:none!important}}</style><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:Style" title="Template:Style"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Style" title="Template talk:Style"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Style" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Style"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p>On Wikipedia, <b>hidden text</b> is text that is visible when editing the source for the page or when using <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:VisualEditor" title="Wikipedia:VisualEditor">VisualEditor</a>, but not on the "rendered" version of the page presented to readers of the article. </p><p>Invisible comments are useful for alerting other editors to issues such as common mistakes that regularly occur in the article, a section title's being the target of an incoming link, or pointing to a discussion that established a consensus relating to the article. They should not be used to instruct other editors not to perform certain edits, although where existing local consensus is against making such an edit, they may usefully draw the editor's attention to that. Avoid adding too many invisible comments because they can clutter the wiki source for other editors. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc"/> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2 ext-discussiontools-init-section"><h2 id="Appropriate_uses_for_hidden_text" data-mw-thread-id="h-Appropriate_uses_for_hidden_text"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-Appropriate_uses_for_hidden_text"></span>Appropriate uses for hidden text<span data-mw-comment-end="h-Appropriate_uses_for_hidden_text"></span></h2></div> <ul><li><code class="wrap" style=""></code> <span style="font-size:85%;">(bots do this, see <a href="/wiki/MOS:RENAMESECTION" class="mw-redirect" title="MOS:RENAMESECTION">MOS:RENAMESECTION</a>)</span></li> <li><code class="wrap" style=""></code></li> <li><code class="wrap" style=""></code></li></ul> <p>Some situations where hidden text is useful and good to have in articles: </p> <ul><li>Instructing others how to edit a page that may be difficult to edit</li> <li>Providing information to assist other editors in preventing a common mistake. For example, if there is a reference which is known to be wrong, it may be appropriate to let other editors know about the error to prevent a likely re-insertion of the error.</li> <li>Warning editors against making edits that would breach a specific discretionary sanction that has been placed on the page.</li> <li>Informing other editors that a section title is linked from a redirect, so that if the title is altered, the redirect can be changed.<br/> <dl><dd><i>In this case, it is often better to use an anchor in the first place.</i></dd></dl></li> <li>Letting others know of a better article or location within the article to add information on a current event or other hot topic where there is temptation to add it in that location.</li> <li>Letting others know the location of a template that is included on a page, most commonly an <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Embedded_list" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:Embedded list">embedded list</a>.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Please_clarify" title="Wikipedia:Please clarify"><span title="The text near this tag needs further explanation.">further explanation needed</span></a></i>]</sup></li> <li>Reminding others of Wikipedia policies where they have been frequently broken. For example, in many articles, hidden text is necessary to remind editors not to add inappropriate links. On the page <a href="/wiki/Help:Getting_started" title="Help:Getting started">Help:Getting started</a>, hidden text is used to let others know not to write their first article on that page.</li> <li>Preparing small amounts of information to be added to the article in the future (such as when a known event will occur). Larger amounts of information should be prepared on a subpage of the article's talk page or in user space.</li> <li>Hiding a portion of the text that has been temporarily removed while consensus is pending. However, it may be preferable to transfer such text onto a subpage of the article's talk page.</li> <li>Commenting out categories for articles in <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:User_pages" title="Wikipedia:User pages">user pages</a> and <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:SP" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:SP">user subpages</a>. See: <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:USERNOCAT" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:USERNOCAT">Categorizing user pages</a></li> <li>Cues for bots, such as the <code></code> on categories being discussed at <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Categories_for_discussion" title="Wikipedia:Categories for discussion">Wikipedia:Categories for discussion</a></li> <li>Commenting on maintenance tags such as <span class="nowrap">{{</span><a href="/wiki/Template:Citation_needed" title="Template:Citation needed">citation needed</a><span class="nowrap">}}</span> and <span class="nowrap">{{</span><a href="/wiki/Template:Disambiguation_needed" title="Template:Disambiguation needed">disambiguation needed</a><span class="nowrap">}}</span>, to detail to other editors how you have tried to solve a problem but failed; to save them the effort of merely reproducing your failure.</li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2 ext-discussiontools-init-section"><h2 id="Inappropriate_uses_for_hidden_text" data-mw-thread-id="h-Inappropriate_uses_for_hidden_text"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-Inappropriate_uses_for_hidden_text"></span>Inappropriate uses for hidden text<span data-mw-comment-end="h-Inappropriate_uses_for_hidden_text"></span></h2></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1252059228"><div class="module-shortcutanchordiv"><span id="WP:BADHIDDENTEXT"></span></div><div class="module-shortcutboxplain noprint" role="note"><div class="module-shortcutlist"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Shortcut" title="Wikipedia:Shortcut">Shortcut</a></div><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1126788409"><div class="plainlist"><ul><li><span class="plainlinks"><a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:BADHIDDENTEXT&redirect=no">WP:BADHIDDENTEXT</a></span></li></ul></div></div> <ul><li><code class="wrap" style=""></code></li> <li><code class="wrap" style=""></code></li> <li><code class="wrap" style=""></code></li> <li><code class="wrap" style=""></code></li></ul> <p>Types of hidden text that should not be added include: </p> <ul><li>Asserting <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:OWN" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:OWN">ownership</a> of an article</li> <li>Telling others not to edit an article, period</li> <li>Telling others not to perform certain edits to a page, <i>unless</i> there is an existing guideline or policy against that edit. <ul><li>When it is only a <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:LOCALCONSENSUS" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:LOCALCONSENSUS">local consensus</a> that a certain edit should not be performed, the hidden text should be worded more softly to suggest to the editor to consult the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Talk_page" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:Talk page">talk page</a> (or <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Archive" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:Archive">archive page</a> if appropriate) for the current consensus prior to making the edit. Since <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Consensus_can_change" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:Consensus can change">consensus can change</a>, it is inappropriate to use hidden text to try to <i>prohibit</i> making a certain edit merely because it would conflict with an existing local consensus.</li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:DE" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:DE">Disruptive behavior</a>, such as <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:VAN" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:VAN">vandalism</a>, <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:HARASSMENT" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:HARASSMENT">harassment</a>, <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:THREATS" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:THREATS">threats</a>, or <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:LIBEL" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:LIBEL">libel</a> content</li> <li>Using it as a <a href="/wiki/Help:Using_talk_pages" class="mw-redirect" title="Help:Using talk pages">talk page</a></li> <li>Advertising WikiProjects.</li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2 ext-discussiontools-init-section"><h2 id="How_to_enter_hidden_text" data-mw-thread-id="h-How_to_enter_hidden_text"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-How_to_enter_hidden_text"></span>How to enter hidden text<span data-mw-comment-end="h-How_to_enter_hidden_text"></span></h2></div> <p>Enter <code class="mw-highlight mw-highlight-lang-wikitext mw-content-ltr" dir="ltr"><span class="cm"></span></code> and replace the word "Comment" with the hidden text you desire. Example (and note that line breaks in the comment itself do not show up in the rendered page): </p> <div class="mw-highlight mw-highlight-lang-wikitext mw-content-ltr" dir="ltr"><pre><span></span>The clock tower was constructed in 1928,<span class="p"><</span><span class="nt">ref</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="na">name</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="s2">"historicalsociety"</span><span class="p">/></span> and while it was struck by lightning in November 1955,<span class="p"><</span><span class="nt">ref</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="na">name</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="s2">"picayune"</span><span class="p">/></span><span class="cm"></span> it remained functional until 1987, <span class="cm"></span> when its face was permanently damaged in a fight between a high school student and an immortal vampire.<span class="p"><</span><span class="nt">ref</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="na">name</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="s2">"araki"</span><span class="p">/></span> </pre></div> <p>This will render as: </p> <blockquote><p>The clock tower was constructed in 1928,<sup><a href="/wiki/Historical_society" title="Historical society">[1]</a></sup> and while it was struck by lightning in November 1955,<sup><a href="/wiki/Back_to_the_Future" title="Back to the Future">[2]</a></sup> it remained functional until 1987, when its face was permanently damaged in a fight between a high school student and an immortal vampire.<sup><a href="/wiki/Dio_Brando" title="Dio Brando">[3]</a></sup></p></blockquote> <p>Check that your invisible comment does not upset the article's formatting, for example by introducing unwanted white space. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2 ext-discussiontools-init-section"><h2 id="See_also" data-mw-thread-id="h-See_also"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-See_also"></span>See also<span data-mw-comment-end="h-See_also"></span></h2></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Help:Scrolling_list" title="Help:Scrolling list">Help:Scrolling list</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Help:Wiki_markup#Invisible_text_(comments)" class="mw-redirect" title="Help:Wiki markup">Help:Wiki markup#Invisible text (comments)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style#Invisible_comments" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style">Wikipedia:Manual of Style#Invisible comments</a> aka <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:COMMENT" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:COMMENT">WP:COMMENT</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Writing_better_articles#Make_omissions_explicit_for_other_editors" title="Wikipedia:Writing better articles">Wikipedia:Writing better articles#Make omissions explicit for other editors</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Editnotice" title="Wikipedia:Editnotice">Wikipedia:Editnotice</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Help:Collapsing" class="mw-redirect" title="Help:Collapsing">Help:Collapsing</a></li></ul>    </div><noscript><img src="https://login.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAutoLogin/start?type=1x1" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border: none; position: absolute;"></noscript> <div class="printfooter" data-nosnippet="">Retrieved from "<a dir="ltr" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Hidden_text&oldid=1214919310">https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Hidden_text&oldid=1214919310</a>"</div></div> <div id="catlinks" class="catlinks" data-mw="interface"><div id="mw-normal-catlinks" class="mw-normal-catlinks"><a href="/wiki/Help:Category" title="Help:Category">Category</a>: <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Wikipedia_Manual_of_Style_(content)" title="Category:Wikipedia Manual of Style (content)">Wikipedia Manual of Style (content)</a></li></ul></div></div> </div> </main> </div> <div class="mw-footer-container"> <footer id="footer" class="mw-footer" > <ul id="footer-info"> <li id="footer-info-lastmod"> This page was last edited on 22 March 2024, at 01:03<span class="anonymous-show"> (UTC)</span>.</li> <li id="footer-info-copyright">Text is available under the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_the_Creative_Commons_Attribution-ShareAlike_4.0_International_License" title="Wikipedia:Text of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License">Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License</a>; additional terms may apply. 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