History Administrivia / WelcomeToTVTropes

* '''UsefulNotes''': Where RealLife intersects with fiction, it is often handy to have a way to separate the Hollywood version of reality from the genuine thing. UsefulNotes serves this purpose. It is not a soapbox, nor it is is an excuse to become Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} and document everything that happens.

!!!What we don't want

* '''[[YMMV.HomePage YMMV]]''' and '''AudienceReactions''': We broadly categorize these under tropes, but really they're opinions about a work rather than stuff that's factually present in a work. They get their own subpages to keep the main articles about the tropes.

* There is a standard way to format examples. Titles of films, shows, and albums are ''italicized''. Use two separate apostrophes around the title: [=''ThePriceIsRight''=] for ''ThePriceIsRight''. Titles of episodes and songs are in quotes: "Brittle Bullet." See Administrivia/HowToWriteAnExample for details. Really, take a look at it.

* '''Researchers and academics''': We automatically block attempts to "scrape", or download our site's content wholesale. For information about how to obtain copies of our database for research purposes, send email to the staff at thestaff (at) tvtropes.org.

'''Only the owner of a troper page may edit it.''' If your handle contains any non-alphanumeric characters (punctuation, accented characters, even an underscore) or starts with a digit, you can't make a troper page this way. You'll have to ask the [[Administrivia/KnowTheStaff mod staff]] for assistance or make a new, legal handle.

* Our [[TVTropesFora Forums]] are a good place to shoot the breeze. If you're told to Administrivia/TakeItToTheForums, try it out. There are some interesting topics there. [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/topics.php Here's the link.]] Don't forget to read [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13287249110A49840100 What Goes Where On The Forums]] so that stuff doesn't end up in the wrong place.

* RightingGreatWrongs -- We're not here for you to crusade on behalf of any causes. Keep it to the facts.

This site requires that you create a login (aka, a {{troper}} handle) to be allowed to edit articles, write a review, create a YKTTW, post in Discussions, post in the forums, or perform any other activity other than viewing. You create a handle by '''Registering'''. Your login information will be stored in a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_cookie cookie]] on your computer. If you don't have cookies enabled, then some site features may not work for you.

The software does not permit one to create a {{trope}} page without either violating the namespace rules or forcing you to go to YouKnowThatThingWhere. If you have a good trope idea, go to YKTTW and pitch it to the community.

* The check marks indicate new posts. A double check mark indicates a new YKTTW.

* You '''should''' delete an example that is: (a) factually inaccurate; (b) [[SquarePegRoundTrope using a trope incorrectly]]; (c) a duplicate; (d) in violation of a rule. (Assuming it can't be fixed, of course.)

* Repeatedly deleting an example that someone wants to add (or vice versa) is called an Administrivia/EditWar and is grounds for an editing suspension. If you can't work it out with the troper in question, report the issue in AskTheTropers or via the "moderator assistance" box in the Tools sidebar menu.

* Remember: Administrivia/ThereIsNoSuchThingAsNotability. We don't cut a media article because of obscurity, lack of popularity, or even nonexistence; see UnpublishedWorks. Articles that don't have enough trope examples or that violate the [[Administrivia/TheContentPolicyAndThe5PCircuit Content Policy]] may be cut.

* You '''should''' cutlist a subpage if the last example on a subpage if that example is invalid. Please don't just blank it.

The sidebar does only appear in desktop mode, in mobile mode the sidebar is collapsed into a listing together with the header and footer. This listing can be accessed through the button in the top left corner.

* "[[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/launches.php Launches]]" shows articles recently launched from YKTTW.

* AskTheTropers is where you ask everyone about the site, as well as reporting problems. Again, this is ''not'' where you propose new tropes; that's YKTTW.

* You don't own anything you contribute to us. See the "Your Rights (Legal Stuff)" section to learn more about our contribution policy.

* The redirect markup is [=[[redirect:Namespace/Article]]=]. Don't use spaces anywhere in the code.

* You must be [[GettingKnown logged in]] to edit articles.

The software does not permit one to create a {{trope}} page without either violating the namespace rules or forcing you to go to YouKnowThatThingWhere. If you have a good trope idea, go to YKTTW... and pitch it to the community.

[[folder:Tools]]
* "Report page": To alert the forum that a work might violate Administrivia/{{the Content Policy|AndThe5PCircuit}}.
* "Page Type": All pages have a type, set via this button. See Administrivia/WhatPageTypesMean for more info.
* "Find recent edits by troper": Exactly what it says; search for recent edits by troper handle.
* "Send report": Send a request for moderator assistance with the page. This can be anything from flagging it as containing "adult" material to Administrivia/{{Edit War}}ring to [[WikiVandal vandalism]]. These reports can also be made on AskTheTropers.
* "[[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/title_search_form.php Title Search]]" uses the internal wiki search engine rather than the Google Custom Search, for page titles only.
* "[[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/customize_wikiword_request.php Customize Title]]" lets you request a custom title for any wiki page. See Administrivia/ThePtitleReplacementSystem for more information on this.
* "CutList" is where pages are proposed to be deleted. Posting a page here does not automatically delete it and you can make a case for keeping a page there.

* "[[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/profile.php Your Profile]]": Same as on the toolbar.
* "[[IndexIndex Indexes]]" is an index of our indexes, which list tropes by category.
* "[[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/inboundlinks.php Inbound Links]]" is a list of other websites that have linked to the wiki recently.
* "[[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/img_list.php Images List]]" is a listing of all the images on the server. No duh.
* "Referral Count for This Page" counts how many other sites have linked to the page you're on.

* "Folderize" converts the markup of a page that does not use folders into one that does. You would then copy the resulting markup into the Edit Page form, and add a closing [/folder] tag. Use with care.
* "List Page Editors" gives you the handles of everyone who's ever edited the page you're looking at. Good for attribution purposes, since edit history only goes back so far.

* "[[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/content_violation_reports.php Content Violation Reports]]" is a tally of how the [[Administrivia/TheContentPolicyAndThe5PCircuit P5]] has voted on pages which have been reported for possible violations of the wiki's content policy.
* The remaining items are helpful links for learning about page formatting and other wiki standards.

* If you come back later to find that an edit you made is changed or gone, it may be that another {{troper}} disagreed. Check the Edit History for the page to see if a reason was left. Do not simply add your example back; doing so is called {{Edit War}}ring and is very impolite. If you can't work it out in the article's Discussion page, you can send a PM, inquire in AskTheTropers, or post in the forums.

* "Send report": Send a request for moderator assistance with the page. This can be anything from flagging it as containing "adult" material to {{Edit War}}ring to [[WikiVandal vandalism]]. These reports can also be made on AskTheTropers.

[[folder:Spoiler Covering, Night Mode, Folder Preference, and Link Highlighting]]

To choose whether you want to browse the wiki with folders open or closed by default, and with links normal or highlighted, go to [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/profile.php your profile page]] in the top right corner. This is accessible only if you're [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/knowerForm.php a known troper]]. The profile also controls your preferences for our fora.

Likewise, you need to be logged in to move the sidebar to the left or to see the display where the articles are centered between two blue sidebars.

The standard TVTropes layout has blue bars at the top and bottom of each page, a grey toolbar above the pagetitle and an expanding menu on the left side.

The toolbar to the left expands when you click on it, and contains the index and links to tools and ongoing discussions.
* "Troperville" is for discussions and other areas where {{troper}}s hang out.
* "Tools" is the toolbox. Here you can request assistance with articles, manage your account, look at the master indexes, and upload media.
* "Toys" has some nifty scripts that generate pitches or story ideas.

* "Random" takes you to a completely random article. It'll help you find pages you might never have looked at otherwise and [[JustOneMoreLevel is a good way to fill time]].
* [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/knowerForm.php "Get known"/"Logged in"]] takes you to the Knower Form to create a handle, log into an existing handle, or log out. You need cookies enabled in your browser to stay logged in. You must have a handle to do anything other than read the site.
* If you are logged in, your avatar (which you can set by way of your profile) and your handle name will display in the left corner.

* "Edit page" lets you modify the current page's content. You must be logged in to do this.

** If you get a "checked out" notice for an article that says that you're the user who has it locked, you may be logged in with a different case than your handle is stored in the database. This is a known issue; visit the [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/conversations.php?topic=000000000000000000000000 Tech Wishlist and Bug Reports]] forum for more information.
* "To do" lets you add the current page to your personal [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/to_do_list.php to-do list]]. Good if you don't have time to make the change you wanted but don't want to forget, either.

[[folder:Buttons below the article title]]
* "Add watch" lets you add the current page to your [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/awl.php watchlist]]. Any edits to those pages or their discussion pages will appear on your watchlist. Note: If the article you're viewing has multiple subpages, like [[YMMV.HomePage YMMV]], {{Headscratchers}}, etc., you have to watch each separately. If the article is already watched, you can click "drop watch" to remove it.
* The Subpages list lets you see all articles that share a base URL (everything except the Administrivia/{{namespace}}) with the one you're looking at.

[[folder:Getting Known]]
This site requires that you create a login (aka, a {{troper}} handle) to be allowed to edit articles, write a review, create a YKTTW, post in Discussions, post in the forums, or perform any other activity other than viewing. You create a handle by '''[[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/new_knower.php Getting Known]]'''. Your login information will be stored in a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_cookie cookie]] on your computer. If you don't have cookies enabled, then some site features may not work for you.

* Your handle should only contain alphanumerics: the letters a-z, A-Z, and the digits 0-9, and it must start with a letter. If you don't follow this rule, you may be able to edit and post, but you cannot create a Tropers page for yourself.

* If you forget your password, and you do not have an associated email address, we may not be able to recover your account. You may make a new handle and post [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=5ld7gdqsyx49ikjep2qpdqem here]], [[note]]Please note that new accounts must wait 24 hours to post on the forums.[[/note]] but there is no guarantee that we can help. If possible, post from the same connection that you used with your old account.

* You must be [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/knowerForm.php logged in]] to edit articles.
* After making an edit, it's highly recommended to leave an edit reason in the box provided, as it's helpful for other people looking at the page history. Please see Administrivia/EditReasonsAndWhyYouShouldUseThem for more information. '''Always leave an edit reason for deletions.'''

* Don't use HotLinked images. Use the [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/uploadform.php Media Uploader]] to upload images to the wiki.

* We require reasonably proficient English skills to contribute to the main wiki. Poor grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc., may be grounds for loss of editing privileges. If you want help with English, [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=b9tcd2k65789p1pglrd92nvr this forum thread]] may be valuable.
* If you want help with writing good examples, [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13543987200A54420100 this forum thread]] may be of use.

* All new work, creator, actor, useful notes, etc. articles must go in a Administrivia/{{namespace}}, rather than in "Main". Failure to follow this rule may get your article cut, or at least moved.

Similarly, current events, countries, and so forth are only subjects for this wiki when they have a significant impact in media. They could then get a UsefulNotes article, which should never be a copy-paste from Wiki/{{Wikipedia}}. Keep it original and to the point. If you are not sure if we need an article ask [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13397757860A07420100 here]]. If you can't find something to say about them that's relevant to this wiki's mission, then follow the RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement and don't bother.

Please don't just write a {{trope}} page. If you have a good trope idea, go to YouKnowThatThingWhere... and pitch it to the community.

* Once the page is made, use the [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/customize_wikiword_request.php Custom Wikiword Request]] form to submit your proposed actual title. Please note that you must enter the article's name exactly as it appears in the wiki, or your request may fail.

* '''Do not create new Main redirects for work articles.''' We have an automatic disambiguation system for these.

* Exception: A trope launched without using YKTTW or any article that is obviously a stub with little effort put into it may be brought up in [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13544789560A75740100 this thread]], where its fate will be determined.

* Remember: ThereIsNoSuchThingAsNotability. We don't cut a media article because of obscurity, lack of popularity, or even nonexistence; see UnpublishedWorks. We may cut it because of lewd content; see below.

* You '''may''' delete the last example on a subpage if that example is invalid, even if the page is left blank as a result.
* You '''should''' cutlist a subpage if the deletion of examples leaves it blank.
* You '''should''' cutlist a subpage if it's not appropriate for the main article type -- for example, YMMV subpages for tropes. If you do this, post in [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=12947560080A64540100 this forum thread]] so that the subpage will also be locked.

* To report an article for review, use the "Request a content violation evaluation" feature on the Tools sidebar menu.

* "Request a content violation evaluation": To alert the forum that a work might violate Administrivia/{{the Content Policy|AndThe5PCircuit}}.

* "[[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/knowerForm.php Get Known]]": Same as on the toolbar.

* "[[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/uploadform.php Image Uploader]]" lets you upload images or other media to the wiki for use in articles. You must be logged in to do this. Use it responsibly.

* WikiTechWishList is a place to suggest upgrades to or report problems with the site or markup. If you have solutions for technical problems, suggest them here.
* AskTheTropers is where you ask everyone about the site, or media in general. Again, this is ''not'' where you propose new tropes; that's YKTTW.
* LostAndFound is where you go to find that trope whose name you can't remember, or ask about what trope an example might fit into.

* Speaking of English, we expect good grammar, punctuation, and spelling. If everything you write requires other tropers to follow behind you and fix it, it's not worth our time. A good place to go for help is [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=b9tcd2k65789p1pglrd92nvr this forum thread]]; just post your proposed edit and someone will work with you to proofread it.

* If you get a message when you try to edit a page that "Editing has been turned off for this handle or IP address", it doesn't mean the end of the world. Go [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=5cma6iojg5o27puhulc24sje here]] and add a post. A wiki moderator will get back to you with information about what happened and what you can do to correct it. It might even be a mistake on our part. Don't panic. See Administrivia/WhatToDoIfYouAreSuspended for more information.

This wiki is [[Tropers/TheAdvertisementServer ad-supported]]. You can donate to turn off ads in the forums, but not in the main wiki. To report an ad that violates our rules, post in [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13223684920A10189100 this forum thread]] and we'll see what we can do about it. We don't have any direct control over the ads; they are generated by our providers based on page content, your cookies, and the demographics gleaned from your browser and IP address. FYI, Flash-based ads are essential to our revenue stream. We need to keep them.

* Before you even consider adding a {{trope}}, go to LostAndFound and inquire if it already exists or is similar to an existing {{trope}}.

* Repeatedly deleting an example that someone wants to add (or vice versa) is called an EditWar and is grounds for an editing suspension. If you can't work it out with the troper in question, report the issue in AskTheTropers or via the "moderator assistance" box in the Tools sidebar menu.

* To log out, click on your handle in the upper left corner and select "Logout" from. This will delete your cookie, so remember your password!

* "Page Type": All pages have a type, set via this button. See WhatPageTypesMean for more info.

* "[[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/no_types.php Untyped Pages]]" gives you a list of articles that don't have a page type set. See WhatPageTypesMean.

Edit your troper page and save; have fun! To index it on TheContributors, set the [[WhatPageTypesMean page type]] (under the "tools" menu) to "a contributor" and it'll happen automatically.

[[folder:Spoiler Covering, Folder Preference, and Link Highlighting]]

We are not required to attribute content your user content to you. Anything you contribute may be deleted, modified, or used commercially by us without notification or consent, to the extent permitted by applicable laws. For that reason, we strongly recommend that you do not post material on our site for the first time, whether in text or image form, that you wish to receive publication credit for in the future.

We are not required to attribute content you contribute to you. Anything you contribute may be deleted, modified, or used commercially by us without notification or consent, to the extent permitted by applicable laws. For that reason, we strongly recommend that you do not post material on our site for the first time, whether in text or image form, that you wish to receive publication credit for in the future.

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