Help:Revert: Difference between revisions

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(Not sure if I'm supposed to be tagging a help page with this.. but... This REALLY needs updating.)
(bringing in line with this century, go to the talk page if I missed something)
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All versions of an article are stored, so it is easy to '''revert''' a bad edit and return the article to its previous state.


==Reverting vandalism==
All versions of every page are saved in the wiki's database. As a result, it is easy to '''revert''' bad edits and return the article to a previous state.
* Go to the page, click on "history" at the top, and click on the '''time and date''' of the earlier version you want to revert to. '''It will not work if''' you click on 'cur' or 'last'.
* Then when that page comes up, you'll see something like "(Revision as of 23:19 Aug 15, 2002)" below the title.
* Verify that you've selected the correct version, and click to edit the page, as you would normally.  '''Important:''' in the case of vandalism, take the time to make sure that you are reverting to the last version without the vandalism; there may be multiple vandal edits.
* You'll get a warning, above the edit box, about editing an out-of-date revision.
* After heeding the warning, save the page. Be sure to add the word "revert" to the [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia:edit summary|edit summary]] (often abbreviated as "rv"). It is common practice to mention the version of the page that you're reverting back to in the description as well, though you don't have to do so.


==Reverting non-vandalism==
==Types of reversion==
Non vandal edits can also be reverted if you think an older version of a page is better than the current version. This is done in the same way as described above, but you should take care not to over-write someone's edit without reason. A third version that takes the best bits of the other two, and combines them to get the best of both worlds, will often be preferable to reverting a genuine edit. You should save reverts for cases where the new version is actively worse.
===Undo===
The simplest way to revert a bad edit is to '''undo''' it. The first step is to create a '''diff''' of the unwanted edit. This can be done in several ways:
#In Recent Changes, every edit has a "diff" link on the far left. Click this link.
#In the page history, every edit has an "undo" link on the far right. Click this link.
#In the page history, select any two revisions using the ratio buttons and press the "Compare selected revisions" button.
#*The "cur" and "prev" links on the far left of each revision are shortcuts for "compare this revision with the current one" and "compare this revision with the previous one".


==Undo==
Once a diff page is ready, look above the right version of the text, where it reads "Latest revision as of <Date> (edit) (undo)". Click the "undo" link. Note that if you clicked the undo link in method 2 above, this step will be done for you.
Instead of removing all changes after a certain version, the latest versions of MediaWiki allow a single edit to be undone. To do this, view the diff for the edit, and click on 'undo' above the newer version. The software will attempt to create an edit page with a version of the article in which the undone edit doesn't exist but all later edits are retained. The automatic edit summary added when using the undo feature can be found at [[MediaWiki:Undo-summary]].


This feature removes the need to manually redo useful changes since the "undone" edit. However, it will fail if undoing the edit would conflict with later edits. For example, if edit 1000 adds a paragraph and edit 1005 modifies that paragraph, it will be impossible to automatically undo edit 1000. In this case, you must determine how to resolve the problem manually.
At this point, you will be taken to the edit screen. The difference between the bad edit (left) and the previous revision (right) will be shown, and the edit summary field will contain an automatic message which you may choose to elaborate on. Should you save the page at this point, the edit will be undone; you may however make any changes you want (in which case you certainly should edit the automatic summary).


== Reverts by rollbackers ==
Note that it is not always possible to undo edits in this way if the two revisions are too different. For example, if edit 1 edits paragraph A and edit 2 edits paragraphs A and B, it may not be possible to only undo edit 1. In such cases, you will need to preform a manual reversion.
{{S|SmashWiki|Rollbackers}} have a ''rollback'' link on diff pages and on user contribution lists that lets them revert vandalism faster.  


Clicking on the link reverts to the last edit not authored by the user concerned. An edit summary will be added automatically stating that a reversion was made. The edit will be marked as minor.
===Rollback===
'''Rollback''' is a quick-undo of sorts. It automatically undoes the last edit done to a page, plus all consecutive edits made by that user to the page, without needing to load the page or an edit box. It cannot be previewed, its edit summary cannot be customized, and the user cannot make additional changes in the same edit.


When the rollback links on the contributions list are clicked, the revert, and the original edit that you are reverting will both be hidden from the default recent changes display. This means that they will be hidden from recent changes unless you click the "bots" link to set <tt>hidebots=0</tt>. The edits are not hidden from contributions lists, page histories, or watchlists. The edits remain in the database and are not removed, but they no longer flood recent changes. The aim of this feature is to reduce the annoyance factor of a flood vandal with relatively little effort. This should ''not'' be used for reverting a change you just don't like, but is meant only for massive floods of simple vandalism.
As rollback is fully automatic and can be far more easily abused than other reversion options, users must demonstrate they understand its purpose before they are allowed to use it.


{{S|Smashwiki|Administrators}} also have the rollback tool.
For more information on rollback, see [[SmashWiki:Rollback]].


== Guidelines when reverting ==
===Reversion===
You should always explain why you are reverting an article. This helps the reverted person to fix whatever problem it is that you've identified and explains to other people whether they need to even view the reverted version. If your reasons for reverting are too complex to explain in the edit summary, explain it on the talk page.  
'''Reversion''' is more efficient at restoring a page to a previous verion if there have been several intervening edits. It requires a different method:
#Go to the page's history and click on the date of the desired revision. That revision will be displayed.
#Click on "edit this page" as usual. A notice will appear, warning you that you are editing an old version of the page.


'''Revert wars are not acceptable.''' High-frequency reversion wars make the page history less useful, waste space in the database, make it hard for other people to contribute, and flood recent changes and watchlists. See the advice on [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia:Staying cool when the editing gets hot|staying cool when the editing gets hot]] at Wikipedia.
If you simply save this edit, the page will be restored to the previous version. You may make changes to the text so the page is not identical to the old version.


==Video==
'''If you choose to revert in this way, make sure to leave an edit summary explaining why you're doing it.''' Of the three methods on this page, reversion does not leave an automatic edit summary.
<youtube>7K_G_dwrrFE</youtube>
 
==Reversion guidelines==
By its nature, reversion is a tool to restore articles to a previous state. As a result you should be able to explain why you think that an older version of the article was better.
*If the article was vandalised or something, simply saying "reverted vandalism" or similar in the edit summary is sufficient.
*If it is a matter of opinion, clearly state your reasoning in the edit summary. If there's not enough room, explain on the article's talk page.
 
Outside obvious vandalism and blatant misinformation, '''do not revert other users' reversions.''' This is called a '''revert war''' and is never a good thing. Discuss the issue on the talk page and come to a consensus instead of bulking up the database with several identical back-and-forth edits.
 
For more information, see [[SmashWiki:Only revert once]].


==See also==
==See also==
*[[Wikipedia:Wikipedia:How to revert a page to an earlier version|Wikipedia's instructions on reverting]], on which this page was based.
*[[Wikipedia:Wikipedia:How to revert a page to an earlier version|Wikipedia's instructions on reverting]]
*[[Wikipedia:Wikipedia:Three-revert rule|Wikipedia's three revert guideline]]
*[[Wikipedia:Wikipedia:Three-revert rule|Wikipedia's three revert guideline]]
*[[MetaWikipedia:Vandalbot|Dealing with vandal bots]]
*[[MetaWikipedia:Vandalbot|Dealing with vandal bots]]


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[[Category:Help|Revert]]
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Revision as of 14:16, May 26, 2014

An icon used in notice templates. This page is a SmashWiki help page, intended to be a guide to helping users understand SmashWiki and its functionalities. When editing this page, please ensure that your revision reflects consensus. If in doubt, consider discussing changes on the talk page.

All versions of every page are saved in the wiki's database. As a result, it is easy to revert bad edits and return the article to a previous state.

Types of reversion

Undo

The simplest way to revert a bad edit is to undo it. The first step is to create a diff of the unwanted edit. This can be done in several ways:

  1. In Recent Changes, every edit has a "diff" link on the far left. Click this link.
  2. In the page history, every edit has an "undo" link on the far right. Click this link.
  3. In the page history, select any two revisions using the ratio buttons and press the "Compare selected revisions" button.
    • The "cur" and "prev" links on the far left of each revision are shortcuts for "compare this revision with the current one" and "compare this revision with the previous one".

Once a diff page is ready, look above the right version of the text, where it reads "Latest revision as of <Date> (edit) (undo)". Click the "undo" link. Note that if you clicked the undo link in method 2 above, this step will be done for you.

At this point, you will be taken to the edit screen. The difference between the bad edit (left) and the previous revision (right) will be shown, and the edit summary field will contain an automatic message which you may choose to elaborate on. Should you save the page at this point, the edit will be undone; you may however make any changes you want (in which case you certainly should edit the automatic summary).

Note that it is not always possible to undo edits in this way if the two revisions are too different. For example, if edit 1 edits paragraph A and edit 2 edits paragraphs A and B, it may not be possible to only undo edit 1. In such cases, you will need to preform a manual reversion.

Rollback

Rollback is a quick-undo of sorts. It automatically undoes the last edit done to a page, plus all consecutive edits made by that user to the page, without needing to load the page or an edit box. It cannot be previewed, its edit summary cannot be customized, and the user cannot make additional changes in the same edit.

As rollback is fully automatic and can be far more easily abused than other reversion options, users must demonstrate they understand its purpose before they are allowed to use it.

For more information on rollback, see SmashWiki:Rollback.

Reversion

Reversion is more efficient at restoring a page to a previous verion if there have been several intervening edits. It requires a different method:

  1. Go to the page's history and click on the date of the desired revision. That revision will be displayed.
  2. Click on "edit this page" as usual. A notice will appear, warning you that you are editing an old version of the page.

If you simply save this edit, the page will be restored to the previous version. You may make changes to the text so the page is not identical to the old version.

If you choose to revert in this way, make sure to leave an edit summary explaining why you're doing it. Of the three methods on this page, reversion does not leave an automatic edit summary.

Reversion guidelines

By its nature, reversion is a tool to restore articles to a previous state. As a result you should be able to explain why you think that an older version of the article was better.

  • If the article was vandalised or something, simply saying "reverted vandalism" or similar in the edit summary is sufficient.
  • If it is a matter of opinion, clearly state your reasoning in the edit summary. If there's not enough room, explain on the article's talk page.

Outside obvious vandalism and blatant misinformation, do not revert other users' reversions. This is called a revert war and is never a good thing. Discuss the issue on the talk page and come to a consensus instead of bulking up the database with several identical back-and-forth edits.

For more information, see SmashWiki:Only revert once.

See also