Wikipedia:VisualEditor editing of references

The following describes ways to use the wp:VisualEditor (VE) to insert and modify references or citations of wp:RS sources in an article. The VE interface allows insertion of templates, with each parameter added separately, such as for the wp:CS1-style citation templates:, , , , etc.

When using the VisualEditor, the general process to insert a reference is:


 * 1) Click on the "Insert reference" icon. A new window appears.
 * 2) Select "Create new source"
 * 3) Click the "Insert reference" button. This opens another new window.
 * 4) Click on the puzzle icon in the new window. This opens a third new window.
 * 5) In the text box, type "Cite", but don't press return
 * 6) Select the citation template, ignoring anything with /doc on the end
 * 7) Click "Add template"
 * 8) Fill in the details.
 * 9) Select the desired parameter (or type some of it in, then select it)
 * 10) Scroll to hidden buttons and click on "Add parameter"
 * 11) Enter the data
 * 12) Select the template again from the left side to add a second or further parameter and repeat until finished, then select "Apply changes".
 * 13) Select "Apply changes"

Because of the tedious nature of the numerous point-and-click steps needed to insert a reference footnote, some users might prefer to use the "Edit-source" mode for editing a page, and then more quickly modify the references within the source markup wikitext, instead.

If you want to re-use a reference, you can cut-and-paste the number in the text. This will create a new anchor for the same footnote.