Help:Namespace
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Introduction to namespaces
Namespaces: the containers
Articles in MediaWiki are placed in locations called "namespaces". Namespaces are the MediaWiki architecture components that hold all articles. The final location of an article is the one that has been specified through its title prefix following the construct Namespace:Title.
If an article is titled without the use of the optional location prefix (:Title), it is placed in the main namespace, which is the default location. This is so because the main namespace is the null character.
Why namespaces?
Namespaces are administrative boundaries used to separate content from policy and discussion.
They isolate pages based on their intended use:
- public viewing
- private information intended for the editing community.
When is a new namespace needed?
Mainly when a content type is to be reserved for a defined group of users. If you are a user, all you need to know is that all articles are in the "Main" namespace by default. You do not need a new namespace. Continue reading from #Where to place the article? below.
