Help:Redirects
A redirect is a page that forwards users who land on it to a different page. When an article is referred to by multiple names or has alternate spellings, redirects can help users find what they are looking for.
Creating a redirect
A redirect page can be created just as you would create any other page. (See Help:Starting a new page.) To make a page function as a redirect, add the following code to the very start of the page:
#REDIRECT [[Target page]]
Ensure that there is nothing that comes before it, including spaces. Replace "Target page" with the name of the page that the redirect will forward to.
Use the "Show preview" button before saving the redirect page. If done correctly, you should see something like this:
- See the actual PoE redirect page.
Redirect to section
It is also possible to create a redirect that jumps to a specific section within the target page:
#REDIRECT [[Target page#Section heading]]
Replace "Section heading" with the section heading or page anchor that the redirect should jump to.
Redirect to category
To create a redirect to a category, be sure to use the following syntax:
#REDIRECT [[:Category:Target category]]
It is necessary to add a colon (:) before "Category" to make the redirect function correctly. Without it, the page will be added to that category instead of redirecting to it.
Editing an existing redirect
To change the target of a redirect, or otherwise edit a redirect page, you will first need to navigate to it. As expected, doing so will forward you to the target page. From there, you will see a note near the top of the page that will look something like, "(Redirected from PoE)". Following that link will take you back to the redirect page, which you can then edit as normal.
Although uncommon, the situation might arise where it makes sense to convert a redirect page into a regular page. To do so, simply edit the redirect page and remove the #REDIRECT [[Target page]] code. You should not do this if you intend to move a page to the location of a redirect.
Deleting a redirect
It is generally not necessary to delete a redirect, even if no pages link to it.
Deleting a redirect page, as with any other page, can only be done by an administrator. You can propose that a page be deleted using {{delete}}.
Fixing common problems
Double redirects
A double redirect is a redirect that targets a page that is also a redirect. Following a double redirect will land a user on the second redirect page rather than the final destination.
Double redirects are most often created as the result of moving a page. When a page is moved, any redirects to its original location will become double redirects.
To fix a double redirect, edit the redirect page and change the target of the redirect to the final destination page.
Special:DoubleRedirects contains a list of all of the double redirects on the wiki.
Broken redirects
A broken redirect is a redirect that targets a page that does not exist. It is broken and will not function.
Special:BrokenRedirects contains a list of all of the broken redirects on the wiki.