Help:Link color

Help:Link color is a feature in MediaWiki software that allows users to customize the appearance of hyperlinks on a web page. This customization is primarily used to improve usability and accessibility of web pages, ensuring that links are distinguishable from regular text and are easy to locate by users of the site.

Overview

In MediaWiki, the default color of links is determined by the CSS used by the particular skin or theme that is applied to the wiki. However, administrators and users with the appropriate permissions can modify these colors to fit the design and accessibility needs of their specific wiki environment.

Types of Links

There are generally three types of links identified by different colors in MediaWiki:

• Internal links - These links point to other pages within the same wiki. By default, they are usually colored blue.
• External links - These links point to pages on different websites. They are typically displayed in a different color, often purple or red, to distinguish them from internal links.
• Visited links - Links that the user has already visited. These are usually shown in a darker shade, such as dark purple, to indicate that the link has been previously accessed.

Customizing Link Colors

To change the color of links, one must edit the CSS associated with the wiki's skin. This can be done by modifying the `MediaWiki:Common.css` page, which affects all users, or by altering personal CSS files for individual customization.

Example of CSS Code

To change the internal link color to green, you would add the following CSS code to the appropriate CSS page: ```css a {

   color: green;

} ```

Accessibility Considerations

When customizing link colors, it is important to ensure that there is sufficient contrast between the text and the background to comply with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). This not only helps users with visual impairments but also enhances the overall readability of the site.

See Also

• Help:Contents
• Manual:Interface/CSS
• Manual:Accessibility