Template:Links to/doc

This is a documentation subpage for Template:Links to.
It may contain usage information, categories and other content that is not part of the original template page.

{{Links to}} lists all pages that link to a section, and shows a snippet from each page, with the link highlighted. It uses the linksto search parameter to find the pages, and from that a regexp search to find the section's incoming links. (Note that the input to {{links to}} is a section, while the input to the search parameter linksto is a fullpagename.)

Purpose

Use {{links to}} to help decide about changing or removing section headings, {{anchor}}s, or "span id=" (HTML) tags.

Manage anchors. Assess and delete excess anchors. Move and replace anchors.
Manage section headings. Delete section headings. Rename section headings.

This template lists all the wikilinks to a section that are found in the wikitext as:

[[ fullpagename#section ]]
{{ section link | section}}
{{ slink|section}}

These are all the usual-style wikilinks, and the search links produced by this template are definitive concerning the sections of most pages.^[1]

While editing a section, you decide to rename its heading. Or you want to restructure an article. But it might break a link. And you're not sure about adding {{anchors}}.

"What links here" does not report links by section name.
This template, {{links to}}, reports sections but does not report redirects.
"Show redirects only" does report redirects to sections names. (It's on the What links here page).

Using these three tools, the incoming wikilinks to a section can be known.^[1]

Usage

Work from the edit page — going from it and back to it — while finding all links and redirects.^[2] When entering a {{links to|section}} copy any section name exactly as it appears in the wikitext:

== section heading == {{links to|section heading}} or
{{anchor | anchor }} {{links to|anchor}} or
<span id="span id">...</span> {{links to|span id}}

The spacing outside the name is not important, but the markup and spacing inside the name is important.^[3] The most common mistake is wrong capitalization.

Should you change or removed a section name, then for each incoming wikilink or redirect it had, you must edit that page, even if it is a user page. Use an edit summary like "fixing changed section name".

Links

Links. Taken altogether, the search links generated by this template will list all wikilinks to a section name of a page name.

#Links · Finds #section used in wikilinks (and URL-style links).
§Links · Finds {{ Section link | fullpagename | section }}. (uncommon)

The results do not overlap and are guaranteed links to that section.

Redirects

Redirects. Use the "Tool" What links here. (It's on every page and every edit page.) Once there, immediately activate the "external tool" Show redirects only. If your section name is shown, your redirects are reported. Just find the wikilinks to them using What links here, and you're done. If your section is not shown in the report, no redirect at all links to your section.

These normally report zero results (or fewer than ten).

Basic

Links to creates a pink box with search links inside: one to find wikilinks, one to find templates ({{Section link}}).

On an edit page enter a {{links to}}.
Preview the edit. A pink box appears with search links inside.
Visit each of them while learning how to proceed.^[4]
Go back to your edit page.
Visit the redirects report.
Go back to your edit page and proceed.

Advanced

Links to outputs a single line starting with the fullpagename, and followed by the search links. This style is fit for collaboration or storage for wikiprojects.

Just add the fullpagename of the page of interest in parameter two. (The {{FULLPAGENAME}}, before {{DISPLAYTITLE}} or the like may have applied.)^[5]

To limit search results to a namespace instead of all namespaces, use parameter three. This is necessary for a highly linked-to page like the Manual of Style (over a million links to it). This is useful to try when a search takes around twenty seconds and returns with zero results. (Search silently fails, with no indication of an HTML timeout.)

Parameters

Spacing does not matter around the input.

1^st Section. Case sensitive. Matches wikitext character-wise.

2^nd Fullpagename. Case sensitive. First letter capitalized.^[5]

3^rd namespace. Defaults to all. Accepts aliases.

Examples

Inside an edit session of this section

What you type

What you get

Description

Search links to find links to Examples :
#Links · §Links

This is /doc. Go up to test this.

Find all links to this section.

Search links to find links to Usage :
#Links · §Links

This is /doc. Go up to test this.

Find all links to this page's Usage section.

What you type:	What you get:
`{{ links to \| Linux \| Operating system }}`	Operating system#Linux: #Links · §Links
`{{ links to \| Registers \| Javanese language }}`	Javanese language#Registers: #Links · §Links
`{{ links to \| Different functions of "to be" \| E-prime }}`	E-prime#Different functions of "to be": #Links · §Links
`{{ links to \| Projects \| Mediawiki \| talk }}`	Mediawiki#Projects: #Links · §Links
`{{ links to \| Projects \| Mediawiki \| user talk }}`	Mediawiki#Projects: #Links · §Links

Reordering. If you used natural instead of most-requested order, you can number them.
What you type:~~{{ links to | Wikipedia:Manual of Style | Section headings }} {{ links to | WP | Wikipedia:Manual of Style | Section management }}~~{{ links to | 2= Wikipedia:Manual of Style | 1=Section headings }} {{ links to | 3= WP | 2= Wikipedia:Manual of Style | 1= Section management }}
What you get:
Wikipedia:Manual of Style#Section headings: #Links · §Links
Wikipedia:Manual of Style#Section management: #Links · §Links

Notes and references

^ ^a ^b
There may exist additional wikilinks (internal links) to a given section. These are not currently listed:
1. Web links made with URL-style syntax.
2. wikilinks or {{Section link}}'s placed on a page by a transclusion.
^ It is safe to navigate away from an edit page, for example to test a wikilink in the preview. It is safe also to activate a search link, for the same reasons. (To open a new tab or window instead, press Ctrl or ⇧ Shift while following a link.)
^ The actual query, seen on the search results page, for sections with space characters in them, replaces every space with a "[ _]". This mirrors the behavior of the wikilinks.

^ To get an edit tag for each search result, add this to your custom javaScript:

$( function() {
	'use strict';
	if ( mw.config.get( 'wgCanonicalSpecialPageName' ) === 'Search' ) {
		$( '.mw-search-result-heading a' ).each( function() {
			$( this ).after( '<span class="searchedit">[<a href="' + $( this ).attr( 'href' ) + '?action=edit">edit</a>]</span>' );
		} );
	}
} );

Until it is an official user preference, the code may be susceptible to malcontents.

^ ^a ^b It's the canonical name, not the redirect. It's the title line exactly, but the title line should begin with a capital letter. If there are any questionable aspects to the title's appearance, go to that page and render {{FULLPAGENAME}} in a temporary preview.

[notfound-1] There may exist additional wikilinks (internal links) to a given section. These are not currently listed:
Web links made with URL-style syntax.

wikilinks or {{Section link}}'s placed on a page by a transclusion.

[2] Web links made with URL-style syntax.

[3] wikilinks or {{Section link}}'s placed on a page by a transclusion.

[2] It is safe to navigate away from an edit page, for example to test a wikilink in the preview. It is safe also to activate a search link, for the same reasons. (To open a new tab or window instead, press Ctrl or ⇧ Shift while following a link.)

[3] The actual query, seen on the search results page, for sections with space characters in them, replaces every space with a "[ _]". This mirrors the behavior of the wikilinks.

[4] To get an edit tag for each search result, add this to your custom javaScript:
$( function() { 'use strict'; if ( mw.config.get( 'wgCanonicalSpecialPageName' ) === 'Search' ) { $( '.mw-search-result-heading a' ).each( function() { $( this ).after( '<span class="searchedit">[<a href="' + $( this ).attr( 'href' ) + '?action=edit">edit</a>]</span>' ); } ); } } );

Until it is an official user preference, the code may be susceptible to malcontents.

[ipad-5] It's the canonical name, not the redirect. It's the title line exactly, but the title line should begin with a capital letter. If there are any questionable aspects to the title's appearance, go to that page and render {{FULLPAGENAME}} in a temporary preview.

[8] Web links made with URL-style syntax.

[9] wikilinks or {{Section link}}'s placed on a page by a transclusion.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

v t e Search templates
General	`{{Search link\|SEARCH}}` `{{template usage\|TEMPLATE}}` `{{regexp\|REGEXP}}` `{{regex/string\|SEARCH}}`
Links	`{{links to\|SECTION}}`
Titles	`{{in title}}` `{{look from}}`
Other	`{{linksearch}}` `{{search deletion discussions}}` `{{dabsearch}}` `{{help desk searches}}` `{{spamsearch}}`
External engines	`{{ShortSearch\|QUERY TERMS}}` `{{wpsearch\|QUERY TERMS}}`
Search boxes	`{{search box}}` `{{search prefixes}}` `{{search archives}}` `{{archive banner}}`
Self reference	`{{srlink\|FULLPAGENAME}}` `{{nomirror\|(Search)}}` `{{wikibullet}}`
Editor search boxes Search templates documentation Category:Search templates