User blog:Demise101/Editor101- Undoing Edits

Hi, welcome to the first of many blogs detailing basic editing functions. Today's lesson is: Undoing Edits(also known as Reverting). Undoing is a simple tool available to  Any User . If you wish to apply for Rollback Rights, you MUST know how to use this tool.

The Contents of this blog are: What is Undoing?, Why do we Undo?, Difference Between Rollbacking and Undo, and Conclusion.

What is Undoing?
Before I can impart upon you these mystical powers, we must first delve into some basic terminology that will help you understand more clearly.
 * Revision: Whenever you edit a page, you create a "Revision". The revision you make is "the current layout" of a page (what everyone else sees), and contains the past information on the page, as well as your changes . The best way to describe a Revision is to liken it to an update. When a new udpdate is created, it imprints changes into a system. This does not mean the old Versions are lost. Past Revisions are stored in the "History" page.Demise101_Undoing_Tutorial_2.png


 * History: A Page History is a list of every revision of the stated page. It can be found by clicking on the downwards arrow next to the Edit button (which is at the top of each page). The Page History is useful, as it shows every change made to the page since its creation. There are also Histories for Users, which areDemise101_Undoing_Tutorial_1.png known as "Contributions", or Contribs for short. Each Revision will show you when it was made, who made it, how large it is and the Section edited (Or, if you choose to include it, An Edit Summary).
 * Comparing Revisions/Diff: We compare Revisions to see what changes were made between two edits.To compare Revisions, go to a Page History. On the left of each Revision, you will see . Clicking one will make all revisions above the selected one have two buttons, as well as telling the page that you want to compare this to another. Then click on an above revision, filling in the right button. If you have two filled in Buttons, Congratulations! Now just click the "Compare Selected Revisions" and you can now see the Difference(Diff)! The left side will have your first-selected Revision, and the Right shows your second choice. Changes are Highlighted in red. However, when you delete some text, it will show the text on the left hand side, and a gap in the right side.

Now that we got that out of the way, you can now UNDERSTAND. Undoing is the action of changing a user's edit back to a past revision. This can involve restoring text that someone deleted, removing text someone added, and even re-inserting images. You revert edits by clicking on the undo button. This will lead you a "Publish" page, where you are asked to insert a edit summary. This is VERY IMPORTANT if the edit was merely a case of misinformation. If you do not fill it out, I will send an ARMY of Tibbers to Search and Destroy your computer. Oh, and you will probably insult the guy who's edit you undid. After all, who likes being told their edit was obliterated for no reason?

Why we Undo things
We undo edits in these Situations:
 * When a vandal appears (If they do, check ALL of their edits, and undo them if they are malicious). Vandals appear in many forms; Some troll, some delete lots of information, some insert Gibberish. Regardless of the type of vandal, you should always revert it.


 * When you see someone has added a false statement, or removed some facts. If it looks like they merely made a mistake, undo it and say why you did in the Edit summary. If you don't, people will get offended, or even Redo their mistakes.

The Difference between Rollback and Undo
Rollback is, in all simplicity, a modified Undo button specifically for Vandalism. It undoes the edit in a single click, saving you time and the need to fill out summaries or publish it. This should ONLY be used for Vandalism, or even when you mess up a page by accident.

Rollback editors should be trusted, edit a LOT to prove their dedication (100 edits on pages AT LEAST), must show evidence of dealing with Vandals, and be helpful to the community.

Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed my guide, or at least learned SOMETHING from it. Comment Below to express your thoughts, point out things I missed, give ideas for future blogs, and ask questions! Remember, never leave a vandalism to be displayed: Always try to undo it as soon as it appears!

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