Help:Self link

A self link is the use of a link code with the page itself as target. It does not produce an actual link, but a non-clickable bold text (the "self-link format"). However, with the preference setting "Underline links", this text is underlined. This can be suppressed putting the following in your relevant personal css page:

.mw-selflink { text-decoration: none !important; }

Live examples (hence depending on your settings):

• [[Help:Self link]] → Help:Self link
• [[Help:Self link]]abc → Help:Self linkabc
• [[Help:Self link|piped self link]] → piped self link

Purpose

By itself, it is not useful to create bold text this way. However, the feature can be useful if, after expansion of any templates etc., the same wikitext is used on multiple pages and, depending on the page, it should produce a working link or just bold text. This applies, in particular, in the case of links in a template that is called on the various target pages.

Clickable self links

Notwithstanding the description above, there are some self links to which the self-link format does not apply.

Self link with full URL

Providing an external link with the full URL of the same page on which the link appears will give a standard, clickable link. For example, if you are viewing the master copy on Meta of this help page ([1]), then this is demonstrated here:

• [http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Help:Self_link] gives [2]

Indirect self link

An indirect self link is a link to a page that redirects back. In this case, the self-link format does not apply, even though it would be equally useful here.

Self link with interwiki project prefix

Also, when the prefix for the project itself is added (interwiki link style, but again linking to the page itself) the self-link format does not apply; if you are viewing the master copy on Meta of this help page then this is demonstrated here:

• [[m:Help:Self link]] gives m:Help:Self link

Self link to a section

See Help:Link#Anchors for more information on this.

For a link to a section of the same article, even from the same section, the self-link format does not apply:

• [[Help:Self link#Self link to a section]] gives Help:Self link#Self link to a section

The [[#top]] link is a convenient way to link back to the top of a long page, without leaving the reader confused about the link's purpose.

• [[#top]] gives #top
• [[#top|Top of Article]] gives Top of Article

See also

• mw:Help:Self link
• Help:Navigational template - regarding the use of self links in templates
• https://gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/#/c/mediawiki/core/+/343204 - possible change of appearance of a self link since 2017

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