Request a Guide in World Anvil Codex | World Anvil

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Restructuring the Codex

We are currently moving articles around and changing the general structure of the Codex. Please come back later if you get lost!
This codex is created by a group of volunteers. It is by no means complete, but it is the most complete, up to date source of information on World Anvil. Guides on new features will be added eventually, but that might not happen immediatily.   To request a new guide either comment here or join our discord and ask in one of the help channels!

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Jan 25, 2019 19:04 by Joshua Stewart

Question - If I have a PNG image, in this case, a blank scroll. Is there a way to have text laid over top of it? So basically have the image in the background and be able to input article text over it. I know I could likely just make the complete banner in Photoshop or something but I'm just curious if there is a way within the system to do this.

Jan 26, 2019 02:50 by Ademal

For more advice on CSS check out the CSS Guide or join the discord. :)

The following will only work for Grandmaster+

Outcome

Example Image

BBCode

Put this in your article
[container: con-img-background] [img:169171|nolink] [h1]Test[/h1] [p]Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Vestibulum dapibus, augue at porttitor dapibus, enim nulla volutpat nunc, sit amet posuere leo neque vel nibh. Integer mi mi, fermentum vitae ullamcorper venenatis, malesuada id nunc.[br][br]Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Cras blandit dictum arcu, tristique pellentesque tortor vestibulum in. Praesent in odio sit amet tellus elementum convallis vitae ut nunc. Praesent tempus rutrum tincidunt. Nam vel viverra arcu.[/p] [/container] Swap the image ID and text for your own.    

CSS

Put this in your CSS panel in your world config page
.user-css .con-img-background {
  position: relative;
  text-align: center;
}
 
.user-css .con-img-background h2 {
  text-align: left;
  padding: 10px 0px 5px 10px;
  height: 2%;
  margin: 0px;
  border: none;
  position: absolute;
  width: 100%;
  top: 1%;
}
 
.user-css .con-img-background img {
  border-radius: 0px 10px 10px 10px;
  opacity: 0.5;
}
 
.user-css .con-img-background .padding-10 {
  background: black;
  padding: 0px;
  border-radius: 0px 10px 10px 10px;
}
 
.user-css .con-img-background img {
  border-radius: 0px 10px 10px 10px;
  opacity: 0.5;
}
 
.con-img-background p {
  position: absolute;
  top: 10%;
  padding: 3%;
  height: 100%;
  border-radius: 0px 10px 10px 10px;  
}
 
.user-css .con-img-background .artist-credits {
  position: absolute;
  bottom: 0;
  width: 100%;
  border-left: none;
  border-right: none;
  border-bottom: none;
  border-radius: 0px 0px 10px 10px;
}
 
  You do not have to put a header, it's just there in case you do.

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Jan 28, 2019 15:37 by Joshua Stewart

Thanks! This helps tremendously, much appreciated.

Feb 21, 2019 20:59

Finding links to your articles, etc. is rather laborious. Would it be possible to add a page or list of your worlds articles so you can have them listed and ready for coping?

Feb 21, 2019 21:51 by Ademal

Theer's two ways to go about this.   The short way is, within your editor, to type the @ symbol followed by the name of the article you want to link. This will pull up a context menu where you can quickly click the article and it will paste in. You can even change the text in [brackets] to whatever you want and it will still link to that article.     The long way is if you go to your articles page, on the right (right between the wrench and the trash can, is the button to copy the link.   Hope that helps!

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Feb 22, 2019 13:49

Thank you for the very quick reply.

Mar 3, 2019 20:26 by Marco

Is there a tutorial how exactly the links work? I just started to use World Anvil and i´m a bit confused. I can refer to an article i have not yet written by writing for example "earth ". If i now view the article i can click on the link and it will create the article. Why doesn´t the original article get updated with the new created link? I have to edit the article so that the link works properly. Or is there something i am doing wrong? thanks in advance

Mar 4, 2019 03:12 by Ademal

In that particular case it might be acting weird depending on what word you put in the (parenthesis) and it might be confused, because you've got the right idea on how to use it.   What did you put in parenthesis?

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Mar 4, 2019 17:03 by Marco

So far i have used location, settlement, person and organization. It does create the right kind of article,when i click on the link. After the name of the article i type a blank an then in brackets the article category.

Mar 4, 2019 19:43 by Ademal

I don't suppose you're on the Discord? This could probably be settled much faster with quick screenshots and all the other eyes that come with being there,

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Mar 5, 2019 17:52 by Marco

Solved the problem. No blank after the name and its works fine now.

Apr 26, 2019 05:10

Could you make a template article? i saw one, but it said i didnt have permission

Apr 26, 2019 06:31 by Ademal

You can't make your own templates to duplicate currently without just using copy paste, however if you check out the BBCode guide it goes over how to add your own fields to an article from an existing template!

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Apr 26, 2019 19:04

i meant more like can YOU make an article on templates? like a list of what to use in the parenthesis for the mention system

Apr 26, 2019 21:07 by Ademal

An overall guide to the templates is planned, but for the list of how to @ each template type: check the BBcode guide to the righthand side of the article editor. It's down at the bottom of that guide.

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Apr 27, 2019 01:19

Ok! Thanks

Apr 30, 2019 09:04 by Salty

Do yall have any plans of adding the option to create specific foods and culinary culture? Or is that included somewhere else? All the currently existing options I've found are rather barebones and basic when it comes to food and dishes, and I'd love to create a catalogue of different foods that my different species make. Stuff like taste, texture, cooking methods, (seasonal) ingredients and cultural value would be really neat to keep track of. :')

Jul 8, 2019 18:44 by Ademal

Foods are a type of item, but you could always scroll to the bottom of the site, click Need Help? and submit a feature request for fields such as taste and texture to be added to the template!

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Jul 2, 2019 14:32

Hello! Can we expect translated versions in the future? (I write in French and it's always weird to have the main text of an article in my language with sections titles in English... or maybe I missed something in Configuration) Thanks :)

Jul 2, 2019 16:28 by Ademal

Check your profile! It's down on the bottom left of it.

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Jul 8, 2019 04:36 by Bina

Is there a way to mass-edit the privacy/visibility/access options on all articles? Secondly, is there a page somewhere on how access perms work as a whole? I have a private world, so I assume that all articles I make are also private, but any time I make a new item it has "public" as the default access. Does this mean that even though my world is private, everyone can see those articles? Or does a "public" article for a private world just mean that the few people who do have access to the private world can see the article?

Jul 8, 2019 18:43 by Ademal

If you go to your article list and scroll to the bottom, you'll see some dropdowns. The action you do there affects all the checked articles.   If your world is private it should default them to private, otherwise that's either a bug or the world isn't actually set to private. You can test if they're private by opening an incognito tab and trying to access one of those articles.   Nobody can see private articles unless you make them a subscriber. If an article is public in a private world it means that anyone can see the article if you link the url to them.

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Jul 8, 2019 23:25 by Bina

Thank you! My world is indeed set to private. It's when I'm in a timeline, creating new historical events, that "public" is the default access setting. I'll file a bug report on it!

Jul 9, 2019 20:24 by Ademal

Oh sweet! That was my code. I broke it! Dangit. :D

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Sep 18, 2019 02:22

Hi, I backed Project: Deios on Kickstarter, and found World Anvil as a result. I'm looking for a way to set up a shared campaign world with at least one other GM - possibly more. The catch, however, is that each GM would probably be a player in the other GM's campaigns. We need to be able to keep secrets from each other, and, after discussing things on the Discord channel, it appears that right now all creators can see all of each other's secrets. I'd love to see a way for a gaming group with multiple GM's to collaborate one some things, but to keep other things secret - so as not to ruin any surprises in game. Sharing a single world, and developing it together would be great fun, but if Game Master "A" can't keep their secrets secure from Game Masters "B", "C", and "D", a lot of the functionality of this tool would be wasted and GM's would be forced to keep separate game notes elsewhere, defeating the purpose of having a single source for all campaign data.

Sep 19, 2019 22:29 by Ademal

This has been discussed, but goes into the matter of Co-Authors being able to keep secrets from each other, which is problematic. Currently, writers cannot see each other's secrets, but world owners as a rule cannot and will not be able to hide content from each other.   Setting them as writers and having a core GM author to handle the secrets may work, as may them storing secrets in their notebooks if they are guild members.   What I ended up doing was using an honor system where I put spoilers within secrets. If someone doesn't see their name on the secret, they can't open it.   This is not off the table, and would be good for westmarches campaigns, but is much easier said than programmed.

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Oct 9, 2019 07:34

I would like to request the addition of a few things missing to the BBcode formatting or commands pages:
a) the roll:CODE command
b) the fact that using parenthesis after the author's name in a quote changes the script colour
c) the tooltip command
d) the genesysdice:TYPE command
  While most (not the author parenthesis trick) are in the "Tag reference" area of editing a page, many people don't even know about this. I think it makes sense to include in the bbcode codex page all that one is able to do with bbcode, and not leave parts out. Potentially, it would make sense to have a bbcode and an advanced bbcode (if you want to avoid making overly long/complex articles)

Oct 9, 2019 17:37

Is there a way to create a second world, on the same account?

Oct 9, 2019 20:48 by Ademal

On the left sidebar, click worlds, scroll to the bottom, and the button is there. :)

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Oct 10, 2019 00:39

Request / Question: Is there a way to give a character multiple species / ethnicities? It would be useful to be able to tag a character with Human + Elf + Vampire, rather than just picking one, or making a separate one for each combination that shows up in the game.

Oct 10, 2019 05:47 by Ademal

There is not as it will be used for a later generated relationships system, but if you don't wish to create subspecies you can put something like this in the sidebar:   [h2]Species[/h2] --Mother::Human-- --Father::Elf (Vampire)--     Which creates...

Species

Mother
Human
Father
Elf (Vampire)

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Oct 16, 2019 01:42 by Jacob Billings

Having seen mentioned and experienced it on the site, I was hoping that you could make a codex page on the topic of the different types of Metadata tabs. This would include the setup for all forms of tabs like the organizations trees, timelines, and all other types that could be added in theory, as I can't seem to figure out any form of Metadata tab beyond the timelines.

Nov 2, 2019 21:13

Hello, is it possible to have multiple rulers/owners, owning organizations and parent locations for a geographic location ? I have territories that are shared with two regions and I would like to specify that.

Dec 10, 2019 19:34 by Ademal

It is not. If the territory is shared by two groups then that group is technically a group of its own, a treaty, concord, etc.   If you do not wish to create that organization I suggest using the --Key::Value-- bbcode to write it into the article sidebar! :)

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Nov 26, 2019 09:48

If WA is supposed to be for writers and creatives working on projects besides roleplays, it would be nice to have some workflows and guides for them. The site I saw advertised to me and the one I'm greeted by on registration seem worlds apart, and it's a bit discouraging.

Apr 14, 2020 04:34 by Ademal

I apologize for the delay. This is a WIP but may be complete by the time you notice the comment! :)

Writer Workflow Guide
Generic article | Jan 25, 2024

Tackling World Anvil as a home for your writing projects and Lore Bible? Start here!

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Dec 10, 2019 18:48

I'm very new to WorldAnvil and I like the option of choosing genres, but I have no clue what the difference between some of them is. Like, what's the difference between Biopunk and Solarpunk and Steampunk? What is Flintlock? What's the difference between High and Low Magic? I'm very lost.

Dec 10, 2019 19:32 by Ademal

I'd recommend having a look at Different punk: A to Z of punk genres by Xanthuss for a comprehensive guide of different punk genres that are out there!   High Magic is lots of magic everywhere, and powerful magic at that, like Harry Potter. Low Magic has much less of it, more in the vein of Game of Thrones.   None of these terms are unique to WA so there's tons of online resources if you want to know more!

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Dec 11, 2019 01:07 by Tyler Walker

Is there a way we can allow players in a campaign to write an article? Many players have backstory characters that they would like to add or want to add notes on NPC's they care about. Additionally, they would like the opportunity to keep track of their own maps (using the base world map) to track their own personal journeys through the world/campaign.

Dec 11, 2019 01:46 by Ademal

If you add them as writers to your world they will be able to create draft articles but not read or edit other articles. Here's How   Map markers they can't do unless full authors, however.

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Dec 14, 2019 17:57 by Tyler Walker

Thank you! This was great to use

Dec 11, 2019 09:43

How do I change the name of my world ?

Dec 11, 2019 16:07 by Ademal

In the configuration of that world.

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Dec 22, 2019 06:18 by Circus of Chaos

I would like a guide on how to create/edit custom article templates.

Dec 23, 2019 16:34 by Ademal

Noted!

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Dec 29, 2019 15:44 by Djaii Martenspepper

Could you build a guide to how to use the Article Templates? Like, put out an article that lays out the sub-sections of each Template type, and why you would use it over another Template that is similar. Case in point: "settlement" vs "location" - aren't all settlements at a location? What's the difference or advantage of using one or the other (other than the sub-sections, which I'm finding problematic to keep straight)?

it wouldn't be much of a universe if it wasn't home to the ones we love
Dec 30, 2019 19:10 by Ademal

There's one in progress! I'll check where it's at and let you know!

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Jan 9, 2020 18:36 by Djaii Martenspepper

Awesome thank you. I realize I can just go through them all... but it turns out to be a little confusing in cases where I have to go a long time before resuming editing (and I forget) and when collaborating with others.

it wouldn't be much of a universe if it wasn't home to the ones we love
Jan 9, 2020 18:36 by Djaii Martenspepper

If you want a co-editor or someone to help write/proof with you, let me know. I'd like to try to help if I can find the time.

it wouldn't be much of a universe if it wasn't home to the ones we love
Jan 9, 2020 22:46 by Ademal

If you're in the discord feel free to @ me and maybe we can get something rolling!

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Jan 15, 2020 05:52 by James Sutter

I would like a workflow guide for building adventures and how to use the Storytellar Screen. It looks like a neat process, however, I am mystified about what should be a plot (and therefore view-able through the screen) and what should fall into other categories. For example, how would you build a traditional Dungeon Crawl for use within WA while GMing?

Jan 19, 2020 17:08 by Ademal

I am currently proofreading this one! I'll let you know.

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Jan 23, 2020 02:51

Wow, I've been struggling with the same question as James, so I eagerly await for this to be published. Ademal, thanks for the great work!

Jan 23, 2020 06:25 by Ademal

Start here and feel free to add any comments or questions in this thread or over there and we'll add more accordingly!  

Gamemaster Workflow Guide
Generic article | Jan 25, 2024

This Guide is to help you, a GM of any RPG system, use World Anvil to its maximum potential.

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Jan 27, 2020 13:22 by Melestrua

It would be useful to have a guide to the different navigation/structure options and styles within WA to help world builders with organising our sites. For example, what is the difference between categories and hierarchy? Are they compatible? How do they appear for visitors? Are there ways of including multiple articles with a link to a query (

Jan 27, 2020 13:27 by Melestrua

(Oops. Finger hit post button too soon...) ... query, e.g. all NPCs with tag Akorros which would act as a summary article? Or would I have to maintain it manually? Etc. Thanks

Apr 14, 2020 04:35 by Ademal

There are several workflow articles underway and visible from the main page!

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Feb 12, 2020 11:53

Is It possible to share the world you are building with another person so you can both work on it at the same time

Feb 13, 2020 06:15 by Ademal

Journeyman guild members can add co-authors.

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Apr 9, 2020 16:34

is it possible to take someone elses guide for a world like eberron and copy it for me to modify?

Apr 9, 2020 18:51 by Ademal

It is not.

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Apr 18, 2020 06:54

How do you create a gallery?

Apr 18, 2020 19:42 by Ademal

From the Images page, which is on the left, click your world and at the bottom of the sidebar you'll see the option to name and create a gallery.   Upload images, then drag them into that gallery, and you'll be able to embed that gallery as a carousel :)

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May 10, 2020 18:02

I recently created a language using Vulgarlang and I see the that there is somehow a feature to upload the language into WA, however, I have no idea how to actually do that. I could use some help, or a "how to" to show people how to actually do it!

May 12, 2020 08:00 by Lengna Olio

alright, there's two ways. The bbcode way, and the import way (through the dictionary tab on the language article.
The first way is labeled with world anvil on it in vulgarlang. You can chop up what you get and place it through your language article. I tend to ignore the language part here and just get the structures and examples.
The second one you save the csv version as a text file and copy that text and place it in the import box in the dictionary tab of the language article.

~Confused Soup
May 26, 2020 11:54

Hello, I'm currently creating a calendar and I realized that it is not possible to link an article in the Even editor section. Will it be changed ? In our campains we wrote multiple session reports and article corresponding and it would be great to be able to link these reports to specific dates.   Thank you in advance for the help.

May 27, 2020 02:16 by Ademal

@ linking doesn't work within the calendar editor currently, but as a workaround for now you can go to the article's editor and grab the article link from the "links" dropdown on the righthand side.

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May 28, 2020 09:44

Thanks !

May 28, 2020 09:47

Question, I have filled the mouseover section of my article but when I read another article with a link to the first one, nothing is displayed when the cursor is on the link. Is this a feature that needs activating ?   Thank you in advance !

Jun 14, 2020 17:51 by Ademal

Check in your world settings under the display tab that DISPLAY ARTICLE TOOLTIPS is checked

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Jul 3, 2020 08:12

A overview of all the fields that I could fill in a article. Per template explained.   I'm reading words and they spark nothing atm, but they could if I got a primer of how each template could be used.

Jul 3, 2020 20:11 by Ademal

Noted!

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Jul 4, 2020 09:47

Much love!

Jul 12, 2020 06:49 by Paul Butler

I recall seeing something that mentioned using @ to create article links, even if the article didnt exist yet. I cant remember how, and a note or guide on that would be helpful.

Jul 12, 2020 21:30 by Ademal

You can find it here, though it looks like that particular section is incomplete.

Content Linking and Mention System
Generic article | Nov 23, 2023

Explains how to easily link the articles and other resources within World Anvil.


The proper way is to type @ articleName[article type]

For example:

  • @ Bob the Builder[person]
  • @ Templars[organization]
  • @ Obelisk[landmark]

Without a space after the at symbols and [brackets] replaced with parenthesis

Sorry for multiposts, it's hard to get the formatting to work right when commenting it.

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Jul 25, 2020 04:50

Hey I keep hearing orphan histories mentioned on the site but none of the tutorials seem to explain how to make one. How do I do that?

Jul 25, 2020 05:41 by Ademal

An orphan history is when you make an event without assigning it to a timeline.

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Jul 25, 2020 17:06

Do you mean I just leave the timeline category blank when making an event?

Jul 25, 2020 18:34 by Ademal

Correct.

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Jul 25, 2020 21:26

Okay. thanks.

Jul 27, 2020 17:38 by Knowva Gale

Ok question--My world and articles are set to public, but when I search for my world on the community tab, it doesn't come up. What's happening?

Jul 27, 2020 18:13 by Ademal

I'm not certain why that's not appearing there. It may be a bug exposed by the short world name.

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Jul 27, 2020 21:04 by Knowva Gale

Thanks for your help! I changed the world name and it seems to be working fine now. That was weird.

Aug 10, 2020 22:40

Is there a way to hide or disable the metadata and organization tree from appearing at the bottom of the articles?

Aug 11, 2020 03:03 by Ademal

Not as a setting currently but if you want a CSS method pop over to the discord (much easier to share code there)

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Aug 11, 2020 03:03 by Ademal

Not as a setting currently but if you want a CSS method pop over to the discord (much easier to share code there)

Check out my summercamp by going here and checking out any of my gold-star articles!

Aug 12, 2020 19:53

I could use an explanation on how to add a custom Icon to the calendar for an event. I don't like the website you guys suggest for it and not sure how to add a custom one. I have a png I want to use just don't know who to use it in the calendar. Thank you for any help you can provide.

Aug 12, 2020 22:45 by Ademal

There is not currently a method to add an image to an event to use as the event icon for that event.

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Aug 12, 2020 22:49

Thank you for the reply. Will there be an option like I am talking about one day?

Aug 13, 2020 16:24 by Ademal

I hadn't really considered it, but see the appeal. I'll add it to the list of potential features! I've been very slow on the calendars, unfortunately, my schedule has been packed.

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Aug 14, 2020 13:00

Quando salvo as alterações feitas no meu mundo, as tabelas somem e as palavras ficam coladas ou viram linhas de código, como faço para voltar ao normal ou ao menos me assegurar de que isso não aconteça?

Aug 15, 2020 09:51

Hi! I can't speak Portuguese, sorry about that // También puedo responder en español si prefieres (pero no sé portugués).   Could you send me a link to the article where you have this issue? Or, if you prefer, a screenshot of the article. I don't understand the problem exactly. Thanks!

[they/them] Creator of Black Light, a science-fantasy universe.
Oct 6, 2020 02:10

Would love a guide on the new Tables. :)

Oct 13, 2020 19:04 by Ademal

Hot off the presses!

Tables
Generic article | Oct 29, 2023

Advanced tables to input and present structured data. The table can be searchable and rollable.

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Dec 20, 2020 20:43 by Stephen Mayville

I don't think I've seen this as an options anywhere, so I suspect this is a feature request on my part.   I really like the Marker Groups option, but I have a fairly large number of maps (29 so far and likely another 60-70 to come) which makes it cumbersome to add the individual Marker Groups to every map - most city maps would have all the same groups (Inn, Tavern, Stable, Shop, etc.) and the same for overlans (lakes, rivers, forests, settlements, etc.).   I'd like to see an option where I could create all the groups and assign them to several templates (overland, city, etc.) of my own making, and then when building a new map, I could use a pull-down to select the appropriate template I've created with the groups I want. I'd still want to be able to add individual groups as needed, but being able to load a template I've created with a dozen groups in a couple of seconds would be amazing. I don't relish the idea of creating 10-15 marker groups in each of the maps I'm building, especially if the number of maps climbs to the 100 mark or more. This feature would also make global changes easy. If I want to change an access to a marker group across dozens of maps, I would simply update one marker group and it would be applied to all the maps using the template which contains that group.   In addition, is this the right place to put in requests? If not, just point me to the page or form and I'll do it there. I have another little one I want to pass along also.   Cheers!

xSpazztic
Feb 20, 2021 13:35

Sorry for the late reply, but this is not the place to make feature request as Dimitris will not see this.   Follow this to make that request.

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Dec 24, 2020 05:04

Does anyone know how to change the name of your world?

Jan 16, 2021 16:42 by Ademal

World settings from the left sidebar of the editor.

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Jan 14, 2021 22:02 by Jack F.

Question --- is there any way to find out how many articles have been made? ever since i got the Journeyman Guild Membership, i have not found it in it's usual placement. Is there any way i can find it without counting every article?

Jan 16, 2021 16:41 by Ademal

Go here and expand the "statistics" dropdown on the right.

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Jan 17, 2021 16:18 by Jack F.

thanks!!

Mar 16, 2021 20:34

How to update maps already posted in World Anvil? E.g: if I add a new city in an already posted mpas it is possible to sobstitute the old map with the new one without loosing the marks?

Mar 27, 2021 22:03 by Ademal

You can replace the image, but if it's a differently sized image then the marks will be in the wrong spot.

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Mar 19, 2021 05:10

I have many game worlds that use 5th edition books not listed, from other second party companies. the spy game rpg, ultramodern5 redux, and genefunk 2090

Mar 27, 2021 22:06 by Ademal

Please submit those as a feature request here.

Check out my summercamp by going here and checking out any of my gold-star articles!

Mar 24, 2021 22:01 by Scott Stokes

It does not seem to send anything to anyone as far as I can see. How do you turn it on, would be a good article, is there some setup article that I am missing?

Happiness is "the exercise of vital powers, along lines of excellence, in a life affording them scope,"
Mar 27, 2021 22:01 by Ademal

What doesn't send? Sorry, not sure what feature you're discussing.

Check out my summercamp by going here and checking out any of my gold-star articles!

Mar 28, 2021 03:52 by Scott Stokes

Sorry, RSS Feed.

Happiness is "the exercise of vital powers, along lines of excellence, in a life affording them scope,"
Mar 28, 2021 19:31 by Ademal

Here ya go!

Check out my summercamp by going here and checking out any of my gold-star articles!

Apr 11, 2021 18:30 by Lenna Richards

A guide to ensuring your world is published! I don't know if people can see my world.

"Fantasy is escapist, and that is its glory. If a soldier is imprisoned by the enemy, don't we consider it his duty to escape?" —J.R.R. Tolkien
Apr 21, 2021 03:41

Hello! I'm new here, but does this basically work like Reddit?

Apr 21, 2021 15:53

Hi! Can you clarify? I see you've been using World Anvil already, so I'm not sure what's the question here!

[they/them] Creator of Black Light, a science-fantasy universe.
May 3, 2021 23:59

Hello! I was having some trouble figuring out how to upload a map for my world at the time, but managed it eventually.

May 4, 2021 10:28

I see! In the future, you can ask your questions in the relevant guide's comments, or you can also join our Discord server where we have a dedicated #help channel. Glad you could figure out the issue, though! :)

[they/them] Creator of Black Light, a science-fantasy universe.
May 25, 2021 16:01

Does anyone know how to remove/delete a map from their world? I'm trying to replace a few of mine with updated versions, but can't seem to figure out how

May 25, 2021 16:49

Hi! You can delete your maps by editing the map, going the Map Settings, then Map Deletion. However, if you just want to replace the map image with an update version, take a look at the "Update map primary image" box (right side of the screen, under Map Settings). This will replace the image without removing any pins or other settings (although the pins will need to be manually readjusted if the new map has a different resolution). Hope this helps!

[they/them] Creator of Black Light, a science-fantasy universe.
May 28, 2021 15:19

Thanks!

Jul 23, 2021 18:01

I was wondering if there was a guide on how to start making maps, thanks!

Jul 24, 2021 21:30

Hi! You can use World Anvil to make your maps interactive, but you'll have to draw them using another software (your choice!)

[they/them] Creator of Black Light, a science-fantasy universe.
Jul 25, 2021 08:45

I see a lot of instructions on how to share content, but none on how to access shared content. I can set up alpha readers, for example, following the instructions outlined, but I do not know how they are supposed to access that content from their account. It doesn't show up on the 'view world' screen of the world memberships tab. Where are they supposed to access it if not there?

Jul 25, 2021 18:55

Just like how a regular reader would access it if the content was public! They can either use the search bar to look for the article, or you can send them a direct link (to the presentation side of the article). Let me know if that works! (I'm assuming that's for a friend, since you don't seem to be a Guild member).

[they/them] Creator of Black Light, a science-fantasy universe.
Aug 11, 2021 20:15 by Knowone

I need some help, I have created a extensive universe outside of world anvil. The interface is meant for one world but I have dozens of planets, galaxies, and even a large multiverse. how do I convert them into your website?

Aug 12, 2021 09:34

Hi! A "world" in World Anvil is not a literal planet, you can treat it as a synonym for "setting" or "project". So you can create one for the whole multiverse and put everything in. Galaxies and planets would be considered "geographical locations". Hope this helps, let me know if you need more guidance!

[they/them] Creator of Black Light, a science-fantasy universe.
Sep 20, 2021 00:20

I have a question, I created an event for my timeline which starts at 15,000 to 0, but it pops up at the Current Era and all the way in the First Era, when it should be centered in the middle. What features should I click to re-orient it?

Sep 20, 2021 11:19

In order to help you I'd need to see your full timeline. Feel free to send a link here, or join our Discord server, where we have a real-time help channel!

[they/them] Creator of Black Light, a science-fantasy universe.
Sep 20, 2021 14:02

It'll send it here first: History of Montessori   https://www.worldanvil.com/w/gods-amongst-suns-26-orphans-nagaprince/t/history-of-montessori-timeline

Sep 21, 2021 09:31

So I'm not sure which is the event you're having trouble with, but I see that the first era starts at -11000, so if the event is set to begin at -15000 it should appear outside this era. Please, give me more details. I can't help you if I don't know exactly what you want to do (which event are we talking about?). A screenshot of the event's configuration could be helpful too.

[they/them] Creator of Black Light, a science-fantasy universe.
Sep 21, 2021 16:32

I apologize for I struck up on discord and someone named Dialga helped me, so I ended up with that configuration for my timeline. I was having an issue with the initial event which was Surya. My question now is if you may partake with me, is how do I hide the -3300 for the Surya event, when the Timeline Era's doesn't showcase the negative when it is infact applied to them?

Sep 24, 2021 10:00

Hi! Glad you could get help from Discord! If you want to change the displayed date for an even, go to the event's advanced options (click the little "Show Advanced Options" toggle at the bottom when editing it) and find the "alternative display name" field. Whatever you write in it will replace the -3300 year.

[they/them] Creator of Black Light, a science-fantasy universe.
Oct 4, 2021 12:10

How do I publish an article? I don't pay for World Anvil, so I can only have 20 articles. I got a notification saying I need to either delete or publish an article if I want to make another. I have an article I'm ready to publish but I don't know how to do it.

Oct 5, 2021 10:04

Hi! So, just to clarify, as a freeman you can have up to 175 articles, it's just that only 20 of these can be drafts. To publish a draft, go to the top right panel and find the "Draft" toggle (should be red). Click it and it will turn into "Published", along with the article being published too. Hope this helps!

[they/them] Creator of Black Light, a science-fantasy universe.
Nov 1, 2021 15:09

Thank you so much! This really helps.

Nov 19, 2021 18:01

Could you make an article on making languages? I can’t find any examples and I’m a little confused as to how this article template worlds.

Nov 20, 2021 11:16

We'll keep this in mind, there was a project to make a short guide or example for each template. What are you having trouble with specifically? Maybe I can help you out!

[they/them] Creator of Black Light, a science-fantasy universe.
Nov 20, 2021 19:07

well, there's a few really but those ones I can figure out easily on my own, the one I'm mostly having problems with is the Languages template, when I go to the template specific prompts it links a website to help for phonetics but how do I copy and paste in the table it generates? and what do the other template prompts mean?

Nov 21, 2021 10:43

I see! Both the linked page and the template prompts are meant to be used only if you want to build a conlang (constructed language), that is, a language with detailed grammar, syntax, and so on.   For the VulgarLang integration, after generating the language on VulgarLang, find the "Saving options" button at the top. Several options will appear, two of which are relevant to World Anvil. The "Spreadsheet (CSV)" option will give you a vocabulary list that you can paste on World Anvil (in the Dictionary tab) to import all word. The "World Anvil (BBCode)" button will give you a BBCode version that you can paste on the vignette of the article to have the full generated language on World Anvil in a structured way.   As for the other template prompts (phonology, morphology, etc.), these are all specialised areas of linguistics that will be relevant to you if you want to build a conlang. If that's the case, I suggest you do some research on linguistics or conlanging (YouTube channels like Artifexian have good content about this). If you don't want a full conlang, you can ignore them. Remember that template prompts are always optional!

[they/them] Creator of Black Light, a science-fantasy universe.
Nov 29, 2021 09:25

I think I'm going to need to request a guide. I'm very interested in creating my story for others.

Nov 29, 2021 10:38

Hi! In this case, you might be interested in the writer's workflow!

[they/them] Creator of Black Light, a science-fantasy universe.
Jan 17, 2022 20:34

How do you get rid of maps you don't want anymore ?

Jan 18, 2022 10:37

You can delete them. Go to the map settings -> map deletion -> delete button

[they/them] Creator of Black Light, a science-fantasy universe.
Feb 6, 2022 22:57 by Alex LEE

Hello, I'd like to know what are the pre-conditions for a language to be available for choosing in "World -> Settings -> Advanced -> Language"? In particular, I'd like to know when Ukrainian language will be available for the Community to choose from. Thank you!

Apr 8, 2022 08:49

Hi! Currently the translations project is on stand-by, so for now the first thing that needs to happen is for the project to be relaunched. This will happen this year, but I don't know when exactly. Stay tuned to the translations Discord server, that's where you'll get all the news.

[they/them] Creator of Black Light, a science-fantasy universe.
Apr 10, 2022 20:00 by Cooper Christian

Is there a way to let my players see a stat block without making it visible to everyone?

Apr 12, 2022 07:50

You can embed the block in an article and use subscriber groups to only allow your players to see it. This should work!

[they/them] Creator of Black Light, a science-fantasy universe.
Sep 12, 2022 21:27

Hi, I am a new-be. I tried to put a map in the other day, but it didn't work. Is there a program code or something?

Sep 13, 2022 07:49

Hi! I'm not sure what you mean, so I'll tell you how the map process works on World Anvil and then you can ask a more specific question if you want. So basically, you go to the "Maps" section on the sidebar, create a new map, upload your map, and then you can make the map interactive (like, add pins, layers, etc.). Once you're done, go to the "Maps" section again and click on the name of the map you want to copy. This will copy a BBCode tag into your clipboard that you can then paste in an article to embed the map.   Let me know if that solves your problem!

[they/them] Creator of Black Light, a science-fantasy universe.
Jan 12, 2023 22:55

I know that video tutorials and wikis are the norm for product support these days, but would you ever consider publishing a "World Anvil for Dummies" styled manual as a printable PDF ebook for olds like me who learn better from reading a book in a structured order?   Personally, I learn a lot more about a subject by flipping through the pages of a comprehensive reference book than I do reading a wiki, because I see features that I would have never even thought to search for or click on otherwise. It also really helps with the feeling of being overwhelmed and not knowing where to start or what to read next because you just start with chapter 1 and read them in order while skipping/skimming anything not relevant to what you want to learn.   I'm not suggesting that someone do a bunch of extra work to write a book on top of the help wiki. There should be a way to assign the existing articles to a hierarchical order, then run the wiki through some sort of LaTeX converter that automatically formats it as a book with a Table of Contents, Index, correctly labeled figures and cross-references, etc.   If your programmers are really clever, there could even be a "Print Manual" button that generates a PDF ebook on demand from the current version of the help wiki. But if that is too complicated then periodically publishing a new edition whenever there's major feature changes also works fine.

Jan 13, 2023 09:14

Hi! This is currently not planned. I'll make a note of it, although I'm guessing that won't be possible. World Anvil is in constant development, which means that the PDFs would very quickly become outdated (most of our tutorial videos have outdated segments, for example).   As for your print button, same as above—but thanks for the suggestion and I'll bring it up!

[they/them] Creator of Black Light, a science-fantasy universe.
Jan 24, 2023 19:38 by LL Keyes

I've been a customer for 30 minutes. The one thing I needed from the codex in order for me to begin was to "make world private'. No articles were returned on this topic search. That would be supremely helpful. It seems to be complex AF, as I've spent 30 minutes watching videos and trying to find the screens to do it.

Jan 25, 2023 09:56

Hi! To make the world private, you can go to the world settings (gear icon at the bottom of the left sidebar) and use the "Privacy State" dropdown on the right. Make sure to click the save button.   We're in the process of overhauling the documentation of the site, as we're aware the Codex can be a bit hard to navigate. Thank you for your patience!

[they/them] Creator of Black Light, a science-fantasy universe.
Jul 5, 2023 17:06 by Anne Gaal

I agree that when I first started here at World Anvil, my number one priority was to "make world private," and it was tremendously difficult to find out how to do this. Perhaps a new Codex listed under "Basics," just after "Getting Started Guide," you could create a short new entry for "Make World Private"??? Thanks for considering this suggestion.

Feb 13, 2023 20:22 by Anton Palikhov

It will be very useful for me if you create more expanded guide with screenshots about random generators


  Cyborgs and Mages - blog,
Feb 15, 2023 08:24

Noted! Let me know if you have specific questions and I'll do my best to help.

[they/them] Creator of Black Light, a science-fantasy universe.
Mar 8, 2023 05:27

Hello, I am pretty new here. I am having trouble with hyperlinks. I like using forgotten realms wiki pages for reference, but I can't seem to get them to work on the articles. I bracketed it with the url button but when I do that it doesn't show up on the world view. If I go back to the edit, it is still there but I can't view it form the world. I tried to just paste the url without the brackets and it shows up but just the text. Is it possible to create a hyperlink for outside webpages that shows up in the world view?

Mar 8, 2023 09:02

Hi! For pages outside of your world, use the [url] tag. For example, [url:https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Main_Page]Forgotten Realms Wiki[/url] wil create this: Forgotten Realms Wiki. Hope this helps!

[they/them] Creator of Black Light, a science-fantasy universe.
Mar 10, 2023 02:40

oh! got it. Thank you!

Mar 18, 2023 16:03

AS far as I see, you can't create the base map in world anvil. Where do you make the maps? What are alternatives?

Mar 20, 2023 08:59

That's correct! World Anvil isn't a mapmaking software. You can make maps elsewhere (we recommend Dungeon Fog for battle maps. For world maps you can try Inkarnate or Wonderdraft) and then import the image file here to make it interactive. This guide explains how the interactive map system works: https://www.worldanvil.com/w/WorldAnvilCodex/a/maps

[they/them] Creator of Black Light, a science-fantasy universe.
Mar 23, 2023 17:47

Thank you! Now I have this wonderdraft map ready but it is larger than my screen res, and I don't want to downsize it to take a screenshot. Do you have any suggestion on how can I upload it?

Mar 24, 2023 08:51

Screen resolution has nothing to do with upload limits, it's all about the size of the field itself (in MB). For maps in free accounts, it's 3.5 MB. In order to upload the map, you'll need to compress the image until it's under 3.5 MB.

[they/them] Creator of Black Light, a science-fantasy universe.
Mar 21, 2023 17:04

It would be greatly appreciated if a guide to definitions of the assorted geographical locations, economical and political strata could be added, as at the moment I'm looking through them and going "I have no idea whether this would fit or not", and it feels like you're assuming we would automatically know.

Mar 23, 2023 11:02

Hi! These are all terms used in the real world, so resources like Wikipedia will be useful for at least most terms there. In any case, we are planning to have our own resource defining these tems at some point in the future.

[they/them] Creator of Black Light, a science-fantasy universe.
May 10, 2023 18:52

Question what rank are you able to join a world if you want to join?

May 11, 2023 09:04

If you want to be added to another person's world as a co-author, the owner of the world needs to be a Guild member of any rank. You don't need a specific rank—just give them your username and they'll add you as a co-author.

[they/them] Creator of Black Light, a science-fantasy universe.
May 11, 2023 18:18

ok thank you and do you want to do a roleplay

May 10, 2023 23:06

Can someone make a guide for conditions?

May 11, 2023 09:04

What sort of guide are you looking for?

[they/them] Creator of Black Light, a science-fantasy universe.
Jul 5, 2023 16:59 by Anne Gaal

Suggestion #1: Please add an entry for "Character (& Deity) Template" under "Article Templates" with instruction on using it and all of the options underneath "Show Template Specific Prompts & Connections," including Deities. The reason why I suggest including Deity in parentheses is to help newbies like me figure that out!   Suggestion #2: Please update the name of the "Species Template" to "Species (& Monster) Template." And, add a section about how to use the template for Monsters, including links to "Guide to Statblocks" at https://www.worldanvil.com/w/WorldAnvilCodex/a/sheets - and pre-existing statblocks for different RPG systems, such as the ones for D&D 5e at: https://www.worldanvil.com/community/rpg/system/dnd5e. Again, as a newbie, it was very difficult to figure all of this out. Naming or renaming the template entries would help, as well as links about where to go to find out more.   Thank you for considering these suggestions! <3

Jul 5, 2023 17:53

Hi! If you want to suggest new features to the dev team, please use this page instead: https://www.worldanvil.com/community/voting/. That said, a couple of thoughts:

  1. I'm not sure what your first suggestion is about—could you elaborate? Where do you want this entry to be added?
  2. For suggestion 2, this is unlikely to be implemented even if you request it. I understand the reasoning, but calling animals "monsters" is a very D&D-specific thing (see the Monster Manual). World Anvil is system-agnostic (and our tools are for writers too!). If we added specific types of species to the template name, the template would have to be called "Species (& Monsters & Animals & Sapient Species & Plants & Fungi & Bacteria ...)". That said, we do have a couple of ideas to make it easier to find the template you're looking for.
If you have any other questions, ask away!

[they/them] Creator of Black Light, a science-fantasy universe.
Jan 21, 2024 21:46 by Tony

Equipment Page On the NPC profile, I notice there is an Equipment menu and I used it. However it does not add to the character sheet equipment box. Seems like a useless redundancy. What is the purpose of this menu item? Only to return an encumbrance number? I use the D&D 3.5 character sheet format. I DO see there is a blank, fill in yourself box way at the bottom of the NPC chr sheet. This is just an area for freeform entries. Does not really make me warm and fuzzy.   What is the purpose of the menu item "Equipment"? Why is there two locations for "Equipment", one being on the chr sheet for editing and the menu item there in the profile?

Zio Tony, GameMaster since 1983.
Jan 22, 2024 06:33

Hi! The reason for the split is that not all RPG systems on World Anvil have a character sheet. By having a dedicated Equipment tab, players of these systems can still track their equipment on their character (and players of systems with a character sheet can choose the option they prefer).   Please note that character sheets are created by members of the community, not by the World Anvil Team. Therefore, it's up to the sheet's creator to decide how they want to implement features like Equipment within the character sheet.   I hope this clears it up, let me know if you need more help!

[they/them] Creator of Black Light, a science-fantasy universe.
Feb 12, 2024 05:12 by Beldro Mercier

Question : As a GM, one of my players created an item in Equipment on their character profile. I don't seem to have access to it to do anything except delete it. Is it as intended? It's confusing that those item aren't the same as the item type article. Also, another character has made a spelling mistake I am trying to correct (since I saw it) on their profile. but I am unable to edit the character profile. the character page no problem, but not the profile.

Feb 15, 2024 06:55

Hi! That's correct, this is how the system works currently. The Equipment list (assuming you mean the "Equipment" tab in the character profile) is simply a list with free-form fields and character profiles belong to the players. We are planning to update the campaign manager at some point, so the way things work may change in the future.

[they/them] Creator of Black Light, a science-fantasy universe.