Thread:Brett3801/@comment-31330196-20200105005007/@comment-31330196-20200105210532

Okay, I see what you mean, I looked through a recent edit and saw this: " ☀ " When editing in VisualEditor, the editor tries to make everything you type into text rather than a format/template, basically meaning, you need to use the "reference button" in order to add a reference in VisualEditor, which isn't good because it defaults to ":0" and such for ref names. Since you typed " ". the editor automatically added the "nowiki" parameters around it when you submitted your edit. The "nowiki" parameters basically get rid of any formulating within it, so instead of getting a reference, which you did correctly btw, the actual text was put there instead.

That's also why VisualEditor can be nasty sometimes since it adds things you didn't even type yourself. Just a few weeks ago someone was editing Gamora's page and unbeknownst to them over 800 excess characters of and were added without them knowing since VisualEditor tends to add things you didn't mean to put there.

Basically, if you want to add a reference, it needs to be done in SourceMode, otherwise things like that will happen. SourceMode can be scary at first but after a while you get used to it.