Does anyone else think the complexity of the markup is an explanation declining editorship?

Hi 70.71.15.41. Do you not see the cite tool where you're editing? It is essentially what you're asking for. I used to edit citations like you (copying and editing the cites of other people) and it was awful: this tool solves that problem.

I think it's enabled as part of Vector by default on all language-versions, but a few people around the office tell me they don't see it, probably because they've customized their interface with a gadget that displaces it.

Here's a screencapture.

Essentially, you click "Cite" on the upper right, which reveals the Templates pulldown.

Hi Sue. I've never seen that, so I guess I tweaked my interface. If I did, I have no recall of how I did it, or how to fix it, or what "Vector" is, or... But anyway, even if there is a wizard with macros for generating the markup, the problem as I see it isn't generating the markup -- it's the markup itself.

Here's a dramatization of the conundrum, as I see it:

A potential new editor's reaction to markup is dominated by the complexity of the markup, not the availability of tools for generating the markup.

Yeah, the solution needs to go beyond macros, shortcuts, and buttons. It has to go into full "WYSIWYG" mode. I know that takes time.

Babbage, your image is hilarious: I posted copies around the office. Yes, you and RandomRan are correct: we need the Visual Editor (WYSIWYG). The cite tool's just a short-term workaround which fixes one particularly annoying problem.