A dummy edit is a slight change in an article's wikitext that has no effect on the rendered page but allows you to save a useful edit summary. This is like a SMS (Short Message Service).

To make a "dummy edit" just make a slight non-rendering change to the page, fill out the edit summary with your short message including this tag: [[WP:dummy edit]] (include the four square brackets), and save your change. (Note that a null edit does not modify the wikitext and does not allow you to leave an edit summary.)

Uses for dummy edits:

• Correcting a previous edit summary
• Repairing insufficient attribution for copy-and-pasted Wikipedia content
• Addressing an accidental use of rollback
• Providing a note, from a user while logged-in, that notes an edit performed while logged out
• Sending brief messages regarding editing issues
• Providing proof of activity from time to time by a dormant but not dead user
• Prompting a bot to re-examine a page