This will:
- Add vertical height between the end of one section and the start of the next section.
- Be confusing when there are multiple sections in a row that appear to be nested. It may be unclear where the buttons for the corresponding section are, especially for H=1
Code:
[h=1]Big Section[/h]
Small content.
[h=2]Next Heading #1[/h]
Big content.
[h=3]Next Heading #2[/h]
Big content.
[h=1]Next Big Section[/h]
When this renders, a user might expect that the controls for Big Section will appear at the end of Next Heading #2's content, because it all renders as a single block. However, the controls for Next Heading #2 would be in that spot. The controls for Big Section would actually appear before Next Heading #1 even starts. Pinning the controls to the corresponding section heading avoids confusion like this.
- When users want to edit "Next Heading #1" and have to scroll to find the edit button for that section, especially if its text is very long, they will be annoyed (especially if the button is not where they expect - see previous point). It will not be as obvious as finding the edit button of a forum post, because the section containers are not separated like posts are.
- Sections of a wiki page, as well as the wiki pages they comprise, are not like individual forum posts, and it is important to maintain the distinction. Styling them more and more like forum posts can lead to additional confusion among users, including using wiki sections, or the wiki pages themselves, in inappropriate ways that forum posts are more suited for.
The current wiki section controls do not contribute to these problems.
This "inconsistency" has existed for the entire life of VaultWiki, since VaultWiki 2.x (vBulletin 3.6 had post-bottom controls too), and it was an active decision to create the inconsistency due to the above reasons. I do not recall any complaints about it in the past 9 years.