Wikipedia:Help desk

Welcome—ask questions about how to use or edit Wikipedia! (Am I in the right place?)

• For other types of questions, use the search box, see the reference desk or Help:Contents. If you have comments about a specific article, use that article's talk page.
• Do not provide your email address or any other contact information. Answers will be provided on this page only.
• If your question is about a Wikipedia article, draft article, or other page on Wikipedia, tell us what it is!
• Check back on this page to see if your question has been answered.
• For real-time help, use our IRC help channel, #wikipedia-en-help.
• New editors may prefer the Teahouse, a help area for beginners (but please don't ask in both places).

Ask a question

November 13

Middleton family

Refs number 142 and 143 are the same - please combine and leave in the quote - I failed when trying to do this. thank you in advance. 115.70.23.77 (talk) 01:19, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

Done, Please check if that was what you intended @115.70.23.77. CF-501 Falcon (talk) 01:26, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

CF-501 Falcon, Help:Notifications tells us "Notifications are displayed to the right of the username and user talk links in the top link bar of the page for logged-in users" (my emphasis). Not for users not logged in. For this questioner, you may wish to ping User:Srbernadette. -- Hoary (talk) 06:53, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

Got it, will keep in mind for next time. CF-501 Falcon (talk) 12:29, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

Map overlay

I need some help with the map overlay. On my sandbox, I've been working with the {{Location map many}} template and trying to overlay File:Blank map of Europe 1914.svg on top for contemporary borders. I can't seem to figure it out. Any help would be well appreciated; thanks in advance. ThaesOfereode (talk) 01:30, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

Not able to create global user for wikimedia

I was trying to create global user name but failed many a times. Kindly help me please. Kheng Singye Dorji (KSD) (talk) 06:38, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

I mean global user account Kheng Singye Dorji (KSD) (talk) 06:40, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

Hi Kheng Singye Dorji (KSD), what is the problem, you seem to be using Wikipedia:Unified login on several projects. You also seem to have created a Wikipedia:Global user page at Meta, you can't see it at en Wikipedia as you have created a local page. TSventon (talk) 06:51, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

Do I need a citation for information about a species that is visibly obvious in images of it?

I am working on an article about the damselfly Matrona basilaris and am running into an odd issue: all the sources I can find discussing the species only mention what I assume is the coloration of the females and juvenile males: dark brown. However, it is plainly obvious from images of the species that many of them are instead metallic green-blue. I assume that these vibrantly-colored ones are the males, as this is the case in other species of Matrona damselflies. Again, I cannot find a reputable source that describes this green-blue coloration, but it is obvious from images of the species. Does that mean I can only describe them as dark brown? Or am I allowed to describe them as also being green-blue without a citation, since it is obvious from looking at them? I feel it would be rather odd to have an article describing the species solely as dark brown while images on the very same page show blue-green individuals. Nephila121 (talk) 12:47, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

Sounds like editor synthesis of image sources to me. Best to stick with what the sources say, even if it seems obvious. Also, it might be a good idea to check and make sure you're using images of the correct species - I've been guilty of jumping to conclusions in this manner before. Departure– (talk) 14:31, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

Nephila121, Here's a source that refers to "Matrona basilaris, a beautiful calopterygid damselfly with a metallic-colored body and gorgeous wings," and another (from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in Japan) that says "The body of the male ranges in color from a metallic bluish green to a yellowish green, and the wings are glossy black with a purple tinge." I'm guessing that those are both WP:RS. Here's a bibliography that might turn up some other sources. FactOrOpinion (talk) 22:13, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

Short translation is disallowed by AbuseFilter for no apparent reason (I'm a new user)

I'm trying to translate the page Quo warranto into Turkish. I translated the first paragraph almost word by word but AbuseFilter is giving me the error abusefilter-disallowed-contenttranslation without any specification. There seems to me to be no formatting issues with my translation. I'm pasting the translation below. Is this only because I'm a new user? I signed up today.

"Anglo-Sakson ortak hukuk (İngilizce: common law) sisteminde, quo warranto (Orta Çağ Latincesinde "hangi yetkiyle?" anlamına gelir), bir mahkeme tarafından edilen ve kişinin iddia ettiği hak, güç veya imtiyazı kullanmak için hangi yetkiye sahip olduğunu göstermesini talep eden resmi bir emirdir. Quo warranto emri İngiltere ve Galler'de yürürlükten kaldırılmıştır. Yaygın kullanılmamakla birlikte Amerika Birleşik Devletleri'nde hâlâ geçerlidir. Quo warranto emri Filipinler'de de biraz farklı bir biçimiyle kullanılır." Takosis (talk) 13:35, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

If you are translating using Content Translation Tool, it can only be used by accounts that are extended confirmed. You can just directly create a new article on the Turkish Wikipedia and link that to Quo Warranto through Wikidata when you're done. Tutwakhamoe (talk) 15:38, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

@Takosis: Rules vary between Wikipedia languages. The Turkish Wikipedia does not have the extended confirmed user group of the English Wikipedia but they require you to be member of the Turkish user group translator (Çevirmenler). See tr:Vikipedi:Çevirmenler. PrimeHunter (talk) 21:06, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

Relisting: How many readers, and percentage figures (thanks)

I'm not sure how to read the numbers, and have read varying tallies and estimates, so would like to know an accurate count/percentage to quote when needed:

1) How many individual readers view English Wikipedia daily? (average or approximate) Does a count correctly reflect each individual reader or does it add '1' each time a different page is clicked (even if by the same reader)?

2) What percentage of these readers view English Wikipedia on mobile and how many on desktop/laptop?

Thanks ahead of time. As a p.s., the 'Help' button at the top of my watchpage goes to MediaWiki and not to a relevant Wikipedia in-house page, which seems counter-productive (maybe a Wikipedia page can provide this information?). Randy Kryn (talk) 13:01, 8 November 2024 (UTC)

[1] may be of help, I think there's a filter for mobile and the like. Lee Vilenski ^{(talk • contribs)} 19:40, 9 November 2024 (UTC)

Thanks Lee Vilenski, but I'm lost in exactly how to dig out the answers to my two questions in that link. Can someone better at maths and coding than myself have a look and find the answers (for unique devices, etc.) Thanks. Randy Kryn (talk) 13:46, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

One answer seems to be at stats:#/en.wikipedia.org/reading/unique-devices. The most recent data I was able to find on stats: about mobile views is from 2016, so not even relevant enough to link here.

I've seen numbers ranging from around 40% to 60% for mobile pageviews, and I'm not figuring out how to find any supporting research. WhatamIdoing might know where to find it. Folly Mox (talk) 19:44, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

See Template:Navbox visibility and its instructions for the mobile pageviews.

Page views are counted every time the page is loaded. If you hit the Reload button 10 times, then the page views count will increment 10 times. (They do try to exclude automated bots/spiders/web crawlers from these numbers, but they can't detect everything.)

One detail that I find fascinating is that mobile users are less likely than desktop users to click on links. Going Down the rabbit hole is usually an activity for desktop users. WhatamIdoing (talk) 00:04, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

Thanks Folly Mox and WhatamIdoing. I've been quoted 80% mobile in a discussion, which seemed low and prompted this question in order to have a definitive number. The number of English Wikipedia views a day from unique devices must be available somewhere which then, when figured with the percentage of mobile etc., would give the approximate number of how many millions of readers view the site on laptop/desktop per day (which I'm seeking to have handy when other editors discuss jettisoning active features). Thanks again, and the search goes on... Randy Kryn (talk) 13:00, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

WhatamIdoing answered your question exactly though? Following her link, I got to unique mobile devices over the past 30 days (around 50 million per day); cf. unique desktop devices over the same period (around 20 million per day).

You can play with the sample period and other parameters just by clickingtapping dropdowns; no technical aptitude required. The 30-day statistic is very close to the 90-day statistic.

So to answer your questions very directly with current data, 1. about 70 million unique devices access English Wikipedia each day 2. of which about 5⁄7 (≈ seventy per cent) are mobile devices. Folly Mox (talk) 13:34, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

Thanks Folly Mox, that's exactly what I was looking for, and in round numbers too. Much appreciated. Randy Kryn (talk) 14:21, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

Saving an article via Desktop view

When using the app (on Android), I enjoy the "Save" button feature, as I can add interesting articles to a collection or "list." However, when I'm browsing on Desktop (Chrome), I see no "Save" or "Add to List" feature. Am I missing this somewhere? If it does not exist, where do I suggest it via feedback?

-Thanks Vanquish5111 (talk) 14:40, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

Vanquish5111 The "publish changes" button should be understood to mean "save"; it does not mean "publish this to the encyclopedia". It used to say "save", but was changed to emphasize that all edits are "published" to public view. I'm kinda surprised to hear the app doesn't do that. 331dot (talk) 14:58, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

It sounds to me like Vanquish is talking about adding articles to a watchlist, or maybe a set of favourites, rather than actually trying to publish changes. Does anyone use the Android App, maybe they could comment on this? Girth Summit _(blether) 15:05, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

This is the "Reading list" feature available in both apps per :mw:Wikimedia Apps/Android FAQ § Reading lists and offline reading and :mw:Wikimedia Apps/iOS FAQ § Saved Pages and Reading lists. It's not available for web browsers.

Vanquish5111, feature requests are accepted at m:Community Wishlist. Folly Mox (talk) 19:55, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

@Vanquish5111: As far as I'm aware, that feature's only available on the mobile apps. You can save articles to your watchlist in both, if I recall correctly. —Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 ) 16:40, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

I need help please

I want to add new languages to a page in Wikipedia but I don't know how to do it. Can someone help me? User332224 (talk) 15:22, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

Could you be more specific as to what you want to do, and what article or articles you are referencing? 331dot (talk) 15:30, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

I mean to translate Eye pinning into Spanish. User332224 (talk) 15:37, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

See WP:TRANSLATE for guidance on how to translate an article(specifically "translation to other languages")- though you will need to go to the Spanish Wikipedia to see if they have more specific policies or procedures. 331dot (talk) 15:41, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

@User332224 More details at WP:TrU for translating from English to other languages. Mike Turnbull (talk) 17:14, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

Unless you're a robot, thanks for help :) User332224 (talk) 14:51, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

Sporadic LUA Error at line xxx in refs

Did they break something in the weekly back-end work? It's happened across several articles when I could find no discernable coding errors in refs. In one example, I noticed it in one rev and not in another rev, so I restored the older rev, then reveted back to the rev that had the issue, but the error wasn't present after reverting back to what it was in the first place, so I think it's something on the back-end. Graywalls (talk) 17:58, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

@Graywalls: Pages are cached for performance reasons. It sounds like there was an issue at the time of the caching but not when you made the edits. You can make a purge to update the cached version without editing the page. PrimeHunter (talk) 20:03, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

So, does pending changes disable edit conflicts or something? Folly Mox (talk) 20:51, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

I think this was first brought up last month at Help talk:Citation Style 1/Archive 96 § Errors at line 2083 and § Lua error. Purging the page cache seems to have resolved the error for the people who discussed it there. Folly Mox (talk) 20:02, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

I haven't had this happen until today. Graywalls (talk) 20:19, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

Getting a page unflagged

Getting a page unflagged Catya Plate's page has been flagged for "A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject." I am her personal assistant and trying to work on getting this unflagged. She had hired someone years ago to write it, I've reread it with the guidelines and don't see a reason for why it is flagged. Please advise us on how to go about this. Thank you very much. And the page is this: Catya Plate Radhika48825 (talk) 19:18, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

@Radhika48825 As her personal assistant you have and need to declare a WP:COI if you intend to make any edits to the article.

With regard to the existing flag, editors here will use mature judgement about that. 🇺🇦 Fiddle^Timtrent Faddle^Talk to me 🇺🇦 19:25, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

If you are paid to be her assistant, you are a paid editor and the Terms of Use require disclosure, see WP:PAID. 331dot (talk) 19:27, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

This is being discussed at Talk:Catya Plate#Efforts to unflag the page. I have changed the flag from COI to UPE. Ah the law of unintended consequences, not to mention a mini Streisand effect. 🇺🇦 Fiddle^Timtrent Faddle^Talk to me 🇺🇦 19:33, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

Including tags while excluding others

Is it possible to search for certain tags while excluding others in recent changes/watchlist filters? (e.g. #possible vandalism and not#Reverted). If not, are there other tools I could use to achieve something similar? LaffyTaffer (talk) 19:43, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

Why is there a corruption index for the entire on Corruption in India even though the article is only for India.

There is an image at the front of the article showing the global corruption index, should it be something like districts in India or something else? ミラへぜ (talk) 21:27, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

Probably because nobody's prepared such an index or map. If you have reliable sources for the data, you can create the image. ColinFine (talk) 23:36, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

Tool for generating ASCII URL does not work

I was editing Draft:Seven Months' War, which included a reference with the url https://ставрополь.рф/city/pasport_goroda/history.php, which generated a Check |url= value error, so I clicked the hidden error category and got to Category:CS1 errors: URL, which says that URLs with non-Latin characters must be converted. I clicked the "IDN Conversion Tool" link, which goes to Internationalized Domain Name (IDN) Conversion Tool and entered the URL and pressed the green Convert button. The result was blank for ASCII and the same URL back again for UNICODE. Why did this tool not work, and is there another tool that does work? Anyway, I fixed the problem another way. I moused over the URL, right clicked, and in the popup, clicked on "Copy URL", and that copied the ASCII URL https://xn--80ae1alafffj1i.xn--p1ai/city/pasport_goroda/history.php. If the "IDN Conversion Tool" page doesn't work, perhaps instructions on Category:CS1 errors: URL should be modified to say to do what I did. —Anomalocaris (talk) 21:52, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

@Anomalocaris: It's a tool for domains, not url's. The domain part of https://ставрополь.рф/city/pasport_goroda/history.php is ставрополь.рф which is converted to xn--80ae1alafffj1i.xn--p1ai by the tool, giving the same end result as your method. Many editors may use browsers which don't allow that method. I have added "Only enter the domain in the tool and not the full url" to the link.[2] PrimeHunter (talk) 23:21, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

PrimeHunter: Thank you for editing Help:CS1 errors#Check |url= value. This does work. For people who don't think about domains separately from URLs, this is a bit subtle. You have to snip out and convert the non-ASCII domain and then concatenate three parts: http:// or its variant, the ASCII-ized domain, and the trailing portion of the URL. Anyway, your instructions are an improvement. —Anomalocaris (talk) 06:59, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

November 14

I did not create this ... not intentionally, anyway

A strange situation has come up, and I was hoping somebody can explain what is going on. Background: I often run AWB against recently created articles to pick up typos etc. But I was just notified that back in June, I am listed as CREATING a article (Draft:Turkic conquest of Asia Minor (please salt original)). The page history shows the first edit is me using AWB to fix some typos, but this shows up as a page creation. I can see that Fram subsequently moved the original version to Draft and added the "please salt original" to the name. But why am I shown as creator? And can I then delete it? Gronk Oz (talk) 00:28, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

I presume that Fram knows what happened. TSventon (talk) 01:03, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

Maybe you started editing one of these but didn't save until after it had been moved? DuncanHill (talk) 01:55, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

@Gronk Oz: Yes, Fram moved a version of Turkic conquest of the Minor Asia to Draft:Turkic conquest of Minor Asia () without leaving a redirect.[3] Before this you had started an edit of the page (or at least AWB had loaded the page) but you saved it 14 minutes after the move.[4] At the time it became a page creation since the original page had been moved without leaving a redirect. I don't know what a browser edit would have done in this situation but AWB just created the page. The diff of your changes to the moved page is [5]. Fram then also moved your accidental page creation to draftspace. Pages can only be deleted by administrators. Do you want me to delete it? PrimeHunter (talk) 02:16, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

@PrimeHunter: - Wow, that is a trap for young players (and not so young). Thanks for explaining what happened. Yes, I would be grateful if you would delete it.--Gronk Oz (talk) 08:34, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

I have deleted it. PrimeHunter (talk) 12:06, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

Jean Gabin

Apparently, this is Wikipedia's current article for improvement – and I can help edit it!

But that final exclamation mark in that header pissed me the fuck off. Gabin is one of my screen heroes. I would have done my very utmost to find new sources, and added them to at least the References, or even to the Bibliography with approved citations, templated or not according the article's existing reffing scheme - main non. Je me fous de tout point d'exclamation. C'est tout a fait inutile d'employer tel point, soit réportage cité d'un expression d'éclat, un sursaut personnel, un éruption d'esprit mal contenu. Mais ce n'est pas ce qu'on veut. A celui qui a osé d'écrire cet invitation: ta mère. Point maudit! MinorProphet (talk) 02:11, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

This this the Help Desk for English Wikipedia. Please use the appropriate language. 192.168.1.255 (talk) 02:15, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

Perhaps Google Translate has missed some subtleties of your prose (my French has half a century of rust on it), but the cause of your annoyance evades me. This is a standard template text (not tailored for this particular article) reminding ordinary readers of the fact – doubtless surprising to many – that they too, not just some elite, can contribute to Wikipedia by improving articles. As such the exclamation mark is, in English prose, entirely appropriate. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 94.7.95.48 (talk) 02:34, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

Yeah, Exclamation mark#English includes "may indicate astonishment or surprise". PrimeHunter (talk) 02:52, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

If a humble ⟨!⟩ can trigger such a conniption, MinorProphet, then co-editing this sprawling encyclopedia may not be a good fit for you. But I appreciate the way you sneaked one into your response. (Me, I think they're OK in small doses.) -- Hoary (talk) 11:59, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

I'd like to apologise for my unseemly outburst. Thanks all for your measured responses. I'll just need to remind myself that I don't need that mild level of exhortation (it's like using All Caps), and it just doesn't apply to me. Cheers, and happy editing. MinorProphet (talk) 12:33, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

Editing a page

•  Courtesy link: Lisa de Leeuw

I am trying to edit the Wikipedia page for Lisa de Leeuw. Everytime I publish it gets reverted. Her Fan-club would like a proper Wikipedia page. prior to my edits it was very short with some false information. It didn't celebrate her legacy at all. What should I do? Lisa de Leeuw Fan (talk) 04:13, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

Hi Lisa de Leeuw Fan. Wikipedia article content is expected to be in accordance with relevant Wikipedia policies and guidelines. In addition, Wikipedia articles aren't intended to be celebrations of the subject's legacy; article content (positive or negative) is expected to be written an encyclopedic and neutral manner based upon what reliable sources (as defined by Wikipedia) have written or said about the subject. Wikipedia articles aren't the property of their subjects, and neither the subjects of articles nor their representatives have any special editorial control over article content. So, the fan club is free to do as it wants on its own websites or social media accounts, but it doesn't get a special say when it comes to Wikipedia.

Now, if you or anyone else feels there's incorrect information in the article, you're free to discuss that on the article's talk page and explain what needs to be changed and why. If you're able to establish a change/correction needs to be made because doing so is in accordance with relevant Wikipedia policies and guidelines, the change/correction will almost certainly be made. On the other hand, if you just claim it needs to be made because it's what the fan club wants, the change/correction won't be made. Since you seem to have tried to make this change several times yourself and have been reverted each time, it's probably best if you stop doing that and instead follow Wikipedia:Dispute resolution from here on. If you continue to try and force the change/correction through, there's a good chance it will be seen as Wikipedia:Edit warring regardless of how right you think you are, which could lead to an administrator stepping in and taking action against your account.

Finally, scanning a photo from a magazine you own doesn't make you the copyright holder of the photo. The copyright holder of a photo is, for the most part, the person who takes the photo, and only that person can release their own creative work under a copyright license that is OK for Wikipedia or Wikimedia Commons. If you've got a photo of de Leeuw that you took yourself, perhaps at some fan convention, then you can upload it for use on Wikipedia as long as it's 100% your own work and you're OK releasing it under a copyright license that Wikipedia accepts; you can, however, do this with someone else's work with providing some formal way for Wikipedia to verify their WP:CONSENT. -- Marchjuly (talk) 05:18, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

Where could i begin with editing? Like do i start with small entries then slowly level my way to higher ones?

I haven't been able to really edit as much as I'd like to; but I would genuinely love to contribute to semi-protected wikis- DoritoSandwiches (talk) 06:55, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

I infer that you haven't actually begun editing. So feel free to begin, with carefully-thought minor improvements. When you've acquired experience and skill, be more ambitious. -- Hoary (talk) 11:48, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

You can offer edits to semi-protected articles by using the edit request wizard. (Note that the whole of English Wikipedia is one wiki - one of thousands on the Internet. I know that people unfamiliar with wikis sometimes use "a wiki" to mean "an entry in a wiki", but that can be confusing here). ColinFine (talk) 16:15, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

@DoritoSandwiches:I started (in 2006) when I saw minor grammar and spelling errors in articles I was reading for personal interest. Pick a few articles that interest you and read them. You are likely to see stuff that can be improved. Follow interesting-looking links and read those articles also, and do the same. If you are interested in some area of knowledge and you find an article that you think is weak or incomplete, you can try finding sources to use to improve the article and try your hand at adding sentences, then paragraphs, then sections, and finally entire articles. An area of interest can be just about anything, from plumbing to philosophy to hard rock (music or geology). Keep playing as long as it is fun, and take breaks if your enthusiasm decreases. Carefully use edit summaries for every edit, and engage on article talk pages if there is any reason to do so. And thanks! We appreciate your help! -Arch dude (talk) 17:26, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

Alright, thank you very much for the advice! DoritoSandwiches (talk) 06:03, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

Stacking infoboxes using Visual Editor

I am writing a new article using Visual Editor and need to stack two infoboxes.  I see how to add the Stack template but not how to bracket the two infoboxes inside it.  Can you please help?

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?action=edit&create=Create+new+article+draft&editintro=Template%3AAfC+draft+editintro&preload=Template%3AAfc+preload%2Fdraft&summary=--+Draft+creation+using+the+%5B%5BWP%3AArticle+wizard%5D%5D+--&title=Draft%3AIn+a+Whole+New+Way Speedypick (talk) 12:47, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

@Speedypick: You haven't saved anything in Draft:In a Whole New Way. If you save your draft on the confusingly named "Publish page" button then we can fix it. PrimeHunter (talk) 13:13, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

Thanks. Just saved it. 2603:7081:3700:62:4447:8DD:371F:94AF (talk) 14:01, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

Actually it failed to save. I may have to restart the page from scratch. 2603:7081:3700:62:4447:8DD:371F:94AF (talk) 14:03, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

I just restarted the page and clicked Publish. If you can fix the poorly stacked Infoboxes now, that would be great. 2603:7081:3700:62:EDF3:F8FE:F6A9:FBBC (talk) 15:53, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

I can't help with the infoboxes, but just a tip: if something happens like this and you lose your edit, often if you go back in your browser history you will be able to reload the editor with your edit in it. If you then preview it, you should be able to continue working on it and eventually publish it. I'm not sure if this works with the visual editor though. Ivanvector (^Talk/_Edits) 16:02, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

@Speedypick: {{Stack}} is for other issues and wasn't required here so I removed it and moved the infobox code to the top in the source editor where you can see the location of the code.[6] It's harder to control in VisualEditor. You can switch between the editors on a pencil icon at the top right. See Help:VisualEditor#Opening VisualEditor. PrimeHunter (talk) 18:50, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

Thank you so much!! 2603:7081:3700:62:E9D8:8A52:519B:CBD2 (talk) 20:04, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

Thanks for the tip! Speedypick (talk) 20:36, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

Another question

How would you know if an article is considered a stub User332224 (talk) 18:56, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

@User332224 Stub articles are remarkably short, bare bones articles, truly skeletal. They are or ought to be written tightly and referenced sufficiently to both assert and verify notability. They almost beg to be expanded.

However, some very short articles are complete in all respects, and are not stubs.

You knew that would not be simple, didn't you? 🇺🇦 Fiddle^Timtrent Faddle^Talk to me 🇺🇦 19:02, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

User332224, another thing to be aware of is that many articles originally classified as stubs are gradually improved as time goes by and are no longer stubs, even though the tag remains. I routinely go to the talk pages of such articles and change "stub" to "start". Cullen328 (talk) 19:20, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

Lost friend

Is there a SHip builder from Idaho named Randy Smorhh 31.118.187.198 (talk) 19:02, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

Google is your friend. In the interests of balance, other search engines exist. 🇺🇦 Fiddle^Timtrent Faddle^Talk to me 🇺🇦 19:03, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

Updating the main image of a Wikipedia Article

Hello,

I didn't manage to find any actual help in the Search Box or in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Contributing_to_Wikipedia.

I would like to add this up-to-date picture

Dhafer Youssef, Tunisia, 2023 by Zayene Bechir

for the article about a jazz musician https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhafer_Youssef

I would love to know how I can proceed to do that.

All the best, JB JibéWiki (talk) 19:31, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

You just need to swap “Dhafer Youssef (223157).jpg” with “Dhafer Youssef, Tunisia, 2023.jpg” in the Image field of the infobox. Tutwakhamoe (talk) 19:41, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

@JibéWiki: Click the "Edit" tab on the article. PrimeHunter (talk) 19:49, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

How to add a page

How to add a page Foothill Farms (talk) 19:40, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

Are you referring to creating an article? You can start creating an article by clicking on a redlink, or by typing the title of the article you wish to create into the input field at WP:HTCAP. Make sure that the article you wish to write can pass WP:GNG or any other relevant notability guidelines. Tutwakhamoe (talk) 19:49, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

Hello, @Foothill Farms. While Tutwakhamoe's answer is technically correct, I would very very strongly advise that, unless you are experienced in creating Wikipedia articles, you use the articles for creation process to create a draft and submit it for review. See your first article. ColinFine (talk) 21:50, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

@Foothill Farms: Any article on Wikipedia must be about a notable subject, using our definition of notable, not yours. Therefore, before you waste time on leaning the mechanics of creating an article, please spend some time verifying that the subject is notable. Start at WP:N. -Arch dude (talk) 05:14, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

I really, really deeply hope that you were not planning to create a "page" which would be an advertisement for the food company "Foothill Farms". Because that is never what we do here. --Orange Mike | Talk 13:24, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

Creation of -arguably- big topic

The current Israel-Hamas war has spillovers is many countries in the region obviously. In Middle Eastern crisis (2023–present), every theatre is Middle Eastern crisis (2023–present)#Events by country has a main, more in-depth article except Middle Eastern crisis (2023–present)#Syria. I want to create an article detailing the spillover from strikes, statements, and especially the Recent ground operations, Israeli military constructions within Syrian territory (whcih also included resulted in some notable incidents. at the same time, I want it to be coordinated, and sure to be justified and in-form of the general Wikipedia mode of publication/operation. Do I create a Draft and submit it somewhere? Or do I just create it and publish it after it is in enough depth? Or is there a specific place to discuss such matters? please guide me as I want to be in line and to avoid wrongdoings. RamiPat (talk) 21:19, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

Drafts are usually for new editors or articles that are in such a bad shape that they don't qualify for mainspace. Personally I think you should create the article directly and fix any issues later. You can also enlist help for your article at the talk page of any relevant wikiproject, in this case Wikipedia:WikiProject Military history. Tutwakhamoe (talk) 12:56, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

November 15

Wiki shielding convicted rapist?

How does Mike Tyson’s article not mention he is a convicted rapist who spent 3 years in jail. Despite the article having a whole section on his “legal troubles” and mentioned other rape allegations- he was charged and convicted of rape in the 90s. This article is locked but this is a gross omission. 2607:FEA8:FF01:48D5:5DD:A820:1B1A:6CBB (talk) 03:21, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

It mentions it in the lead as well as in a several-paragraph subsection of his professional career section. It does mention it. - Purplewowies (talk) 03:32, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

User infobox

Is there any user inforbox which I can place in my userpage where detailed about me parameter are present and where I can add a picture of myself? CometVolcano (talk) 05:01, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

Template:Infobox Wikipedia user.--♦IanMacM♦ ^{(talk to me)} 07:55, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

How to create a secret string

My question is in the title above! 🙂 Augnablik (talk) 11:46, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

@Augnablik: If you refer to a committed identity for your account then you choose the secret string yourself. See Template:Committed identity and Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2007-05-14/Committed identity. PrimeHunter (talk) 13:03, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

Yes, @PrimeHunter, a committed identity (sort of a strange term!) is what I’d like to get. Not that I’m really worried about needing one, but it seems like a good idea.

The directions for using that template are a bit challenging for me to follow, though. They seem a better match for those who are comfortable editing with the source code rather than the visual editor.

But thanks for at least pointing me somewhere… Augnablik (talk) 15:58, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

If you're asking how to create a hidden comment in a page's source, it's the same as in HTML: surround the hidden text with <!-- hidden comment here -->. Text between the -- tags will not render on the page. This works in the source editor, I'm not sure if you can make hidden comments in the visual editor. Ivanvector (^Talk/_Edits) 14:01, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

Block tally

I should know the answer to this, but I do not, so I'll ask here: how can an editor like me determine the number and dates of all blocks/bans, and unblocks/unbans, performed by an administrator? JoJo Anthrax (talk) 13:42, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

Head to the admin's userpage or contributions, find the link titled 'logs for this user' or 'user logs' (eg Special:Log/Zzuuzz), then choose 'block log' in the dropdown. The total number is a bit more complicated. One method is to head for WP:ADMINSTATS. -- zzuuzz ^(talk) 13:52, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

(edit conflict) User:JamesR/AdminStats (shortcut WP:ADMINSTATS) is a bot-updated list of different administrative actions and the top 100 administrators by count of each of those actions. If you're looking for all stats for a particular administrator, some admins have enabled a bot to periodically create a table of their own actions; these will be at :[[Template:Adminstats/<<admin username>>]], for example mine are Template:Adminstats/Ivanvector. That is opt-in, though: not every administrator has enabled the bot. There are probably other ways, these are just the two I know of.

For any administrator, a record of their blocks is recorded at :[[Special:Log/block/<<username>>]], for example Special:Log/block/Ivanvector. This link works for any username, but for editors who have never been administrators the report will be blank. This is only for blocks; bans are community actions and are not logged by the software. Ivanvector (^Talk/_Edits) 13:59, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

Incorrect Information

Good morning,

When searching the R.M. of Clinworth No. 230 it says the Reeve is Krista that is not correct the Reeve is Tyler Trew. If this change could please be made it would be greatly appreciated. 71.17.184.254 (talk) 14:54, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

 Courtesy link: Rural Municipality of Clinworth No. 230

Your best option, if you can't make this change yourself, is to request the change at the talk page for the article itself. In either case, you'll need to provide a reliable source so that the information you'd like incorporated into the article can be verified. Cheers! DonIago (talk) 15:04, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

The government ref in the infobox isn't working at the moment, but I've changed the reeve to Tyler Trew per this government page. Deor (talk) 23:13, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

Overlinking - guidance

The first sentence in Van Morrison's early life has six wikilinks, most of which strike me as redundant, serving only to clutter the article. Is there an experienced editor who can advise which if any should be removed?

"George Ivan Morrison was born on 31 August 1945, at 125 [Hyndford Street], [Bloomfield], [Belfast], [Northern Ireland], as the only child of George Morrison, a [shipyard] electrician, and Violet Morrison (née Stitt), who had been a singer and [tap dancer] in her youth." Jack C (talk) 15:56, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

Only five, I think. Bloomfield, Belfast is just one wikilink. Wikilinling shipyard seems questionable - don't most people know what a shipyard is? But I wouldn't argue about it. Maproom (talk) 17:10, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

MOS:GEOLINK says, "For a geographical location expressed as a sequence of two or more territorial units, link only the first unit." So Northern Ireland should be unlinked. I don't think the street counts, so Bloomfield, Belfast can stay linked. Perception312 (talk) 20:00, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

Vector Legacy search acting up

Hello,

When I search for a page in the Vector Legacy skin, it only selects a couple articles at random when using the up and down arrows on my keyboard. The Vector 2022 skin doesn't exhibit the same behaviour. I have reproduced this issue on a couple of browsers.

Is this a bug?

Thanks.

Urbanracer34 (talk) 17:30, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

It seems so. See Wikipedia:Village_pump_(technical)#Search_autocomplete_selects_random_results_when_arrowing_down. -- zzuuzz ^(talk) 21:09, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

Thanks! Nice to see I'm not alone. Urbanracer34 (talk) 21:16, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

A page for me

I have been approached by a "Wikipedia Moderator." He has offered to create and edit a page for me. How do I know if this is legitimate or if it is a scam. He indicated there would be a small fee for his services. 98.149.176.176 (talk) 19:32, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

This is always a scam. Legitimate Wikipedia editors will never ask for payment in return for their services. * Pppery * _{it has begun...} 19:36, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

Pppery is correct: this is not legitimate. See WP:SCAM for more information, and consider emailing paid-en-wpwikipedia.org with a copy of what the scammer sent you. jlwoodwa (talk) 21:14, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

Or you could just post it here, so that we can have a good laugh at the scammer's expense. -- Hoary (talk) 22:03, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

How do you create a page from screatch

How do I create a page from scratch not edit existing ones? Sirlongwoodthepenal (talk) 22:38, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

@Sirlongwoodthepenal: If you want to create an article at the English Wikipedia then see Wikipedia:Articles for creation. Otherwise, which type of page and where? PrimeHunter (talk) 22:43, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

It's highly advised that you first learn about how Wikipedia works and what is expected of article content by editing existing articles, before attempting the very difficult task of writing a new article. 331dot (talk) 23:09, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

November 16

Need advice on unknown birth-dates

I am trying to get a birthday of Hamida Salim yet can't find any sources stating her full birthday, only 1922. I am just wondering how can I tell the reader that the woman's full birthday is unknown.

For clarification, I checked every single page and none of them state her full birthday, closest I could get is 1922.

Thank you! ミラへぜ (talk) 00:05, 16 November 2024 (UTC)

Without reliable sources establishing a full date of birth, then there really isn't anything to be done. A lack of information itself isn't necessarily indicative of anything, unless there was a notable reason for it's omission. TiggerJay (talk) 00:43, 16 November 2024 (UTC)

It would be presumptious to actually say in the article that "[her] full birthday is unknown" – that suggests no-one now knows it, which is possible but unlikely (for example, Javed Akhtar likely knows it). It may be published somewhere you haven't seen yet, or she may not have wanted it published. However, in the absence of a reliable (or any) source, there is no need to make any further mention beyond the existing "Salim was born in 1922 in Rudauli, in Uttar Pradesh." 94.7.95.48 (talk) 00:46, 16 November 2024 (UTC)