Help desk
< November 7	<< Oct \| November \| Dec >>	November 9 >

Welcome to the Wikipedia Help Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current Help Desk pages.

November 8[edit]

Help with collateral damage on French Wikipedia article[edit]

Hi. I'm currently editing this article. Especially if you have been involved with WikiProject tropical cyclones or you are good at timeline templates or you have an account on fr.wp, please take a look at the diffs and try to fix it. You don't need to have very good French because the table is based on an English version. The table on there is messed up, if you wish you can look at the tables below.

Original table before the addition of "Paloma":

Table after the addition of Paloma:

The problem is, the table now is missing all the labels. Can someone try to fix this, so "Paloma" is still present, but so are the labels? It isn't working on the English Wikipedia either it seems, see this article and its talkpage. Thanks. ~A H 1^(TCU) 01:06, 8 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I can't see any labels on either (FF2, Vista SP1, 16-bit, laptop) Dendodge Talk^Contribs 11:59, 8 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Some other users recently reported problems with timelines.

--Teratornis (talk) 18:29, 8 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

editprotected tab via CSS[edit]

Could I modify my monobook.css to create a tab for adding an {{editprotected}} request? My idea is that it should be displayed on any page that is fully protected, and that I'd have a one-click shortcut for the usual procedure of going to the talk page, creating a new section and putting in the editprotected template. Or would someone have to write a script for that sort of thing? Everyme 05:58, 8 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I think adding tabs (especially tabs that add content when you click on them) requires a JavaScript script. I'm not sure if there already is one, you may want to look around. Calvin 1998 ^(t·c) 18:19, 8 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

This looks like you want to add {{editprotected}}, then start the discussion: this is backwards. You need to start the discussion and gain consensus for the change, then add {{editprotected}} to get the changes made. The only time you would do this without a prior discussion is where the change would be obvious: a spelling or grammar error for example. Many editprotected requests get declined because there is no discussion. --—— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk - 20:03, 8 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Details[edit]

Dear Wikipedia,

I need to post one article for A to Z superstore, am finding it diffcult to post such article. If you could please help me in posting one article which can be access thorught google and other related sites and also inform me about the articles are paid one's or free of cost.

Regards, A to Z superstore Mumbai —Preceding unsigned comment added by Atozsuperstore (talk • contribs) 08:10, 8 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

You posted the entry to your userpage. Right now it would have no chance of surviving as an article, because it is not written in a neutral encyclopedic tone. It also doesn't have any citations to reliable sources. If you want to learn more about writing articles, please read "Your First Article". - Mgm|^(talk) 08:59, 8 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

And read Wikipedia:FAQ/Business. Note that writing new articles from scratch which will survive deletion is one of the more difficult tasks on Wikipedia, and is usually one of the worst tasks for brand new users to try first. If you want to create a new article on Wikipedia and have it stick, you should read Wikipedia - The Missing Manual. --Teratornis (talk) 18:16, 8 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Unwatch link on my watchlist never works[edit]

The unwatch link next to the diff and hist links for an article never works for me – the article isn't removed from my watchlist. Opening the article and pressing the unwatch link there does. Any ideas? Thanks Rjwilmsi 09:49, 8 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

For ease of reference, here is the not-working javascript Rjwilmsi is using to create the 'unwatch' links:

addOnloadHook(function () {
    var query_prefix = "title=Special:Watchlist&action=submit&remove=1&id[]=";
    //var query_prefix = "action=unwatch&title=";
 
    if (window.location.href.indexOf("Special:Watchlist") < 0) return;
    if (window.location.href.indexOf("Special:Watchlist/edit") >= 0) return;
 
    var links = document.getElementById('content').getElementsByTagName('a');
    for (var i = 0; i < links.length; i++) {
        if (links[i].href.substring(links[i].href.length-15) != '&action=history')
            continue;
        var unwatch = document.createElement('a');
        unwatch.href = "/w/index.php?" + query_prefix + encodeURIComponent(links[i].title);
        unwatch.title = "Unwatch "+links[i].title;
        unwatch.appendChild(document.createTextNode("unwatch"));
        links[i].parentNode.insertBefore(unwatch, links[i].nextSibling);
        // kluge to handle case where "diff" is unlinked:
        var delim = links[i].previousSibling;
        delim = (delim.nodeType == 3 ? delim.nodeValue : "");
        links[i].parentNode.insertBefore(document.createTextNode(delim.replace(/^.*diff/, "")), unwatch);
    }
});

Algebraist 10:47, 8 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Ah, thanks. I hadn't realised that the unwatch option was a custom thing. I must have added it a good while ago. I've found an alternative script that works now. Rjwilmsi 11:21, 8 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Old script was from Wikipedia:WikiProject User scripts/Scripts/Unwatch and is marked as broken. Rjwilmsi 11:29, 8 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

content list & other things not working[edit]

I suspect I've changed a setting somewhere, but can't find what I did. These features aren't working with me -

When I click on a contents box, it doesn't go down to that section.
When the mouse hovers over a Wikilink, nothing now shows.
When showing my waych list, when the mouse hovers over "diff", nothing now shows.

I'd appreciate some help to restore these, please! Hogyn Lleol (talk) 11:03, 8 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Ah, I seem to have now sorted this myself. It wasn't the settings in Wikipedia. I'm using Vista and it needs to run the page in "Compatability mode". Hogyn Lleol (talk) 12:49, 8 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Vista should not be a problem. I guess the problem is that you have installed Internet Explorer 8 Beta which still has some serious bugs. PrimeHunter (talk) 22:57, 8 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Changing My Preferences[edit]

If I try to change my preferences, it comes up with the following warning: "Your password is invalid or too short. It must have at least 1 character and be different from your username.". But my password is there, as usual, and it's certainly longer than 1 character and not the same as my username. Fribbler (talk) 11:39, 8 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Did you try to change your password or some other setting when that came up? - Mgm|^(talk) 11:43, 8 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

FF sometimes autocompletes the 'old password' field with your password. You have to delete it to change any of your other preferences. Algebraist 11:59, 8 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

It was Firefox's overzealous autocompletion all right! Problem is solved. Thanks. Fribbler (talk) 12:11, 8 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Rust[edit]

how do you get rust off of glass? My glass holders for citronella candles got rusty after being outside on the deck this past summer. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.241.146.128 (talk) 14:50, 8 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Please read the massive notice at the top of this page. - 87.211.75.45 (talk) 15:06, 8 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Searching the Web with {{Google}} for: how to remove rust stains from glass finds lots of results. --Teratornis (talk) 18:12, 8 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Some climate boxes I'm adding do not show up[edit]

I've added climate boxes to Phoenix, Arizona, Scottsdale, Arizona, Las Vegas, Nevada, Clearwater, Florida, and a few others and they've all worked fine. But the two I've added to Miami, Florida and Tucson, Arizona -- the precipitation and temperature values simply do not show up. I cannot find anything different that I've done to those two articles' climate boxes than the others.

Any explanation or help would be greatly appreciated. Rko202 (talk) 16:08, 8 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

on the Miami, Florida page it looks like another editor removed the chart you added because the page already has a climate chart. the chart you added to Tucson, Arizona shows up fine for me. Sssoul (talk) 16:44, 8 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Valid citable sources??[edit]

I just created an article for Safri Duo's new album Origins. Their website gives no idea of the album's release date; however at least two online music stores (this one and this one, for example) state the date of release as 17 November 2008.. Can these sites be cited reliably on the article? At least until Safri Duo announce something officially on their site? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Raghuvansh r (talk • contribs) 18:32, 8 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

There might be no final answer on something like this which every Wikipedia user will agree on. WP:V says:

Editors should provide a reliable source for quotations and for any material that is challenged or likely to be challenged, or the material may be removed.

which I interpret to mean that if nobody challenges your claim of a release date for the album, your sources are effectively reliable enough. However, since we cannot predict what all other Wikipedia users will do, the only way to know if your sources are reliable enough is to throw them out there and see what happens. I suggest being bold by doing this:

Cite the sources you have.
Leave a note on Talk:Origins (Safri Duo Album) explaining the problem, what you did, and alerting other editors to look for some future announcement of the release date which is more official. That way you eliminate any suspicion of having tried to do something sneaky.
Send e-mail to the band or the label asking them to post an official release date we can cite.

Also see the links under WP:EIW#Source; it looks like Wikipedians have written just about everything there is to know about reliable sources and how we use them. --Teratornis (talk) 19:21, 8 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I've come across multiple instances where the release dates cited by online stores were not actually the correct ones. I would therefore by a little suspicious unless the band themselves or their management would make an official statement. Nevertheless, if it is the best you have, make sure you don't cite it as fact, but simply state that "multiple stores list the release date as....". - Mgm|^(talk) 20:13, 8 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Image size fix[edit]

I can't seem to get the main (first) picture on Brandon Roy bigger. Any help? Thanks in advance, A _talk 21:01, 8 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

You need to add |image_size= right below |image=. This will allow you to adjust the size of the picture instead of adding |240px after the image name. See {{Infobox NBA player}}. Cheers! TN‑X-Man 21:14, 8 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks! A _talk 21:46, 8 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]