Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2010 March 31

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March 31[edit]

Marriage Template Problem[edit]

Resolved
 – Mysdaao talk 12:21, 1 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

In the article for Karl Rove the infobox seems to be displaying incorrect information for his marriages. Instead of the first marriage, it displays "*adr="30///LAST"". This infobox is using the marriage template, and it looks properly formatted to me. Can someone shed some light on the problem? Thanks! Ithizar (talk) 00:25, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

An anonymous editor had removed most of the content of Template:Placename/adr, which Template:Marriage uses. I have reverted the vandalism, and now the marriages in Karl Rove display correctly. --Mysdaao talk 00:37, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you! Ithizar (talk) 19:23, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
You're welcome! --Mysdaao talk 12:21, 1 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Edit descriptions[edit]

Resolved
 –  – ukexpat (talk) 14:28, 1 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I want to be more descriptive in my edit descriptions - at the moment I keep writing 'Rewording and cleanup' and it's really annoying me that I end up typing the same description all the time, although when I do edit an article I tend to do the same kind of edits. What else can I use to describe my edits or do I even need to bother, as I have seen other established editors completely miss them out. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Chevymontecarlo. 10:19, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Experienced editors shouldn't be leaving them out. Edit summaries are less about what you did (you can get that from the diff) and more about why you did it. For things like fixing spelling mistakes there's not much you can add over "fixed spelling", whereas if you're adding content to an article or changing a section you can provide the rationale for why you made the changes in question. Chris Cunningham (not at work) - talk 10:45, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
It's also important to say what you did. Many users don't have time to look at each diff on pages of interest, and the diff engine sometimes gives long confusing diffs for simple changes. See also Help:Edit summary. PrimeHunter (talk) 10:58, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

OK, I will continue with the edit descriptions. I will make them more detailed though. Chevymontecarlo. 07:07, 1 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Please do, they don't need to be essays, just a few descriptive words will do. – ukexpat (talk) 14:28, 1 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Multiple interwiki links on one article[edit]

Situation as follows: article on en:wp covers two specific issues that are covered by two articles in other wp. What to do? Article in question is Sculling, which is two aricles on de:wp : Skullen & Wriggen. Also, while I'm at it, after editing, when trying to preview, or save, I keep getting blank pages. What's with that? Thanks & regards, --G-41614 (talk) 11:45, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

One of the interlanguage links, de:Rudern#Skullen, is to a section which is not recommended. An interlanguage link should be used when the entire article in another language is on the same subject. de:Rudern is about rowing (sport), not just sculling. de:Wriggen should be the only German interlanguage link on the page.
What exactly do you mean when you say you keep getting blank pages? Do you mean a Wikipedia page loads with no content, or the page you see has absolutely nothing on it? --Mysdaao talk 12:29, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Ok, but Wriggen covers only half of the english article's content, since skullen and wriggen are two different things in German, not like One- and Two-Oar-Sculling in English, so ... leaving just one link is lacking, either, I guess.
As to the empty pages, I get a wp-page alright, just the content is blank(-ed). First time it happened I accidentally hit "save", then got a reply asking me not to blank pages, which I did not appreciate but ok, stuff happens. But now it's a permanent thing - I edit, hit save (minor edits) or preview (anything more than a comma), then get the usual message (... just a preview etc. etc. ...), but the content is gone. Going back, than forward again usually takes care of the problem, but it's bothersome. Also, hit accidentally the wrong button (save), and the blank page is saved - not the intention. HTH, and anyway, thank you for your reply, --G-41614 (talk) 16:41, 31 March 2010 (UTC) Just happened again - hit preview, and voilá - blanked page![reply]
You may be having problems with your page cache. Try to wp:Bypass your cache the next time a page looks blank, as the revised one may just not have made its way back to you. Hitting "save" a second time will not help if this is the case, and may have caused the blanking. Cheers.User:LeadSongDog come howl 17:51, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Regardless of whether the German Wikipedia article Wriggen has less content currently (that can always change) than the English Wikipedia article Sculling, interlanguage links are for linking to articles on the same overall topic in different languages, which these two appear to be. --Mysdaao talk 12:31, 1 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Trying to set up a page.[edit]

I am trying to set up a page. I have done a search for the name i want to use, Travel247. It ssays there is no travel247 and that it can be used for a page but when I try to set it up it will not allow me? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.47.44.123 (talk) 13:12, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Where do you try to create it? A mainspace article should be created at Travel247. Read Wikipedia:Your first article before creating an article. You have to be logged in to an account to create mainspace pages. Unregistered users can create suggested articles at Wikipedia:Articles for creation. PrimeHunter (talk) 13:22, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
(edit conflict) You'll need to create an account before you can create a page. Following is the standard advice on how to create an article.

A Wizard is available to walk you through these steps. See the Article Wizard.

Thank you.

You will need to first register an account, which has many benefits, including the ability to create articles. Once you have registered, please search Wikipedia first to make sure that an article does not already exist on the subject. Please also review a few of our relevant policies and guidelines which all articles should comport with. As Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, articles must not contain original research, must be written from a neutral point of view, should cite to reliable sources which verify their content and must not contain unsourced, negative content about living people.
Articles must also demonstrate the notability of the subject. Please see our subject specific guidelines for people, bands and musicians, companies and organizations and web content and note that if you are closely associated with the subject, our conflict of interest guideline strongly recommends against you creating the article.
If you still think an article is appropriate, see Wikipedia:Your first article and Wikipedia:How to write a great article, and please consider taking a tour through the Wikipedia:Tutorial so that you know how to properly format the article before creation. An Article Wizard is available to walk you through creating an article, but you will need to create an account to use it. if you don't wish to do so, you can submit a proposal for an article at Articles for Creation. TNXMan 13:23, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Something odd at top of article[edit]

Article The Reformed Church of Newtown shows 1.REDIRECT at the top; I think it may be caused by a problem with the Multiple Issues template; can someone investigate ? GrahamHardy (talk) 13:51, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

{{Articleissues}} was a double redirect; I've fixed it. You might need to purge your cache to show the correct state of the page. --Floquenbeam (talk) 13:57, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Problem with my email address?[edit]

I'm trying to confirm my email address, but it says it can't confirm the address. It's a simple address, (redacted) - do you know why the site would trip on that address? Thank you for your time and attention.

~~AdamLLC~~ —Preceding unsigned comment added by AdamLLC (talk • contribs) 13:53, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

It will send a confirmation email to the address you specify. Are things working on the Wikipedia end, but you never get the email? Or are you getting a message from Wikipedia saying it can't confirm the address? p.s. I've redacted the email address, that's often unwise in this age of spambots. --Floquenbeam (talk) 14:00, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I'm also unsure where exactly you encounter a problem. See Help:Email confirmation. If you receive the email but the software will not accept the code then note this part: "Some email programs may break the confirmation link into two lines. If that happens, please copy all parts of the link together into the browser address bar." PrimeHunter (talk) 23:41, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

new user[edit]

Hello.

I've created a draft in my userspace and I now want it ot 'go live' on Wikipedia. The guidance says to 'move' it using the 'move' tab. I can;t see a 'move' tab, and do not know where I'd need to move it to if I could. Something else mentions the move neesd to be requested - how do I do that? Can someone please help me. This might seem like a silly problem, but I can;t find anything, through all of the help pages, to simply tell me what I need to do next.

Thanks,

J —Preceding unsigned comment added by APILcommunications (talk • contribs) 14:14, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

The move function is only available for autoconfirmed users; that is, it isn't immediately available for new accounts. I've tidied your userspace work a little and moved it to Association of Personal Injury Lawyers. Thanks! Chris Cunningham (not at work) - talk 14:21, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Based on your username, I'm guessing that you have a conflict of interest with the subject of the article. You may want to read our conflict of interest guideline and our guideline on companies making usernames. Because of these problems, your article may not last long or may be trimmed down. --Arctic Gnome (talk • contribs) 14:26, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Sorry, but that's a blatant violation of the user name policy and has been reported to WP:UAA. – ukexpat (talk) 14:36, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Defaultsort for articles on peoples homes ?[edit]

Do articles such as Samuel J. Tilden House require a Defaultsort on for example Tilden ? Obviously the man himself will include a defaultsort; I beleive the House should not; I have removed it but there seem to be a number of such articles, including Sports Centres, Schools and Museums; so now I'm nort so sure; feel free to point me at the relevant documentation or previous discussions, Thanks... GrahamHardy (talk) 14:21, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I would tend to agree with you, but maybe you should begin a discussion at Talk:Samuel J. Tilden House? – ukexpat (talk) 14:42, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
It's a more general discussion so should be somewhere more central; I suspect it must have been discussed before; where would I look for an official decision ? GrahamHardy (talk) 16:28, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Just found Wikipedia talk:Categorization of people#buildings, awards, etc., named for a person started on 15th February 2010 - No replies yet though ! GrahamHardy (talk) 16:44, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I'll just check through the Archive pages associated with the above talk page; I'll let you know what I find... GrahamHardy (talk) 16:47, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I'm of the opinion that such things are best sorted by surname. If one goes to the National Historic Landmarks page for the Tilden house, one will see that the page is titled "Tilden, Samuel J., House". And buildings that have official names like, for instance, John G. Shedd Aquarium are almost always referred to with common names like Shedd Aquarium, though in some cases the WP articles may be titled with the more formal name. Deor (talk) 21:58, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I'm in the User Edit Page[edit]

Resolved
 – Article speedily deleted as spam (for the second time). – ukexpat (talk) 14:30, 1 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I want to "Move" my page of make it go live. I've been editing and I think it's ready, but I can't find the "MOVE" button.

What am I doing wrong? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Swolf79 (talk • contribs) 15:14, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

It's because your account is not autoconfirmed. However, it looks like your article is at Merrill DataSite. Is that what you needed? TNXMan 15:47, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Swolf79 created Merrill DataSite 20 minutes after posting here so the problem is apparently resolved. New users can create articles but not move pages. Another question is whether the article will be deleted. PrimeHunter (talk) 23:34, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Username Change[edit]

At the time that I created my account, I was unaware of Wikipedia’s username formatting. How can I edit my current username or delete the account entirely and start over with a different username (that is currently too similar to the original name)? Thank you! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Awkwardthrust (talk • contribs) 15:28, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

You would need to head over to this page to request a username change. Be sure to read the directions, as they go over what can and cannot be done. TNXMan 15:44, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
As User:Awkwardthrust only had one edit (the message above), it's easier just to abandon that user name and create a new one. – ukexpat (talk) 16:25, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
It appears Awkwardthrust wants a name that cannot be created by regular users because it is too similar to the existing name. The people at the link TNXMan gave can fix this. PrimeHunter (talk) 23:30, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Two-level if statements[edit]

Is this formatted right for "if A then A, if B then B, else C"?

{{#if:{{{toronto-importance}}}|{{{toronto-importance}}}|{{#if:{{{Toronto-importance}}}}}}|{{{Toronto-importance}}}|{{{importance}}}}}}}

Also, do I need to have an extra pipe symbol inside the tripple-curly-brackets after the words?, like this: {{{toronto-importance|}}}? They are often there, but I don't understand what they're for. Thanks. --Arctic Gnome (talk • contribs) 15:59, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I think you would want this:
{{#if:{{{toronto-importance}}}
     |{{{toronto-importance}}}
     |{{#if:{{{Toronto-importance}}}
          |{{{Toronto-importance}}}
          |{{{importance}}}
      }}
}}
Or in essence: {{#if:{{{toronto-importance}}}|{{{toronto-importance}}}|{{#if:{{{Toronto-importance}}}|{{{Toronto-importance}}}|{{{importance}}}}}}}. –Turian (talk) 16:14, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks. So what is the extra pipe for? Why do #if functions sometimes use {{{importance}}} and sometimes use {{{importance|}}}? --Arctic Gnome (talk • contribs) 17:35, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I'm not entirely sure. From what I have seen, it allows 'customization'. So an accurate example could be:
{{#if:{{{toronto-importance|}}}
     |{{{toronto-importance}}}
     |{{#if:{{{Toronto-importance|}}}
          |{{{Toronto-importance}}}
          |{{{importance|}}}
      }}
}}
I never found a definite definition, so you just need to mess around with it and see how it responds. –Turian (talk) 17:38, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

(←) This might look nicer with mw:Help:Extension:ParserFunctions##switch. --Teratornis (talk) 18:03, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

  1. switch wouldn't work in this case. And if there is a way, I am pretty sure it would be more complicated than not. –Turian (talk) 18:05, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
The significance of the pipe is explained at mw:Help:Parser functions in templates. I think the point is that if you don't provide a default (with the pipe) and no value is passed in, then it treats it as non-blank (perhaps as a string 'undefined' or something) and hence true. --ColinFine (talk) 18:17, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
A careful reading of Help:Template#Parameters seems to say that if an unprovided template parameter has no default, the parameter expression appears literally. That is, something like {{{dog}}} with no provided value for "dog" will evaluate to all those characters including the curly braces and thus be true as an argument to a conditional expression. I'm too lazy to verify this with sandbox templates but someone could check if they feel motivated. --Teratornis (talk) 18:25, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Far simpler method[edit]

If the example given is what you're actually looking for, then you can replace the whole thing with 

{{{toronto-importance|{{{Toronto-importance|{{{importance}}} }}} }}}

This does the same thing and doesn't need any explicit #ifs at all. Chris Cunningham (not at work) - talk 23:05, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

That is far simpler! So with triple-curly-brackets, it defaults to anything after the pipe symbol if the thing before the pipe isn't found? Does the last item need to end with a pipe in case none of the three options are there, like this: {{{importance|}}}? --Arctic Gnome (talk • contribs) 14:42, 1 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]
If you want the output to default to being blank, yes. Chris Cunningham (not at work) - talk 09:32, 2 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

How to search all articles links and cites[edit]

Resolved
 – ♪ ♫ Wifione ♫ ♪ ―Œ ♣Łeave Ξ мessage♣ 18:51, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

How can I search all articles for all occurrences of some url appearing in either links or cites? Thank you—Machine Elf 1735 (talk) 16:23, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I think the Wikipedia search engine (over there on the left if you are using the default monobook skin) can do that, just click "search" rather than "go". – ukexpat (talk) 16:27, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
(edit conflict) You can use Special:Search like a normal search engine. There's an advanced section if you'd like to search specific namespaces also. TNXMan 16:30, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
If you're only looking for articles that contain external links to a specific site, you can also use Special:LinkSearch. --Mysdaao talk 16:46, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Eureka! Thx Machine Elf 1735 (talk) 17:29, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

organization changed name[edit]

Resolved
 –  – ukexpat (talk) 14:31, 1 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I am an employee at a wildcat sanctuary that has a listing in Wikipedia . Last October, the organization changed its name from "Carnivore Preservation Trust" to "Carolina Tiger Rescue". I noticed there is not a listing in Wikipedia under the new name.

What is the best approach for providing an entry under the new name? I certainly would like people to find an organization listing for either name, and am not sure if it would be better to update the current listing and also create a new one, or simply update the current listing.

I am also concerned about conflict of interest. The COI requirements state you should not write content for "your company"- but does that refer to individuals own their own company, or does this also apply to employees of a company? I certainly intend to provide objective information- not information to promote the organization.

Thanks —Preceding unsigned comment added by CTRescue (talk • contribs) 18:57, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

The page, Carnivore Preservation Trust, would need to be moved to the correct title. I would also suggest you read this page on how to edit when there is a conflict of interest (which does extend to employees). However, it seems like you are here to edit in good faith, so please ask if you have questions. Cheers! TNXMan 19:00, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Wikipedia does not have listings: it has articles, because it is an encyclopaedia, not a directory. This may seem a trivial matter, but it may help to bear it in mind if you do edit the page. --ColinFine (talk) 23:14, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I have confirmed the name change and moved Carnivore Preservation Trust to Carolina Tiger Rescue so the former now redirects to the latter. You wouldn't have been able to move it before your account became autoconfirmed but you can edit the content of the article to reflect the new name. PrimeHunter (talk) 23:23, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Improper Photo[edit]

There is an improper photo that may be offensive to some people that I have been unable to remove.

Back in 2007, while serving in Iraq and rebuilding the Iraqi Air Force, we helped them develop a new Iraqi Air Force insignia, or Roundel. I posted this new roundel on wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraqi_Air_Force

6 months later the Iraqi Government introduced a new flag to remove markings that were offensive to many in their country due to their origin with the Hussein regime. Because of this, the Iraqi Air Force reverted back to their historic Roundel (green triangle, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraqi_Air_Force).

After many attempts, I have been unable to remove the round, unauthorized roundel and replace it with the original green triangle. The round one has markings that are offensive to many Iraqis, and it is also not correct to show it as the official emblem.

Can you assist me with removing the newer roundel that I posted and listing the original (triangle) as the current symbol of the Iraqi Air Force? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 143.250.2.10 (talk) 19:14, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

The roundel images you mention appear to be:
On Wikipedia, it is not enough to assert what is true, we must provide reliable published sources to allow other Wikipedia editors to verify our claims. For example here is a search of the USDOD site for "iraqi air force". Maybe you can find an article in there that supports your claim. You can discuss this issue on Talk:Iraqi Air Force or Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Iraq. --Teratornis (talk) 19:49, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Are you IqAF who uploaded commons:File:Iraqi AF Roundel.jpg to Wikimedia Commons in October 2007? If so, do you still have password access to that account? Another editor User:AnonMoos made commons:File:Iraqi Air Force roundel.svg based on the file by IqAF. The original jpg version appears on several language versions of Wikipedia. The svg version is currently only on one page of the Arabian Wikipedia. PrimeHunter (talk) 23:11, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
What sources do we have explicitly supporting the disputed image? A Google image search showed only Wikipedia and Commons yesterday. Guy (Help!) 07:58, 1 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

iko iko lyrics information[edit]

Dear Wikki, i recently had read a truly interesting article about the iko iko lyrics. why was it deleated? I cant find the long version. please let me know where i can find more information. thanks ms. gavey —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.170.230.136 (talk) 19:31, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I presume you are referring to this old version of the article. About 2/3th of the content was removed recently because it was original research. Excirial (Contact me,Contribs) 19:36, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
It originated from this edit by User:Iancully1111 who still has a lot on the user page which is not part of the encyclopedia. PrimeHunter (talk) 22:53, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
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