Help desk
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August 25[edit]

Handicap card replacement[edit]

How do I contact someone to replace my handicap card that I lost when I purchased my new car? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.115.153.15 (talk) 01:06, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I added a section header to you question. This page is for asking questions about how to use Wikipedia. But, I suggest contacting the car dealer and/or the department of motor vehicles. RudolfRed (talk) 01:46, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

If you are talking about a placard, that is usually done through your DMV. You'll need to contact your local one. If there are requirements you need to meet (assuming you do not already know what they are), you may be able to find them online before calling/going to the branch. - Purplewowies (talk) 00:56, 27 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Table border colour[edit]

Apropos of something else, I've been trying to figure out how to specify the colour of the cell borders in a table. Despite trying everything I can think of with "border-color" and "bordercolor", I can't get it to work: the borders are always black. Does anyone know how to do this? 86.183.2.108 (talk) 01:33, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

See Help:Table#Setting borders

The table's caption
Column heading 1	Column heading 2	Column heading 3
Row heading 1	Cell 2	Cell 3
Row heading A	Cell B	Cell C

-- John of Reading (talk) 06:48, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I am talking about the borders dividing the individual cells, not the border around the whole table. 86.129.16.218 (talk) 11:11, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

The table's caption
Column heading 1	Column heading 2	Column heading 3
Row heading 1	Cell 2	Cell 3
Row heading A	Cell B	Cell C

Like this? — Edokter (talk) — 11:38, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks, but no, that's not what I'm after. I want the table to look like this:

Cell A	Cell B
Cell C	Cell D

However, instead of black, I want all the lines to be some other colour. I want to specify that colour once at the top. There is supposedly a global "bordercolour" attribute, but I can't get it to work. 86.129.16.218 (talk) 13:19, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

The border-collapse: collapse; does that. I changed the example. Is this what you're looking for? — Edokter (talk) — 13:45, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Did you mean border-collapse: collapse;? I thought that just controlled whether you got "double" borders or single. But anyway, more to the point, does the table immediately above, with four cells labelled Cell A, B, C and D now appear to you to have green borders? I see only black. What browser are you using? I'm wondering if this is a bug in IE. What colour borders do you see in the table below?:

Cell A	Cell B
Cell C	Cell D

86.129.16.218 (talk) 13:58, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I see only double grey borders; "bordercolor" is not a valid HTML attribute. Checking in IE8, I see that my example has a green outer border but the inner border are gray (border-collapse is alien to IE). The only way to get what you want is to either:

use inline CSS for each cell separately.
use external CSS so you can target all table headers and cells in one go.

Such is life with tables as it is today. — Edokter (talk) — 14:14, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

When you use whatever browser you used before switching to IE8, do you see all green lines in your example with style="border: 1px solid green; border-collapse: collapse;"? When I change "1px" to "5px" I can see that the outer border for me is actually green (impossible to see at 1px), but the inner cell divisions are still 1px, which suggests in IE that the "border" attribute is not applying at all to the inner cell divisions. What do you see in a.n.other browser? In fact, "bordercolor" is, or was, a valid attribute according to my big fat (old) HTML book, and also according to various websites that I have just checked. One implies that it was originally IE-specific and then written into the spec. 86.129.16.218 (talk) 17:09, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

When I copy and paste the following raw HTML using "bordercolor" into a .htm file and open it from IE it displays correctly with all red borders. When I view it in Wikipedia, the borders are black:

a	b
c	d

86.129.16.218 (talk) 17:18, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

WP:ALT[edit]

Hey peoples. I would like to add an alt for this image, but am not sure what to write, due to the image itself. Can anyone help me? Cheers, TBran dl ey 01:47, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I think the idea is to describe the picture as if you were talking to someone on the telephone. Perhaps "An aerial view of a widespread built-up area, skyscrapers in the central district, mountains in the background"? -- John of Reading (talk) 06:32, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

That works. Thanks! TBran dl ey 13:48, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Resolved

Unified login with Commons[edit]

I think I am misunderstanding the unified account process with regard to Commons. (I understand the unified field theory better.) If it means I can sign into Commons with my Wikipedia login, then it doesn't work. If it means I can create an account at Commons with my same username, then it tells my name is to similar to one already in existence. The help page on Commons tell me to go to the Special:MergeAccount page on the wiki I use the most. That would be this one (it is the only one I have used so far), but there is no Special:MergeAccount that I can find. I want to be able to upload stuff to Commons too, but I can't figure out how to get an account. Do I have to make up an entirely different name? → Michael J Ⓣ Ⓒ Ⓜ 02:56, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

No, you should be able to use the same name. If you click this link - Special:MergeAccount - you should then be able to log in at Commons using the same user name and password as you have here. There's more at Wikipedia:Unified login. -- John of Reading (talk) 06:29, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

API Limits?[edit]

Hi all! I've been doing some serious italic title-ing on articles using a semi-automated PyWikipedia program I created, but I think I may be stumbling into rate limits of some sort - is there a set number? And, secondly, if that is the case: is there a way to become exempt from that? Theo polisme _:) 05:10, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Over at Wikipedia:Bot policy, there is a note that "bots doing non-urgent tasks may edit approximately once every ten seconds", so you may be running into that - I have no idea how that is enforced. But you really need to stop and read that page, as there are some formal steps you need to go through before making automated or semi-automated edits. As an aside, I notice that you are adding {{italic title}} to articles that already have it. -- John of Reading (talk) 06:24, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

You are also adding {{italic title}} to a lot of articles which shouldn't have it at all, using false edit summaries to boot. That may cause opposition to allowing you semi-automated edits. Your edit summaries say "add {{italic title}} to species name". Scientific names for species and some other taxa should indeed have italics per WP:ITALIC, but many of the articles you edit are not species and many of them shouldn't have italics. PrimeHunter (talk) 12:22, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

permission to use photo[edit]

I want to use photo 220px_bush_mission_accomplished.jpg on title page of my book. It is on the Net and I understand I do not need special permission, right? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ianadie (talk • contribs) 06:56, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia is using this image under the doctrine of Fair use, which may not apply to your proposed use of the image (Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, this is not to be taken as legal advice). Wikipedia's description of this image is at File:Bush mission accomplished.jpg, where you will see that the image belongs to Associated Press. Their page, http://www.ap.org/company/Terms-conditions, explains how to ask them for permission. -- John of Reading (talk) 07:07, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I want wikipedia to prove to us that Bo Guagua has a chinese passport.[edit]

Please discuss at Talk:Bo Guagua, not here. Thanks, Mdann52 (talk) 08:09, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

when i tried change his nationality to "unknown", you people deleted my change, and called it "vandalism". therefore, I am asking you once again to prove to us that how you found out that the communist leader Bo Xilai's son Bo Guagua who has studied in the UK and USA for more than 10 years, who is probably still living in the usa, has a Chinese government issued passport.

your logic seems to be that since he was born in china, therefore he is automatically a chinese citizen. well. Joan Chen was born in China, but she is not a chinese citizen. Gong Li used to be, but now she is not a chinese citizen, either.

So I want to know did any of your wikipedia admins contacted him directly asked him to verify his citizenship with you? Otherwise, you are just spreading rumors about him that you can't verify! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2602:306:CC6B:6B90:E910:9328:A04:FF13 (talk) 07:03, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

the examples, collapsed by Mdann52 (talk) 08:13, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

well, you people still haven't proved to us that why you think that he has a chinese passport, but not other countries' passport. he is presumingly living in the usa. by ignoring my request, it shows that wikipedia is full of error and you refuses to change your own mistakes! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2602:306:CC6B:6B90:A047:E5ED:8F92:E3F4 (talk) 02:06, 26 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

wikipdea admins are vandalizing your own page![edit]

I wrote the following, and your admins reversed this part several times, accused me "vandalizing" your page, then protected communist murderer Gu Kailai's son - [[Bo Guagua once again. I want you to explain to me why what I added here "violated" your rules. And why is it considered vandalism?

$100,000 paid for guagua.com[edit]

In 2010, he paid $100,000 to buy guagua.com from Antonio Marin, a 53-year-old university administrator from Tenerife, Spain.^[1]

See Wikipedia:Help_desk/Archives/2012_August_21#Bo_Guagua.27s_nationality_is_UNKNOWN., and discuss on the articles talk page. Not here. Thanks, Mdann52 (talk) 08:13, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

well, you people still haven't proved to us that why you think that he has a chinese passport, but not other countries' passport. he is presumingly living in the usa. by ignoring my request, it shows that wikipedia is full of error and you refuses to change your own mistakes! --2602:306:CC6B:6B90:A047:E5ED:8F92:E3F4 (talk) 02:07, 26 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Bonjour[edit]

J'ai vu sur votre site la page concernant le Major Kenneth O PRESTON. Je dois le contacter de toute urgence pour un problème très grave en France le concernant. Comment faire ? MerciMichèle82 (talk) 07:11, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I'm sorry, We have no contact details for this person. Je suis désolé, nous n'avons pas les coordonnées de cette personne. -- John of Reading (talk) 07:21, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Code needed for a specific template[edit]

I need code for templates that also put articles in categories, or is that secret? RocketMaster (talk) 10:12, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

No wikicodes are secret but I'm uncertain what you want. Templates put articles in categories with the same code as articles themselves do it: Help:Category#Putting pages in categories. Templates sometime place the code inside <includeonly>...</includeonly> to prevent putting the template itself in the category. If this doesn't answer your question then please be more specific and give an example article or template if possible. PrimeHunter (talk) 11:59, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Specific Year Quotes[edit]

If you aren't going to define quotes for specific years, these categories should not exist until they are defined by matching quotes. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.167.209.19 (talk) 10:12, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I have no idea what you are talking about. Could you give a specific example of what you think is not right? --ColinFine (talk) 11:55, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Scott Joplin[edit]

Gentlemen,

I just visited the "Scott Joplin "page, to learn that he was born in Texarkana, Texas ! If my geography is correct and my mind still sound, I remember Tearkama being in SW Arkansas...

Regards

Chris — Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.44.93.238 (talk) 12:39, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Half of Texarkana is in Texas and half in Arkansas, hence the name I guess. A boat that can float! (watch me float!) 13:01, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Basically right. Texarkana metropolitan area#Texarkana says: "The name is a portmanteau of TEXas, ARKansas, and nearby LouisiANA". [1] confirms that Scott Joplin was born in Texas. PrimeHunter (talk) 20:42, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Images in Wikipedia will not enlarge[edit]

When I click on an image in Wikipedia to enlarge it I am directed to a site called www.gophoto.it/view.php This happens every time and has been like this for several days now. Can you tell me what is happening and why images will not enlarge ? JW — Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.101.91.241 (talk) 15:17, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Which article contains the image? Cresix (talk) 15:24, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

If this happens for different images, it is almost certainly a problem on your computer: you probably have some malware. Sorry. --ColinFine (talk) 16:06, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

It may be a specific group of images that you are looking at. They may have been uploaded by an external site. As per the above, it may be malware. --^CH^RI^S 4315 16:10, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Whenever I click on an image to enlarge it the address of the original upload is always upload.wikimedia.org. I agree with the posters saying it may be malware. To the OP: Try a different computer and see what happens. A boat that can float! (watch me float!) 16:16, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I have found the culprit - something called 1clickdownloader which is a browser extension for Chrome. Disabling it seems to work. Many thanks anyway. JW — Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.101.91.241 (talk) 16:46, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

New section tab gone[edit]

Resolved

User talk:BigNate37/TM/Extant organization content notice (edit | user page | history | links | watch | logs)

I can't tell what's suppressing the new section link at the top of this page—I imagine it's a part of one of the templates involved or something, but not sure what. Anyone able to see what's going on here? I'm hoping more eyeballs will make the problem shallow. BigNate37_(T) 17:19, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I don't know what could be causing the problem, but I noticed that the very earliest revision of the page didn't have the New section link at the top. A boat that can float! (watch me float!) 17:28, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

{{Request edit}} uses the __NONEWSECTIONLINK__ "magic word". benzband (talk) 18:02, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Fixed: i have added a parameter to the template, enabling cancelling of the magic word by insertion of |newsection=yes; and boldly applied it to your page :-) benzband (talk) 18:07, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks! I don't quite understand the sense of having {{request edit}} disable the new section link, but thank you for sorting that out. BigNate37_(T) 19:07, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I tracked down the cause of __NONEWSECTIONLINK__ and removed it completely.[2] PrimeHunter (talk) 20:32, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Awesome. Thank you, folks. BigNate37_(T) 22:44, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

editing my page[edit]

I recently edited a page and it is not showing the edit even though I saved it. Is there a waiting period? — Preceding unsigned comment added by RebeccaBlack111 (talk • contribs) 19:37, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

No, it should just work. If there is a padlock image at the top of the page, then there is a lock on the article for some reason. If not, try your edit again. Formerip (talk) 19:40, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Your account shows only one edit, the one to this page.--SPhilbrick (Talk) 22:10, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Possibly not logged in. Formerip (talk) 22:51, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

name blacklisted?[edit]

I want to edit in hindi language but when I go there my usersname is blacklisted and blocked but I never even make an edit there yet. when I go into other languages I can log in and edit but not hindi. can some person help me to log in and edit in hindi language ਰਾਜੇਨ੍ਦ੍ਰ ਸਿੰਘ (talk) 22:05, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

What does your username mean in Hindi? BigNate37_(T) 22:45, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

If you are trying to edit the Hindi-language Wikipedia, we can't help here anyway - this is the help desk for the English-language Wikipedia. You will have to raise the issue there. [3] AndyTheGrump (talk) 22:55, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

If he has been blocked, that's not really feasible. I was giving the benefit of the doubt here that perhaps their talk page was protected too, but failing that I don't know the procedure for unblock requests on that Wikipedia so I can't advise there. BigNate37_(T) 22:59, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I can't see why ਰਾਜੇਨ੍ਦ੍ਰ ਸਿੰਘ can't ask the question as an IP - assuming that if they haven't edited yet, any block wouldn't be aimed at them personally. Possibly someone else has registered under that name and been blocked - in which case, choosing another name is going to be the only solution. Then again, without knowing what ਰਾਜੇਨ੍ਦ੍ਰ ਸਿੰਘ means (my local Hindi-speaker has probably gone to bed) it is hard to know what the problem is. AndyTheGrump (talk) 23:11, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Ah, good point. I assumed it was a unified login issue where they were banned themselves. BigNate37_(T) 23:14, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

My username is not in Hindi, it is Gurmukhi Punjabi, iv made most of my edits on the punjabi-language Wikipedia, when I go into Hindi language Wikipedia it logs me out and when I try and log in its says

"<

The user name "ਰਾਜੇਨ੍ਦ੍ਰ ਸਿੰਘ" has been banned from creation. It matches the following blacklist entry: (?!(User|Wikipedia|File)( talk)?:|Talk:)\P{L}*[^\p{Gurmukhi}\P{L}].*\p{Gurmukhi}.* # Gurmukhi + anything else

>"

ਰਾਜੇਨ੍ਦ੍ਰ ਸਿੰਘ (talk) 23:27, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

What? Your edits here have been made as User:ਰਾਜੇਨ੍ਦ੍ਰ ਸਿੰਘ. Are you saying that's not the username you refer to when you say "my username"? The Punjabi Wikipedia has no user called pa:User:Gurmukhi Punjabi. Or does "ਰਾਜੇਨ੍ਦ੍ਰ ਸਿੰਘ" transliterate as "Gurmukhi Punjabi"? PrimeHunter (talk) 00:07, 26 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

No I ment the language it is written in, ਰਾਜੇਨ੍ਦ੍ਰ ਸਿੰਘ translates as my name(Rajendra Singh) and I use this user name on all the wikipedias. Gurmukhi punjabi is the language it(my username) is written in The problem is that it doesn't work in Hindi language Wikipedia ਰਾਜੇਨ੍ਦ੍ਰ ਸਿੰਘ (talk) 08:08, 26 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for the clarification. It appears from hi:MediaWiki:Titleblacklist that the Hindi Wikipedia does not allow page names and usernames in Gurmukhi and a lot of other scripts. The line you quote

(?!(User|Wikipedia|File)( talk)?:|Talk:)\P{L}*[^\p{Gurmukhi}\P{L}].*\p{Gurmukhi}.* # Gurmukhi + anything else

is among many similar under

POTENTIALLY CONFUSING MIXED-SCRIPT TITLES

This is a mattter for the Hindi Wikipedia. You may have to choose another username there. I don't know whether they have a username request procedure for review of usernames with those scripts. If you did get the name accepted then you would probably be unable to create pages in your own userspace because the username is part of the page name. PrimeHunter (talk) 09:30, 26 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you for the help. I have taken the issues to one of the administrators of hindi Wikipedia ਰਾਜੇਨ੍ਦ੍ਰ ਸਿੰਘ (talk) 11:07, 26 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

You're welcome. I see an administrator has completely removed Gurmukhi from the blacklist [4] and your account is now registered there. If the blacklist stays as it is then you should have no problems creating userspace pages. PrimeHunter (talk) 17:55, 26 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Links in page not working[edit]

Hi, I have searched for the last couple of hours for an answer but can not find one so I hope that you won't mind me asking this.

I have downloaded http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleolithic_diet using the tools download as PDF but the navigation links in the page do not work. Have I missed something? I can not see a setting/option for this.

Thanks

Michael

TengoKbailar (talk) 22:15, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Hi Michael. I downloaded the same PDF but I am not clear on which navigation links you are referring to in your question. Can you clarify exactly what you are trying to do and what PDF reader (name and version) you are using? meshach (talk) 00:01, 26 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I think he wants internal links in the PDF, but there is no option for that. Goodvac (talk) 00:13, 26 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Taishan[edit]

The Taishan page is VERY poorly written and riddled with grammatical errors. --Betterkaark (talk) 22:20, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

You can be bold and start fixing it, or you can leave suggestions on the article's talk page. RudolfRed (talk) 23:26, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I am not bold, I consider myself italic. Good day to you , sir. --Betterkaark (talk) 23:33, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

rename page[edit]

St. Joseph High School (Kenosha, Wisconsin) is a new entity. As of July 1, 2010 we became St. Joseph Catholic Academy as a result of the merging of St. Mark Elementary School, St. Joseph Interparish Jr. High, and St. Joseph High School.

I'd like the title to be changed and have been trying to do this without recreating the page, but I'm getting blocked. Please help change the title as St. Joseph High School no longer exists. Thank you. 75.9.173.103 (talk) 22:34, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Linked article. Looking into moving article... Dismas|^(talk) 00:33, 26 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Okay, I don't see a reason to move anything. The new school already has an article at St. Joseph Catholic Academy and the article for the school under the old name makes clear the fact that the schools have merged. Dismas|^(talk) 00:47, 26 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

The two articles are so short, wouldn't a merger be warranted?— Vchimpanzee · talk · contributions · 18:29, 27 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

How to register an email?[edit]

Hello, I would like to register an email so that other editors can contact me privately if they wish. I am having trouble figuring out how to do that. I have gone to my Preferences, but when I click on "Set an email" I get taken to a dialogue box with my user name and password, and there does not seem to be an option to enter an email address. It keeps telling me something like, "your email address is improperly formatted." But to my knowledge, I have not entered any email address. Any suggestions?EMP (talk) 23:21, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Try going through Special:ChangeEmail. Goodvac (talk) 23:24, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for speedy reply. I tried it, and and when I click on "Change email" it gives me the following message: The e-mail address cannot be accepted as it appears to have an invalid format. Please enter a well-formatted address or empty that field. Thanks for your help w this! EMP (talk) 23:27, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Are there any special characters in your email address? Did you include @? Did you include the domain? Goodvac (talk) 23:52, 25 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I can't even get to the point where it will let me enter an email address. When I click on the "change email" button, it gives me this: "The e-mail address cannot be accepted as it appears to have an invalid format. Please enter a well-formatted address or empty that field." Maybe I can't "change email" because I had not entered an email in the first place? (it says by my email "none.")EMP (talk) 05:29, 26 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Here is what I see:

Complete this form to change your e-mail address. You will need to enter your password to confirm this change.
Username: Goodvac
Current e-mail address: [my email]
New e-mail address: [input box]
password: [input box]
Change email.....Cancel

You should be able to type in the input box beside "New e-mail address". I don't think it makes a difference whether you already set an email or not. Goodvac (talk) 05:49, 26 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I deleted my email address for testing and it looks as above except it says "Current e-mail address: (none)". Try to clear your entire cache, or try setting the email address at another wiki at Special:CentralAuth/Early morning person. If it works then it should also set the email address at the English Wikipedia. PrimeHunter (talk) 20:51, 26 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

^ Bo Guagua paid US$100,000 for domain name: Guardian

[1] Bo Guagua paid US$100,000 for domain name: Guardian

[1]