Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2023 April 7

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April 7[edit]

The correct name of publication is wrong I think for ref. number 13 - please repair if able - thanks 175.38.42.62 (talk) 02:35, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

What's currently number 13 is described as "The Standard". Click on the link, and you arrive at a web page of "The Standard". What seems to be the problem? -- Hoary (talk) 03:32, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]
 Fixed GoingBatty (talk) 18:49, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Where's the "Automatic" tab?[edit]

I'm trying to follow these instructions which I found on the Internet, but when I click on the "'Cite button" I'm not seeing the "'Automatic' tab" that's mentioned in step 4. Suggestions?

1. Go to the article you are editing in Wikipedia: 2. Click in the article where you want to add your citation. 3. Select the "Cite" button. 4. Click on the "Automatic" tab. 5. Paste the URL into the box. 6. Click "Generate" 7. Double check that everything looks correct. 8. Click "Insert" That's it. You've added a citation. Was Kisevalter Nash? (talk) 05:22, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

@Was Kisevalter Nash?: You may need to have the new wikitext mode enabled at Preferences → Beta features → check New wikitext mode if you haven't already. —Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 ) 05:59, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]
@Was Kisevalter Nash?: Those instructions could apply to both "New wikitext mode" and VisualEditor. You are probably using the normal source editor now. There you can click "Cite", "Templates", choose a template like "cite web", paste in the "URL" field and click the magnifying glass. PrimeHunter (talk) 11:48, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]
I switched over to it just now, and in my draft article I've placed a blinking cursor right where I want it in the text, but now there's no "Cite" button for me to click on as the instructions I posted above suggest doing. I'm trying to insert my main Reference source's (paginated) URL where I've placed the blinking cursor. Do I click on the "Inset" drop box, instead? This is the (paginated) URL I want to use for my first citation link. (I don't know if I'm using the correct terminology.) It's to a book that was published by Yale University Press, the "hard copy" of which I already have listed in my draft article's Bibliography. Thanks for your help. https://archive.org/details/SpyWarsMolesMysteriesAndDeadlyGames/page/n41/mode/2up?view=theater Was Kisevalter Nash? (talk) 15:44, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]
@Was Kisevalter Nash?: "Cite" is two icons to the left of "Insert" for me in New wikitext mode. PrimeHunter (talk) 19:40, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]
It's a button that reads " Cite", in between and . It's one of the wider ones. —Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 ) 22:15, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

article[edit]

Wanted to see how i can get an article published on wikepedia about my company Provacation (talk) 06:57, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Hello, Provacation. If you intend to write about your company, then you are considered a paid editor and must immediately make the Paid contributions disclosure. This is mandatory and non-negotiable. Then read about Conflict of interest editing, and Notability (organizations and companies) and Your first article. Cullen328 (talk) 07:19, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Ref numbers 9 and 12 are the same source (a history book) - can an editor please do that skill where you put etc 2 refs together - I cannot. Thanks 175.38.42.62 (talk) 07:09, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

In either one of the two references (by convention, the first one, though this doesn't matter), replace <ref> with <ref name="quill">. (Notice that this doesn't contain a slash.) Replace all other references (in their entirety) with <ref name="quill" /> (Notice that this does contain a slash.) There you go. -- Hoary (talk) 07:19, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]
I tried - and thank you for your advice. - but I have failed. I will leave it as. it is...175.38.42.62 (talk) 08:45, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Done. (Or if you'd prefer the "mobile view", then done.) If anything is hard to understand, please ask. However, this change was for little more than appearance's sake. By contrast: (1) How does it help readers if the title is linked to a record of the book -- and not a PDF or other representation of the book itself -- in a library to which most won't have access? (Suggestion: Remove the link. If people want to see where it is in this or that national library, they can do so via the link for the ISBN.) (2) It's a book, one that WorldCat describes as going on for 104 pages. Why expect readers to search among these for the specific information? (Suggestion: Supplement the reference with use of Template:Rp.) -- Hoary (talk) 09:31, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

I have retitled this message thread. Four message threads shared the same title, and the fourth merely duplicated this, the third. In future, please don't recycle the same title within any page: it easily leads to confusion. In an attempt to reduce the risk of confusion, I've added a number to the title of all but the first. -- Hoary (talk) 09:36, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

how urgently should misquotes be removed?[edit]

An editor has added two misquotes of academic authors to Highland clearances. This sits alongside misrepresentation of other sources. There is dialogue on this at Talk:Highland Clearances#Edits not supported by cited sources.

I suspect that the two historians who are misquoted would object to having these words put into their mouths. There seems to be no guidance in Wikipedia (that I can find) on how urgently the misquotes and/or misrepresentations should be removed. I note that WP:BLP guidance of rapid correction to content to which a living person might object, and there seems to be some comparison to this situation.

What is an appropriate timescale for removing the misquotes? ThoughtIdRetired (talk) 07:24, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

I looked at the discussion, and see no reason why they shouldn't be removed immediately. Shantavira|feed me 08:27, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]
@ThoughtIdRetired The policy here is at WP:BURDEN, which suggests that disputed material should be removed immediately and that editors who wish to restore it need to justify doing so: the cited source must clearly support the material as presented in the article. Mike Turnbull (talk) 13:25, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]
As it happens, the other editor has deleted the problem paragraph that they had added. Hopefully I have given some useful pointers on (a) how Wikipedia works and (b) use of appropriate sources for the subject of the article - of which the other editor seems aware but apparently has not read. As ever, hard to know if such advice is helpful... ThoughtIdRetired (talk) 15:48, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

I am attempting to transfer (copy) mucic albums from Ubuntu Mate laptop computer to ipohone 6 +[edit]

I have attempted copying using various music programs including VLC but I have not been able to do the transfer as the only visible iphone folder in VLC is DCIM. I would like to tansfer the files either by connecting the devices with the iphone cable or wifi on the same wifi network. Lockieolou (talk) 07:45, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

@Lockieolou The top of this page says "The Wikipedia help desk is a place where you can ask questions about how to use or edit Wikipedia."
You could try asking at the Computing reference desk. Bazza (talk) 08:00, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Copy/transfer music files from Ubuntu Lite or Mate to iPhone 6+[edit]

I am attempting to transfer (copy) mucic albums from Ubuntu Mate laptop computer to ipohone 6 + ==

I have attempted copying using various music programs including VLC but I have not been able to do the transfer as the only visible iphone folder in VLC is DCIM.


I would like to tansfer the files either by connecting the devices with the iphone cable or wifi on the same wifi network. Lockieolou (talk) 08:13, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

@Lockieolou: This help desk can only assist you with questions related to using or editing Wikipedia. For general computing questions, try Wikipedia:Reference desk/Computing. Victor Schmidt (talk) 09:15, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Other language wikipedia[edit]

Hi i was trying to look at a wikipedia article in multiple languages to see differences, and now im getting emails from these wikis. How do i leave these wikis as I dont understand. The wikis are arabic wikipedia and italian wikipedia Translinuxcat (talk) 12:40, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

@Translinuxcat: Your account is automatically created at a wiki if you visit it while logged in. You will probably only get one mail from each wiki to notify you that you got a welcome message on your user talk page. Just ignore it. Accounts cannot be removed at a wiki. I suggested at meta:Welcoming policy to disallow welcome posts to users with no edits but it hasn't received much attention. PrimeHunter (talk) 12:51, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Translinuxcat if these are notifications, you could go to the it/ar equivalent of Preferences and then Notifications and then Email options and select Do not send me any email notifications. TSventon (talk) 12:56, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]
The interface will be in the local language by default. At Special:GlobalPreferences you can select English as interface language at all wikis. PrimeHunter (talk) 13:04, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

How do I delete an article[edit]

How do I submit an article for deletion, i want to delete the Adopt Me and Gamefam Studios pages 107.119.65.124 (talk) 13:48, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

I would first suggest that you review WP:DELETE, as well as WP:BEFORE, before pursuing deletion. Please see WP:AFDHOWTO for instructions, though users lacking an account will need help to complete the process(which the instructions describe). 331dot (talk) 13:51, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Is there a place where I can find source code that generated animations on Wikipedia pages?[edit]

I've been learning a lot of physics lately from Wikipedia, and many pages contain very helpful animations. Many appear as to have been computer generated, for example: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Torque_animation.gif and https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cat_fall_150x300_6fps.gif I think it would be very useful for my learning experience to read the computer code for such animations, however I have been unable to find it.

Is there a way to find the code that generated these files and others like them? Would I need to contact their creators to ask? What would be the proper and polite way to go about it? Many thanks! :) Gabi Teodoru (talk) 14:24, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

@Gabiteodoru: the general answer is "no", unless the uploader added comments on the file's page. You may be able to contact the uploader of the file. One fairly rare type of animation, animated SVG, carries the code embedded in the file. I suggest you take a look at Blender (software) and get help from its very active community. -Arch dude (talk) 14:42, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]
@Arch dude Thanks! Gabi Teodoru (talk) 16:24, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Gabiteodoru, if I now wanted to get into creating animated graphics, I would get a copy of SVG Essentials by J. David Eisenberg, published by O'Reilly. You can find copies on Ebay for less than £4, including delivery. Maproom (talk) 06:25, 8 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Hey! Thanks for the offer, but I wasn't looking to learn about the graphics; rather about the way the physical simulations were implemented, as for more complicated situations the simulators themselves can get pretty sophisticated Gabi Teodoru (talk) 09:14, 10 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Editing[edit]

how do you edit a wiki page Elainegardner (talk) 15:38, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Elainegardner By editing this page, you successfully edited a page. Articles(what we call the content of the encyclopedia) are edited in a similar way. I am going to post some introductory information on your user talk page(User talk:Elainegardner). 331dot (talk) 15:41, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Regarding ISBN numbers[edit]

I want to add the ISBN number to a book that's listed in my draft article's Bibliography section. Can I do that manually, or do I have to use a template? The ISBN number I'm talking about has no dashes and it's 13 digits long. Thanks. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Was Kisevalter Nash? (talkcontribs) 18:33, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

@Was Kisevalter Nash?: Hi there! In your Draft:Tennent H. "Pete" Bagley, you use the {{citation}} template for each book in the "Bibliography" section. You can add the |isbn= parameter to the template to add the ISBN number. Happy editing! GoingBatty (talk) 18:43, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]
@Was Kisevalter Nash? Note that it doesn't matter to the Wiki software whether the ISBN has any spaces or dashes within it, provided it has 10 or 13 digits. Since you are drafting the article you might as well stick to one style, either with or without the conventional dashes. Mike Turnbull (talk) 12:29, 8 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Paywalled reference?[edit]

Can I use a paywalled New York Times obituary as a reference? I have a subscription to the NYT, so I can read it by logging into my account, but I'm guessing many people surfing Wikipedia won't be able to do that because they don't have a subscription. Is there any way around that? Thanks. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Was Kisevalter Nash? (talkcontribs) 19:18, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

A paywall is not a barrier to using a source, see WP:PAYWALL. Sources do not need to be free or easy to access. 331dot (talk) 19:21, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Pop-up texts[edit]

 – Created section header. GoingBatty (talk) 21:36, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Hello: Thanks for the excellent Wikipedia project. As a cyberjournalism professor I would like to learn how to create pop-up texts as they occur in your contents through a linked word or phrase. Is that a propietary technology by Wikepedia or is it open source? Thank you. My email is [redacted] if you need to reply direct to my query. Rafael Matos Cccrafael (talk) 20:58, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

@Cccrafael: Hi there! Are you referring to the {{Tooltip}} template? If not, could you please give us an example of a Wikipedia article where you see a "pop-up text"? Thanks! GoingBatty (talk) 21:40, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Are you referring to the page previews? If so take a look at these links:
Random person no 362478479 (talk) 22:34, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

@Cccrafael: Wikipedia use the MediaWiki wiki software, which is open source. -Arch dude (talk) 21:56, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

A third feature is Wikipedia:Tools/Navigation popups. Always be specific when you ask questions, e.g. saying which text you see on which link. PrimeHunter (talk) 23:04, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Names of monuments[edit]

The names of monuments that are neither English nor American, in my opinion, should be written in the original language; for example, "Church of Santa Croce", corresponds, in the Italian language, to "Chiesa di Santa Croce"; being a monument, in this case, Italian, would it not be better to write it in Italian? JackkBrown (talk) 23:21, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

JackkBrown, this is English language Wikipedia and usually follows what reliable English language sources do, see WP:UE and more detail at WP:ENG. For example, "Church of Santa Croce" is a redirect to Santa Croce, Florence. TSventon (talk) 23:38, 7 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]
JackkBrown, please don't delete or change your talk page comments after someone has replied to them, see the guidance at WP:REDACT. I think the policy of following the usage English language sources makes sense, as Wikipedia aims to summarise what reliable sources say about a subject. The guidance also deals with situations where there are multiple possible foreign language titles. Italian Wikipedia will have articles about Italian monuments with Italian titles. TSventon (talk) 15:19, 8 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]
@JackkBrown In addition to the other good advice, please note that the English language has names (in English) for things in other countries. We talk about the Eiffel Tower, the Sistine Chapel, the Great Wall of China, etc. In an article about the Great Wall of China, if its name were written in (some dialect of) Chinese each time it was mentioned, the article would be confusing to those of us who couldn't read what was being talked about. David10244 (talk) 17:10, 8 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]
However, correct me if I'm wrong, but if there're few if any uses of an English name for an entity, we go with the native name, eg for the obscure village "Glückliche Stadt", we keep that name rather than translating it to "Happytown" on our own dime, if there's no common English name because English texts have no reason to talk about this obscure and, frankly, dismal collection of decrepit hovels. We should put the English translation in the lede IMO, and sometimes we do. For good or ill, that's the common practice. Herostratus (talk) 21:59, 8 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]
@Herostratus I'm sure you are right, but I would rather visit "Happytown" than "Glückliche Stadt"! If it's a dismal collection of decrepit hovels, then it needs a new name... Any good suggestions in German?  :-) David10244 (talk) 07:45, 10 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]
It's actually in Austria, so maybe Verdammtes Österreich? Herostratus (talk) 19:21, 10 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]