Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2009 July 22

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July 22

Headlines Page

Resolved

Hello. The headlines page for this month is messed up. The headlines extend all the way to the right side of the page, while the sidebar appears all the way at the bottom of the page, below the headlines. Also, I started new headlines for July 22nd, and they are not showing up. I know it's related to what's happening. I'm not sure how to fix it, but if someone could fix that, or with any advice on how to fix it, I would like that. Thank you. --Radiokid1010 (talk) 01:19, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

Never mind. I just made an edit, and now the page is back to normal. --Radiokid1010 (talk) 01:26, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

Confused and wondering

Hello editors,

I have never added items in my article except for the Notable Alumni the other day. I am wondering why there are different editors inserting "messages" like this one, which says "It has been suggested that the section The transformation from the article Ismael Mathay Sr. High School be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)". There was no "suggestion" you made. sorry please. Well, All items have been "referenced" and "footnoted" per your previous advise. I cannot discuss that anymore because the last editing you made were done by your respective editors. I have fixed everything that editors were inserting in my article. With this one, I dont really know now. You want me to discuss issues that you have already edited for a couple of times in the past. I can feel now that we are lacking 'professionalism' here. There are too many editors editing my simple and humble alma mater that all started in a palengke or public market. I cannot discuss it anymore.Palengkero (talk) 03:05, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

You may have entered the original version of Ismael Mathay Sr. High School, but it is not “your article.” Anyone else has as much right to edit it as you do. As it says under the Save button on every edit page, “If you do not want your writing to be edited, used, and redistributed at will, then do not submit it here.” —teb728 t c 03:33, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

Thank you TEB728 for your reply. The Transformation there was already edited months ago. someone removed some items there and just footnoted it to (Number 1). i respected the editor. it was not idea, it was edited by your editor and now another editor wants me to discuss what had been edited by your previous editors. isn't this confusing on my part as your writer and contributor. i submited my original article on a different format and that was edited a couple of times already. Thank you for having my article here (though a simple one). i cant say anything but i really thank wikipedia.Palengkero (talk) 03:45, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

• I entered the merge suggestion. The transformation section reads (in its entirety) "In 1976, the palengke was gutted by a blaze.[1]", with the citation being to a website which in turn gives only 2 sentences itself about this event. However, when I was re-reading the website cited, I see that the article has a far more serious problem, in that most of the beginning of the article is a direct copy of this copyrighted website. Now, as the above user just removes my merge suggestion, etc, without contacting me (even though I left details on the article's talk page), could someone else deal with this - I feel that the OP will just undo any changes I make with no discussion.
• Also, I am concerned that in the "notable alumni" section, none of the alumni have wikipedia articles - and none of them are mentioned in any other article except this one. Again, I don't want an edit war with Palengkero, so could someone else look at it? As the article's history will show, I put in a request for references to show that they are notable, but that was just removed! Thanks PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 07:25, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

• • Hi Phantomsteve, i have been considering submitting articles and autobiographies of Ismael Mathay Jr. and ismael Mathay Sr. earlier but politicians in the Philippines are impossible to reach. i want to personally interview anyone of their scions. even if i travel there i may not be able to reach them. i think every filipino background knows this. i'll try my best though, who knows. please give me time because celebrities in the Philippines are too hard to get. I have also thought of creating articles for sensational moviestars Beth Bautista and Artlene Sison. i had been making queries of their whereabouts even (sometimes) eating my own pride just to get feedbacks from these prominent stars/celebrities in Manila. Likewise, Nario, Latorilla, et al are big names over there. They may not be popular in Cambodia but these are big names there. Please google their names if you have time for a glimpse. Thanks again Palengkero (talk) 11:07, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

Articles about people should never be autobiographical, nor should they be based on interviews you conduct yourself. This is a reference work; what we want is cited verifiable information derived from material already published in reliable sources. Interviews with subjects would constitute original research, which has no place here. This is an encyclopedia, not a newspaper. --Orange Mike | Talk 16:26, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

• • As an aside, I'm also not sure about the entire article subject's notability - all the "what links here" pages are either user pages, images, or other schools in the Philippines (because they are all in the Schools in Quezon City box) - no other articles link to it. Again, I feel that I am not neutral, so I need someone else to look at it and make the decision. PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 07:59, 22 July 2009 (UTC)
    • Phantomsteve, i saw the "Tambayan Philippines" linked to my userpage for the first time. i am new to this name and will browse through it later. thanks for that site of "Tambayan Philippines", i dont know about it. i'll get in touch with them soon. Now i am learning more and more about wikipedia editing since i was recently referred to this "Help Desk" by your "email contact person". Thanks again Palengkero (talk) 10:43, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

Please could a very experienced editor/admin look at the article - I could delete the copyrighted material mentioned above, and put a PROD on the page, but I feel that Palengkero will just undo it - and I really don't want to be accused of either vindictiveness or an edit war! So someone, please read both mine and Palengkero's comments above, look at the article and then do the right thing. If the consensus is that I'm getting this all wrong, leave me a message on my talk page - or leave a message if you are doing any changes! Thanks PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 16:17, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

"conjoined" images

Resolved

 –  – ukexpat (talk) 14:58, 23 July 2009 (UTC)

I have seen before where two images are presented side by side in a single thumbnail with a single caption. Does this have to be done before uploading or is there a way to do it on-wiki? Beeblebrox (talk) 05:52, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

You can fake it with a table, or with a gallery tag (a gallery can have a main caption and individual captions for the images it contains). Some image files themselves combine separate images, for example:

• File:North American Wind Research and Training Center 3483764965.jpg

That's how I found the image on Flickr. --Teratornis (talk) 06:55, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

{{Double image}} does what you want. Deor (talk) 11:05, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

Thanks! Beeblebrox (talk) 16:32, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

EDITING WIKIPEDIA

Simply stated, I'm trying to design a proposal for a new Home Page for my native language. As to not create a new public page or disturb an existing one, I decided to create the design in a subpage of my user name.

Anyway, I'm very confused about these common.css pages and how they relate to the actual Wikipedia pages. For example, in the source for the existing Home Page, that I'm trying to redesign, there is a code <div class="BG_giallu... . I've found that it references a code on the MediaWiki:Common.css page for this particular language's Wikipedia.

However, I'm unable to make changes to the common.css page. So, I'm curious how I might be able to make reference to a different .css page, so that I can make changes to it and modify the various containers and so forth. Is this possible?

By the way, I do know about the Monobook skin, which does involve a personal .css page. But I'm not sure what this is and how it works, nor if it can work in the way I'm asking.

Please contact me if you need further information or clarification on my question. I would very much appreciate a response.

Finally, if anyone knows of any resources that explain Wiki markup in great detail, I would love to know about it. I'm somewhat familiar with HTML and CSS, and can always consult the many tutorial pages on these languages, but it seems like this Wiki markup is very confusing and employs various languages in different ways. So I'd love a detailed guide on how it works.

THANKS!

--Michiluzzu Scalisi (talk) 08:27, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

In order to edit pages in the MediaWiki: namespace, you need to be an administrator on that project which you are not. Refer to scn:Wikipedia:Amministraturi for more information of admins on your home project including information on how to become one. Regards SoWhy 11:45, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

Yes, I understand that only administrators can edit the MediaWiki pages. That's why I said However, I'm unable to make changes to the common.css page. So, what I'm asking is if it's possible to reference another .css page, one that I can create and change myself - as a non-administrator?

For example, can I create a .css page in a subpage of my user name, and then somehow reference the tags on there, rather than the tags on the MediaWiki? I wouldn't expect a page that I created to overwrite the MediaWiki, so I could make sure to use completely different tag names, so there wouldn't be conflict. Or, is it possible to embed CSS directly into a Wikipedia page?

Basically, all I want to do is apply my own CSS to edits I want to make to a personal Wiki page. Is it possible, or not?

--Michiluzzu Scalisi (talk) 21:55, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

No, I don't think this is possible on Wikipedia. Why do you need specialized CSS anyway? And do you have to write in that vile font? Algebraist 22:02, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

I believe that anything in User:Michiluzzu Scalisi/monobook.css overrides common.css for your personal use. Since it affects only you, you don't need to use different names (as long as you don't do something so radical that it prevents you from reverting yourself). On the other hand I don't believe the software allows you to embed functional CSS directly in a Wikipedia page; I believe it displays embedded CSS as text. You can embed style code; this, for example, is red. —teb728 t c 04:16, 25 July 2009 (UTC)

If you create your Main Page idea in a subpage of your userpage, you can also create the moonbrook.css in your namespace as well. If the community likes your contribution and approves it, your Main Page as well as the CSS can be copied to the appropriate places by an administrator.--TParis00ap (talk) 22:53, 26 July 2009 (UTC)

How to creat a medal table!?

How do I create a medal table, such as the one to the right in this article?

THANKS —Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.231.114.26 (talk) 14:05, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

Click "edit this page" to see how a page does something, and see Template:MedalTableTop. PrimeHunter (talk) 14:09, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

That table is created by transcluding several templates -- take a look at the page in edit mode and you will see how it's done. – ukexpat (talk) 14:11, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

my input

How do I know that there are visiters at my article?

®

Is there a policy or something against use of ®in articles? A new user 'trademarktruth' keeps adding this ® and replaces 'Velcro' with 'hook and loop' without responding to comments on the talk page.[1]—SpaceFlight89 15:12, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

Yes, a guideline. See Wikipedia:Manual of Style (trademarks). Regards SoWhy 15:26, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

First FA

Resolved

 –  – ukexpat (talk) 14:57, 23 July 2009 (UTC)

Which article was the first featured one on en.wiki? Thanks. --Gikü (talk) 15:35, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

Good question. You can review the first organized FA reviews at Wikipedia:Featured article candidates/Featured log/October 2003 and before but I do not think the first FA is recorded anywhere. Someone from back there might know it though... Regards SoWhy 15:38, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

If one equates the old brilliant prose list with the modern FA system, then one of http://nostalgia.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brilliant_prose&oldid=4431 these], though even at that time they came and went from the list. - Jarry1250 ^{[ In the UK? Sign the petition! ]} 15:53, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

Wow, seems like you started nominating here when my homewiki was just 19 days! Amazing.. :D --Gikü (talk) 20:42, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

Delete my contribution article

Resolved

 – Speedy declined, article under development. – ukexpat (talk) 18:02, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

Dear Sir/Madam

I would like to delete my contribution article to Wikipedia and would be grateful if you could help me delete it.

Thanks in advance

Best Regards

Jason529999

If you would like American City University to be deleted then place {{db-g7}} on it. PrimeHunter (talk) 16:08, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

Too late for that - other editors have already worked on it. – ukexpat (talk) 16:10, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

Ukexpat is right, G7 is no longer valid. It now includes multiple work and your work has been released into GFDL. ZooFari 16:17, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

At the time of ukexpat's post, this was the changes made after the creator, and it may still have qualified under the "only substantial content" in {{db-g7}}. ukexpat has made it harder to get it deleted by making additional edits to the article, but you can still try to place {{db-g7}} on it and see what happens. If it isn't deleted then see Wikipedia:Deletion policy for other options. PrimeHunter (talk) 16:25, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

I've placed the db-g7 (using this thread as the rationale) PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 16:41, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

The tag was removed. Taking advantage of an easy deletion target is no way of improving Wikipedia; the article was notable enough to support notability. The author released his/her work into a free license:

You irrevocably agree to release your contributions under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License 3.0 and the GFDL. You agree to be credited, at minimum, through a hyperlink or URL when your contributions are reused in any form. See the Terms of Use for details.

Nothing can't be done now. ZooFari 17:55, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

I didn't see it as an easy deletion target. The ACU is uncredited, and isn't even listed with CAPPS (hence why I removed that section). However, I don't disagree with the removal of the tag, as the terms for a SD were not met. At the time I place the tag, there were no references on the page to support notability (only the organisation's own web site was listed). As such, I didn't see that the article improved Wikipedia - indeed, it could be considered as sub-advertising, as the only way to find out more (and verify it) was to go to their own website, which pesumably exists to entice people to pay for their uncredited courses.

Incidently, the license does not preclude the original creator of the article requesting its deletion (within certain limits) - that's why there is a db-g7 criteria for SD - otherwise that criteria could not exist. The license merely means that you cannot claim ownership of any article from a copyright point of view.PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 18:23, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

Multiple log-ins

I don't intend to sock-puppet. I use the alexandermacpherson log-in for general interest purposes, but am part of a group blog which will be helping to maintain Wiki articles on specific subjects.

My question is if I would be able to run the two log-ins without being suspended. Clearly, I will not use both log-ins to edit the same article. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Alexandermacpherson (talk • contribs) 17:09, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

See Wikipedia:Sock puppetry#Alternative accounts. I don't know how your group blog is planning to edit but note that it is not allowed for two or more people to share an account. They must use separate accounts. If you want to signal you are part of a group then you can write so on your user pages. PrimeHunter (talk) 17:19, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

Thank you for getting back to me. We will be using individual log-ins - groupblog01, 02, 03 etc. I've had a look at your link, and it does look as if I can have the two accounts... I'll be careful not to let them cross. AlexanderMacpherson (talk) 17:32, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

I would avoid any username with the word "group" - it is bound to raise suspicions that more than one person is using it, even though that is not the case. – ukexpat (talk) 17:58, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

What kind of articles will the group maintain? Any conflict of interest with the articles they'll be editing? This may become controversial and scrutinized depending on how the accounts are used, they support each other's views in talk page discussions or not etc. --59.95.114.83 (talk) 18:01, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

Inserting a photo

I've been trying to upload a photo of Tim Credeur to his page and nothing is working. I've read all the tutorials and loaded the picture into Wikimedia Commons and still nothing. What am I doing wrong? This is the path I've been using:

[[File:Credeur.jpg|thumb|Tim Credeur at UFC 100]] —Preceding unsigned comment added by 214.3.36.171 (talk) 17:37, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

I see it in the article's ibox, is that where you were having the problem? That particular ibox just requires the filename, Credeur.jpg, no brackets or thumbnail parameter. By the way, if you are user Kcrig33 on Commons, you will have problems with the statement you have made in the Licensing section of the image information page - you cannot restrict use of images once you have released them under a Commons-compatible license. – ukexpat (talk) 17:48, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

Better Business Bureau

I'm trying to report a fraud charge against a company that cheated my mother and I out of money( $700).They promised a service and didn't do it.They won't return phone calls or answer my emails.The company is Federal Loan Modification Center in California,We live in Tenn.17:39, 22 July 2009 (UTC)Melodyw1960 (talk)

Hello. I suspect, based on your question, that you found one of our roughly three million articles, and thought that we were directly affiliated in some way with that subject. Please note that you are at Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia that anyone can edit, and this page is a help desk for asking questions related to using the encyclopedia. Thus, we have no inside track on the subject of your question. You can, however, search our vast catalogue of articles by typing a subject into the search field on the left hand side of your screen. If you cannot find what you are looking for, we have a reference desk, divided into various subject areas, where asking knowledge questions is welcome. Best of luck. But please note that we cannot give legal advice. – ukexpat (talk) 17:56, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

BiDi help request

Resolved

 – Good clean solution! —SlamDiego_←T 14:51, 23 July 2009 (UTC)

I need to place a Hebrew word, in quotation marks, within an English sentence, followed by a period (to end the sentence, and follow this with a footnote. My expectation was that it would be done thus:

from the [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] “{{lang|he|יַעֲקֹב}}“.<ref>Morris, William and Mary (eds); entry for “Jacob”, ''American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language'' (1975).</ref>

When I look at how the above is rendered by Firefox and by Opera, it's a mess

from the Hebrew “יַעֲקֹב“.

with elements disordered and torn apart. How do I do this properly? If I am doing it properly but running-up against a bug, is there a known work-around? —SlamDiego_←T 19:35, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

Could you contrive to put text after the Hebrew, like

from the Hebrew “יַעֲקֹב“ (Jacob).

—teb728 t c 20:51, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

The Hebrew text has an invisible unicode right-to-left mark; fix this by putting a unicode left-to-right mark immediately after the template using ‎ ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 21:09, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

I see that you can do that automatically by using {{rtl-lang}} instead of {{lang}}. —teb728 t c 00:03, 23 July 2009 (UTC)

Excellent. That fixed things nicely. You have my thanks qua fellow editor, and you deserve thanks on behalf of Wikipedia's users. And my thanks to others who provided alternate fixes and suggestions. —SlamDiego_←T 04:11, 23 July 2009 (UTC)

Template

Resolved

 –  – ukexpat (talk) 14:56, 23 July 2009 (UTC)

I added the template Theatres of Scotland to the article Glasgow Empire Theatre. I notice the template is shown in full when going to the article, unlike the Aberdeen Arts Centre article where the theatre names are hidden until clicking show. I'm curious why they are shown differently when the templates are added in the same way. Coll Mac (talk) 22:10, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

The template uses {{navbox}}. The navbox template has a state parameter which defaults to autocollapse— the template will be expanded unless it detects another template above or below it. If the template that uses navbox includes a state parameter, then you and override it and set it to expand; {{Theatres, galleries, museums and historical buildings in Aberdeen}} does not have a state parameter, but it can easily be added if desired. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 22:18, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

Thanks for the answer, Gadget. Coll Mac (talk) 22:39, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

Good Portal?

Is this portal good? I've recently created it and I like some un-bias feedback and maybe some editors. Thank you • S • C • A • R • C • E • 22:12, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

Consider WP:PEER. But since I'm at it, I'd say it is a good start. It is missing the "suggestions" or "nominations" button for the random components, in case anyone wants to submit content. ZooFari 22:18, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

The only one you can really suggest anything for is in the "Did you know?" box, for the random components I've linked all related articles to the appropriate sections. But there could be something like the featured article for the main page. • S • C • A • R • C • E • 22:51, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

No images

Why don't I see any images that accompany articles?

Thanks! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Vinetreeron (talk • contribs) 23:00, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

Perhaps someone has configured your browser or your account with one of the methods described at Wikipedia:Options to not see an image. Do you see images on other sites? If not, perhaps someone has configured your browser not to display images at all. —teb728 t c 01:11, 23 July 2009 (UTC)