Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2013 June 18

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June 18[edit]

Multiple articles on same topic[edit]

I noticed that there were 2 different articles on the same person. Taalat Fouad Qassem & Tal'at Fu'ad Qasim

I don't know what the proper procedure is to handle this kind of problem. Thanks. David O. Johnson (talk) 02:52, 18 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Those two pages should be merged. Look at Wikipedia:MERGE for how to start the process. RudolfRed (talk) 04:15, 18 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]
There really wasn't much to merge - I just copied one reference from the newer article and added it to the older one, then redirected the newer to the older.--ukexpat (talk) 15:49, 18 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Need help with "ifexist"[edit]

Hello, I'm asking this question here, because I didn't get any answer on fi-wiki, and I guess that here is more users who knows about this kind of things.

So, we have a template fi:Malline:GrandSlamKaaviot which is the same as Template:Infobox Tennis Grand Slam events. Problem with the fi-wiki template is that we have to make always redirects to get this work.

This is how it's in en-wiki:
{{ #ifexist: {{{1}}} {{{2}}} – Men's Singles |[[{{{1}}} {{{2}}} – Men's Singles|men]] | ''men'' }}
This is how it's in fi-wiki:
{{ #ifexist: {{{1}}} {{{2}}} – Miesten kaksinpeli |[[{{{1}}} {{{2}}} – Miesten kaksinpeli|miehet]] | ''miehet'' }}

But in fi-wiki we have articles like "Miesten kaksinpeli Australian avoimessa tennisturnauksessa 2013" so we have to make a redirect page from Australian avoin tennisturnaus 2013 – Miesten kaksinpeli to the link above to get this link showing in the template.

So, now the function {{ #ifexist: {{{1}}} {{{2}}} – Miesten kaksinpeli |[[{{{1}}} {{{2}}} – Miesten kaksinpeli|miehet]] | ''miehet'' }} should someway to get print the following way: {{ #ifexist: Miesten kaksinpeli [[here should be some function which uses one of the following lines:

  • Australian avoimessa tennisturnauksessa
  • Ranskan avoimessa tennisturnauksessa
  • Wimbledonin tennisturnauksessa
  • Yhdysvaltain avoimessa tennisturnauksessa {{{2}}}|miehet]] | ''miehet'' }}

Thanks! --Stryn (talk) 04:55, 18 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

  • Hello Stryn. If I understand your request (which I'll admit I'm not sure I do) what you are looking for is: {{#ifexist: Miesten kaksinpeli [[{{#switch:{{{1}}}|Australian avoimessa tennisturnauksessa|Ranskan avoimessa tennisturnauksessa|Wimbledonin tennisturnauksessa|Yhdysvaltain avoimessa tennisturnauksessa={{{1}}}|#default=}} {{{2}}}|miehet]] | ''miehet'' }} If I misunderstood you, please, let me know and I'll try again. Technical 13 (talk) 11:07, 18 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

SREESANTH Wikipedia[edit]

Sreesanth's sister is divorced from her husband Sanjeev Nair on 6th july 2012. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.201.33.168 (talk) 10:04, 18 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

This Sreesanth? The article mentions two sisters, neither with an article of their own. The eldest appears to have been married to Madhu Balakrishnan for quite some time. The youngest sister is an actress and the article doesn't mention a husband at all. And Sanjeev Nair doesn't have an article, so no help there either. So, why is this information important to Wikipedia? Astronaut (talk) 16:17, 18 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]
It looks like the user was doubling-up on their edit requests. Their request was declined here. Cyphoidbomb (talk) 16:50, 18 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Wrong information on the page about me[edit]

Nicola Davies (author) (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views)

Hi...Im Nicola Davies zoologist and children's author. On the wiki page about me says I was born in Suffolk (so readers keep on and on asking about this) and I wasnt born in Suffolk. I was born in Birmingham

No big deal just blooming irritating.

No idea what that squiggly line thing is im supposed to SIGN with but you can look at my website nicola-davies.com — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.157.126.89 (talk) 11:53, 18 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

The incorrect place of birth has now been removed. I'll leave a note on the talk page to explain why. AndyTheGrump (talk) 12:03, 18 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]
That was me. I've found a source and corrected the article. --NeilN talk to me 12:04, 18 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Hello, Nicola. In answer to your other question, if you sign with four tildes (shift-# on my keyboard) it will automatically enter your Wikipedia username, the time and date, and links to your Wikipedia user page and user-talk page; however, since you are not logged into an account, the user page and talk page will be for the IP address you are using, which may be shared with other people. --ColinFine (talk) 14:24, 18 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Edit section without using the visual editor[edit]

I want to edit just one section of an article, but I can't use the Visual Editor because I want to edit a template call. How can I do that without changing my preferences? Powers T 14:39, 18 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Try changing the URL - so, for example, to edit this section, it is https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Help_desk&action=edit&section=39. Just change title and section, and see if it works. Mdann52 (talk) 15:41, 18 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]
I was going to say that finding the section number was impossible, but it turns out it's still present underneath the edit link. I can just copy the link and paste it into the URL and it works. But I shouldn't have to do that. The Visual Editor is obviously broken and doesn't handle the vast majority of editing tasks cleanly. It takes forever to load on a complex page, and half the content isn't editable anyway. Now I have to jump through hoops just to edit an article section? Powers T 17:39, 18 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]
It works for me to manually copy the url to the address bar: Right-click the section edit link, select copy, right-click the browser adress bar, select paste, press Enter. There is a discussion at Wikipedia:Village pump (technical)#Visual editor as default for section editing makes editing task in section impossible. PrimeHunter (talk) 17:58, 18 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]
That discussion has been for_section_editing_makes_editing_task_in_section_impossible archived.— Vchimpanzee · talk · contributions · 20:34, 26 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Company on Wikipedia[edit]

Hello Good Morning,

We have been a software development company for over 17 years specialized in tablet software development. Additionally we have a new suite of Cloud apps. Please provide me with some info. on how we can get out info/data on who we are in your system.

Thank you. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.111.73.103 (talk) 16:57, 18 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Please see WP:CORP for the notability standards for companies. Only if your company meets the criteria can an article about it be written on Wikipedia. Roger (Dodger67) (talk) 17:12, 18 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]
And, per WP:COI, we strongly encourage you to not write the article yourself, should the company in fact meet Wikipedia's notability requirements. -- John Broughton (♫♫) 18:02, 18 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

wrong name change?[edit]

my name is not Jesse Freitas III it is Jesse Lee Freitas--98.208.56.10 (talk) 17:27, 18 June 2013 (UTC)Italic text98.208.56.10 (talk) 17:27, 18 June 2013 (UTC) born Mills Hospital San Mateo, California September 10, 1951 -- please change or let me know how to change. Thank you![reply]

The article (a stub) is (currently) Jesse Freitas III. -- John Broughton (♫♫) 18:01, 18 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Since both were known simply as Jesse Freitas during their pro careers, I've moved the article on the father (Jesse Freitas, Jr.) to Jesse Freitas (1940s football) and on the son (Jesse Lee Freitas) to Jesse Freitas (1970s football). --Orange Mike | Talk 18:19, 18 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Title spelled wrong[edit]

Hello i have created a page on wikipedia and the title is spelt wrong as "TV Santhosh" instead it should be "T.V. Santhosh" i have tried editing it but in vain please help me editing it.

User:Ukexpat has taken care of this for you.— Vchimpanzee · talk · contributions · 20:46, 26 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Question about licences[edit]

Does Wikipedia or WikiMedia Commons allow publication of images under a non-transferable licence? I normally publish images under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported licence. However, when I asked the director of a model photography workshop I attended, he told me that I am allowed to publish the images freely, as long as I don't make a profit from them, but no one else is. Is there any licence compatible with Wikipedia or WikiMedia Commons that allows this? JIP | Talk 18:43, 18 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Does Commons Licensing help?--ukexpat (talk) 18:51, 18 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]
I'm afraid that a) that's not enough proof for OTRS to consider it free, and b) "don't make a profit" and "no one else is" both rule out any licenses that are CC, because the most restrictive (CC-BY-SA-NC-ND) would allow anyone else to publish it under the same license, seemingly against his wishes. In fact, the "don't make a profit" rules it out because it would have to be NC, which is not a "free image" in terms of commons.
If you took them, they're yours to release. If he took them, then he has to explicitly release them (for OTRS purposes, either onwiki or in an email) under the free license. He can't just send you an e-mail saying "do what you will" or "that's ok" and you release the license. An example email would be WP:CONSENT.
Short answer, nope, it's not going to be allowed with those restrictions. Charmlet (talk) 21:28, 18 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

replacing dead web links[edit]

I am new to Wikipedia, and my main goal is to update dead web links for the publication I work for. How do I go into the ref list for a given Wikipedia article to change only the web links for cited sources? (Not citing new sources or deleting entire sources?) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Trtehp35 (talkcontribs) 20:00, 18 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

You usually have to edit the section where the reference is used and not where it's displayed. See Help:Referencing for beginners. If there is an accessdate in the citation then also update that to the date you are checking the new link works. Fixing dead links to your own publication should be OK but if you consider also adding new links then see Wikipedia:Conflict of interest. See also Wikipedia:Link rot. PrimeHunter (talk) 20:49, 18 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you for the very helpful information. It was just the help I needed! — Preceding unsigned comment added by Trtehp35 (talkcontribs) 19:12, 20 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Creating a page[edit]

How would I go about creating a page on a new subject? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.8.104.64 (talk) 20:05, 18 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Start by reading WP:1ST. - David Biddulph (talk) 20:14, 18 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]
(ec) First you line up all your sources then you take a good look at WP:Your first article. -- Roger (Dodger67) (talk) 20:16, 18 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Bug at the "Pages Created by" option[edit]

IN RE: [1]

Hi. I am just dropping by to let you know that the X!'s Tools whereby one can get a list of the articles one has created is not functioning properly. I have more than 300 articles to my name since 2005 but only the most recent 35 printed out. When I checked again only 7 (seven) were visible with a repeating message: "Warning: mysql_fetch_assoc() expects parameter 1 to be resource, boolean given in /data/project/xtools/public_html/pages/index.php on line 286" swirling down the rest of the page. I don't know where to report it as I do not know how to "Connect to freenode IRC", so I am hoping you can direct it. Thanks! (And yes my email address is my username, but not my signature; it was grandfathered in long, long ago.) Quis separabit? 22:26, 18 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Everyone's tools are being migrated from the Toolserver to Wikimedia Labs; it's quite possible the problem is related to that. In any case, if you want to notify the owner, you could post at User talk:X!. -- John Broughton (♫♫) 23:37, 18 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]
For more information also see https://blog.wikimedia.org/2013/05/30/preparing-for-the-migration-from-the-wikimedia-toolserver-to-tool-labs/ for the latest state and plans. Toolserver bugs can be reported at https://jira.toolserver.org/secure/Dashboard.jspa --AKlapper (WMF) (talk) 05:31, 20 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Where to direct my request for admin intervention?[edit]

I'm new to administrative intervention here. If an anonymous user continues to remove a comment I made on a talk page despite my attempt to engage them in discussion about why doing this is inappropriate, who should I take this to? Said user has done this three times now and I don't want to engage in an edit war.--Drasil (talk) 23:56, 18 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

You could always try WP:ANI. WesleyMouse 00:01, 19 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]
But I expect you'll be told that per WP:TPO off-topic comments that are irrelevant to improving the article may be removed by others. Thank you for removing some nonsense, but asking for the article subject's thanks on the talk page is inappropriate. Huon (talk) 00:05, 19 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]
The comment in question was left to note that I removed vandalism and patent nonsense from the article (six years ago). Does it really seem as though I'm asking for the subject's thanks in a literal fashion? And even if so, would that legitimize blanking of my comment by another user? I know this isn't the place to ask these questions, but I'm asking where that place is. ANI seems too high-level for this; I was hoping for some smaller body of administrators who might deal with these sorts of things routinely.--Drasil (talk) 00:13, 19 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]
There is nothing to do here. It was appropriate to remove the comment. Talk pages are only used to discuss how to improve the article. Thank you for removing the vandalism but you don't need to advertise that you did and what it was. GB fan 00:19, 19 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]
This page is, in fact, a very good place to ask how other editors see your situation.
Your posting began "Ned, if you ever end up here, you had better thank me for adding this to my watchlist ..." But WP:TALK states that "Talk pages are for discussing the article, not for general conversation about the article's subject (much less other subjects). Keep discussions focused on how to improve the article. Comments that are plainly irrelevant are subject to archival or removal."
There are tens of thousands of removals of vandalism here, every day. Please think about what article talk pages would look like if they were constantly used by editors for counting coup. -- John Broughton (♫♫) 00:39, 19 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Okay, understood on both counts. Doing this is not at all what I had intended when writing that part of the comment, which was meant to add levity and importantly was added six years ago when I was still in school. I wouldn't adopt such an informal tone in any space in WP nowadays. But regardless of when I wrote said comment, it's hard for me to believe that it alone qualifies me to be a "self-aggrandizing," "passive-aggressive vandal."--Drasil (talk) 04:58, 19 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]
The editor who used those words has been told by another editor that they were inappropriate. If he/she does this again, in the future, the Wikipedia process is for an escalating set of warnings that either leads to the editor ceasing to create problems, or being blocked.
A lot of what makes Wikipedia successful is the ability of editors to shrug their shoulders, mutter "asshole" under their breath, and move on. It's true that this isn't as satisfying as (somehow) forcing whoever said something inappropriate to apologize (profusely, ideally), after his/her idiocy is clearly pointed out in a public square for everyone to see. But that's not the Wikipedia way - this encyclopedia has been put together by a huge number of very imperfect people, and long-term editors simply put up with minor annoyances, including occasional name-calling, because the alternative is even less satisfactory, at least to the goal of improving Wikipedia articles. -- John Broughton (♫♫) 16:42, 19 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Aha; no, it's not revenge that I was hoping for so much as confirmation that said editor's views are his/her own exclusively, but this civil conversation serves that purpose just fine. Thanks for the helpful words.--Drasil (talk) 19:44, 19 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]