Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2019 April 3

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April 3[edit]

send a message to an editor[edit]

Hello, How do I send a direct message to a specific editor? ---- — Preceding unsigned comment added by Vastcorp (talkcontribs) 03:34, 3 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]

@Vastcorp: Put your message in a new section on that editor's talk page. Unless there are compelling reasons involving personal privacy, You should not attempt to use off-wiki communications. -Arch dude (talk) 04:39, 3 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Arbitrary page moves to draft[edit]

Is there a policy or guideline that supports an editor moving an article from article space to draft space, without discussion, because they have a concern about the article? I've only been here for 15 years and such a practice seems new to me. I'd have thought tagging, or prod, or AfD, or even just talking to the author of the article would be the way to go. But I have come across a user who seems to be making a habit of moving articles to draft, without discussion, because they don't like something about the article. Just want to check I've not missed a memo. --Tagishsimon (talk) 04:45, 3 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Tagishsimon, it seems that WP:DRAFTIFY allows pages to be speedily draftified if it does not meet the criteria for articles and is not being actively improved (but may meet the criteria in the future), or if there's a clear COI. It's a WP:BRD process, so if there's an objection, it should be moved back and listed at AfD. Alpha3031 (tc) 05:04, 3 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks Alpha3031; that's a useful shortcut to know. --Tagishsimon (talk) 05:05, 3 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Removal Stanhope Hotel[edit]

Hi

I already tried several times to create a wikipedia page for the Stanhope Hotel by Thon Hotels, but every time it got deleted. I'm out of inspiration of how I can publish the page. I added already 10 sources and it still got deleted. Can you please help me, because I'm desperate.

Thank you in advance! Jens — Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.123.11.180 (talk) 08:42, 3 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Why are you so desperate? If you are associated with the hotel, you must comply with WP:COI and WP:PAID. I see no edits in your edit history (live edits or deleted ones) where you created a Wikipedia article or draft. You did attempt to add the name of the hotel to a list of hotels, but this was reverted as it had no article. You shouldn't add links to an article until it is created. IP users cannot directly create articles, you must use Articles for Creation. 331dot (talk) 08:46, 3 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]
We should also mention something that is not so obvious - creating a new article from scratch is one of the most difficult tasks on Wikipedia. It is strongly recommended to build up your experience by improving existing articles before tackling it. It is not a requirement, but it generally works a lot more smoothly that way.--Gronk Oz (talk) 11:36, 3 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]
I'm assuming this would be a different Stanhope Hotel? †dismas†|(talk) 15:00, 3 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]
I notice there's already a Thon Hotels article, which mentions two Brussels units of that chain, but not by name. Perhaps the OP is seeking to name one but is unaware of that article. Jim.henderson (talk) 16:38, 3 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]

COIBot[edit]

Hi greetings. I'm seeking you for a help. I had saw that my name is listed in some lists of COIBot.

Are they harmful to me? What should I do to remove them? Kindly please help. Regards--PATH SLOPU (TALK) 10:25, 3 April 2019 (UTC) [reply]

Hello @Path slopu:, the bot is simply listing all usages as raw data without any assessment about their validity (not only real "spam", but also valid good-faith usages) - it can't distinguish between spam and constructive usages without human assistance. Admins and other volunteers check these reports to evaluate possible issues with the listed domain, but such a report is not an allegation of any wrongdoing per se. If you'd like to read a bit more about the bot, see also User:COIBot, or you can ask the bot operator Beetstra for more technical details. GermanJoe (talk) 11:36, 3 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]
@GermanJoe:Is this bot affect in situations where admin's intervention is needed? Please help.--PATH SLOPU (TALK) 15:59, 3 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]
@Path slopu:, as a good-faith editor you really do not have to worry about these reports. Constructive edits like yours are listed in them as explained above, but this will not get you into any trouble. I hope this is clear enough to alleviate your concerns. GermanJoe (talk) 16:55, 3 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]
@Path slopu:, by the way: your signature contains a stray <sup> tag, but no </sup> tag to close this HTML element. If you want to use special formatting in your signature, please make sure to correct this bug (either remove the tag or close it correctly). Thank you. GermanJoe (talk) 17:07, 3 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]
@GermanJoe:Thank you for your advises. I fixed the problem in my signature. Regards.--PATH SLOPU 13:21, 4 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]

My article still says "draft"[edit]

Hello, I have written an article and clicked "publish," but days later it is still not live, and it still says "draft" in front of the article title. Is there a waiting period of a few days before it goes live or something? Thanks for helping!

-Kconstalie — Preceding unsigned comment added by Kconstalie (talkcontribs) 15:49, 3 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]

@Kconstalie:, I assume you mean Draft:Conduit Magazine? If you think it's ready, put {{subst:submit}} at the top of the page and a reviewer will be along shortly (probably at least a week) to review it and give you advice. ~ ONUnicorn(Talk|Contribs)problem solving 16:21, 3 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]
(edit conflict) Hi, Kconstalie. Unfortunately, "publish" has two different meanings. In this context, it means "save my edits so that anybody in the world can see them" - it doesn't mean "publish them as part of the main encyclopaedia". In order to get it into the encyclopaedia, you can either move the draft directly to Conduit Magazine, or (my recommendation) submit it for review by pasting {{subst:submit}} (with the double curly brackets) at the top. If you move it yourself, and somebody decides it is not acceptable as an article, it might get deleted or returned to Draft space, so only do this if you are very sure it is acceptable according to Wikipedia's policies. If you submit it for review, it might take a few weeks, but eventually somebody will review it, and either move it to main space, or decline it and tell you what you need to do to get it accepted. Incidentally, it is a draft that you have written: it is not "your" article. --ColinFine (talk) 16:27, 3 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Template not displaying properly[edit]

I've been working on a proposed revision for Template:WikiProject Numismatics in one of its sandboxes. What I'm trying to do is add the new American currency task force below the other two task forces. The problem I've run into is that only one of the task force images is showing, and in the wrong place. The images should appear in the following order:

Does anyone know what I'm doing wrong? Thanks - ZLEA T\C 17:38, 3 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Nevermind, I've found the problem. - ZLEA T\C 20:38, 3 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Editing[edit]

I have been editing Wikipedia pages truthfully recently and some guy by the name "Serols" has been contacting me saying that he has changed my edits and has asked me to stop. I did not do anything wrong and would like a formal apology and a small loan of $1,000,000. — Preceding unsigned comment added by SmartGuy1011 (talkcontribs) 17:56, 3 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]

@SmartGuy1011: Sorry that your 'truthful' changes of town names to nonsensical ones have not been well received by the community. We are unable to assist with a loan but have given you a large block by way of compensation. Eagleash (talk) 18:14, 3 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Printing Table Colours[edit]

Hi there,

I was wondering if there was a way, when using the printable version of an article, to print colour within boxes.

For example, List of pollen sources puts the actual shade of the stated colour within the box. This is helpful, but disappears when looking at print preview - can it be retained?

Nosebagbear (talk) 19:41, 3 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]

@Nosebagbear: I'm not well versed in color codes and printing, but in case no one else here can help you, I also asked on your behalf at Help talk:Using colours#Printing table colors where they might know more about this. TimTempleton (talk) (cont) 21:56, 3 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Interlanguage links.[edit]

Much to my surprise, I've been informed that this sort of link David Alexander Dunlap "is very strange: it is forbidden (by bot!) in many wikies (Ukrainian, Russian, may be French, German, ...) as deceptive." I don't recall where on Wikipedia I picked it up from, and would appreciate feedback. Thank you, Lindenfall (talk) 20:24, 3 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]

@Lindenfall: Each Wikipedia language makes its own policies. The English Wikipedia allows {{Interlanguage link}}. It makes a red local link and then links another Wikipedia on its language code so readers get a hint what they click on. {{Interlanguage link|David Alexander Dunlap|es|David Dunlap}} produces David Alexander Dunlap. PrimeHunter (talk) 20:35, 3 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, @PrimeHunter:, but I'd like to know about the link that I've been using, ie: David Alexander Dunlap which is different than the one above. Thanks, Lindenfall (talk) 20:39, 3 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]
@Lindenfall: Help:Interlanguage links#Purpose mentions {{ill}} (redirect to {{Interlanguage link}}) and says: "If a red link is not appropriate locally for whatever reason, such as because the subject does not appear to be notable or because you are unable to supply an English translation of the title, then linking a page in another language may be useful." I don't see justification to link without {{Interlanguage link}} for David Alexander Dunlap. PrimeHunter (talk) 20:47, 3 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]
Justification is not what I was looking for. I use the link because it seemed perfectly acceptable and, mainly, because I can usually remember the format, period. I'd like to know if using it is discouraged, or ill-advised, due to this claim of it being "forbidden (by bot!) in many wikies". Sincerely, whether or not it is acceptable or ill-advised to use is my only question. If it is, I'll stop using it. (Otherwise, should something be easily construed as deceptive, I'd hunt up the long, red-linking version, of which I am aware.) Thank you, Lindenfall (talk) 21:14, 3 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]
Hello, Lindenfall. Primehunter quoted Help:Interlanguage links#Purpose above, which makes it clear that such links are not forbidden in en-wiki, but I don't think it gives resounding support for the idea. I would conclude that it is discouraged but not forbidden. Whether it is forbidden in other language Wikipedias is not relevant. --ColinFine (talk) 21:43, 3 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you, ColinFine, for an answer to the question posed, in simply stating that it is discouraged but not forbidden. Might you have some reference for it being discouraged? Thank you, Lindenfall (talk) 22:10, 3 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]
@Lindenfall: Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Linking#Interwiki links says: "To avoid reader confusion, inline interlanguage, or interwiki, linking within an article's body text is generally discouraged." Interlanguage links in wikitext are hard to search for but I have maybe noticed a dozen in 55000 edits here. It is definitely not our practice. Foreign Wikipedia policies are not relevant here but de:Hilfe:Internationalisierung#Im Text sichtbare Interwiki-Links is an example where they are forbidden. Google Translate says: "For the article namespace applies: Internal links in the body of a Wikipedia article may refer only to articles in the same Wikipedia. For example, if you want to refer to a person's article in a German-language article that has an article only in English Wikipedia, then you must not link directly to the English-language article." PrimeHunter (talk) 22:38, 3 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]
That's exactly what I needed to read. Sorry that I didn't manage to grasp "inline interlanguage, or interwiki, linking" for what I am doing myself, and I thank you very much for taking time to clarify that for me. 22:51, 3 April 2019 (UTC)

Help to readers[edit]

Editors are by definition knowledgeable about WP and its conventions. Readers often are less savvy. Is there a template or standard explanatory text that is WP:RF orientated and can be put on pages where there are a number of interlanguage links? The specific case I'm thinking about is List of dedications to Edith Cavell where there are a lot of references to memorials in non-Anglophone regions. Many of these will never be WP:NOTABLE for the English language encyclopaedia, but there are local language pages. Again, specifically the Rue Edith Cavell [fr] in Uccle, Belgium is not really notable in the English WP. Before I create a lot of such links from the page, I feel readers need to be guided as to what they mean. Martin of Sheffield (talk) 08:46, 4 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Bit confused why something could not be notable because it only appears in another language wiki, if it is noteworthy to include in your en list then it could have an article at some point in most cases. MilborneOne (talk) 14:14, 4 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]
Not so much "could not be notable", more a case of "probably is not notable". If you (or anyone else) writes a page about the Rue Edith Cavell then the {{ill}} will switch automatically. In the mean time there is the French language page which can be linked. The question though is whether there is an adequate way of alerting users what the red link with a blue "[fr]" means. Martin of Sheffield (talk) 16:02, 4 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Patient Organization[edit]

Hi everyone,

I would like to edit the page of an extremely rare disease by adding the name and webpage of the only patient organization there is. Would that be an acceptable Wikipedia edit? In rare disease information is hard to come by and I thought this could be a good place to share it. Thank you Ekati

EkatiBloom (talk) 20:47, 3 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]
@EkatiBloom: You may be able to put it in an external links section if indeed it adds value to the article. What is the disease? TimTempleton (talk) (cont) 20:51, 3 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]
@Timtempleton: The disease is Allan-Herndon-Dudley syndrome (AHDS) also known as MCT8 Deficiency. Could I create a Wikipedia page with information about the foundation and connect it to the existing disease page on Wikipedia? Would that be more acceptable? Thank you!
@EkatiBloom: You may create a page, but unless the topic (the foundation) is notable by our definition, the page will be deleted. I suspect you also have a COI (See WP:COI). Not a problem, just a fact. Please carefully read WP:YFA before you put a lot of time into such a page. My guess it that the external link is acceptable anyway, but we are very careful with articles on medical conditions and an editor who is interested in such things may decide differently. Just put it in, and then don't feel upset if an editor removes it, that's just the way we do things. see WP:BRD. -Arch dude (talk) 17:18, 4 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]
@Timtempleton: Thank you Tim. I'll add an external link and see how it goes. I get your point though. I'm new to Wikipedia so I thought of asking before I do something wrong. :) Have a great day!
@EkatiBloom: I didn't receive these pings - odd. It might be how you have your signature. Please sign with four tildes ~~~~ so we know who you are. TimTempleton (talk) (cont) 00:35, 5 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]
Pings don't work without a signature, which must be added at the same time as the ping and message, all in one edit. See WP:PING. Eagleash (talk) 12:04, 5 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]