User talk:TheSandDoctor/Archives/2018/September

Sorry to bug you again, but...
Just wanted to give a reminder, in case you're still planning to work on the Thai-name-sorting bot. I'd understand though if you're too busy—please let me know, and I'll try asking someone else. --Paul_012 (talk) 15:06, 3 August 2018 (UTC)
 * So sorry about this. I have been quite busy. I will attempt to work on it later today/tomorrow and get back to you guys there. Could you possibly link me the thread again? -- The SandDoctor Talk 19:17, 3 August 2018 (UTC)
 * Of course. It's at Wikipedia talk:Categorization of people --Paul_012 (talk) 07:00, 4 August 2018 (UTC)
 * I haven't forgotten, it's just that things came up and I haven't had the chance. I will try to work on this in September. Sorry. -- The SandDoctor Talk 17:26, 31 August 2018 (UTC)
 * Terribly sorry for your loss. Please take all the time you need—we're in no hurry. --Paul_012 (talk) 03:02, 1 September 2018 (UTC)

A note at

 * Best to send thinks like this on OTRS wiki. I saw though but cant comment here. -- The SandDoctor Talk 17:21, 31 August 2018 (UTC)
 * Absolutely:-) I typically use en-wiki ( for OTRS tickets), only in case of mere mentions/reminders..... &#x222F; WBG converse 06:49, 1 September 2018 (UTC)

Wikiproject Military history coordinator election nominations open
Nominations for the upcoming project coordinator election are now open. A team of up to ten coordinators will be elected for the next year. The project coordinators are the designated points of contact for issues concerning the project, and are responsible for maintaining our internal structure and processes. They do not, however, have any authority over article content or editor conduct, or any other special powers. More information on being a coordinator is available here. If you are interested in running, please sign up here by 23:59 UTC on 14 September! Voting doesn't commence until 15 September. If you have any questions, you can contact any member of the coord team. Cheers, MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 00:54, 1 September 2018 (UTC)

Administrators' newsletter – September 2018
News and updates for administrators from the past month (August 2018). Administrator changes
 * Gnome-colors-list-add.svg None
 * Gnome-colors-list-remove.svg Asterion • Crisco 1492 • KF • Kudpung • Liz • Randykitty • Spartaz
 * Pictogram voting rename.png →

Interface administrator changes
 * Gnome-colors-list-add.svg Amorymeltzer • Mr. Stradivarius • MusikAnimal • MSGJ • TheDJ • Xaosflux

Guideline and policy news
 * Following a "stop-gap" discussion, six users have temporarily been made interface administrators while discussion is ongoing for a more permanent process for assigning the permission. Interface administrators are now the only editors allowed to edit sitewide CSS and JavaScript pages, as well as CSS/JS pages in another user's userspace. Previously, all administrators had this ability. The right can be granted and revoked by bureaucrats.

Technical news
 * Because of a data centre test you will be able to read but not edit the wikis for up to an hour on 12 September and 10 October. This will start at 14:00 (UTC). You might lose edits if you try to save during this time. The time when you can't edit might be shorter than an hour.
 * Some abuse filter variables have changed. They are now easier to understand for non-experts. The old variables will still work but filter editors are encouraged to replace them with the new ones. You can find the list of changed variables on mediawiki.org. They have a note which says . An example is   which is now.
 * Abuse filters can now use how old a page is. The variable is.

Arbitration
 * The Arbitration Committee has resolved to perform a round of Checkuser and Oversight appointments. The usernames of all applicants will be shared with the Functionaries team, and they will be requested to assist in the vetting process. The deadline to submit an application is 23:59 UTC, 12 September, and the candidates that move forward will be published on-wiki for community comments on 18 September.

Discuss this newsletter

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Archive Sent by MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 23:23, 2 September 2018 (UTC)

Tech News: 2018-36
 Latest tech news from the Wikimedia technical community. Please tell other users about these changes. Not all changes will affect you. Translations are available.

Recent changes
 * There is a new user right for users who can edit CSS and JavaScript for the entire wiki. Before this all admins could edit CSS and JavaScript. This was a security risk. This group is called interface administrators. Administrators can delete user CSS and JavaScript pages.
 * There will be an A/B test on the Wikipedia mobile website. It starts this week. It tests how we show templates that show information about an article. The test will last two weeks.
 * You can now use different CSS rules for different skins when you edit templates. This is because of TemplateStyles.
 * in ORES is now called.
 * When you get a new message on your talk page you get a yellow message in the toolbar. The preference to show or not show this has been removed.

Problems
 * UploadWizard had problems with campaigns. Users could not upload files. This has now been fixed.
 * You can get a notification when a link is made to a page you created. This has not worked since June. It was fixed last week.

Changes later this week
 * Octicons-sync.svg The new version of MediaWiki will be on test wikis and MediaWiki.org from 4 September. It will be on non-Wikipedia wikis and some Wikipedias from 5 September. It will be on all wikis from 6 September (calendar).

Meetings
 * Octicons-sync.svg Octicons-tools.svg You can join the technical advice meeting on IRC. During the meeting, volunteer developers can ask for advice. The meeting will be on 5 September at 15:00 (UTC). See how to join.

Future changes
 * The Wikimedia Foundation Readers department will work on advanced mobile editing. You can read more about this and other things they plan to work on over the next year. You can also see the presentation.
 * The RelatedSites extension will be removed from Wikivoyage.
 * Octicons-tools.svg Unused projects on the Wikimedia Cloud virtual private server will be removed. This will happen in October. Projects can be marked if they are being used.

Tech news prepared by Tech News writers and posted by bot • Contribute • Translate • Get help • Give feedback • Subscribe or unsubscribe.  16:47, 3 September 2018 (UTC)

Addition of OTRS verification tag
Hi TheSandDoctor. Regarding this recent edit, can I ask if it was relevant to – that is, in reaction to – my raising concerns about the user on their talk page? I've tagged one article for possible COI issues and am considering compiling a report on them at WP:COIN. It's all new territory for me, however, which is why your edit piqued my interest. Thanks. JG66 (talk) 05:52, 4 September 2018 (UTC)
 * Hi there, as with most things OTRS related, I am legally bound not to discuss them in any specific detail in public and only with OTRS members who have signed the confidentiality agreement (or where legally required by gov't, law enforcement etc. of course). That said, it was not due to any edits that you have made. OTRS verification requests occur when the user in question (ex article subject) reaches out to OTRS, however, the assignment is circumstantial. I truly am sorry, but I can't really comment much on this action due to WMF confidentiality agreements. What I will say is that it was not a statement or endorsement in relation to that article and I remain neutral on it. -- The SandDoctor Talk 06:10, 4 September 2018 (UTC)
 * Thanks so much for your (very gracious) reply. I'm certainly not asking for any divulgence on your part (although, I admit my interest is piqued further by your general explanation about OTRS!). It was only about whether, say, my posting a COI tag on a BLP automatically triggered the situation whereby that message, addressing admins and username policy, then appears on the editor's user and talk pages. You've made it clear that it does not, so thank you. JG66 (talk) 06:41, 4 September 2018 (UTC)
 * You can read more about OTRS here, but otherwise you will just have to apply to & join the team to find out everything. We have cookies! -- The SandDoctor  Talk 17:08, 4 September 2018 (UTC)
 * I just re-read your message. Yeah, no, nothing around here is very automatic....unless we are talking bots, then very much so, but I'm no bot, at least last time I checked . -- The SandDoctor Talk 17:11, 4 September 2018 (UTC)
 * I'm sure you're not (but it always pays to double-check, I find ...) Thanks again, JG66 (talk) 22:51, 4 September 2018 (UTC)

Thanks!
Is this how I write you back? I am new here. I am a semi-luddite learning to be more techie.

Thank you for your feedback. I am reading through the things you posted. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Texasflipflop (talk • contribs) 20:35, 8 September 2018 (UTC)
 * Yes it is indeed how you write back to me. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have/think of in the future. -- The SandDoctor  Talk 23:08, 8 September 2018 (UTC)

Woof!woof!!!!


Qwerty number1 (talk) has given you a doggy! Doggies promote Wikilove and hopefully this one has made your day much better. Spread WikiLove by placing a doggy on other user's talk pages by adding to their talk page. Happy editing! Qwerty number1 (talk) 19:24, 10 September 2018 (UTC)

Tech News: 2018-37
 Latest tech news from the Wikimedia technical community. Please tell other users about these changes. Not all changes will affect you. Translations are available.

Recent changes
 * When you added or edited a template with the visual editor the input boxes were very big. This has been fixed. The input boxes will now be smaller until you click on them. Then they will change size to fit the text.

Problems
 * Some diffs showed lines in the wrong order. This was fixed last week.
 * Marking a cross-wiki notification as read didn't work every time. The other wiki was not updated. This has now been fixed.
 * did not work for a few days. This was because of a bug. This has now been fixed.
 * is used by some templates. For a period edits saved with  would save the previous user's name and not your username. This is now fixed. Edits made before the bug was fixed will still be wrong and need to be corrected.
 * When you move a page the title still shows the old page name. The developers are working on fixing this.

Changes later this week
 * Because of a data centre test you will be able to read but not edit the wikis for up to an hour on 12 September and 10 October. This will start at 14:00 (UTC). You might lose edits if you try to save during this time. The time when you can't edit might be shorter than an hour. You can read more about this.
 * Because of the data centre test there will be no new version of MediaWiki this week. Changes for this week will come next week instead.

Meetings
 * Octicons-sync.svg You can join the next meeting with the Editing team. During the meeting, you can tell developers which bugs you think are the most important. The meeting will be on 11 Septmber at 18:30 (UTC). See how to join.
 * Octicons-sync.svg Octicons-tools.svg You can join the technical advice meeting on IRC. During the meeting, volunteer developers can ask for advice. The meeting will be on 12 September at 15:00 (UTC). See how to join.

Future changes
 * The developers work on making the wikis work better on mobile phones. There is a list of common problems when making content easier to read in the mobile view. You can add things to the page and ask others to help.

Tech news prepared by Tech News writers and posted by bot • Contribute • Translate • Get help • Give feedback • Subscribe or unsubscribe.  22:35, 10 September 2018 (UTC)

DeprecatedFixerBot edit to London Calling (song)
Hello, wanted to call to your attention an edit made by DeprecatedFixerBot to London Calling (song) (diff). I'm thinking the bot didn't expect the country indicator in the next_year parameter and left an error message there. Ponydepression (talk) 17:00, 31 August 2018 (UTC)
 * Thanks for bringing this forward. Please see User talk:TheSandDoctor/Archives/2018/August. -- The SandDoctor Talk 17:23, 31 August 2018 (UTC)

Milhist coordinator election voting has commenced
G'day everyone, voting for the 2018 Wikiproject Military history coordinator tranche is now open. This is a simple approval vote; only "support" votes should be made. Project members should vote for any candidates they support by 23:59 (UTC) on 28 September 2018. Thanks, MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 00:35, 15 September 2018 (UTC)

Milhist coordinator election voting has commenced
G'day everyone, voting for the 2018 Wikiproject Military history coordinator tranche is now open. This is a simple approval vote; only "support" votes should be made. Project members should vote for any candidates they support by 23:59 (UTC) on 28 September 2018. Thanks, MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 06:22, 15 September 2018 (UTC) Note: the previous version omitted a link to the election page, therefore you are receiving this follow up message with a link to the election page to correct the previous version. We apologies for any inconvenience that this may have caused.

Tech News: 2018-38
 Latest tech news from the Wikimedia technical community. Please tell other users about these changes. Not all changes will affect you. Translations are available.

Recent changes
 * The Wikimedia Commons mobile app has a new version. Images uploaded using Nearby are now automatically added to the associated Wikidata item. You can browse other images on Commons. You can see your achievements and your upload statistics. It has also fixed some bugs.
 * Octicons-tools.svg MediaWiki web requests now have a time limit of 60 seconds for GET requests and 200 seconds for POST requests.

Problems
 * You could not see the menu on the notifications page on the mobile version. This has now been fixed.

Changes later this week
 * Special:AncientPages can hide disambiguation pages.
 * Octicons-sync.svg The new version of MediaWiki will be on test wikis and MediaWiki.org from 18 September. It will be on non-Wikipedia wikis and some Wikipedias from 19 September. It will be on all wikis from 20 September (calendar).

Meetings
 * Octicons-sync.svg Octicons-tools.svg You can join the technical advice meeting on IRC. During the meeting, volunteer developers can ask for advice. The meeting will be on 19 September at 15:00 (UTC). See how to join.

Future changes
 * The developers are testing new mobile web navigation. You can use it and give feedback.

Tech news prepared by Tech News writers and posted by bot • Contribute • Translate • Get help • Give feedback • Subscribe or unsubscribe.  21:57, 17 September 2018 (UTC)

NPR Newsletter No.13 18 September 2018
Hello, thank you for your work reviewing New Pages!

The New Page Feed currently has 2700 unreviewed articles, up from just 500 at the start of July. For a while we were falling behind by an average of about 40 articles per day, but we have stabilised more recently. Please review some articles from the back of the queue if you can (Sort by: 'Oldest' at Special:NewPagesFeed), as we are very close to having articles older than one month.


 * Project news
 * The New Page Feed now has a new "Articles for Creation" option which will show drafts instead of articles in the feed, this shouldn't impact NPP activities and is part of the WMF's AfC Improvement Project.
 * As part of this project, the feed will have some larger updates to functionality next month. Specifically, ORES predictions will be built in, which will automatically flag articles for potential issues such as vandalism or spam. Copyright violation detection will also be added to the new page feed. See the projects's talk page for more info.


 * There are a number of coordination tasks for New Page Patrol that could use some help from experienced reviewers. See New pages patrol/Coordination for more info to see if you can help out.


 * Other
 * A new summary page of reliable sources has been created; Identifying reliable sources/Perennial sources, which summarizes existing RfCs or RSN discussions about regularly used sources.


 * Moving to Draft and Page Mover
 * Some unsuitable new articles can be best reviewed by moving them to the draft space, but reviewers need to do this carefully and sparingly. It is most useful for topics that look like they might have promise, but where the article as written would be unlikely to survive AfD. If the article can be easily fixed, or if the only issue is a lack of sourcing that is easily accessible, tagging or adding sources yourself is preferable. If sources do not appear to be available and the topic does not appear to be notable, tagging for deletion is preferable (PROD/AfD/CSD as appropriate). See additional guidance at WP:DRAFTIFY.
 * If the user moves the draft back to mainspace, or recreates it in mainspace, please do not re-draftify the article (although swapping it to maintain the page history may be advisable in the case of copy-paste moves). AfC is optional except for editors with a clear conflict of interest.
 * Articles that have been created in contravention of our paid-editing-requirements or written from a blatant NPOV perspective, or by authors with a clear COI might also be draftified at discretion.
 * The best tool for draftification is User:Evad37/MoveToDraft.js(info). Kindly adapt the text in the dialogue-pop-up as necessary (the default can also be changed like this). Note that if you do not have the Page Mover userright, the redirect from main will be automatically tagged as CSD R2, but in some cases it might be better to make this a redirect to a different page instead.
 * The Page Mover userright can be useful for New Page Reviewers; occasionally page swapping is needed during NPR activities, and it helps avoid excessive R2 nominations which must be processed by admins. Note that the Page Mover userright has higher requirements than the NPR userright, and is generally given to users active at Requested Moves. Only reviewers who are very experienced and are also very active reviewers are likely to be granted it solely for NPP activities.

Go here to remove your name if you wish to opt-out of future mailings. MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 23:11, 17 September 2018 (UTC)

Tech News: 2018-39
 Latest tech news from the Wikimedia technical community. Please tell other users about these changes. Not all changes will affect you. Translations are available.

Changes later this week
 * The preferences form will change to use the standard look. If you see any problems please report them on Phabricator.
 * Octicons-sync.svg The new version of MediaWiki will be on test wikis and MediaWiki.org from 25 September. It will be on non-Wikipedia wikis and some Wikipedias from 26 September. It will be on all wikis from 27 September (calendar).

Meetings
 * Octicons-sync.svg Octicons-tools.svg You can join the technical advice meeting on IRC. During the meeting, volunteer developers can ask for advice. The meeting will be on 26 September at 15:00 (UTC). See how to join.

Tech news prepared by Tech News writers and posted by bot • Contribute • Translate • Get help • Give feedback • Subscribe or unsubscribe.  15:22, 24 September 2018 (UTC)

Have your say!
Hi everyone, just a quick reminder that voting for the WikiProject Military history coordinator election closes soon. You only have a day or so left to have your say about who should make up the coordination team for the next year. If you have already voted, thanks for participating! If you haven't and would like to, vote here before 23:59 UTC on 28 September. Thanks, MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 03:29, 26 September 2018 (UTC)

Request for Revision deletion
I need to request you that please delete the revisions [REDACTED - TSD], [REDACTED - TSD] and [REDACTED - TSD] with their edit summaries removed as the revision deletion reasons RD2 and RD3. All the revisions were offensive and disruptive and need to clearly be deleted. Thank you. 182.64.242.4 (talk) 09:22, 26 September 2018 (UTC)
 * ✅ Thank you for the report. -- The SandDoctor Talk 15:08, 26 September 2018 (UTC)

I need to request you that please delete the revision as RD3 as that revision was purely disruptive. Thank you. 122.180.236.34 (talk) 14:51, 28 September 2018 (UTC)
 * That is what is considered routine vandalism and not something covered by WP:RD3 or any other criterion listed. That said, thank you for reporting this. Please feel free to report anything else you see that you think should be revision deleted. -- The SandDoctor Talk 01:49, 29 September 2018 (UTC)

Even if the revision is not covered by WP:RD3, please delete that revision as the reason "Vandalism" only because that revision is not supposed to be visible. 171.79.31.107 (talk) 13:52, 29 September 2018 (UTC)
 * No.— CYBERPOWER  ( Chat ) 18:17, 29 September 2018 (UTC)
 * As Cyberpower said and I already stated, if it is not deletable under any valid revision deletion criteria, then cannot be deleted. In this case, it is simple vandalism, which has been reverted. Simply put: there is nothing to see here and nothing actionable, it is best to move on from this report. If you see anything else which you feel should be revision deleted and matches at least one of the criteria, then feel free to report it. -- The SandDoctor Talk 18:38, 29 September 2018 (UTC)

I also noticed that the revision also violates a biography of a living person so needs to be deleted as WP:RD2. So please delete the revision as RD2. Thank you. 171.79.31.107 (talk) 04:53, 30 September 2018 (UTC)
 * Two administrators (myself and ) have reviewed the request for revision deletion of . It does not satisfy any of the criteria and falls under "and not "ordinary" incivility, personal attacks or conduct accusations". As we have said above, normal vandalism/trolling is not a candidate for revision deletion. Please drop this and move on. If you come across anything else (unrelated to the above), then please feel free to report it, but otherwise, please drop this and move on. -- The SandDoctor Talk 05:01, 30 September 2018 (UTC)

Block
Hi. I saw you on the category of admins who consider placing self-requested blocks. I want to leave WP for a long time. Could you block this account and my alt for 2 years? &raquo; Shadowowl  &#124;  talk  11:12, 29 September 2018 (UTC)
 * ✅ (with regret). As I mentioned in the custom block reason, if you wish to be unblocked sooner, feel free to either ping me or appeal on your talk page and I am sure that we can make that happen. I wish you the best, The SandDoctor  Talk 18:34, 29 September 2018 (UTC)