Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2008 June 8

= June 8 =

HTML?
I've been seeing that word often and I was wondering what "HTML" meant and what it stood for. Maybe what it is used for. A l ink would help also. Thanks, RyRy5 (talk ) 01:59, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
 * See HTML.  Soxred  93  02:01, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Briefly, it stands for "Hyper Text Mark-up Language". It's the basic language used to write webpages. This article has a lot more info, as Soxred93 points out.  TN ‑ X - Man  02:09, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Alright. Thanks. -- RyRy5 (talk ) 02:12, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Creating page?
im part of a great orgonization and would like to create them a page on Wikipedia. Is that possible? If so, please explain. THANK YOU SO MUCH GUYS!

Sincerely,

Marissa —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.67.99.3 (talk) 02:23, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Since your currently an IP address, no. You have to create an account first and then you will be a registered user. If you were a registered user, It's possible to create the page, yes, but it make sure it passes WP:N, more specifically WP:CORP if your going to create an organization.. --RyRy5 (talk ) 02:27, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Please read WP:BFAQ too, and WP:WWMPD to see what often happens to new articles by new users, due to Wikipedia's complicated rules that are all too easy to unwittingly violate. You may want to list your organization on another wiki such as Wikicompany, while you learning whether and how you can create an article on Wikipedia. Also see WP:COI since you are part of the organization you want to make an article for. If you don't want to create an account you could try requesting an article. --Teratornis (talk) 03:39, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Font
How do i make the font on wikipedia smaller? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.171.195.251 (talk) 02:34, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
 * If you mean make the text on Wikipedia smaller all the time, your browser should support something that will shrink the text on a website (CTRL and +/- in Firefox). If you mean just make certain words in the articles smaller, the code is  SMALL TEXT  or  TEXT . Calvin 1998 (t-c) 03:02, 8 June 2008 (UTC)


 * If you have a mouse with a center wheel, you can make the font you view smaller by holding down the Control key and cycling the wheel one click away from your wrist.  Corvus cornix  talk  16:36, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

– ukexpat (talk) 16:51, 9 June 2008 (UTC) Doh, already covered above. – ukexpat (talk) 16:53, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Page protection and notices
I was aware of some debate about how to handle tags for when a page is protected. For instance, if a page is protected so that only users registered some time could edit, then a small lock in the top right corner would be present.

Mitigation of global warming is protected from editing from all users, but I don't see any notice or even discussion. Unless I'm wrong about something, that needs admin attention. -Theanphibian (talk • contribs) 04:11, 8 June 2008 (UTC)


 * An admin has placed a protection tag on the article. The protection log for any page can be located by going to the history tab for any page, which includes a link to view logs for this page. -Optigan13 (talk) 04:42, 8 June 2008 (UTC)


 * There is a discussion on this currently at Administrators noticeboard/Incidents -- ShinmaWa(talk) 07:10, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Possible copyvios
I found film articles with plot summaries pretty much word-for-word identical to their Turner Classic Movies counterparts, e.g. Take the High Ground and the TCM version, Kiss of Death and this, Destination Gobi and this, etc. etc. These were the work of User:Thismightbezach, so I left a message on his talk page asking him about it in December 2007. I got no response. I brought this issue here, more recently as I recall. Somebody promised to investigate, but never got back to me. So now what? Clarityfiend (talk) 04:19, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
 * See Copyright problems these appear to be possible copyright violations but it is not blatant. It appears that TCM allows to submit information. I see your notification but it appears to have been mixed in with hundreds of bot image notifications, you may want to notify the user again, and work them out based on the instructions at the copyright problems page. -Optigan13 (talk) 04:41, 8 June 2008 (UTC)


 * When placed on the balance of probabilities, taking into the account the nature of TCM, the ease of contributing to TCM vs. Wikipedia, the Wikipedia contributor (who appears to have gotten in trouble with copyvios in the past), and the sheer number of pages, I would have to say that it is highly likely that the Wikipedia's version copied TCM's version -- not the other way around. -- ShinmaWa(talk) 07:31, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Citation Templates
58.107.242.113 (talk) 10:53, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
 * I'm an established user here, I'm just editing as an IP for a liitle while. Anyway, I feel silly for asking this, but I've had a minor issue here. I'm trying to cite a newspaper that I got off LexisNexis, what's the proper citation template I need to use? And, please tell me rather than doing it for me. Thanks, 58.107.242.113 (talk) 10:41, 8 June 2008 (UTC)


 * I tend to use template:cite news, which seems to work well. Thus:, where "work" is the title of the newspaper (which I wikilink, where appropriate), and the name="" in the ref tag is normally the last name of the author and the year (just in case the same article needs to be referenced more than the once). - Bilby (talk) 10:49, 8 June 2008 (UTC)


 * Ugh, I was using it, I just realised I didnt add . See?. (whacks self for stupidity) 58.107.242.113 (talk) 10:53, 8 June 2008 (UTC)


 * I've made the same mistake so often, I keep the various citation templates enclosed in pre-made ref tags on my user page. Copy-and-paste solves many an error. :) - Bilby (talk) 11:00, 8 June 2008 (UTC)


 * I've edited Wikipedia for over four months with my account, and I've never made a mistake like that. :) 58.107.242.113 (talk) 11:11, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Question
What is the typical age (range) for banned users? 124.181.14.142 (talk) 12:53, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
 * It probably varies a lot, but there is no real way to be sure. As Wikipedia does not ask for such information, it has to be freely given. In my experience, there are not many vandals/banned users who volunteer their birthdates.  TN ‑ X - Man  13:48, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
 * As part of the way wikipedia works, they do not ask for personal information like this, so it would be nearly impossible to discover this information, little alone report on it. :) However, given the immaturely of the user, you might assume that they're young(er) but that is not always the case -- plenty of "old" people act like teenagers some times. Tiggerjay (talk) 15:38, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
 * IMHO however, a measurable indication is the most frequent year articles that get spurious additions of birthdays - either non-notable self entries or insulting entries to their friends. These seem to peak around the 1980s but I have not actually done any counting.  Sp in ni  ng  Spark  18:16, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Hi. Cute 1 4 u, for example, was 11 when she was banned. However, there are plenty of active constructive contributors around her age that help the encyclopedia. Hope this helps. Thanks. ~ A H  1 (TCU) 01:21, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Replacing an common image
I asked this at commons too, but no one have answered yet.At the moment there's a commons:Image:Euro 2008.png wich was uploaded after Image:Euro_2008.png, the en: one is tagged with "The Wikimedia Commons has another file with the same name as this file. To include the Commons media file in Wikipedia, this locally stored file needs to be renamed.", though the picture here at commons is the "wrong" one, not in order with the old ones Image:Euro 2004.png, Image:Euro 2000.png etc.

So, how would you move the WP:EN picutre to commons when there's already a picture there. ← chandler 13:12, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Sounds like it's best to request a rename at Commons, if the image isn't in line with the others in terms of naming. Commons renames can be a complicated business, though, because so many wikis may be using the image. --ais523 15:37, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Well it's got the right name, it's just that the picture is wrong... It might be easy to just upload a new version of the image which i right, but perhaps the talk page and other history should follow aswell? ← chandler 16:04, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

How to edit a wrong fact in the box on the top right of the Wikipedia page about Soko Morinaga Roshi?
The page I am asking about is the page about Soko Morinaga Roshi.

I knew him when he was alive and I still know his successor.

His successor is not Venerable Myokyoni as stated in the box on the top right of his page on Wikipedia.

I would like to correct this as soon as possible.

Thank you.

Signed: hontodesu  —Preceding unsigned comment added by Hontodesu (talk • contribs) 14:49, 8 June 2008 (UTC)


 * To edit the top-right boxes, or an intro of an article, you must click on the "edit" tab, as there is no link to only edit that section. Depending if it's protected or not, you may or may not edit a full page unless you are registered. Chimchar monferno (talk) 15:03, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Also please be sure that your information is has a reliable and verifiable source. First hand knowledge is not sufficient per WP:OR, as well as there may be some problems with WP:COI so you might want to review those first. Tiggerjay (talk) 15:37, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
 * If by "correct" you mean "remove the incorrect information" then it would be unreasonable to expect you to provide a souce which positively asserts that the information is wrong. Zain Ebrahim (talk) 17:09, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Yes, correct - however please remember to include an edit summary when removing content which appears valid, otherwise it may appear to be vandalism. Tiggerjay (talk) 21:51, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

MediaWiki
What does this mean, which is coming up on my wiki: Database error A database query syntax error has occurred. This may indicate a bug in the software. The last attempted database query was:

(SQL query hidden)

from within function "efUpdateCheckUserData". MySQL returned error "1146: Table 'simlandw_wiki.cu_changes' doesn't exist (localhost)". How do I fix it? StewieGriffin!  &bull; Talk Sign 17:54, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Try reinstalling the checkuser extension, and making sure you've run its initialisation scripts correctly. --ais523 17:57, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
 * This is coming up at Special:Userrights <em style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;color:DarkBlue">StewieGriffin!  &bull; Talk Sign 18:00, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
 * There is an SQL file in the download of the checkuser extension. Did you run that on the database? You have to do that. :-) <font face="Verdana"> Stwalkerster [  talk  ]  18:51, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
 * You can search for MediaWiki error messages on these sites with Google, by clicking the following links:
 * If other MediaWiki administrators experience an error message, often someone writes about it on one or both of those sites. --Teratornis (talk) 22:09, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
 * If other MediaWiki administrators experience an error message, often someone writes about it on one or both of those sites. --Teratornis (talk) 22:09, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
 * If other MediaWiki administrators experience an error message, often someone writes about it on one or both of those sites. --Teratornis (talk) 22:09, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

how to make my posting appear on web
i posted something about theater how can i make it appear on the wide web linda samet or lhsamet —Preceding unsigned comment added by Lhsamet (talk • contribs) 18:19, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
 * If you posted it here on Wikipedia, it'll take a few days before Google picks up the new page or changes you made. &mdash;  The Hand That Feeds You :Bite 20:03, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
 * It appears that you posted some comments about theater on your user talk page: User talk:Lhsamet. Your user talk page is on the World Wide Web, so your comments are already on the Web. However, like many people who are new to Wikipedia, you don't seem to understand the proper way to use Wikipedia. Please read: Help:Talk page, Help:User page, and What Wikipedia is not. Most likely, the type of comments you want to post here would be more appropriate for some other site. For example, you could start your own blog site. --Teratornis (talk) 22:05, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Content Box on Userpage?
Hey there,

Can someone remove the "contents" box on the top of my userpage? It's aesthetically unpleasing, and of little value on my userpage.

Cheers, Perfect Proposal <sup style="color:orange;">Speak Out!  18:29, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
 * ✅ using ......<em style="font-family:Bradley Hand ITC;color:#008000"> Dendodge  .. Talk Help 18:31, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Thanks. Perfect Proposal  <sup style="color:orange;">Speak Out!  18:33, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Language question
what language is this and wnat does it mean coucou ca va C'est pierette tout le monde va bien. Gros bisous pierete —Preceding unsigned comment added by 210.185.11.92 (talk) 21:00, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
 * It appears to be French. However, I am not certain what it means.  TN ‑ X - Man  21:04, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
 * You might try Google Language Tools to see if you can get a coherent translation. The French to English translation appears to translate some, but not all of it.  Also, this question would be better brought up at one of Wikipedia's Reference Desks, which specialize in answering factual questions. -- Nataly a  21:13, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

The Reference Desk even has a Language section. Zain Ebrahim (talk) 21:27, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
 * '? OK it was made of stone all the world ? good' is my amateur translation, going on what I learnt a school ......<em style="font-family:Bradley Hand ITC;color:#008000"> Dendodge  .. Talk Help 21:43, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
 * And the second sentence is '? ? something about stone', I've heard 'gros' before, but can't remember the meaning ......<em style="font-family:Bradley Hand ITC;color:#008000"> Dendodge  .. Talk Help 21:45, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Babelfish helped me fill in 'cuckoo OK it was made of stone all the world goes good. Large kisses stone'.  [[Image:P literature.svg|20px]] This page is for questions about using Wikipedia. Please consider asking this question at the Language reference desk.  They specialize in knowledge questions and will try to answer any question in the universe except how to use Wikipedia, since that is what this Help Desk is for). Just follow the link and ask away. You could always try  for an article related to the topic you want to know more about.  I hope this helps. ......<em style="font-family:Bradley Hand ITC;color:#008000"> Dendodge  .. Talk Help 21:48, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
 * "Hello, how are you? It's Pierette [I suspect that Pierette and Pierete are the same; a spelling mistake].  Everyone is fine.  Love [lit. big kisses], Pierette [or Pierete]."  Coucou is a greeting (like bonjour), tout le monde means "everyone" or "everything", not sure which, but I suspect the former, and gros bisous is literally "big kisses" which can be thought of as "love".  x42bn6 Talk Mess  22:13, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Sharon Johnston Park
I merged Sharon Johnston Park to Sharon johnston park, using the latter name for the merged article because it had most of the history. Now I would like to switch the names of the article and the redirect. One way that should be possible would rename the redirect to a temporary name; rename the article, and then rename the temporary name to the original article name, fixing up the target of the redirect. Is there something easier? —teb728 t c 23:04, 8 June 2008 (UTC)


 * Requested moves. And I am not even sure if your plan would work.  – thedemonhog   talk  •  edits  23:06, 8 June 2008 (UTC)


 * Done (properly, with the history merged). Nick (talk) 23:11, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Wow, faster than I could even read the directions at WP:RM. Thanks. —teb728 t c 23:31, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Magic words
I'd like to add a part to the Aviation Project banner WPAVIATION that, when someone uses the B-class checklist, there will be a timestamp of when they did it. I'm guessing I'd need to enter something along the lines of "If you do this, then do this:,  ". But how do I write that without the subst'ed stuff getting subt'ed into the template? - Trevor MacInnis (Contribs) 23:47, 8 June 2008 (UTC)


 * You might want to take a look at PROD as an example of this.  In short, use this little trick:    <font style="font-variant: small-caps;">-- ShinmaWa(talk) 00:58, 9 June 2008 (UTC)