Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2008 May 10

= May 10 =

Removing category from userboxes?
I am curious to know if there is a way to make a page not include categories. I use a subpage for my userboxes, and I wish to remove the category from my userbox subpage, but still allow it to come up on my main page. I already mentioned this to the Help:Category article, and they gave me the advice to just retype the raw code into my userbox subpage. I wish to know it there is a way for me to avoid using that much code, and to basically cancel out the category part of the page. &mdash; Nuclear  Vacuum  01:43, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * You could do around all the userboxes on your subpage (although this would make your userboxes not show up on your subpage). I don't know if it works or not, I haven't tried it. Calvin 1998 (t-c) 01:49, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * See User:Willscrlt/UBX/categories. Many examples in Category:Category suppression-supporting templates.  Let me know if you need help.  --—  Gadget850 (Ed)  talk  -  01:51, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

image link
How can I make an image into a link to a page outside of wikipedia? So, I would like people to click on an image which will then take them to another page. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 189.181.11.135 (talk) 01:59, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * I think you go to the image page, copy the address bar and then you paste it where you want. I'm not entirly sure though. I think that works for Microsoft Word and Notepad. -- RyRy5  ( talk  ♠  Review ) 02:14, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * See WP:EIW and in particular: WP:EIW below it. --Teratornis (talk) 03:17, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * This issue came up back in February. The previous discussion can be accessed here. We never got a perfect result but some code was bandied about that worked in some measure to make an image link to an external site. However, we did nail down that Click only works for internal Wikipedia pages.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 03:39, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * I'm pretty sure it's difficult for a reason, such as you cannot trick someone into clicking an image that leads to an external site. It is allowed for external textual links because they are styled differently with a different color and an icon. Gary King ( talk ) 06:51, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Some image questions - be afraid, be very afraid :)
There are some images which need to be un-commonsed and FUR'ed, per this on en:wiki, this on commons, and this on law-talkin-guys, but reading those is not mandatory.

My questions:
 * 1) Is there an easy way to copy images from commons onto the en:wiki? I found a toolserver tool that works the other way but that's no good. If there was something to copy over the existing stuff, it would be a good start to adding the FUR's and cetera.
 * 2) Is it possible/acceptable to "wiki-clude" images, for instance, if I can make a FUR upload that sticks on en:wiki, can I then go over to fr:wiki (which does allow non-free images) and change their image ref's to something like en:Image:(blah) ? I admit I haven't fully RTFM'd this question, but I did on the first one.

There you go, aren't you sorry now you started reading? :) Any help is appreciated, I'm trying to save other peoples efforts in building our articles across many wikis! As always to the Help Desk, thanks much! Franamax (talk) 03:36, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Oh, thanks Franamax! :) Question 1: There's no need to copy images from Wikimedia Commons onto Wikipedia, because WC is only for free use images. Therefore, you can just copy the image file name from there onto here. Free use images are often interwikied to the Commons and then deleted on here. The only images that are duplicated are those that appear on the Main Page because of their high-view transclusion (to prevent modification that can be seen by millions of people), but are quickly deleted when the image has served its purpose


 * As for a FUR on another Wiki, for example France, I'm not sure. The rationale may be different in different countries, so I suggest taking that question to Media copyright questions and see what they say. Or maybe someone else who posts here will know. :) Thanks, PeterSymonds | talk  04:35, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Isn't it possible that the issue is that the Commons images have been uploaded there but aren't free and are going to be deleted, so Franamax wants to import them here? I'm guessing, but the fact that FURS are spoken of in close proximity implies this.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 04:46, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Oh, sorry If I misinterpreted it. No, there's no tool that can do that, but if that's the case you can just upload it here with the upload form. Either wait until it's been deleted and use the filename on the Commons, or use a slightly different file name. Beware, that although free images are allowed to be slightly original with file names, fair use images should have an accurate and concise file name (for example.  instead of  . Then add your fair use rationale, and make sure it's used on at least one article, as you can't have orphaned fair-use images. Reading through WP:FU, WP:FURG, WP:Image copyright tags will also be useful. Cheers, PeterSymonds |  talk  04:54, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * What guideline covers the file name? It makes sense, but I have never seen it.  --—  Gadget850 (Ed)  talk  -  10:41, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Image use policy. It states that descriptive file names should be used, and that special characters or long file names are discouraged. I thought this was only necessary for FU images but it appears to be all images. PeterSymonds |  talk  10:52, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Yeah, I should have said reading those first links was mandatory, 'cause it would have made my questions more clear. I was looking for a way to move an illegitimate commons image into a non-free permitted environment, such as en:wiki. I am a little bit familiar with the blowtorch of non-free rationales, patrollers and bots, so I have no illusions there :), I was hoping for a trick to save time on the first hurdle.
 * I will take the advice on asking at the copy-desk about cross-wiki'ing images, but I was asking here as to whether it is technically possible. You could think of it as a stop-gap - rather than the image disappearing completely from an article, instead it is lang:transcluded and presents a problem that can be solved in situ according to the local wiki policies. There are multiple images on multiple wikis in this case and time is of the essence, so I'm looking for shortcuts. Thanks. Franamax (talk) 05:17, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Just out of interest, what does "FUR" mean in this context? Thanks--217.44.171.32 (talk) 08:31, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * I think I've got it now - "fair use rationale"?--217.44.171.32 (talk) 08:34, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Yep that's it. Many of us try not to use too much jargon, but it just creeps in.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 11:10, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Jargon is fine as long as you link each jargon term to a page that defines it. Lots of Wikipedia acronyms appear in corresponding shortcuts. For example, WP:FURG defines "FUR", so instead of just saying "FUR" in plaintext, link it like: FUR. (WP:FUR links to a related page.) Linking is easy for the writer on Wikipedia, and can save many times more work for the readers. Linking our jargon also has the benefit of insuring that we use jargon correctly. If users copy each others' jargon without anyone actually checking the guidelines pages, usage can mutate as in the telephone game. --Teratornis (talk) 19:17, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Formatting
Recently, I made a template Template:NumBlk which can number mathematical equations. For example, the equations look like this before applying the template:
 * $$\frac{\partial z}{\partial t}=\frac{\partial z}{\partial x}\frac{\partial x}{\partial t}+\frac{\partial z}{\partial y}\frac{\partial y}{\partial t}=\left(\frac{\partial}{\partial x}\frac{\partial x}{\partial t}+\frac{\partial}{\partial y}\frac{\partial y}{\partial t}\right)z$$
 * $$\frac{\partial^2 z}{\partial t^2}=\frac{\partial}{\partial t}\frac{\partial z}{\partial t}=\frac{\partial}{\partial t}\left[\left(\frac{\partial}{\partial x}\frac{\partial x}{\partial t}+\frac{\partial}{\partial y}\frac{\partial y}{\partial t}\right)z\right]=\left(\frac{\partial}{\partial x}\frac{\partial x}{\partial t}+\frac{\partial}{\partial y}\frac{\partial y}{\partial t}\right)\frac{\partial z}{\partial t}$$

and the equations look like this after applying the template:

As you can see, the two equations before applying the template are tightly aligned. But there is a bigger gap between the two equations to which the template is applied. So what can I do to remove the gap between them and make them tightly aligned vertically?

If my question above looks complicated, the alternative question is: what can I do to remove the (vertical) gap between the following two indented tables and make them tightly aligned vertically?
 * {|border="1" style="border-collapse:collapse; background:#7BA05B;"


 * TBL 1
 * }
 * {|border="1" style="border-collapse:collapse; background:#7BA05B;"

Justin545 (talk) 08:06, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * TBL 2
 * }


 * There are a number of ways, but are you sure this is desirable in the first place? To me, equations such as the ones in your example are more easily readable with some space between them, since MediaWiki's own TeX-to-image converter does not automatically insert any whitespace to keep them apart.  —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 11:46, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Yes. That's why I added dashed line between the equation and the number so that I don't need the space between them for readability and make articles shorter. Could you tell the solutions? I would like to hear. Thanks! - Justin545 (talk) 12:29, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * The space you are seeing is a result of you indenting the tables using  or  .  If you remove the : from your template up above, you'll see that your tables "smoosh" back together as expected:


 * The vertical spacing you are seeing is the result of monobook putting a nice paragraph separation between lines which makes reading text discussions so much easier.  My recommendation is to adjust your template to use CSS as an indention scheme, rather than using   .  On a side note, you also might want to make some adjustments to your template for math equations that don't invoke the TeX-Image generator, such as $$y = mx + b$$.  This equation is utterly unreadable inside your template.  -- ShinmaWa(talk) 15:09, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * I didn't consider equations that don't invoke the TeX-Image generator. And I've adjusted the template according to your suggestion. Thanks for the side note.


 * >> My recommendation is to adjust your template to use CSS as an indention scheme, rather than using :.
 * I know I can remove the spacing by not indenting. But I don't really get the CSS as you said. Could give more details? Thanks! - Justin545 (talk) 03:06, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

(outdent) What I mean is to use positioning. Set up your template to add 'position:relative; left: ' to your table's style, such that it appears as it does below:

Something like this: {| style=" border-collapse:collapse;" border="0" ...should solve your problem. I'm not a template expert, but I think that'll work. -- ShinmaWa(talk) 18:22, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Some content seems to have vanished!
After my recent edit to the article lord, the second paragraph seems to have vanished! If you click on edit the text is visible again! The content in question reads "According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, the etymology of the word lord goes back to the Old English word 'hlāford' which originated from 'hlāfweard' meaning 'bread keeper', reflecting the Germanic tribal custom of a superior providing food for his followers. Lady, the female equivalent, originates from a similar structure, believed to have originally meant 'loaf-kneader'. The Scottish title laird is also often translated as lord, however there are differences between the two titles." Woulds somebody care to take a look!? Thanks --Cameron (t|p|c) 12:21, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * PeterSymonds | talk  12:41, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

For non-logged-in users, every page has headers that run into each other
 weburiedoursecrets inthegarden  18:40, 10 May 2008 (UTC) I've moved this discussion to the technical Village Pump after confirming this behavior. -- ShinmaWa(talk) 16:48, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Thanks.--86.157.11.211 (talk) 17:17, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

How to make a page when it redirects you.
Ok I want to make a page on Danny Noriega, an american idol contestant. When I search him up, it redirects me to the American Idol Contestants page. I thought it would be nice to have a single page just on him because the page I get redirected to only says a little information about him. Is it possible to make a page when I get redirected? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Danimal24 (talk • contribs) 19:54, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Well, according to the history page of Danny Noriga, it's been protected so that editors will cease creating a page about him, most likely because of notability concerns. See WP:BIO. .  Wisdom89  ( T |undefined /  C ) 19:57, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Hi Danimal, thanks for expressing an interest in writing! Please see Articles for deletion/Danny Noriega. Consensus decided that the subject was not notable enough for a standalone article, and therefore should be redirected. If you have any questions, please let me know. Thanks, PeterSymonds | talk  20:14, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Images
How do I add images to articles. Formerly 82.46.93.158 (talk) 20:35, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Click on "edit this page". Place your image between paragraphs, where there is a gap, and not within the text itself. This is how:


 * Type
 * Variations include replacing "right" with "left". Thanks, PeterSymonds | talk  20:38, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * I also want to upload a image that I made myself. When I click upload I get a message saying "The action you have requested is limited to users in one of the groups Autoconfirmed users, Sysops." Could you explain what this means. Formerly 82.46.93.158 (talk) 20:41, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * If you wish to upload an image to add to an article, you must wait until 7.32pm (UTC) on 14 May before you can upload it, as your account must be four days old before it can upload any file (once your account becomes 4 days old you are "autoconfirmed") You will find the link to "upload file" on the sidebar under the "toolbox" heading; then follow the instructions. Happy editing, EJF (talk) 20:43, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * OK, thanks. I will continue writing and then upload my images then Formerly 82.46.93.158 (talk) 20:44, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Wiki markup for alphanumeric outline format?
Hi- Anyone out there know of any wiki list markup that will generate an alphanumeric outline format? I looked everywhere I can think of before posting here. Thanks in advance for any tips. -Eric talk 21:10, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * There isn't really any, unfortunately.
 * You
 * Could
 * Try
 * Doing
 * Something
 * Like
 * This,
 * Perhaps...
 * But from the sound of it, that's not quite what you were looking for. Hers fold  (t/a/c) 00:48, 11 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Thanks, but I'm looking for something more like:
 * I.
 * A.
 * 1.
 * a.
 * II, etc. -Eric talk 03:57, 11 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Since you specifically asked for wiki markup, does that mean you don't want to use HTML markup? At the cost of more coding, you can use the  tag to control the numbering style of each nested list. See: Help:HTML in wikitext, Help:List (that's a section in the help page you linked to, so maybe you already know about this and decided you don't want HTML?), and Ordered list. --Teratornis (talk) 08:00, 12 May 2008 (UTC)
 * I like to use wiki markup if I can, but HTML would be ok as well. I have seen those help sections, but maybe I'm missing something there. What I'm looking for is code that changes the list-style-type value for each successive level of indentation. I assume I could build that manually with nested lists, but I picture the maintenance quickly getting ugly that way. -Eric talk 13:42, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Getting "Article Needs Additional Citations" Removed
How do I get the tag "This Article Needs Additional Citations for Verification" removed from an article once it has been fully sourced and referenced? It is still up there from when the article ("Johnny Weir") was previously poorly referenced. Thanks. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.222.244.219 (talk) 22:07, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Done. I removed the tag. I deleted

, which was under all the infobox stuff, just before the actual paragraphs of text started. The article sure has a lot of references listed!!! ☺ Coppertwig (talk) 22:11, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Thank you64.222.244.219 (talk) 22:12, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * More generally, one editor added the tag. that editor has no more (and no less) authority than you do. If you feel that the tag is no longer warranted, you nay remove the tag. BUT, if you think that there may be a difference of opinion, you should place a note on the article's discussion page and perhaps place a note on the other editor's discussion page. -Arch dude (talk) 04:20, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Revoke blacklisitng
Apparently the site www.lulu.com is blacklisted for some unknown reason. I discovered this while making a minor revision to the page at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_from_Hamilton%2C_Ontario under BOB YOUNG (it's his company). As there is no discernible reason for blacklisting this legitimate site/business it should be removed. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Kamishiro (talk • contribs) 22:13, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Hi Kamishiro. You need to propose its removal at MediaWiki talk:Spam-blacklist. However, as this site is blatant advertising, I don't see any chance of it being removed; sites which only offer a service are not appropriate for an encyclopedia. Any questions please ask me. Thanks, PeterSymonds | talk  22:27, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Deletion of warning templates etc
Are users allowed to do this on their talk pages? I know they're allowed to delete comments, but deleting warnings might alter a user's judgement when deciding which level of warning template they should use. I'm refering to Zyxwvuabcdef if you want to personaly help me. The Vandal Warrior (talk) 23:34, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * The deletion of warnings only proves that the user has read them, Policy does not prohibit users, including both registered and anonymous users, from removing comments from their own talk pages, although archiving is preferred. The removal of a warning is taken as evidence that the warning has been read by the user. Deleted warnings can still be found in the page history. Repeatedly replacing warnings does nothing but antagonize users, and can encourage further disruption; removal of template warnings is rarely an urgent or important matter, and it is often best to simply let the matter rest if other disruption stops. Dark  Zorro  23:39, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Thanks! The Vandal Warrior (talk) 23:49, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * There is an essay on this: Don't restore removed comments.  --—  Gadget850 (Ed)  talk  -  23:53, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Does this topic deserve an article?
I'm thinking of creating an article about a Home Video Company called Shokus Video. The company has been around since 1979 and is mentioned in several 90's-era usenet discussions, and I'd like to know whether it is notable enough to have an article. Retro Agnostic (talk) 23:37, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Check out Drawing board. --—  Gadget850 (Ed)  talk  -  23:51, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Thanks Retro Agnostic (talk) 23:51, 10 May 2008 (UTC)