Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2008 November 2

= November 2 =

Numbers weirdly inserted into pages I edit
A recurrent, but intermittent, problem has arisen on pages I have edited in the past 3 weeks. Numbers get randomly inserted (without my doing) into links on those pages so as to break the links. Note, I am editing the pages, but not the links when it happens, and it doesn't show up while I am editing. Please go to the end of my talk page when some concerned users have identified the problem and provided examples. I would appreciate some professional help. Please note I have run Spybot and Zonealarm without finding any malware. Could you reply on my Talk page, or should I monitor this one? Thank you. Bellagio99 (talk) 00:44, 2 November 2008 (UTC)
 * I left a note on his talk page. - Mgm|(talk) 01:01, 2 November 2008 (UTC)

How would I reference
Something like this... Guideline 512? --Kuzwa (talk) 01:06, 2 November 2008 (UTC)
 * You could use cite web with the "format" set to PDF. If you just want to link to the PDF, use . Xenon54 02:04, 2 November 2008 (UTC)

Preferences broken
I recently changed a Preference (unchecked "Hide my edits on Watchlist") and now can't change it back: when I try, I get the unrelated warning that my new password is too short (being blank because I'm not trying to change my password). —Tamfang (talk) 01:12, 2 November 2008 (UTC)
 * This was also reported in Help desk/Archives/2008 October 27. My preferences work and I don't know what causes your problem. Does anything there help? PrimeHunter (talk) 02:33, 2 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Thanks, I posted there. —Tamfang (talk) 03:47, 4 November 2008 (UTC)

User:PrimeHunter made a suggestion that worked. Firefox likes to fill in password boxes, and the Preferences page interprets this as an attempt to change password. So I blanked the box and saved successfully. —Tamfang (talk) 20:06, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

Inappropriate user name?
Just wondering ... Is User:157.228.x.x in accordance with Username policy? It seems to be misleading in that it implies an anonymous IP editor when, in fact, it is a registered user. Truthanado (talk) 01:27, 2 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Misleading is generally applied to names like "WikiAdmin" or "Steward222" when the user isn't either of those things. This user has been around since March, so if someone had a concern about their name they would have let them know by now. If you believe that the name still qualifies as misleading, the first course of action is to let them know of your concern (use ) and see if they're open to changing usernames. Xenon54 01:57, 2 November 2008 (UTC)


 * Yeah, generally it's concerning names that imply power, but pretending to be an IP when you're not is disruptive too. Xenon is right though, as this is a longtime editor, they should get the chance to change username voluntarily before any rash action is taken. - Mgm|(talk) 10:57, 2 November 2008 (UTC)
 * I don't think this username is disruptive—it's clearly not an IP address because the last digits are x.x. I'll inform him of this discussion. Darkspots (talk) 12:04, 2 November 2008 (UTC)
 * for what it's worth, i don't see any problem with this user name either. Sssoul (talk) 12:08, 2 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Ditto. GbT/c 12:09, 2 November 2008 (UTC)
 * I appreciate the comments and clarification. As I said, I was "just wondering" and I am wondering no longer. Thanks. Truthanado (talk) 14:41, 2 November 2008 (UTC)
 * I think the user name is fine.-- intraining  Jack In  16:14, 2 November 2008 (UTC)

Before registering an account, the user in question did in fact edit using IPs in the 157.228 range. Just FYI.  Balkan Fever  12:01, 3 November 2008 (UTC)

Category problem
The category name on the article Andhra Pradesh keeps showing up at the top of the page even after I remove it. Any help would be appreciated as I cannot figure out how to get rid of it. Copana2002 (talk) 01:59, 2 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Fixed. It was added by an infobox. PrimeHunter (talk) 02:23, 2 November 2008 (UTC)

Category problem
Although its "attention=yes" parameter is not currently set, Talk:Sydney Riot of 1879 is included in Category:Cricket articles needing attention. The parameter has been set in the past so this may be a problem around the attention category failing to release former members or something to do with the category update mechanism. BlackJack | talk page 06:41, 2 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Try purging the talk page. If that doesn't fix the problem then you may have to wait for the servers to catch up and update the category page, which they should do automatically in due course. --Teratornis (talk) 07:27, 2 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Thanks. Purging didn't change anything so I'll leave it and hope the server catches up.  All the best.  BlackJack | talk page 08:17, 2 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Oops, this is more complicated than I at first assumed. I looked at the complicated WikiProject Cricket template, and it may be categorizing the Talk:Sydney Riot of 1879 page into Category:Cricket articles needing attention because WikiProject Cricket/Review/Sydney Riot of 1879 exists. The problem is not that the servers need to catch up, as I first blindly assumed would be the usual behavior, because you can see the category link at the bottom of Talk:Sydney Riot of 1879. If that category link is there, in addition to being on the category page itself, that means the template is putting that link on the talk page now because it wants to and there is nothing for the server to catch up to. I'm going to bed, so you will probably have to read the instructions for this assessment procedure more carefully and see whether there is some step that involves moving the assessment page off to an archive or something when you finish the assessment. I'm not familiar with how the cricket folks handle that. --Teratornis (talk) 08:59, 2 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Or it may be due to a redirect at WikiProject Cricket/Assessment/Sydney Riot of 1879. —teb728 t c 09:39, 2 November 2008 (UTC)

Sheet of music in Wiki
Does it exist a simple way of writing sheets of music in Wiki, similar as we can write mathematical formulas? Eventually, would it be possible to create something like that? --PAD (talk) 10:24, 2 November 2008 (UTC)


 * this page appears to be relevant to your question: http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Music_markup
 * (don't forget that there may be copyright issues to consider, depending on what you want to create/upload.) Sssoul (talk) 14:11, 2 November 2008 (UTC)

cant find number
i can not find my QQ number after registering.how can i access it? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Tondoi (talk • contribs) 11:48, 2 November 2008 (UTC)
 * This Google search indicates you're talking about something outside of Wikipedia. So please take your question to the reference desk. - Mgm|(talk) 12:20, 2 November 2008 (UTC)

how tocreate a new article?
I got logged in but could'nt figure out how to create a new article? could you help me? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Krishnapriya kamalakshan (talk • contribs) 13:22, 2 November 2008 (UTC)
 * [[Image:Symbol move vote.svg|20px]] Please see Your first article.


 * 1) Ensure that you have an account and you are logged in. If you don't have an account, create one
 * 2) Make sure the subject is notable enough to have their own article
 * 3) Find references
 * 4) Make sure no article on the subject exists under a different title by typing the subject into the search box to the left (←) and clicking 'Search'
 * 5) Type the page name in the search box to the left (←) and click 'Go'
 * 6) Click 'Create this page'
 * 7) Create the article, including all your references, making sure you adhere to the Manual of Style and our article layout guidelines
 * 8) Be aware that Wikipedia deletes thousands of new articles for failing to adhere to our policies and guidelines. New articles by new users are at extra risk of deletion, due to new users' unfamiliarity with our rules. Consider gaining experience by editing existing articles before attempting to create new ones GbT/c 13:23, 2 November 2008 (UTC)

Uploading a New Picture
My friend has a picture on Wikipedia and would like to know how to upload a new picture of her. (She hates the picture currently showing) Can some one instruct me how to do that? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.214.223.236 (talk) 18:06, 2 November 2008 (UTC)


 * Well, you should ask her permission; if she's fine with it, it would be better for her to do it herself. But as for instructions, you must be a registered user who has been here for four days with ten edits. Once you pass this automated barrier, you will be allowed access to Special:Upload where all images are uploaded. Best, Peter Symonds ( talk ) 18:10, 2 November 2008 (UTC)


 * On the Wikimedia Commons there is a team of people that are glad to help you in uploading an image. Putting it there also allows other Wikimedia Projects besides Wikipedia to use the picture. Just make sure you got the copyright sorted. The person who made the photograph needs to give permission for the photograph to be used for any use (without restrictions on commercial use or derivatives). - Mgm|(talk) 19:51, 2 November 2008 (UTC)

Edting someone else's image
I'd like to make a minor modification to to change the decimal commas to decimal points (see MOS:NUM). Should I just make the change in place, upload the change as a new image, or should I ask permission from the original image editor? -- Tcncv (talk) 19:18, 2 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Images are under the same rules, under CC-by-SA 2.5, which is compatable with GFDL, that text is, so feel free to modify and over-write the old image; in that case the "chain of modifications" that is required under GFDL will be followed. SO, have at it! --Jayron32. talk . contribs  19:44, 2 November 2008 (UTC)


 * Thank you. Since this was a commons image, I attempted to update it there.  However, after converting my account to a global one, I was considered a new user to commons and was unable to overwrite.  The error page suggested uploading to a different name and asking someone here to move it.  I've uploaded the new image to Image:Sea salt-e-dp hg.svg in commons.  (Note the "-dp" in the name.)  Could someone here kindly use that to update Image:Sea salt-e hg.svg?  Thank you.  -- Tcncv (talk) 20:39, 2 November 2008 (UTC)

Cite comic issue
Can anyone tell me how? Thanks in advance, A  talk  19:21, 2 November 2008 (UTC)
 * That's for issues; also take a look at Citation templates for ways to cite other forms of comics.
 * Cheers, This flag once was red propagandadeeds 19:28, 2 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Thanks! A  talk  20:22, 2 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Thanks! A  talk  20:22, 2 November 2008 (UTC)

article
how do i write an article on wikipediea? i need a simple explination please. thanks —Preceding unsigned comment added by Implosive (talk • contribs) 21:49, 2 November 2008 (UTC)
 * [[Image:Symbol move vote.svg|20px]] Please see Your first article.


 * 1) Ensure that you have an account and you are logged in. If you don't have an account, create one
 * 2) Make sure the subject is notable enough to have their own article
 * 3) Find references
 * 4) Make sure no article on the subject exists under a different title by typing the subject into the search box to the left (←) and clicking 'Search'
 * 5) Type the page name in the search box to the left (←) and click 'Go'
 * 6) Click 'Create this page'
 * 7) Create the article, including all your references, making sure you adhere to the Manual of Style and our article layout guidelines
 * 8) Be aware that Wikipedia deletes thousands of new articles for failing to adhere to our policies and guidelines. New articles by new users are at extra risk of deletion, due to new users' unfamiliarity with our rules. Consider gaining experience by editing existing articles before attempting to create new ones GbT/c 21:50, 2 November 2008 (UTC)

Redirects
"Silicon Strip Detector" and its abbreviation SSD are a common synonym for "Semiconductor detector." How can I make it so users searching for SSD or Silicon Strip Detector will get re-directed to the Semiconductor detector page? Sulimon sattari (talk) 22:36, 2 November 2008 (UTC)Sulimon
 * At Silicon Strip Detector you would want to create a redirect, by creating a page with no content other than #REDIRECT Semiconductor detector . There is, however, already a page at SSD, but it is a disambiguation page. Simply add Semiconductor detector to the list of pages being disambiguated. GbT/c 22:39, 2 November 2008 (UTC)