Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2009 September 7

= September 7 =

Making a link that any user can click on to go to their userpage/x
I can never remember this template... What do you put in so that, if say it linked User:X/sandbox, and I clicked it, it would take me to User:Floydian/sandbox, but if another user clicked it, it would go to their sandbox? -  ʄɭoʏɗiaɲ  τ ¢  02:25, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Special:Mypage – túrian  patois  02:29, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * That would be the one :) -  ʄɭoʏɗiaɲ  τ ¢  02:32, 7 September 2009 (UTC)

Hidden db- template on a a page in user space?
I'm looking at Category:Candidates for speedy deletion, and see the page User:Rekija/Peter there. The page says that it transcludes both db-meta and db-t3. However, I can find neither in the text, and none of the other templates in the text seems to transclude any of them, either. How does this page get into this category? &mdash; Sebastian 04:49, 7 September 2009 (UTC)


 * Probably because Template:Heroes character box is up for TFD... -- Jayron  32  05:02, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * No, that can't be it: TFD is not speedy deletion. You can also check this by editing that template, and you can see that it doesn't display any transclusion of any of the db- templates. &mdash; Sebastian 06:23, 7 September 2009 (UTC)


 * Template:Heroes character box was tagged with db-t3 earlier. It was removed today but it can take a while before a template edit is registered on a page transcluding the template. You can purge the page to register it right away. PrimeHunter (talk) 11:13, 7 September 2009 (UTC)


 * Oh, you're right, that's it! Thank you! &mdash; Sebastian 16:20, 7 September 2009 (UTC)

User talk pages
Some people have really cool user talk pages. Is there any kind of templates page? Dr Dec ( Talk )    08:40, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Most of the really cool ones are written from scratch. You can see what coding they use by clicking on the "edit this page" link - and then copy any useful bits! Just don't save the users page! That's one of the good things about Wikipedia - if you see something you'd like to use on your user page, you just copy the code (as all user page content is CC-BY-SA licensed, so can be used by anyone! --  Phantom Steve  ( Contact Me, My Contribs ) 08:51, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * I did try this, but they have links to subpages and all kinds. It started to make my head spin!  Dr Dec  ( Talk )    09:16, 7 September 2009 (UTC)


 * Take a look at User page design center. &mdash; QuantumEleven 08:51, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * I'll take a look at this now, thanks.  Dr Dec  ( Talk )    09:16, 7 September 2009 (UTC)

db-copyvio not working?
just a few minutes ago I tagged a page as a copyright violation of http://pdtjerantut.pahang.gov.my/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=54&Itemid=99, the text I added to the page was:

However, the delete template doesn't seem to be displaying the 1st parameter probably, in other words the URL of the site is not displayed in the template. Have I made a mistake somewhere? Or has the parameter been removed from the template? Thanks SpitfireTally-ho! 08:45, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * I believe you're supposed to add  before the URL, as the parameter name. ≈ Chamal talk ¤ 08:52, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Chamal is quite correct. I have added url= and it is showing correctly now, Spitfire. --  Phantom Steve  ( Contact Me, My Contribs ) 08:55, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Thank you both, all the best SpitfireTally-ho! 09:35, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Using  also works (1 for first unnamed parameter). Your version was assigning the value "com_content&view=article&id=54&Itemid=99" to the parameter "http&#58;//pdtjerantut.pahang.gov.my/index.php?option". Algebraist 10:25, 7 September 2009 (UTC)

Website editor requesting no external links
A website owner has requested that the wiki has no external links to his website; see Wikipedia_talk:WikiProject_Birds. Is there any guidelines on this? Snowman (talk) 08:59, 7 September 2009 (UTC)

Signatures
My signature is a bit big in wikimarkup, though concise when displayed. I just wanted to ask if it is accepted to use a template for your sign, for example " 01:41, 25 August 2008 (UTC) " will be shown when viewing the source.{{#if:  |

Manish Earth{{sup| Talk •  Stalk }} 10:24, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * No. What good are those nested s supposed to be doing anyway? Algebraist 10:28, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Oh great, subst tags don't work well with parse templates.{{#if: |

Manish Earth{{sup| Talk •  Stalk }}

10:39, 7 September 2009 (UTC)


 * Fixed it, no more templates. Manish Earth{{sup| Talk  •  Stalk }} 10:42, 7 September 2009 (UTC)


 * Thanks. This is 5 characters shorter: Manish Earth {{sup| Talk  •  Stalk }}. PrimeHunter (talk) 10:56, 7 September 2009 (UTC)

Virus?
An IP contributor left the following at my talk page:

I'm so the wrong person for this question, but I gather that he or she is concerned that EICAR test file might be used maliciously to harm people. Thoughts? --Moonriddengirl (talk) 12:59, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * I don't think so, considering the length of the file. 68 bytes is microscopic, and editing the article to change the code to a (much longer) actual virus would certainly catch the eye of a recent changes patroller. I'm sure there's a lot of editors that are watching the article. Plus, even if a user managed to do the above, any user who was testing the code would (hopefully) already have antivirus software. Xenon54 / talk / 13:17, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Changing it to a virus (which can spread itself by copying) with so few characters also sounds a little unlikely to me, but maybe it could be changed to something longer or otherwise harmful, like a command to delete files. We only allow upload of a few types of media files. All other files are prohibited for security reasons. Having executable code in an article with instructions about how to execute it sounds a little problematic to me. How about moving the code to a fully protected template and transclude it? I have checked the code is the same as in the source. PrimeHunter (talk) 13:40, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * That sounds like a good idea. Better safe than sorry, I suppose. Xenon54 / talk / 13:47, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * I have done it. PrimeHunter (talk) 13:53, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Thanks. I'll leave a note at my talk page in case the IP comes back. :) --Moonriddengirl (talk) 14:22, 7 September 2009 (UTC)

Unable to correct table formatting in Miss Supranational article
The Miss Supranational article has a format problem in which the contestants table appears after the External links section, even though it should be before it in the Contestants section. Can someone please take a look at this and see what the problem is? I've tried and failed ... several times. Thanks. Truthanado (talk) 14:42, 7 September 2009 (UTC)


 * Fixed by user:Phantomsteve; the phenomenon of tables mysteriously appearing at the end of a page is generally caused, as in this case, by their being closed improperly. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 14:55, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Corrected! The problem was the closing tag of the table (which should have been ) was in fact   So basically, the problem was that the table wasn't closed - so when the page was parsed, and the end of the page was reached, the table was closed then so it placed the table when it was closed, i.e. at the end of the page! --  Phantom Steve  ( Contact Me,  My Contribs ) 14:57, 7 September 2009 (UTC)


 * Thanks. I knew it had to be something like that and tried various table endings. Removing the extra "-" is something I didn't try. Truthanado (talk) 16:02, 7 September 2009 (UTC)

How should people with a letter for a surname be referred to?
If there was an actor called Danny T. how would he be referred to in an article? I know the full name is used in the first instance, and the surname for all subsequent mentions, but what if the person only has a letter for a surname? 90.219.50.144 (talk) 15:17, 7 September 2009 (UTC)


 * There are so few of such people that I doubt a consensus really exists, but Malcom X pretty much always says "Malcolm X did this, Malcolm X did that"; I don't think it ever calls him just X or Mr. X. Similarly Mr. T's name is spelled out in full each time in his article. That's what I'd recommend for Danny T too. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 15:22, 7 September 2009 (UTC)


 * Make good use of pronouns and it should look alright SpitfireTally-ho! 15:28, 7 September 2009 (UTC)


 * Thanks, that's what I thought would be the most sensible way. 90.219.50.144 (talk) 15:36, 7 September 2009 (UTC)

How to see how many page views an article has had?
I sometimes see people say 'article X has had 5000 page views this month', etc. How do they check? 90.219.50.144 (talk) 15:39, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * If you look under the "history" tab of an article, you'll see a link that says "page view statistics". That's your ticket. :) --Moonriddengirl (talk) 15:41, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Thanks, I remember people used to ask this a few years ago but there was no way a standard user could check the page views, I didn't realise this had been added. 90.219.50.144 (talk) 16:42, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Fairly recently, I think. Very convenient it is. --Moonriddengirl (talk) 16:42, 7 September 2009 (UTC)

How to see a list of new articles I created
I have too many edits to easily scan through the list looking for N to show new articles, and Special:NewPages only goes back a short while (a month or so). Is there any simple way I can get a list of all the new pages I created (with or without redirects as new pages)? I know I'm going to feel foolish when the answer is given, as it's bound to be something simple and obvious! Thanks --  Phantom Steve  ( Contact Me, My Contribs ) 15:56, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * WP:WPEC lists this tool, which seems to be working at present. Algebraist 16:03, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * I knew it would be simple! I even referred someone else to WPEC not long ago for edit counts, but didn't think of going there again myself... thanks, Algebraist! --  Phantom Steve  ( Contact Me, My Contribs ) 17:21, 7 September 2009 (UTC)

Color coding in Wikipedia?
I saw an news bit on CNN stating that Wikipedia uses color coding to discern the validity of statements in a given article. If I remember correctly they said it was using various shades of orange. Is this true, and if so, how can I view it? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Siouxdax (talk • contribs) 16:56, 7 September 2009 (UTC)

Siouxdax (talk)


 * Are you refering to the question mentioned on 26 August 2009 or on 27 August 2009? They refer to Flagged protection and patrolled revisions, for which a discussion is at Administrators%27_noticeboard/Archive201. As far as I am aware, flagged revisions is to be trialed on a test wiki, before a final decision to use it (or not) on Wikipedia is made. CNN have misunderstood what is happening, I think. --  Phantom Steve  ( Contact Me, My Contribs ) 17:13, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * That's WikiTrust. It's an extension developed the Online Collaboration Lab at the University of California, Santa Cruz which is being considered for integration into Wikipedia, but it's not yet available for all users.  If you want to try it out, you can either follow the instructions at the main page for WikiTrust or by installing the experimental Firefox add-on.  --Mysdaao talk 17:15, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * I can't find a reference to colo(u)r-coding (the last article on CNN I can find is Wikipedia:No longer the Wild West?, so could you give a link to the article you are referring to, then we can give a more complete response. --  Phantom Steve  ( Contact Me, My Contribs ) 17:20, 7 September 2009 (UTC)

Here is the CNN video article mentioning the color coding. http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2009/09/06/wikipedia.biggest.blunders.cnn Siouxdax (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 17:26, 7 September 2009 (UTC).
 * Unfortunately, the computer I'm currently on has no sound capability - I'll look at the video when I get on to my own computer, and if no one has answered by then, I'll respond properly! --  Phantom Steve  ( Contact Me, My Contribs ) 18:28, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * I see that Mysdaao has already answered this, but as it was while I was placing a previous answer (causing an edit conflict), the answer given didn't register with me! Sorry for that --  Phantom Steve  ( Contact Me, My Contribs ) 23:21, 7 September 2009 (UTC)

Link colour
Is it possible to change the colour of a link so that everyone who views that link will see it in that colour? I have read WP:Link color, but I have not found it to be of use for my purposes.  Intelligent  sium  20:19, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Looking at the HTML produced, it seems the colour comes from standard css stylesheets loaded with the page header, - so I would assume the answer to your question is "no". WP:Link color shows how you can change the colour of the links that you view, not what others see.  Ron h jones (Talk) 20:35, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Wouldn't  produce a different colored link?--Unionhawk Talk E-mail Review 21:04, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * No.  is necessary:  Link . Algebraist 21:06, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Ronhjones, your signature contradicts your answer. :) Prodego  talk  21:16, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Link ? Hmm... it appears that they both work.--Unionhawk Talk E-mail Review 21:20, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * No, your original suggestion does not work (at least not in any reasonable browser). Algebraist 21:24, 7 September 2009 (UTC)

(←) Link Hmm... you're right... should have tested that in the first place...--Unionhawk Talk E-mail Review 21:42, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * I've resolved the issue. Thanks for your help.  Intelligent  sium  22:42, 7 September 2009 (UTC)

Reference desk pages
If someone leaves a message on a reference desk without links, and you decide to add the double square brackets ( ... ) to a certain choice phrases that already are part of the original post then is there a problem? After all, the refactoring talk pages article says that Refactoring (i.e. adding subheadings, archiving pages, etc) is "a form of editing whose goal is to improve readability while preserving meaning." This seems to be fine. Surly putting ( ... links around existing the existing words of a post is "a form of editing whose goal is to improve readability while preserving meaning."? (I ask because I have been confronted for making this edit, being told that any change to any post is an unbendable rule)  Dr Dec  ( Talk )    20:29, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * It's generally a bad idea to change others posts, with a VERY few strictly defined exceptions (such as refactoring email addresses and phone numbers). If you want to make a link to something someone has discussed, it is best to just leave your own reply, with the link yourself.  That way, the exact same intent is gotten across (you correct the missing link) without the appearance of impropriety.  -- Jayron  32  20:58, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the reply, but I fear that I didn't explain myself and as such you misunderstand me. Someone left a very technical mathematical question on the mathematics reference desk, so I just added the double square brackets around each mathematical noun. I didn't link to anything extra, I didn't change the words, I didn't even change the punctuation. I just added some double square brackets whose goal was to improve readability while preserving meaning. Is that really a no-no?!  Dr Dec  ( Talk )    21:23, 7 September 2009 (UTC)


 * It does not improve readability in any way by having some text black and some text blue. It just tells the questioner, "You are an idiot because you didn't read the article first."  The questioner has every right to be offended when this happens.  That is why linking another person's question is heavily frowned upon on the RD.  Instead, you should provide an answer along the lines of "Read article xxxxx.  The answer you seek is in section xxxxx." --  k a i n a w &trade; 21:41, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Wow! I never wanted to imply anything like that to the questioner. (For the record: It wasn't him/her that was complaining.) But still, it does look very bad in that light! I won't do it again. Thanks for your input.  Dr Dec  ( Talk )    22:42, 7 September 2009 (UTC)


 * A quick review of your edits over there show three concerning things: (1) As already mentioned, you should edit other users talk/comments/posts like you did here; (2) You should not roll back your own posts after people have commented because it confuses the sequence of comments like you did here; (3) like wise, you should not edit (even for clairty sake) your own messages after people have commented on them, as you did here... You should only edit your own posts if someone else hasn't already posted a reply/comment. If you become aware of something after someone has replied, you should simply post a new comment clarifying what you mean, or as in the first example, feel free to post a new message with relevant wiki links. Tiggerjay (talk) 22:37, 7 September 2009 (UTC)


 * I am positive Tiggerjay meant "should not edit" in the first point. -- k a i n a w &trade; 22:41, 7 September 2009 (UTC)


 * Yes you are correct. I meant "should not edit"... And Kainaw provided a great example, event when he was relatively certain that I wanted to say not, he created a new post. As am I by not changing it above. Here is a good reference: Wikipedia - Missing Manual: Editing Existing Comments Tiggerjay (talk) 22:46, 7 September 2009 (UTC)


 * Okay, I seem to have been misguided in my attempts to clarify... sorry!
 * I didn't realise that someone had commented, and I didn't realise I had rollbacked: as far as I saw: I had undone my own edit.
 * I shall be more careful when editing my own edits.
 * As for Kainaw's non-edit, well that was already understood: adding or removing words would not preserve meaning.  Dr Dec  ( Talk )    22:50, 7 September 2009 (UTC)

Image question
Does parsing work with images? I want to make it so that an image on my userpage will change throughout the day by itself, in accordance with the time. The syntax I am using right now is:



It doesn't seem to work, however. Could someone help, please? I am not very good with code.  Intelligent  sium  22:38, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * For starters, you're missing eight }s. Algebraist 22:52, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * I haven't the foggiest idea where.  Intelligent  sium  23:40, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * I believe they're missing at the end of the #ifexpr (or at least, I don't see the closing brackets). However, I'm not great with templates and could be wrong. TN X Man  16:45, 8 September 2009 (UTC)
 * They were indeed missing! Here is the correct code:
 * Which gives:
 * {{#ifexpr: {{CURRENTHOUR}}>20 in Wikipedia. | {{#ifexpr:{{CURRENTHOUR}}>15 | It is currently dusk in Wikipedia | {{#ifexpr: {{CURRENTHOUR}}>12 | It is currently afternoon in Wikipedia | {{#ifexpr: {{CURRENTHOUR}}>8 | It is currently morning in Wikipedia | It is currently dawn in Wikipedia }}}}}}}}]] The current time is {{CURRENTTIME}}
 * Hope this helps! --  Phantom Steve  ( Contact Me, My Contribs ) 17:12, 8 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Hope this helps! --  Phantom Steve  ( Contact Me, My Contribs ) 17:12, 8 September 2009 (UTC)

New Entry Problem ...
Hi!

I'm Lyn Murray - the writer. I would like to enter my Biography BUT in searching Wikipedia I found another (believe it or not) Lyn Murray - the composer; we spell our pen names exactly the same! LOL! You can see the problem. :) I tried editing Lyn Murray - the composers site - renaming it The Two Lyn Murrays - then spacing down to create my section BUT it didn't work. What can I do to enter my biography and distinguish myself from the other Lyn Murray?

Thanks

my email: —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.193.118.161 (talk) 22:48, 7 September 2009 (UTC)


 * Hi Lyn and welcome to Wikipedia. It probably isn't a good idea for you to write your own bio because you have a conflict of interest in this topic. I suggest you look at this link: WP:YFA. Tiggerjay (talk) 22:52, 7 September 2009 (UTC)


 * I have removed your email address: see the instructions at the top of the page. --ColinFine (talk) 22:58, 7 September 2009 (UTC)


 * And to answer your questions: There are well established procedures for handling topics that share a name; you can rename an article by moving it (but you should respect the existing guidelines if you do so: "The two Lyn Murrays" cannot be an encyclopaedic article). But most of all, as Tiggerjay says, autobiography is strongly discouraged on Wikipedia. Look at the pages I have linked to for more information. --ColinFine (talk) 23:06, 7 September 2009 (UTC)


 * Incidently, Tiggerjay missed off a closing ], the link should have been conflict of interest --  Phantom Steve  ( Contact Me, My Contribs ) 23:45, 7 September 2009 (UTC)

please help, new at this
Hi

I tired to up date my dad's Abul Manzoor wikipedia page and messed it up. My writing showed up in a lower box, could you please correct it or let me know how to do it.

Also is there any way I could find out who wrote this page, I would like to thank the person or persons. All my life I have see only nast lies written about him, and it is so nice to see someone write the truth about him.

Thank you

Rubana22:51, 7 September 2009 (UTC)22:51, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Welcome to wikipedia, you need to be very careful in editing a page about your dad because you have a conflict of interest in this article. Please take a look over at that link before making additional edits. In the meantime I'll go over to the page and try to figure out what is going on. Tiggerjay (talk) 22:55, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * I see you posted at the bottom of the page, but I'm not sure exactly where you wanted to place that text. You might want to checkout how to edit to learn more about how to edit an existing page. Tiggerjay (talk) 23:00, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * And pick the 'history' tab at the top of the page to get a list of edits and see who has done them. Then pick the 'talk' link next to one of the names to get to that editor's talk page, where you can edit to leave them a message. --ColinFine (talk) 23:07, 7 September 2009 (UTC)

I created an online page from the sandbox?
Does Wikipedia need a namespace called Sandbox:?

I used the WP:Sandbox to create a file on Wikipedia: Help:Speshal. Then I redirected it to my personal User:Cpiral/sandbox where I'm refactoring Help:Special Pages. I do all this to learn Wikipedia.

Belatedly, I read sandbox is for syntax tests, not page creation tests.

Then I noticed that my blanked page was scheduled for speedy deletion. (Good.)

There does not appear to be a namespace called Sandbox:.

 Cp i r al  Cpiral  22:57, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * I'm not clear on what you're asking for, but it sounds like you're looking for some place to test out page creation. Feel free to create any subpage under your user:CPiral area for testing. So if you wanted to test create a page on Why the world is round, you could create it at User:Cpiral/Why the world is round and do basically whatever you wanted. Editors should generally stay out of there and not bother with it. The only problem you'll run into is if you blank the page, then it may be speedily deleted. See point 6 at WP:YFA. Tiggerjay (talk) 23:04, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * or if it is a copyright violation because you have pasted copyright material into it. --ColinFine (talk) 23:09, 7 September 2009 (UTC)

Autobiography of a Yogi in Portuguese
Hi, I am trying to correct errors in the Portuguese page of the book Autobiography of a Yogi and I have been blocked twice. In fact, I am still blocked at this moment.

The English page in Wikipedia is just perfect. It has the point of view of Self-Realization Fellowship e points of views which contradict Self-Realization Fellowship. Everything done with freedom and correction.

In Portuguese the page is a propaganda of Self-Realizatin Fellowship full of wrong information and all the links are related to Self-Realization Fellowship, groups discussions of Self-Realization Fellowship, and centers of Self-Realization Fellowship.

I am asking the people to check the information in the English page as a reference. They ignore it and here I am, blocked for trying to correct erros.

I write to them, but it seems they are very busy. I would like them to be as rigorous as they are with me with the person who edited a sectarian paga in a non-sectarian and free Encyclopedia. Which I adore and consult nearly everyday.

Could you please help me?

I was going to write to the founder but he said I should first contact help desk. That's what I am doing.

Thanks and best regards,

--Tat Sat (talk) 23:31, 7 September 2009 (UTC)


 * If there is a problem, you are going to have to take it up on the Portuguese Wikipedia. That is a completely seperate project from this one, and the two have nothing to do with each other beyond being under the Wikimedia umbrella.  I don't read Portuguese myself, but the link here:  looks like it MAY be the Portuguese version of this page.  -- Jayron  32  01:39, 8 September 2009 (UTC)
 * We can tell you, however, what we would tell someone in a content dispute here on English Wikipedia: You need to discuss your content dispute with the other editors. Begin discussion on the article talk page. Do not edit war to force your preference into the article. If that doesn’t work, take it further in dispute resolution. Apparently the Portuguese Wikipedia dispute resolution page is at pt:Wikipedia:Como resolver disputas. —teb728 t c 05:32, 8 September 2009 (UTC)

Debt Adviser College in England
I want to find out more about this orgnisation which trains people for debt advice work. Can you tell me of you have ny information about them in your archives and also suggest the best way of checking about the quality of the training and the prospects of gaining employment after such training.

I intend to attend for interview this week and want to check about whether it is worth spending money on the course. I am unemployed at present.

Yours sincerely, J. David Hunter. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.10.91.23 (talk) 23:37, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Unfortunately, Wikipedia does not have any information about that college. (You can check if Wikipedia has an article about a topic by typing the topic into the search box, above and to your left.) A Google search does not bring up much other than their official website. Sorry we couldn't be of more help, and best of luck on your interview. Xenon54 / talk / 00:08, 8 September 2009 (UTC)