Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2011 April 6

= April 6 =

Parser help
So I've been working on a way to replace the clunky hangon tag process with a direct link in the db- templates. The draft is at Db-meta/sandbox2. As part of that I have folded in some of the features from hang on, one of which detects whether the tagged page's talk page exists and if it does not, it transcludes the text from Hang on/notice2. What I was hoping for some help with is the opposite situation. I would like the Db-meta/sandbox2 template to transclude Hang on/notice3 when the talk page does exist, but I need help with the coding. Habla parser function?--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 02:09, 6 April 2011 (UTC)


 * Have you seen the documentation at mw:Help:Extension:ParserFunctions? PrimeHunter (talk) 02:27, 6 April 2011 (UTC)
 * Yes of course. It reads like Greek to me though. Maybe I can try again.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 02:39, 6 April 2011 (UTC)
 * It doesn't seem that complicated to me. At Hang on/notice2 you currently have . If the page exists then the code does nothing because the corresponding parameter (the empty space between the two  ) is blank. Just insert something there. PrimeHunter (talk) 02:46, 6 April 2011 (UTC)
 * Ah! it works. Thanks. I get it now: What throws me is the use of the word "value".--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 03:18, 6 April 2011 (UTC)

How to make my article LIVE
Hi I have tried the suggested MOVE options to make my draft LIVE on wikipedia but unfortunately I cannot view the MOVE option on my draft page. Can you please suggest how I can publish my article?

SMNow (talk) 03:36, 6 April 2011 (UTC)
 * I moved it to St George Maso's. It still needs major improvements. The reason you couldn't move it is that you need a few more edits before you are WP:autoconfirmed. —teb728 t c 07:21, 6 April 2011 (UTC)


 * I would have waited and advised SMNow of the probability of speedy deletion. The article is way too spammy for mainspace in its current form. – ukexpat (talk) 12:56, 6 April 2011 (UTC)
 * You're right. Thanks for the comment. —teb728 t c 05:30, 8 April 2011 (UTC)

Cannot link to Wrka article.
Even though there is a Wrka article (a river in Poland) in English wikipedia, I have not been able to create a link to it. If I try to search for it, all I get is the WRKA radio station disambiguation page. To find the English article, go to Spanish wikipedia and type Wrka. Then click on the English link and it goes right to the English language page. I wonder if the Wrka page needs to be moved to Wrka River in order to be accessible. Please help! Please respond at my talk page. Thanks. Djmaschek (talk) 03:45, 6 April 2011 (UTC)
 * There is no Wrka article at es.wikipedia.org either, see . Do you have the spelling correct?  -- Jayron  32  04:53, 6 April 2011 (UTC)
 * I just tried pl.wikipedia.org as well. Even the Polish Wikipedia has no article under that name: .  Please double check and maybe give us the actual link at es.wikipedia or pl.wikipedia that has the content you are trying to get at en.wikipedia.  -- Jayron  32  04:55, 6 April 2011 (UTC)
 * I think you meant the Wkra river, not Wrka.-- Obsidi ♠ n Soul  05:01, 6 April 2011 (UTC)
 * Oh. In that case, the link works fine for me. -- Jayron  32  05:09, 6 April 2011 (UTC)

Older article copied onto other sites - how do I deal with this?
Hi all

Just looking for a bit of advise - earlier this year the Wikipedia entry for a youth group I assist with was vandalised with some quite nasty stuff. I've asked for that to be removed and attempted to find the perpetrator without much success alas.

Now its been brought to my attention that some Japanese search engine "goo" has a cached copy of this vandalism up.

I've checked the site and there's no tools to edit, alert administrators or even get an English translation of their homepage

http://wpedia.goo.ne.jp/enwiki/Australian_Air_League

Does anyone have any advise on resource to find and removed these "content farm" copies of wikiedpia etc? This is quite frankly bloody annoying as you spent a considerable amount of your free time trying to do good and instead you're running around cleaning up after idiots :-(

Brian — Preceding unsigned comment added by Bgrinter (talk • contribs) 04:45, 6 April 2011 (UTC)


 * So long as they provide proper attribution so they are compliant with Wikipedia's licenses CC-BY-SA 3.0 and GFDL, websites may republish Wikipedia's content at any time, and any version of any article that actually existed. That's a fundemental core principle of how Wikipedia is organized.  Rather than trying to stop them, this is actually actively encouraged.  -- Jayron  32  04:51, 6 April 2011 (UTC)


 * Jayron32, did you actually read the request? Are you saying that a cached copy of a vandalised, possibly slanderous article is fine to be re-published?  That would mean I could write the most outrageous lies on a Wikipedia page, see it admin-reversed here, and then peddle the lies as Wikipedia content elsewhere. Regards —  Peter S Strempel  &#124;  Talk   06:07, 6 April 2011 (UTC)
 * @Peterstrempel: Yes, a cached, old copy of an article which contains vandalism is also licensed under the appropriate licesnces (as are talk page conversations, just like this one) and, so long as proper attribution is given by the rules, those old versions are perfectly legal to post, and within the letter and spirit of Wikipedia's licenses. That doesn't mean we cannot make a friendly request that a website update an old version to a more current one; however there is nothing we can do to force sites to fix or take down properly attributed text which has been copied from Wikipedia.  -- Jayron  32  16:01, 6 April 2011 (UTC)


 * My Japanese isn't all that strong, but is there a part of that site that allows you to submit a url for re-indexing? Darigan (talk) 09:04, 6 April 2011 (UTC)


 * Yep, I think Jayron's got it right. As long as they follow the licences to the letter, they can do whatever they want with Wikipedia's content.--Brianann MacAmhlaidh (talk) 09:24, 6 April 2011 (UTC)


 * Yes, publishing the content elsewhere with proper attribution (an URL to the Wikipedia article) would be okay. However, " [peddling] the lies as Wikipedia content" may or may not be okay, as the license prohibits implicitly or explicitly [asserting] or [implying] any connection with, sponsorship or endorsement by the Original Author, Licensor and/or Attribution Parties (...).  (talk) 09:25, 6 April 2011 (UTC)


 * Oh whoops. I was thinking along the lines of Bgrinter's original comment - about questionable content that undoubtedly originated from a Wikipedia article. If they're adding their own lies into the text, and passing it off as coming from Wikipedia, then that'd be different.--Brianann MacAmhlaidh (talk) 09:49, 6 April 2011 (UTC)

Sorry, Brian, except for Darigan these guys seem pretty indifferent to your actual problem. I have asked a Japanese-speaking administrator to take a look at the site to see whether there is an option for requesting a cache refresh on that site. Regards — Peter S Strempel  &#124;  Talk   11:40, 6 April 2011 (UTC)


 * Their page for correcting or deleting personal information is here. That whole page is about appropriate handling of personal information and how seriously they take their responsibilities in that regard. I'll email them and ask that they update the page. — kwami (talk) 01:37, 7 April 2011 (UTC)
 * No response yet. — kwami (talk) 19:39, 7 April 2011 (UTC)

Strange appearance of Wikipedia pages
Somehow, Wikipedia appears strangely in my browser. The following is a screenshot: . I am using Firefox 3.6.16 on Windows XP Home Edition Version 2002 Service Pack 2. Any ideas? Toshio Yamaguchi (talk) 10:40, 6 April 2011 (UTC)

Mmmh, it seems to be a hardware issue on my end. When I tried to safe another screenshot in Paint, I got a message saying something like: "Not enough quotes available to execute this instruction". Toshio Yamaguchi (talk) 10:49, 6 April 2011 (UTC)
 * I would suppose it read "quota" rather than "quotes"! --ColinFine (talk) 18:30, 6 April 2011 (UTC)

Christ the King College in Sierra Leone
Hi, Christ the King College (CKC) in Bo Southern Sierra Leone is not a technical college. i am an old boy of the school. It is one of the oldest senior secondary/High schools. Thank you. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 41.133.61.110 (talk) 10:45, 6 April 2011 (UTC)
 * I have made the change to the Christ_the_King_College article based on the information in the external link. CaptRik (talk) 11:55, 6 April 2011 (UTC)
 * However, on closer inspection the entire content is a direct copy of the website so i've nominated it for deletion per WP:COPYVIO. CaptRik (talk) 12:52, 6 April 2011 (UTC)

Changes the old user name Despotovic in the new user name Despotović
I kindly ask some administrator to move the User:Despotovic to User:Despotović because it's the same person - me. In fact, when I started the first registration on Wikipedia it was on the name Despotovic, later, someone changed my pages to Despotović and than I changed the user name to Despotović and since then constantly edit under this name. I would pray that you observe this explanation.--Despotović (talk) 11:03, 6 April 2011 (UTC)

How to get a TOC to appear on a Discussion page
At Talk:Geddy Lee I can't get a table of contents box to appear on the page. Initially I thought it was because the first conversation didn't have a title, but even after giving it one a TOC won't appear. Any ideas?—Biosketch (talk) 13:12, 6 April 2011 (UTC)


 * Fixed.


 * In the "WikiProject Biography" header, the talk page transcludes another page - Talk:Geddy Lee/Comments. And that page had a == heading == so, the TOC on Talk:Geddy Lee was being hidden within the bio header (comments, 'show').


 * I just removed the heading from the comments page. Should be OK now.  Chzz  ► 13:22, 6 April 2011 (UTC)
 * Not sure I understand that transclusion business but thanks, and thanks for the update at my Talk page.—Biosketch (talk) 13:33, 6 April 2011 (UTC)

Reproducing Transient Technical Documentation
Here is some old .Net framework technical documentation that is still relevant today:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/xy8ebtbf(v=VS.71).aspx

Microsoft is notorious for breaking links to technical articles under their control (ie. they remove pages or change their locations).

May I reproduce the content of the above page in Wikipedia so that it has a permanent and reliable place in cyberspace? — Preceding unsigned comment added by GeorgeSchiro (talk • contribs) 13:37, 6 April 2011 (UTC)


 * No, not on Wikipedia as we cannot accept copyrighted materials except in very limited circumstances. This material is clearly copyright Microsoft and has a clear copyright notice (© 2011 Microsoft. All rights reserved.) – ukexpat (talk) 13:48, 6 April 2011 (UTC)


 * You can however use WebCite to store it to prevent linkrot. Nanonic (talk) 13:53, 6 April 2011 (UTC)


 * WebCite is indeed the answer. Thank you! — Preceding unsigned comment added by GeorgeSchiro (talk • contribs) 14:01, 6 April 2011 (UTC)

what to do? Found serious innacuracy in a Wikipedia article
The Wikipedia article on Augeus has a section (Marriage to Medea) that confuses Augeus with Aegeus. Augeus never married Medea. Whole section should be deleted.

All the help I've been able to track down doesn't tell me how to correct a factually inaccurate article. Advice? Does some energetic existing editor want to correct it for me? Very easy to verify the inaccuracy.

207.216.204.149 (talk) 13:57, 6 April 2011 (UTC)
 * I think you should raise this issue on the articles talk page. I personally cannot verify what is correct or not, because the source is an offline one. Thus if you point out the error on the talk page with stating that you have checked the given source, I think other editors can check your motivation. Deleting a sourced section could otherwise be regarded as vandalism by the other editors. Toshio Yamaguchi (talk) 14:07, 6 April 2011 (UTC)


 * in Augeas (note, not Augeus); already covered in Aegeus. You could have done the edit, as this is "Wikipedia, the encyclopedia that anyone can edit".  With reference to the point about deleting a sourced section, mentioned by Toshio above, note that the quote says Aegeus, not Augeas. - David Biddulph (talk) 14:48, 6 April 2011 (UTC)

How do I create a page about myself?
Hi! I am a well known anchor and actor based out of Mumbai (India) and would like to have a page about myself on Wikipedia. Please tell me how I can go about creating one.

Thanks — Preceding unsigned comment added by Kubrasait (talk • contribs) 14:42, 6 April 2011 (UTC)


 * You shouldn't create a page about yourself. Please read WP:COI.  Please also read WP:NOTABILITY to see whether you satisfy the criteria for someone else to create a page about you. - David Biddulph (talk) 14:51, 6 April 2011 (UTC)
 * Another page that would be helpful to read is the guideline on autbiographies, Autobiography. GB fan (talk) 14:52, 6 April 2011 (UTC)


 * You will need a list of reliable sources that others can access, and which can attest to your suitibility as a subject of an article (not every person merits an article at Wikipedia), see Notability and Notability (people) for more. Once you have compiled these sources, you may request that someone else create an article about you at Requested articles.  Simply find the appropriate category (probably "Journalism and journalists" for you), and add your name with a brief description of who you are, as well as as many independent, reliable sources that others can use to write an article.  -- Jayron  32  15:56, 6 April 2011 (UTC)


 * There are other options available, such as Wikibios. – ukexpat (talk) 16:23, 6 April 2011 (UTC)

When did congress remove money from Social Security
Will congress ever repay the money they removed from Social Security? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.73.177.177 (talk) 14:44, 6 April 2011 (UTC)


 * Symbol move vote.svg Have you tried Wikipedia's Reference Desk? They specialize in knowledge questions and will try to answer just about any question in the universe (except how to use Wikipedia, since that is what this Help Desk is for). Just follow the link, select the relevant section, and ask away. I hope this helps. GB fan (talk) 14:50, 6 April 2011 (UTC)

adult literature program
what is mean by adult literature program? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.161.78.19 (talk) 15:27, 6 April 2011 (UTC)


 * Symbol move vote.svg Have you tried Wikipedia's Reference Desk? They specialize in knowledge questions and will try to answer just about any question in the universe (except how to use Wikipedia, since that is what this Help Desk is for). Just follow the link, select the relevant section, and ask away. I hope this helps. – ukexpat (talk) 15:44, 6 April 2011 (UTC)

'followed by' and 'preceded by'
Why Wikipedia is not showing 'followed by' and 'preceded by' links nowadays? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Abhilash.sai (talk • contribs) 15:58, 6 April 2011 (UTC)
 * Those links are usually part of templates that are called "infoboxes", see Help:Infobox. Some infoboxes, used in some types of articles, used to have these links and they have recently been removed.  The links have not been removed from all, or even most, infoboxes.  There are several that still use chronological links quite frequently, for example see Henry VIII of England, which has several infoboxes; the one on the right clearly lists the kings that came before and after him, and there are a whole bunch of infoboxes at the bottom of the page that use the "preceded by" and "followed by" convention.  You can also see the same functionality in the article for the song "Hey Jude", under the infobox section "Beatles singles chronology".  However, there are some infoboxes that used to feature the information where it HAS been removed, usually because of ambiguity regarding its use.  See Template_talk:Infobox_film where there is a discussion which explains why it was removed from film articles, you can read that at your own leisure.  -- Jayron  32  16:09, 6 April 2011 (UTC)

Keeping track of AfDs
Is there a way of sorting ongoing AfD discussions so that I can see, for example, only those that I have started, or only those that I have participated in? doom gaze  (talk)  16:31, 6 April 2011 (UTC)
 * Here is a link that tells you what pages you have created in the Wikipedia namespace, http://toolserver.org/~soxred93/pages/index.php?name=Doomgaze&namespace=4&redirects=noredirects. Righ now all of yours are AFDs.  Not sure how to get the AFDs you have contributed to.  GB fan (talk) 16:57, 6 April 2011 (UTC)
 * Thank you, that'll be quite useful! doom gaze   (talk)  18:43, 6 April 2011 (UTC)

Talk page created in error
An IP has created Talk:Short list with some irrelevant content. It looks like good faith, but I want to revert it, only I don't know the best way to do it. Should I just blank it, or should I leave some sort of place-holder saying what I've done? --ColinFine (talk) 18:26, 6 April 2011 (UTC)


 * Remove what they wrote, and put - just that; which will make a standard talkpage header. If you want, you could leave the IP user a welcome note such as  on their talk page (which is User talk:41.155.44.139), and maybe ask 'em to please not use talk pages to advertise. (But nicely)  Chzz  ►  18:29, 6 April 2011 (UTC)


 * Update: - someone beat us to it, with the first part - see  Chzz  ►  18:31, 6 April 2011 (UTC)


 * Well, only because I saw it raised here and then checked to see whether it had been done! – ukexpat (talk) 18:35, 6 April 2011 (UTC)


 * Talkpage is a redirect to Talk header— this template is intended only for talk pages with issues; see the documentation. ---— Gadget850 (Ed)  talk 02:17, 7 April 2011 (UTC)


 * There's no harm leaving it on this talk page just in case the IP comes back looking for their advert... – ukexpat (talk) 13:58, 7 April 2011 (UTC)

Wikipedia Symbol
Hello, What is the history and meaning of the Symbol / colophone for Wikipedia? It is the Symbol in the top left corner of the Wikipedia page, above the name "Wikipedia". —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.92.104.149 (talk) 22:28, 6 April 2011 (UTC)
 * See Wikipedia logos.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 22:40, 6 April 2011 (UTC)