Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2011 August 23

= August 23 =

editing
How do I delete a link? Not a whole page or a link template, but just one blue word that is a link? ThanksCd195 (talk) 00:42, 23 August 2011 (UTC)


 * Edit the page or subsection, locate the linked word and remove the enclosing double pipes square brackets (only visible in the edit window) around the word (colored blue in the following example):  Example


 * See also Cheatsheet and Help:Link.--  Obsidi ♠ n   Soul   00:51, 23 August 2011 (UTC)


 * They're actually called square brackets or more simply just brackets. A pipe character is this: |  -- Dismas |(talk) 00:58, 23 August 2011 (UTC)


 * Oops, sorry, half-asleep was probably thinking of explaining piped links as well and slipped that in. Thanks.--  Obsidi ♠ n   Soul   01:18, 23 August 2011 (UTC)

Merging help - my first merger attempt
Hello to whomever this may concern. I tried to perform a merger of Cowboys from Hell: The Demos into Cowboys from Hell, as by my understanding, music demos are non-notable content so far as Wikipedia is concerned (I brought it up on talk, too, but no comments for or against after six months' time, so I just went ahead with it). In any case, while trying to perform said merger, I was having problems with templates and what exactly to do as per WP:MERGE and WP:MERGETEXT. After toying around with it a bit, I think I got everything straightened out, but I would like a more experienced editor to double check to make sure I got this done correctly. Again, this was my first attempt at a merger, so please be understanding of any mistakes I might have made. Thank you. --L1A1 FAL (talk) 01:53, 23 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Hi L1A1 FAL. Sorry to tell you this but, while you did a lot of things right, you missed the most important part of the merge: The copyright attribution in the edit summaries of each article upon the merge, so that the edit histories mutually point at each other. From WP:MERGETEXT:
 * Actions which must be performed for both merger types
 * After copying the content, save the destination page with an edit summary noting  (This step is required in order to conform with Wikipedia's licensing requirements.  Do not omit it nor omit the page name.)
 * This is repeated in the instructions for full-content and selective paste mergers. However, you did use on the talk page, which helps, and I have patched matters by noting the mergers at both articles using dummy edits.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 02:56, 23 August 2011 (UTC)

remove article
How to remove an article. Need to remove this article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_Blood_Services

after many attempts to make the article better, every single attempt to make it betters has been denied, reverted by your editors. I have decided to just take down the article completely.

Please remove article or advice on how to remove it.

thank you. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Cjvalle (talk • contribs) 02:17, 23 August 2011 (UTC)
 * The changes which were reverted to the article were reverted because the tone was wholly inappropriate for Wikipedia. It was written not from the perspective of an encyclopedia article, but from an advertisement or press release.  It was written in the first person (using terms like "we" and "our") and things like that.  What is needed to make the article better is independent, third-party sources (i.e. not stuff written by the group itself, see Reliable sources) which someone may read, and then from those sources, create verifiable original text for the Wikipedia article which conforms to our manual of style.  As someone connected to the group, you may have difficulty writing the article in the correct tone (See Neutral point of view for the tone we expect encyclopedia articles to be written in, and Conflict of interest for why you may be unable to provide that neutral tone), however you can be a valuable source of material that someone else can use.  Your best option is to leave potential sources (links or books or newspaper articles; stuff like that) at the article talk page, so that others may help write the article in a better, more appropriate tone.  Don't worry that it is short now; most Wikipedia articles start as a WP:STUB, and there is no rush to get it all done right now.  Its always good to take the time to do it right.  -- Jayron  32  02:37, 23 August 2011 (UTC)
 * One more point: the sole set of criteria for whether the article should be kept or deleted is Wikipedia's rules on deletion: principally, whether or not the subject is notable. --ColinFine (talk) 19:28, 24 August 2011 (UTC)

Template question
Template Nowikify has a section heading included in the template. If someone edits the section, it brings them to the page to edit the template. Is there a way to stop this? Ryan Vesey Review me!  04:07, 23 August 2011 (UTC)


 * Template messages intended for user talk are usually meant to be subst'ed so they don't change content after the user has read them. That would solve the problem. If you really want a transclusion of the box then you can make a combined solution where another template is subst'ed to give a section heading followed by a transclusion of the box by itself. As far as I know there is no way to stop the issue you describe if the section heading is part of a transclusion. To reduce confusion and the risk of bad edits to the template, it could be fully protected. PrimeHunter (talk) 04:26, 23 August 2011 (UTC)
 * I certainly wouldn't want to have it fully protected since none of the people who are likely to edit the template are administrators. I don't want the entire contents of the box filling up a talk page so I would like to use the option of a substituted template with a transcluded template inside of it.  I will probably need to mess with it in a sandbox for a while to get the parameters to work correctly.  Thanks  Ryan Vesey  Review me!  04:41, 23 August 2011 (UTC)
 * An easy fix. I've moved the core to a /content subpage - you can now and get a properly working section edit link. Avic ennasis  @ 19:39, 23 Av 5771 / 19:39, 23 August 2011 (UTC)

CSD G11, normal deletion WP:NOTPROMOTION or WP:COI, or cleanup?
For articles that have heavy use of weasel words or other heavy promotional bias like Mercy_Hospital_(Miami), is it best to tag them as CSD G11 because so much of the article is promotional, tag for normal deletion as violation of WP:NOTPROMOTION and/or WP:COI, or tag for cleanup as tag-Peacock and/or tag-Weasel? Pinetalk 08:01, 23 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Is there a pony under all the horses**t? In less vulgar terms: is there evidence that if you clear away all the promotional stuff and the peacock words, there is actually the core of an article about a notable topic, with at least indicators that reliable sources can be found? If so, don't go for the G11, which is for the irredeemably promotional.-- Orange Mike  &#x007C;   Talk  15:23, 23 August 2011 (UTC)

Missing option when uploading non-free image
Why isn't included in the licensing choices when uploading a non-free file? Is it possible to somehow choose from all available licensing templates when uploading a non-free file? Toshio Yamaguchi (talk) 08:10, 23 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Commons has the same problem. Every time I need to upload something that is British, I upload it with a temporary license and replace it later.  Ryan Vesey  Review me!  15:19, 23 August 2011 (UTC)
 * I guess I should bring this up at Wikipedia talk:Upload. The instructions there aren't very clear with respect to the addition of new licensing templates though. Toshio Yamaguchi (talk) 15:28, 23 August 2011 (UTC)

Random article function and browser "Back" button causes anomaly
I'm running Google Chrome on Windows 7 x64, and I am experiencing an issue. When I repeatedly click "Random article" to find something interesting to read, and then press my browsers "Back" button, perhaps because I accidentaly clicked "Random article" once too many, I do not end up on the previous article, but rather on the article I was on when I first started the randomizing. In other words, if I click past something that at a glance looked interesting, I have no way of getting back to it (if I didn't memorize the title of course). I find this hugely annoying, and would like to see a solution to it, if possible. Does anyone have a clue what might cause this? Cheetah88 (talk) 10:16, 23 August 2011 (UTC)

Update: This does not occur when running Microsoft IE 9. Cheetah88 (talk) 10:18, 23 August 2011 (UTC)


 * I tested this with Safari under Windows 7 and experienced the same issue you describe for Chrome (not that it helps, just information). Toshio Yamaguchi (talk) 10:37, 23 August 2011 (UTC)
 * With Firefox 6, it works correctly. Reaper Eternal (talk) 10:38, 23 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Happens on Windows 7, Google Chrome.Naraht (talk) 11:04, 23 August 2011 (UTC)


 * The browser history (Ctrl+H in most browsers) may show a list of visited pages including random articles. PrimeHunter (talk) 13:00, 23 August 2011 (UTC)


 * If this is a Wikipedia issue (not at all clear to me that it is), a good place to post about it would be WP:VPT. -- John Broughton (♫♫) 15:17, 25 August 2011 (UTC)

Different language, same topic
Hi, I found the same subject in two different languages, how do I connect them together. As in when someone opens one of them, he'll see on the left the other language on the same topic?

Thanks Shayma — Preceding unsigned comment added by Shimoo91 (talk • contribs) 10:44, 23 August 2011 (UTC)
 * At the bottom of the article you add links to the articles. If you look at today's featured article, Devil May Cry (video game) you will see at the bottom code such as ديفل ماي كراي (لعبة فيديو) and Devil May Cry .  These add two of the interlanguage links.  You can get a complete list of wikipedias here.  This page might help also, Help:Interlanguage links.  GB fan please review my editing 10:59, 23 August 2011 (UTC)

What if a newspaper article wasn't microfilmed?
I would like to add sources to some Wikipedia articles. I read the sources years ago and took notes on them, though I didn't keep them. I don't have headline or date information for most of those.

I later discovered the newspaper wasn't microfilming the articles. Specifically, the reporter wrote about TV and radio for six years for the newspaper, but most of his articles appeared in the Sunday TV listings section, which was not microfilmed. Furthermore, the newspaper was making no effort to save this man's articles; his last article offered no hint he was leaving and the next week he was gone. When I contacted him he said he didn't save much of what he wrote and he preferred to forget about his time working for that newspaper. I did go to the web site and a handful of his articles were still available to be printed out, so I did; at least for those I have headline and date information as well as his name and the name of the newspaper. Unfortunately, even though at the time the man left, NewsBank had been archiving this newspaper's articles for nearly four years, when I decided they were worth paying for, I only found three that showed they had appeared in the TV listings section (none of which were in my collection), and a total of less than thirty by this reporter which appeared elsewhere in the newspaper. NewsBank told me they changed the rules about freelance writers, but I explained this man actually worked for the newspaper and the articles (at least one hundred, given that the column appeared almost weekly) needed to be put back because they didn't violate rules. They said contact the newspaper. The newspaper didn't keep them and could not help.

I do at least have the information for the articles I printed out--the three from NewsBank and the ones I printed out from the web site. I made extra copies of the articles once a web site redesign caused any URLs that previously caused any of those articles to come up to be redirected to the redesigned site.

In terms of verifiablility, you would only have my word these articles came from where they did. I could make copies of what I have so someone working for Wikipedia could see them. Other than that, I have so far been unsuccessful in locating anyone who saved the missing TV listing sections. Believe me, I have tried everything. My last hope is advertising my quest and hoping some pack rat couldn't bear to part with his TV listings. If that pack rat exists and is willing to part with them now, I can add sources to other Wikipedia articles that need them. And surely I can find someone willing to preserve said TV listings. — Preceding unsigned comment added by GeorgeFather (talk • contribs) 14:00, 23 August 2011 (UTC)


 * Have you tried a local library? They often keep newspaper archives.  Powers T 15:05, 23 August 2011 (UTC)


 * You misunderstand. I have tried everything. They're not there.GeorgeFather (talk) 15:10, 23 August 2011 (UTC)


 * Don't blame me; you never mentioned checking libraries. Powers T 15:49, 23 August 2011 (UTC)


 * Personally, I would use the citations with whatever information I have. Include the name of the Newspaper and the reporter and anything else you have.  If anyone challenges any of the information, be prepared to allow it to be deleted.  Hopefully, people reading the articles will be able to add more information to the citations in the future.  Ryan Vesey  Review me!  15:16, 23 August 2011 (UTC)


 * I'll do that. Thanks. A lot of these articles of the type I'm hoping to add sources to don't even have sources, so I'm not too worried.GeorgeFather (talk • contribs) 15:22, 23 August 2011 (UTC)

uploading photos error
I am unable to add photo images to my articles without seeing the  description tag above and below the photo. This happens with all my articles, and normally i have to wait until someone with the know how fixes it. And i still don't understand what it is they amended to fix it. Case in Point, my Lubica Kucerova article Kibwemcgann (talk) 14:50, 23 August 2011 (UTC)


 * shows how the problem was cured. - David Biddulph (talk) 14:55, 23 August 2011 (UTC)


 * I have just fixed Lubica Kucerova for you. That particular infobox just uses the bare file name, without additional coding. I will also add that PDF is not the best format for images on Wikipedia/Commons. You should re-upload your images in JPG format. – ukexpat (talk) 14:56, 23 August 2011 (UTC)

Weird issue while editing
I'm having a weird issue when I edit a page, just after adding The Earwig's AfC helper script. Does anybody know how to fix this? —  Kudu ~I/O~ 15:33, 23 August 2011 (UTC) File:Kudu's issue while editing Wikipedia.png
 * Note; I've made it a link so it doesn't take up giant amount of space. The Blade of the Northern Lights ( 話して下さい ) 16:48, 23 August 2011 (UTC)


 * You might try asking at User talk:The Earwig (the script's creator), and maybe at Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Articles for creation.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 23:40, 23 August 2011 (UTC)

problem with second to last userbox
I have a problem with the second to last userbox. It has the same coding as the others, but its not the same position as the others. Before the actual userbox content, I put: on each of the individual userboxes. At the end of the userbox I also put:   See it here. mystery  (talk)  15:51, August 23rd, 2011 (UTC)


 * I don't know what you mean by "its not the same position as the others". Looking at User:Mysterytrey, all 4 user boxes seem to be lined up together towards the top right.- David Biddulph (talk) 16:00, 23 August 2011 (UTC)


 * When I look at the page, all but the third userbox are aligned at the right of the page. The third one however is aligned one userbox length to the left. I don't know if its a browser issue though or what else might cause it. Toshio Yamaguchi (talk) 16:06, 23 August 2011 (UTC)


 * I see what Toshio Yamaguchi sees. I use Google Chrome.  When I had 5 userboxes it was also the second to last.  Should I just leave it like that?   mystery   (talk)  16:19, August 23rd, 2011 (UTC)


 * I've tweaked your userboxes so all come to the right now... Hope that helps.  Wifione    .......  Leave a message  19:31, 23 August 2011 (UTC)

What should happen with an RFC?
Regarding the RFC at Talk:Galaxy class starship, do I have to manually close this RFC and if so when? Will RFC bot close it automatically or will the bot only remove the RFC from the list where it is listed? Also, WP:RFC says I can remove the tag, if consensus has been reached before the date the bot would remove it. Should I go ahead and close the discussion? Toshio Yamaguchi (talk) 17:26, 23 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Just remove the RfC tag.  Wifione    .......  Leave a message  18:45, 23 August 2011 (UTC)
 * ✅ Tag removed from talk page. Toshio Yamaguchi (talk) 18:50, 23 August 2011 (UTC)

Leslie Brooks
Hi, Please would you add to Deaths in July 2011 the following:

Leslie Brooks (Virginia Vincent) American actress and glamour girl of the forties died Sherman Oaks, California July 1, 2011 aged 88. Regards, Filmbuff 1000 — Preceding unsigned comment added by Filmbuff1000 (talk • contribs) 17:42, 23 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Done, added at Deaths in July 2011. TN X Man  17:48, 23 August 2011 (UTC)


 * And at July 13 and July 1. – ukexpat (talk) 18:58, 23 August 2011 (UTC)

Schilieffern Plan
according to some articles that I've seen, I just want to know how the 'Schilieffern plan' carry out and how it can lead to World War One? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ktwanikaie (talk • contribs) 18:36, 23 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Welcome to . Your question appears to be a homework question. I apologize if this is a misinterpretation, but it is our policy here not to do people's homework for them, but to merely aid them in doing it themselves. Letting someone else do your homework does not help you learn nearly as much as doing it yourself. Please attempt to solve the problem or answer the question yourself first. If you need help with a specific part of your homework, feel free to tell us where you are stuck and ask for help. If you need help grasping the concept of a problem, by all means let us know. -- Orange Mike  &#x007C;   Talk  18:39, 23 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Welcome to . Your question appears to be a homework question. I apologize if this is a misinterpretation, but it is our policy here not to do people's homework for them, but to merely aid them in doing it themselves. Letting someone else do your homework does not help you learn nearly as much as doing it yourself. Please attempt to solve the problem or answer the question yourself first. If you need help with a specific part of your homework, feel free to tell us where you are stuck and ask for help. If you need help grasping the concept of a problem, by all means let us know. -- Orange Mike  &#x007C;   Talk  18:39, 23 August 2011 (UTC)

2000 visa free to europe by dangote
please inquire if there is any existence, of a free visa offer by dangote for Ramadian holiday to europe. i want to known the true source,it is said to be for nigerian and is 2000 visa — Preceding unsigned comment added by 41.206.11.21 (talk) 19:00, 23 August 2011 (UTC)
 * I suspect, based on your question, that you found one of our over 3.7 million articles and thought we were affiliated in some way with that subject. Please note that you are at Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia that anyone can edit, and this page is for asking questions related to using or contributing to Wikipedia itself. Thus, we have no special knowledge about the subject of your question. You can, however, search our vast catalogue of articles by typing a subject into the search field on the upper right side of your screen. If you cannot find what you are looking for, we have a reference desk, divided into various subject areas, where asking knowledge questions is welcome. Best of luck. Avic ennasis @ 19:29, 23 Av 5771 / 19:29, 23 August 2011 (UTC)

What should happen with an RFC? (Continuation from four sections above)
Should I follow WP:CLOSE and add and  to the discussion and then simply remove the entries? Sorry, I don't seem to get it. Toshio Yamaguchi (talk) 19:11, 23 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Yes, you can do that. You wouldn't require to remove any entries; and in fact you shouldn't remove the entries. The moment you use the archive tag, the discussions collapse into a neat box. Try it.  Wifione    .......  Leave a message  19:35, 23 August 2011 (UTC)
 * In fact, I've done it for you.  Wifione    ....... <sup style="margin-left:-3ex"> Leave a message  19:40, 23 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Thanks. Toshio Yamaguchi (talk) 19:50, 23 August 2011 (UTC)

Incorrect link in article
The article containing the error is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockbridge,_Massachusetts

The link for "William Gibson, novelist & playwright" goes to the wrong William Gibson. The correct one is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Gibson_%28playwright%29

whereas the one that the link points at is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Gibson

I was going to fix the error myself, but it is far from clear how to do so. All that shows up in the editable text is "William Gibson" inside a set of double square brackets. I'm sure the square brackets must mean something, but I can't find any information relating to this question in the FAQ, "New contributors' help page", "Missing Manual", etc. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 18.93.2.244 (talk) 22:33, 23 August 2011 (UTC)


 * I fixed it with a piped link, where the text that shows stays the same, but the article that's linked to is the specific William Gibson you mentioned. The actual change looks like this. -- Finlay McWalter ☻ Talk 22:40, 23 August 2011 (UTC)

Image misspelled, how to fix?
File:Central_elcipses_2001-2020.GIF is mispelled, but I don't see a move option like there is for articles. How do I fix this? --TimL (talk) 22:45, 23 August 2011 (UTC)


 * Only admins can move files. Tag it with rename media, see the template documentation. ---— Gadget850 (Ed)  talk 22:52, 23 August 2011 (UTC)


 * ✅ --Floquenbeam (talk) 22:53, 23 August 2011 (UTC)

Fixation index
On the table explaining F statistics labeled "Fixation Index" there is a table that compares pairwise Fst estimates between Africans Asians and Europeans. The left-hand labels are likely incorrect since you compare Asians with Asians and get a high genetic differentiation, while there is no distance estimate for an Asian/African comparison. I expect these labels simply need to be switched but you should check the source. Thanks. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.166.35.224 (talk) 23:37, 23 August 2011 (UTC)


 * The absolute best place to post a comment like the above is on the talk/discussion page for the article involved. When you get there, click the "New section" tab to start a new section where you can post your comment. That way, editors who are interested in the article will see your posting and can respond directly. (Postings on this Help Desk page, on the other hand, get archived regularly, and aren't easily found by someone wanting to improve the article where you think there is a problem.


 * So, in short, just a bit more to do: copy your above posting and add it to talk/discussion page of the article. (And thanks for helping improve Wikipedia articles!) -- John Broughton  (♫♫) 15:24, 25 August 2011 (UTC)