Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2012 June 17

= June 17 =

Large tasks, backlogs, etc
What are some places that list large tasks or backlogs that editors (not only admins) can assist with? I doubt there's a central repository but if there were that would be great! Thanks, Dismas |(talk) 01:30, 17 June 2012 (UTC)
 * Category:Wikipedia backlog Enjoy. Monty  845  01:37, 17 June 2012 (UTC)
 * Cool! Thanks! Dismas |(talk) 02:52, 17 June 2012 (UTC)

What would happen if a page was transcluded onto itself?
Just out of curiosity, what would happen if a page was transcluded onto itself (for example, if someone transcluded the Main Page onto the Main Page)? I would try it on my user page, but I'm afraid that it will make me unable to go to that page because it will try to keep transcluding the new appearance of the page. By the way, sorry if this is the wrong place to post this question. :) Ha  dg  er  02:14, 17 June 2012 (UTC)
 * Nothing, really - you just cause a template loop, such as this. Avic ennasis @ 02:49, 27 Sivan 5772 / 02:49, 17 June 2012 (UTC)
 * Yeah, Wikipedia's smart like that. You can transclude a page onto itself using PHP, but even though Wikipedia runs on PHP, raw functions are not accessible from the edit interface.   ☮  Soap  ☮  15:39, 17 June 2012 (UTC)
 * Interesting... Thank you both! :) Ha  dg  er  05:15, 18 June 2012 (UTC)

ONLY YOU AND GOD CAN HELP........
I am needing help to get in touch with Don Francisco and Christina Salaegu T.V shows or have them contact me somehow/someway ASAP. I have not heard from my family or anyone in Cuba in 30+ years, my heart and my mind HURT of not hearing from them. I am now legally blind and older and don't know how to use electronics......so can someone please help me from the bottom of your heart help me to get in touch with these shows to get help to find my family?? I would very greatly appreciate any and all help, God Bless! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.180.77.122 (talk) 04:55, 17 June 2012 (UTC)


 * I suspect, based on your question, that you found one of our over 3.9 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.--ukexpat (talk) 15:28, 17 June 2012 (UTC)

Weird vandalism just moments ago
Was it me or did Wikipedia text transform into hillbilly-speak just a few moments ago? An article I was reading, Glacial period, suddenly started to show up strange words like "feckin'" and "ould" interspersed between normal words. Thinking it was long-standing vandalism, I immediately checked the history only to find out it was never vandalized at all. I started drafting up a report to ANI, and lo and behold, when I reloaded the page, it was gone. The wording was normal again.

Was it a transclusion attack? An incredibly belated April Fool's joke? Someone messing with the software? Because it was way weird. I have no idea if it happened sitewide, but I'd be happy just for a confirmation that it wasn't just my imagination.--203.84.180.42 (talk) 04:58, 17 June 2012 (UTC)


 * Sounds as if you were on Mickopedia. This is their article on glacial period. Gobōnobo  + c 05:05, 17 June 2012 (UTC)


 * Page history and visited links all say it was IN the English Wikipedia. I should've taken a screenshot, but at the time I thought it was simple vandalism. Nevertheless, yes, the wording is exactly the same as in Mickopedia's entry. So I can't discount the possibility that I just clicked the wrong google result either. Anyway thanks.--203.84.180.42 (talk) 05:20, 17 June 2012 (UTC)

Strange. JVT67 (talk) 21:51, 17 June 2012 (UTC)

Logo field necessary
has created Infobox Twitter account. However, he/she has stated an inability to add a Logo parameter above the main image that also accepts general images.--TonyTheTiger (T/C/BIO/WP:CHICAGO/WP:FOUR) 06:49, 17 June 2012 (UTC)
 * I just want to clarify here the fact that I am a male. Just saying. Statυs  (talk) 07:23, 17 June 2012 (UTC)


 * The Infobox meta-template supports  and   parameters for adding support for a second image. Infobox website uses this and makes the second image (a screenshot of the homepage of the website whose article uses this particular infobox) collapsible (collapsed by default). Should Infobox Twitter account also make the second image collapsible? Regards, &mdash;{&#124;Retro00064&#124;&#9742;talk&#124;&#x270D;contribs&#124;} 07:30, 17 June 2012 (UTC).
 * believe it should, which is why I am making this request. --TonyTheTiger (T/C/BIO/WP:CHICAGO/WP:FOUR) 15:00, 17 June 2012 (UTC)
 * I misread. It should not be collapsible. If both image fields are filled in both should appear.--TonyTheTiger (T/C/BIO/WP:CHICAGO/WP:FOUR) 20:02, 17 June 2012 (UTC)
 * I have added the logo parameters to the infobox, and it appears to be working. See what you think. Note that both image fields now use the format that I see other infoboxes like Infobox website using, where the value supplied to the parameter is in the same format as you would add an image to the article normally, e. g. . I also changed the parameter names to be lowercase, which appears to be the standard format, e. g.   instead of  ; feel free to change that back if you so desire.


 * By the way, is the  parameter going to actually be used for a logo, or just a different image to appear above the timeline screenshot? If the latter, then perhaps   should be changed to   and the existing   parameter changed to   or.


 * &mdash;{&#124;Retro00064&#124;&#9742;talk&#124;&#x270D;contribs&#124;} 20:48, 17 June 2012 (UTC).
 * It may more often be used for an image, but in the event of a corporate article (CNN on Twitter would be the best example since 2 of the top 100 most followed are CNN pages and CNN breaking news is a former worldwide most followed leader) the logo would be used.--TonyTheTiger (T/C/BIO/WP:CHICAGO/WP:FOUR) 03:15, 18 June 2012 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the help.--TonyTheTiger (T/C/BIO/WP:CHICAGO/WP:FOUR) 03:20, 18 June 2012 (UTC)

I see the template documentation has not been updated.--TonyTheTiger (T/C/BIO/WP:CHICAGO/WP:FOUR) 03:40, 18 June 2012 (UTC)
 * I was just working on updating the documentation and have now saved it. I didn't want to update it until you had replied with your thoughts on the changes. Regards, &mdash;{&#124;Retro00064&#124;&#9742;talk&#124;&#x270D;contribs&#124;} 03:54, 18 June 2012 (UTC).

Sortable table
Is there a method to display the icon in colored cells of a sortable table? For example in the table in this article, the icon is hidden, but you still can sort the respective column. Any fix for this matter? A STRONOMYINERTI A ( TALK ) 07:39, 17 June 2012 (UTC)
 * That is a known issue, see Help:Sorting. A workaround is to use  instead of  . I've used that on the article you linked above, and it seems to work. Quasihuman (talk • contribs) 08:52, 17 June 2012 (UTC)
 * Thanks! A STRONOMYINERTI A  ( TALK ) 09:00, 17 June 2012 (UTC)

Possible socking
Answering a request, I found that James mojo and 76.175.157.240 were editing the same section of an article (see here for the help request). Is it appropriate to open an SPI in this case? AndieM   (Am I behaving?)  09:21, 17 June 2012 (UTC)

(update) There's apparently more at User talk:Joe Decker. I have to go now - will be back in ~2-3 hours. AndieM   (Am I behaving?)  09:29, 17 June 2012 (UTC)
 * There seems to be a close match between the two editors in terms of topic interests and another editor has raised concerns that one is a sockpuppet account of the other so an SPI could be warranted. Sockpuppetry is typically an attempt by a user to avoid blocks placed on his account or to masquerade as another person for purposes of faking greater community support for his views. I haven;t looked at the details of the two accounts, but if this is what you see then SPI is definitely where you want to go. If this is nothing more complex than a vandal account whose owner is repeatedly forgetting to log in then WP:AIV may be a better place to turn. Thanks for being vigilant about this issue. -Thibbs (talk) 21:12, 17 June 2012 (UTC)


 * It's been resolved by Mdann52. AndieM    (Am I behaving?)  09:37, 19 June 2012 (UTC)

Repairing links to disambig pages
I would like to repair links to disambig pages. Is that reason enough to request AWB? If not, is there any other way I can do that. Roshan220195 (talk) 10:17, 17 June 2012 (UTC)
 * I would say so. It's certainly easier to do with AWB than with just a browser using standard editing.  The worst that they can do is say no.  Dismas |(talk) 10:25, 17 June 2012 (UTC)

Is this considered vandalism?
(I think this is the right place to ask this.) I noticed that this edit (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ghana_Nuclear_Society&diff=prev&oldid=497939620) by 82.196.169.232 was marked as vandalism by Cluebot. Although the edit seems to be messy and too big, it does seem to add some useful information (I may add some info from it at some point), so is it actually considered vandalism (and should it be reverted)? Cliff12345 (talk) 11:09, 17 June 2012 (UTC)
 * The bot marked it only as a possible vandalism. The bot can be wrong. Ruslik_ Zero 11:14, 17 June 2012 (UTC)
 * But is it actually vandalism? Cliff12345 (talk) 11:15, 17 June 2012 (UTC)
 * Certainly not, WP:Vandalism defines it as "a deliberate attempt to compromise the integrity of Wikipedia", this edit, albeit poorly formatted and unreferenced, was an attempt to improve the article. Quasihuman (talk • contribs) 11:34, 17 June 2012 (UTC)
 * Cheers Face-smile.svg  Cliff12345 (talk) 11:45, 17 June 2012 (UTC)

Where to propose new admin backlogs?
Where should I propose the creation of a new administrative backlog? VPR or VPI or do we have a more appropriate proposal board for proposals concerning admins? -- Toshio Yamaguchi (tlk−ctb) 12:32, 17 June 2012 (UTC)
 * If there is a page that you need admins to clear through, leave a friendly note at WP:AN letting admins know about it. -- Jayron  32  18:56, 17 June 2012 (UTC)
 * Or are you asking for us to designate an already-clogged type of page as a backlog? Nyttend backup (talk) 19:14, 17 June 2012 (UTC)


 * We need to know what the proposal is about. PrimeHunter (talk) 21:24, 17 June 2012 (UTC)


 * This proposal is about violations of WP:NFCC Policy 10c. There is a large backlog of non-free files without a rationale that needs to be addressed. -- Toshio Yamaguchi (tlk−ctb) 22:11, 17 June 2012 (UTC)


 * What exactly are you proposing for admin attention? We already have Category:Wikipedia files with no non-free use rationale. The daily categories are supposed to be examined when 7 days have passed. Are you saying this doesn't happen? If your concern is that images are not tagged then anybody can do that without admin help, as described at Category:Wikipedia files with no non-free use rationale. PrimeHunter (talk) 23:03, 17 June 2012 (UTC)


 * What needs attention is the large number of violations of NFCC#10c, because the policy currently says a non-free file "...may be used on the English Wikipedia only where all 10 of the ..." NFC criteria are met. And the 7 day period only applies to the deletion of an unused non-free file, not to the removal of the transclusion of a non-free file from an article. I was told elsewhere, that the best would be if this backlog were handled by admins. There is just not enough enforcement. -- Toshio Yamaguchi (tlk−ctb) 04:29, 18 June 2012 (UTC)


 * I still don't know what specifically you want, for example whether you want a new kind of tag, or addition of existing tags to more files, or more admin attention to files which have already been tagged, or something else. Please be more specific. If you are going to make an actual proposal for people to make a stand on then they will need to know what you are proposing. Or are you simply proposing "Something should be done to reduce the number of NFCC violations", without specifiying what that "something" should be? PrimeHunter (talk) 10:03, 18 June 2012 (UTC)


 * See WP:HD below in the section from June 19. -- Toshio Yamaguchi (tlk−ctb) 10:41, 18 June 2012 (UTC)

Repairing a butchered entry
I am an inexperienced editor, and have tried to edit the page for Lee Smolin to add a view and a new reference. Unfortunately, I appear to have butchered the page, and I do not know how to either fix or undo my edit. I'd requested help on the talk page prior to attempting this edit, but was only advised to "be bold." Bad advice in this case. JCNSmith (talk) 12:43, 17 June 2012 (UTC)
 * No, actually, good advice. We learn from mistakes, and other people's mistakes can be teachable moments that allow faster future progress by more people; I make plenty of mistakes myself.


 * In the References section, you meant to use the template, but accidently used , omitting the f, which is a Articles for deletion template. A bot then came along and added reflist, and I've removed the relist. Dru of Id (talk) 13:33, 17 June 2012 (UTC)


 * Just for future reference, you can undo or revert your own edits if you need to. Click on the "view history" tab at the top of the page in question, and you will see a list of all the edits to the page, most recent first.  Find the offending edit and click "undo" next to your username.  This will remove the effect of your edit on the article.  You can use this method to undo the edits of others in this way, but you need to give an acceptable rationale (for example, unequivocal vandalism) in your edit summary.  You can also revert edits via "view history", by selecting the version of the article you want to return to and then saving the page, again with an explanatory edit summary.  For more information, see Undo and Reverting.  Don't worry about being bold - nothing in Wikipedia is ever lost or permanently broken.   Ka renjc 15:42, 17 June 2012 (UTC)

Thank you for these helpful and reassuring words. Unfortunately, I still don't understand what I need to do to add a new reference and have the new reference correctly keyed to the new text which I've added under the heading 'Views' on the Lee Smolin page. Having screwed up once already today, I'm gun shy. The reference I want to add would be (assuming they're to be kept in sequential order) reference 12, and it would simply say, "Smolin, Lee. The Trouble With Physics [in italics].  p. 256."

I find the examples far from clear and/or user friendly, but it's probably just my lack of experience and native skill. JCNSmith (talk) 16:28, 17 June 2012 (UTC)


 * Replying in detail on user's talk page. Ka renjc 17:46, 17 June 2012 (UTC)


 * Done. Dru of Id (talk) 17:49, 17 June 2012 (UTC)

New entry submitted 4 June 2012 - still not live
Hi, I have written a new Wiki page, saved it on June 4, 2012. The address is:

User:WebOptions/sandbox

It's for a not-for-profit organisation: Care Connect (Australia)

Can you please let me know if I have submitted/saved it correctly, and if not, what I need to do.

Thanks.

Wendy

WebOptions (talk) 13:24, 17 June 2012 (UTC)
 * This is because you have it saved in user space. I can move it if you want, but I feel it would be better to run it through the Articles for Creation page first.  AndieM    (Am I behaving?)  13:52, 17 June 2012 (UTC)


 * Please read WP:SPAM - at the moment the draft is far too promotional in tone to survive as an article in mainspace.--ukexpat (talk) 15:25, 17 June 2012 (UTC)


 * AFC page here: Wikipedia talk:Articles for creation/Care Connect (Australia), same comments apply as above.--ukexpat (talk) 14:35, 18 June 2012 (UTC)

Using photos given to me by a friend
I'm working on a new article - Denel Dynamics Umbani. A friend sent me some photos by email. He took the photos himself. In the email he explicitly states "Here’s some pics I snapped of the Umbani at TFDC earlier this year … If you want to use any for your article." How do I licence the photo I want to use? Roger (talk) 15:22, 17 June 2012 (UTC)


 * You will have to ask your friend for permission for any purpose, permission limited to use just on Wikipedia is not sufficient. When you have that, please follow the process set out at WP:IOWN to communicate the permission to Wikipedia.--ukexpat (talk) 16:03, 17 June 2012 (UTC)


 * Thanks. Roger (talk) 16:07, 17 June 2012 (UTC)


 * The photographer just sent me a reply email stating that he releases the photos into the public domain. Do I need to forward the email to someone at Wikimedia? Roger (talk) 16:56, 17 June 2012 (UTC)
 * You or your friend need to send an e-mail in a specific format to Wikimedia. See the link provided above.  RudolfRed (talk) 18:14, 17 June 2012 (UTC)


 * Thanks for the help so far. I've sent the required email (with the photo attached). How long can I expect it to take for the image to become available on Commons? Will I be notified? Roger (talk) 06:48, 18 June 2012 (UTC)


 * As with most of Wikipedia, the OTRS "desk" is manned by volunteers, so it can take a few days, if not longer.--ukexpat (talk) 14:36, 18 June 2012 (UTC)

Article On Unification
I would like to submit an article.

On the topic of "kabbalistic unification"

Please correct me if I'm wrong. But I do not see reference to this topic in the diambiguation page on "unification"

Kabbalistic unifications...are a HUGE and critical part of the study of kabbalah, and is very prominent in hasidism...

and is also according to many traditions...critical to the messianic process..

This topic, to my mind, certainly deserves its own page...

I simply have not submitted an article to wikipedia in a long time and do not wish to run afoul of any of the rules.

I do not know everything about this topic. But I'm certain that once submitted I will be able to find others to help out.

Please help me get through this initial stage...without offending wikipedia rules.

My attempt at the article is here:

Wikipedia talk:Articles for creation/Unification

Thank you in advance for any help or advice.

I realize I do not have all my sources..quoted in detail...but as I said..I'm counting on the help of the wikipedia community to bring this up to speed and I believe that's possible if I can get this approved.

Thank you. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Spollen770 (talk • contribs) 18:39, 17 June 2012 (UTC)


 * I think there is probably enough to this topic that a good article could be created, but right now the short blurb you've written should probably be expanded prior to submitting it. Expanding the article will safeguard against its removal as a mere definition of the term (under WP:DICTIONARY) and will provide a framework on which other editors can help you to grow the article further. The sources you have should also be made clearer (e.g. you have to be more specific than "Aryeh Kaplan books on kabbalah" - you need the name of the books used and the authors and page numbers if possible) and they should be formatted according to WP:CITE. It looks like you have a good start on the article though. If you need further explanations, please ask here again. -Thibbs (talk) 20:56, 17 June 2012 (UTC)

APC history
I am a veteran of World War II having enlisted in the U. S. Marine Corps in January 1942. I stayed in the Marines for 10 years and was honorably discharged in January 1952 on expiration of my enlistment. As a Marine, I received all medical care from the U. S. Navy who furnished medics (called corpsmen) to the Marines. I do believe that the absolute most commonly prescribed medicine/drug was the APC, AKA 'All Purpose Capsule' although I must say that the medicine NEVER came in capsule form but in a shape of what we now call a 'caplet'. It was issued for EVERY ailment from hangnails to hangovers and it was the most consistent medical staple in existence at the time. Ask any Marine of WWII vintage and he'll tell you that the Corps would not have been as successful as it was in that era without the benefit of the magical APC.

This info is provided for a personal user's slant on the oft-asked question: What the hell is an APC?

Gerald McConnell Hampton, NH WWII Combat Veteran USMC — Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.127.152.174 (talk) 21:05, 17 June 2012 (UTC)
 * Hi Gerald. The All Purpose Capsule (APC), according to this book as well as this book, was a combination of aspirin, phenacetin and caffeine. For future reference, knowledge questions such as this one are properly asked at the reference desk (this page is for questions about using Wikipedia). Best regards--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 21:18, 17 June 2012 (UTC)


 * List of United States Marine Corps acronyms and expressions agrees with the ingredients and says: commonly (albeit mistakenly) called an "all-purpose capsule". PrimeHunter (talk) 21:22, 17 June 2012 (UTC)