Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2016 June 23

= June 23 =

kannada languages
Dear Sir/Madam,

Greetings to you,

in the languages list kannada is not showing up as a option.

may i request you to add kannada as the one among the language as well.

kindly feel free to write back me if there are any specific criteria to be met - to get the language inclusion. i shall try and work towards it.

Regards, ravi.bg — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ravi.BG (talk • contribs) 06:19, 23 June 2016 (UTC)


 * Are you looking for a Kannada version of Wikipedia? I believe it's here:  https://kn.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B2%AE%E0%B3%81%E0%B2%96%E0%B3%8D%E0%B2%AF_%E0%B2%AA%E0%B3%81%E0%B2%9F  Rwessel (talk) 06:37, 23 June 2016 (UTC)


 * You'll find it on the full list of Wikipedias. David Biddulph (talk) 07:29, 23 June 2016 (UTC)
 * Perhaps the editor means the list of languages at the bottom of the menu at the left of this page.
 * —Trappist the monk (talk) 10:19, 23 June 2016 (UTC)
 * You didn't say which languages list. If you mean on Main Page then Kannada doesn't satisfy the criteria at Template:Main Page interwikis. The bottom of the Main Page list has a link to the Complete list of languages. PrimeHunter (talk) 11:31, 23 June 2016 (UTC)

Sign issue
I wanted my signature to look like this - Varun   &#9742;     Contribs  Guestbook   but in Preferances it is not excepting the full syntax. after some of the code it doesnt allow me to type more what can I do --VarunFEB2003 Talk • Contribs • Guestbook 06:45, 23 June 2016 (UTC)
 * Please read the guidance at WP:SIGLENGTH and choose a simpler signature. Your proposed signature is 511 characters long and fills five full lines in my editing window. -- John of Reading (talk) 07:03, 23 June 2016 (UTC)
 * , while is right, if you are very particular about having that as a signature, then I would suggest that while signing, you place the following text (not including the double quotes of course): "  "    It will look like this:  08:52, 23 June 2016 (UTC) and won't use up as many lines (in fact, it would use up only 33 characters, which would be alright I guess). Xender Lourdes (talk) 08:59, 23 June 2016 (UTC)
 * I don't believe that such transclusion is permitted, see WP:SIG. David Biddulph (talk) 09:19, 23 June 2016 (UTC)
 * Following the above advice will get you blocked, since it's a clear breach of Signatures—please don't follow it. &#8209; Iridescent 09:22, 23 June 2016 (UTC)
 * You're both right. I withdraw my advice. Use a simpler signature instead. Xender Lourdes (talk) 09:27, 23 June 2016 (UTC)
 * Probably won't get you blocked, it is still quite common despite being against policy. — crh 23   &thinsp;(Talk) 10:35, 23 June 2016 (UTC)
 * In addition, while guestbooks were briefly popular about a decade ago, no serious editor uses them.-- S Philbrick (Talk)  11:52, 23 June 2016 (UTC)
 * Similar things could be said about bell-bottoms or fedoras. Dismas |(talk) 11:59, 23 June 2016 (UTC)
 * Thanks all I have changed my sign -- Varun  &#9742;   12:54, 25 June 2016 (UTC)
 * User:VarunFEB2003/sign was taken to WP:MFD and subsequently deleted. -- Red rose64 (talk) 21:02, 25 June 2016 (UTC)
 * Redrose64 thank you for the update. I was following your discussions with him on the talk page and was about to re-emphasise to VarunFEB2003 the importance of the advice given by Iridescent John of Reading and David Biddulph Good he changed the bit. (Have to confess, I loved the colour he used and have copied it into my sig). Lourdes  00:29, 26 June 2016 (UTC)

text box
Dear helpdesk,

I am preparing an entry on Land governance (Draft:Land governance) and, as you can see there, I have created a text box (in fact it is a two-row, one-column table) with an example from Burkina Faso. But, as you can also see, I was not able to reduce the width of the table (well, of the only column it has), and therefore it does not yet look nice. Can you help me out and tell me what my best option is?

Thanks in advance,

Jur Schuurman (talk) 08:13, 23 June 2016 (UTC)
 * See Help:Table for more.
 * —Trappist the monk (talk) 10:28, 23 June 2016 (UTC)
 * —Trappist the monk (talk) 10:28, 23 June 2016 (UTC)

sandbox svg images?
At cs1 there is a bit of discussion around the use of lock images to indicate Open access, limited access, Paywall, etc. Here are two: These are svg files so changing colors of elements is trivial – the green lock's shackle and dot might change to red so that the red/green lock means limited access. Is there any sandbox where such changes could be made and where several options could be compared so that the few required might be chosen? Is there a way to render svg images outside of the File: namespace? Or are we stuck with uploading individual images and then getting someone to cleanup after us once the few are chosen?
 * Open_Access_logo_PLoS_white_green.svg
 * Closed Access logo alternative.svg

—Trappist the monk (talk) 11:01, 23 June 2016 (UTC)
 * Trappist I'll ping a regular here who might be able to give valuable inputs on this: ... Lourdes  11:28, 23 June 2016 (UTC)
 * There is no way to display a svg file in wikitext without uploading it. A user script might do it for users with the script if the file is at an external site. PrimeHunter (talk) 11:39, 23 June 2016 (UTC)
 * I thought as much, thanks.
 * —Trappist the monk (talk) 12:45, 23 June 2016 (UTC)

Help required at MfD
Wikipedia:Miscellany for deletion/Draft:Template:Reg Parnell Racing. I've messed up trying to add this template to MfD. It seems to go wrong 1 out of 2 or 3 times that I try this, but the last couple of times I've been able to fix it, but this time I've just made it worse. Help please. Thanks. Eagleash (talk) 13:37, 23 June 2016 (UTC)
 * I've done some Do tell if there's any other help required. Lourdes  13:55, 23 June 2016 (UTC)


 * Many thanks. Eagleash (talk) 13:56, 23 June 2016 (UTC)

Page Deleted as Spam
Hey there

My page was deleted because it was considered spam. My intention for the page was to be used as an in-house wiki to help educate future employees about government policy. Obviously, I didn't make it private, and was wondering if there was A) any chance of getting my content back? and B) how do I go about making this a private wiki page?

My IP address is 96.85.129.209, and the block ID is #68913

Thank you — Preceding unsigned comment added by Serra Docent (talk • contribs) 20:45, 23 June 2016 (UTC)
 * Wikipedia is not a "private wiki", but an encyclopedia. If you're looking to make a private wiki page for your organization, take a look at the article we have on Personal wiki here, and see if your organization can use software like this to host a wiki page. As for the content, its possible an admin might be able to assist you with that. RickinBaltimore (talk) 20:57, 23 June 2016 (UTC)
 * I am an admin, and I checked the deleted contributions from Serra Docent. This account had created no pages at Wikipedia, and has no deleted contributions.  If you created the page under a prior account, can you please provide us the name of that account so we can help investigate your problem and send you in the right direction.  Thanks!  -- Jayron 32 21:05, 23 June 2016 (UTC)
 * I also just checked the IP address you gave. That IP address has never edited English Wikipedia.  -- Jayron 32 21:06, 23 June 2016 (UTC)
 * This is a help page for the English Wikipedia. You are apparently referring to mw:User:Serra Docent at the wiki about the MediaWiki software. That doesn't have private wiki pages either and it doesn't support your purpose. Maybe you can use something at Alternative outlets. PrimeHunter (talk) 14:33, 24 June 2016 (UTC)

Help:Cite errors/Cite error references no text
Article used in footnote no longer available on internet — Preceding unsigned comment added by Satchett (talk • contribs) 23:51, 23 June 2016


 * This seems to relate to Jane Gazzo where a reference has been deleted leaving the reference name in position but without a base reference to refer to. It seems that a reference used is, for whatever reason, not accessible. In these circumstances, if you are unable to find a replacement link yourself, the ref should be marked as and left in situ. It is hoped that a bot will find a replacement. Eagleash (talk) 00:02, 24 June 2016 (UTC)


 * One might be found on the Way Back Machine. Dismas |(talk) 00:08, 24 June 2016 (UTC)


 * There's also the question of the existence of a 'hard-copy'. Eagleash (talk) 00:14, 24 June 2016 (UTC)


 * I've fixed it here. Dismas |(talk) 00:23, 24 June 2016 (UTC)


 * Good stuff. Eagleash (talk) 00:27, 24 June 2016 (UTC)


 * Related thread at BLPN. Seems OP is also subject of article and has concerns about it. Eagleash (talk) 06:19, 24 June 2016 (UTC)