Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2016 March 2

= March 2 =

Add picture to existing article
I own an original photograph of an individual who has an existing Wikipedia article. I did not take the photo myself and don't know who did. It's from the 1950's I would guess. I would like to add it to the article. How do I do that? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Dgmedland (talk • contribs) 01:54, 2 March 2016 (UTC)
 * You probably can't. In order to add that photograph, you need to be ascertained of its copyright status: that it has either been released under a free license by the photographer or that its copyrights have expired. If you don't know who took it and when, I'd assume this is not possible to determine. – Finnusertop (talk ⋅ contribs) 02:08, 2 March 2016 (UTC)

Arrows in external links
I know there is a way to do this, but I can't seem to be able to find it. How do you get rid of the little arrow that appears next to external links? I need to do it in a template for aesthetics and space, but I can't figure out how it is done (I've done it in the past, but I can't find where I did it and it's been years). Thanks! ··· 日本穣 ·  投稿  · Talk to Nihonjoe ·  Join WP Japan ! 04:38, 2 March 2016 (UTC)


 * You can use Template:Plain link. Dr.   K.  04:43, 2 March 2016 (UTC)


 * Thanks! That's exactly what I was looking for. ··· 日本穣  ·  投稿  · Talk to Nihonjoe ·  Join WP Japan ! 04:50, 2 March 2016 (UTC)


 * You are very welcome . Glad I could help.  Dr.   K.  04:57, 2 March 2016 (UTC)

Reads like a resume
I would like to help clean up some articles, and have come across the "reads like a resume" tag. I wonder if someone could guide me as to how to edit so the article is no longer reading this way? Thank you. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 198.105.118.98 (talk) 07:16, 2 March 2016 (UTC)
 * A good place to start would be reading the links that template gives, namely: Conflict of interest, Neutral point of view and Manual of Style/Biographies. Of this, Neutral point of view is probably most pertinent here: the purpose of an encyclopedic article is not to list all achievements of the subject. It is to give a due and neutral description of their deeds (both the "good" and the "bad") that are reported in reliable sources. – Finnusertop (talk ⋅ contribs) 07:32, 2 March 2016 (UTC)
 * Thank you, I will do that.198.105.118.98 (talk) 08:28, 2 March 2016 (UTC)
 * Take a look at some biographies of prominent people in the subject's field, and compare the style and tone of those articles, to the one with the tag. After a while, the differences become more obvious. (And thank you for picking something like this to work on.) -- Orange Mike &#124;  Talk  00:30, 4 March 2016 (UTC)

How to increase the heights of rows in a table or chart
Let's say that I have this chart below.

Is there a way to change/increase the height of each row? Thanks. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 08:07, 2 March 2016 (UTC)
 * —Trappist the monk (talk) 11:56, 2 March 2016 (UTC)
 * What do you want to use it for? There is rarely reason to specify row height and something else may be better for your case. PrimeHunter (talk) 13:19, 2 March 2016 (UTC)
 * What do you want to use it for? There is rarely reason to specify row height and something else may be better for your case. PrimeHunter (talk) 13:19, 2 March 2016 (UTC)


 * Yes, Joseph, why don't you tell us what you're trying to do? Since this is your second post about tables in three days, you obviously have something rather specific in mind. If you tell us what the end goal is and we might be able to help you get there quicker. Dismas |(talk) 13:32, 2 March 2016 (UTC)


 * Thanks. No, I really have nothing specific in mind.  I guess I am just "exploring" what's possible with Tables and educating myself.  I know that column widths can be "set" or fixed/adjusted.  And I didn't know if that was also possible with row heights.  So, I decided to post and ask that question.  So, while I am here: is there a good "tutorial" to learn more about these tables and charts?  I know Wikipedia has some "help" page.  But, it's very confusing and hard to understand.  It's not user friendly.  And it tends to be written for "someone who already knows what he is doing", as opposed to a novice.  Thanks.    Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 17:49, 2 March 2016 (UTC)


 * See Help:Table and Help:Table/Introduction to tables. A lot of it is HTML and CSS, and not specific to MediaWiki. PrimeHunter (talk) 13:34, 3 March 2016 (UTC)


 * I guess I don't understand your post. I said above that the Wikipedia Help Pages are very unhelpful.  Yet, that is what you linked?  Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 18:37, 3 March 2016 (UTC)
 * You said "help page" (singular) so I linked two pages, thinking you had maybe not seen the introduction to tables and its subpages. And I said a lot of it is HTML and CSS so you could search additional information about that outside Wikipedia if you were interested. PrimeHunter (talk) 21:03, 3 March 2016 (UTC)


 * Thanks. When there are technical details, Wikipedia "help" pages tend to not be very helpful.  They tend to be written for people who already know the material and thus would not need help.  Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 01:55, 4 March 2016 (UTC)

Thanks, all. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 18:00, 5 March 2016 (UTC)

Editing images and article titles for iOS app
From User talk:NortyNort:

Hi, I'm new to Wikipedia editing, so pardon me if I'm posting this in the wrong place or using the wrong format. I often use the iOS Wikipedia app on my iPad and have noticed some errors that I have not been able to edit out. These errors are either incorrect image associated with an article, or incorrect title. I have not been able to find a way to make edits in those areas and would like to ask for your advice. Thank you. werewolf 22:16, 1 March 2016 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Revirvlkodlaku (talk • contribs)
 * Hello, Revirvlkodlaku. I don't have much experience with editing on iPads. I have used an iPad only few times and edited articles much like you edited this talk page. I assume you may be getting caught up with the visual editor. The best I can do is redirect you to the help deks where other more experienced editors may be able to help you. I moved this conversation to the help desk, you can see it by clicking here.--NortyNort (Holla) 11:32, 2 March 2016 (UTC)
 * Revivlfodlaku, from my iOS editing experiences, I don't believe you are able to edit pictures and titles, at least not on the app. If you use Safari, it is possible to edit those things if you change to desktop mode. This may be possible on the app as well. Go to the very bottom of the screen. In the middle there is a small link that says desktop mode. This is hard to navigate, but I believe it is the only way. Fritzmann2002 16:23, 2 March 2016 (UTC)

Thanks for the response, Fritzmann2002. I tried going to the bottom of the screen on the Wikipedia iOS app, but didn't see the desktop mode option. If you use the iOS app, maybe you can take a look at what I'm referring to, there may be another way to fix it. For example, the article for Mike Tompkins (musician) has "American politician" as the subtitle in the search results. Mike Tompkins is neither American (he is Canadian), nor a politician (he's a musician). Do you know how that can be fixed? werewolf 20:54, 2 March 2016 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Revirvlkodlaku (talk • contribs)
 * If you'd like, I could move the page from desktop. I looked at the mobile app again and I don't see a workaround. What you could do is have a contact that you provide with information of what needs to be changed. I wish I could give you a better answer, but honestly the mobile app just wasn't built for editing. Fritzmann2002 13:28, 3 March 2016 (UTC)

Hey Fritzmann2002, I'm not entirely sure what you're saying. What do you mean by "move the page from desktop"? Also, what do you mean by "have a contact that you provide with information of what needs to be changed"? werewolf 01:16, 4 March 2016 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Revirvlkodlaku (talk • contribs) Hello Fritzmann2002, are you still there?
 * I mean that you can edit Talk Pages from mobile, and you could request an editor move a page for you. Make sense? Fritzmann2002 14:07, 10 March 2016 (UTC)

Marking a page that is undergoing a major edit
I'm looking for the code syntax to mark a page that is undergoing a major update, because I don't to conflict with other users who may also want to edit the article at the same time.

I've used it before, but can't find the article with the instructions.

Thanks, Lord Bowler (Talk) 13:54, 2 March 2016 (UTC)


 * —Trappist the monk (talk) 13:59, 2 March 2016 (UTC)
 * , yes or inuse for shorter durations. DES (talk) 14:00, 2 March 2016 (UTC)
 * , yes or inuse for shorter durations. DES (talk) 14:00, 2 March 2016 (UTC)

Thanks, It was the In Use Template. I couldn't remember the name of the article. Lord Bowler (Talk) 14:01, 2 March 2016 (UTC)

Is there a log of what's on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page daily?
I would like to see if there were links to specific content featured on a specific day. How can I see a log, or a wayback snapshot, or something, of what https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page featured on a recent day? (starting on February 23 of this year to be specific)

Thank you.

If I'm not supposed to give my email address, how will I find your answer?

148.129.71.41 (talk) 14:44, 2 March 2016 (UTC)
 * People will respond here. Nyttend (talk) 15:40, 2 March 2016 (UTC)
 * For your main question, there is. See Main Page history/2016 February 23 for the day you seek, and just change the date in the URL to get any other day.  Each day, a bot copies the Main Page's current contents to a new subpage of Main Page history.  And thank you for asking this question; I didn't know about it until I decided to try to answer your question.  Nyttend (talk) 15:52, 2 March 2016 (UTC)

Thank you very much! 148.129.71.41 (talk) 16:30, 2 March 2016 (UTC)

Creating an account if IP is blocked
I know I should know this but I don't. I'm feeling a request (OTRS) for help. The person claims their IP has been blocked due to an edit by another member of the household and they are unable to create an account. What advice should I give them?-- S Philbrick (Talk)  17:55, 2 March 2016 (UTC)


 * See WP:UNBLOCK? Dismas |(talk) 18:01, 2 March 2016 (UTC)


 * Or Request an account.--ukexpat (talk) 21:25, 2 March 2016 (UTC)

Font TOO SMALL
Hi, I use Win 10 and Google Chrome. When I open Wikipedia, the font is microscopic. No other web pages appear like this. Also, I tried IE, and got the same tiny font. This happens for all the different pages I tried in Wikipedia. Jabaty (talk) 19:21, 2 March 2016 (UTC) An 8 is the smallest font in MS Word, this is at least half again as small. Am I doing something wrong? I can't find a settings icon for Wikipedia. Any help would be appreciated!
 * The usual problem is that you have accidentally held control whilst either rolling your mouse wheel, or pressing - (minus) Try pressing control and 0 (zero) (although sometimes that only works with the zero above the QWERTY keys not the zero on the numberpad). Or else hold control and scroll your mouse wheel - Arjayay (talk) 19:29, 2 March 2016 (UTC)

Trump Movement Article
To whom It Concerns,

I started an Wikipedia article, but it was deleted. I do not feel as though it was appropriate.

Please advise. Thank you. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Josedaw2 (talk • contribs) 21:58, 2 March 2016 (UTC)


 * Hello, it seems that the article was not deleted per se, but was converted to a re-direct to the main Donald Trump campaign article. This would likely have been on the basis that the topic did not warrant a page of its own and that the subject matter was adequately covered in the already existing article. Having seen the article as submitted I would agree with that assessment. The page was also rather lacking when it comes to Wikipedia's Manual of style and did not cite any references; see WP:RS, WP:REFB and WP:CITET. It might also be argued that it did not comply with Wikipedia's neutral point of view policy (WP:NPOV). Eagleash (talk) 22:23, 2 March 2016 (UTC)

Disruptive editing by ip address: 188.220.38.0
Mohammed Ali (entrepreneur) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Markgerhard (talk • contribs) 22:51, 2 March 2016 (UTC)


 * Is that article of a "notable topic"? How did that survive a deletion request?   Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 23:14, 2 March 2016 (UTC)


 * That's a good point! However, in the meantime I've left a warning on the IP's talk-page. Eagleash (talk) 23:16, 2 March 2016 (UTC)

I am very new to Wikipedia, I am learning the ropes on how to write a proper article
Apparently another user doesn't understand I am new to this and my article is not nearly completed. Regarding my art and myself. I would appreciate any help I can get to make sure that my article is factual. The article is regarding myself as a prominent Florida artist. Thank you, Most Sincerely, Bonnie Rogers Butler Bonnierogersleebutler (talk) 23:48, 2 March 2016 (UTC)


 * Hello, unfortunately you seem to have misunderstood the way in which Wikipedia works. It does not exist for persons, however notable they may be, to write an autobiography. Wikipedia articles are created by editors without close connection to the subject and from information obtained from reliable independent sources, as it is an encyclopedia not a directory or guide. Subjects of BLPs (Biographies of living persons) must have had significant coverage in third party sources for them to pass Wiki's fairly stringent rules on notability. Regret to say that as it stands, the page will almost certainly be deleted and it should not be continued with by you in any event. Sorry not to be able to offer more encouragement. Eagleash (talk) 00:03, 3 March 2016 (UTC)