Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2020 October 18

= October 18 =

Adding Name as a Cast Member
I have added my name as a cast member in a Lifetime Movie and a user keeps removing my name. How can I get my name to be displayed without someone removing it?

Thank you. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:484:C000:BC40:39A0:C9EC:D25B:EA64 (talk) 02:27, 18 October 2020 (UTC)


 * By finding and citing an independent, reliable source that mentions you as a cast member. HiLo48 (talk) 02:30, 18 October 2020 (UTC)

I am mentioned on IMDB. Does that count? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:484:C000:BC40:39A0:C9EC:D25B:EA64 (talk) 02:34, 18 October 2020 (UTC)
 * Maybe, or maybe not. It depends on how you are mentioned on IMDb. See Citing IMDb. -Arch dude (talk) 03:38, 18 October 2020 (UTC)
 * Despite what it says in WP:Citing IMDb, I've found the cast listings to be pretty reliable. Clarityfiend (talk) 06:01, 18 October 2020 (UTC)
 * Please also see WP:LISTPEOPLE.--Shantavira|feed me 10:09, 18 October 2020 (UTC)

Auto-filling edit summary suddenly stopped working
Previously, I have been able to recall some of my previously used edit summaries for reuse. When I type in the first few characters matching what I've previously used, I was able to select and auto-populate. This suddenly stopped working. No changes made to browser settings. Any idea how to get it back? Graywalls (talk) 06:22, 18 October 2020 (UTC)
 * No, because they are presumably unrecoverable. Normally, these autofill tools are built into the browser. Howewer, there is an upper limit on the amount of data that can be saved. Whenever you come over the limit, the browser will delete them according to some browser-defined criteria. It could also be that you have instructed your browser to clear form data, sometimes called FormAutofill or something similar, on shutdown, which will also wipe the edit summary suggestions. You can only type them manually and hope that your browser remembers them. Victor Schmidt (talk) 06:29, 18 October 2020 (UTC)
 * Is it always done on browser end? I thought it was done on server end. I always got a suggestion of handful of previous summaries to use. Now it's showing none, so I have to enter it each time from scratch :( Graywalls (talk) 06:37, 18 October 2020 (UTC)
 * Definitely browser, as autofill results pop up on completely different sites that have never used it before. — Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 )  06:41, 18 October 2020 (UTC)
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:VisualEditor/Feedback/Archive_2013_6#Predictive_texting_in_edit_summaries hmmmm It worked until about a day ago even in private mode, ubt it does seem to be locally stored rather than server. I wonder what made it not work now :( Graywalls (talk) 06:46, 18 October 2020 (UTC)

There is a page about me with errors
My name is Mia Kang, there is a Mia Kang wikipedia page that I did not create. For the most part it is correct however I would like to be able to edit the errors immediately and have access to the page. I do not know who created it and I am happy to verify my identity. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2001:FB1:184:14E5:539:C44B:9DEB:15A5 (talk) 07:06, 18 October 2020 (UTC)
 * As the subject of the article(not just a "page"), you should avoid editing it directly, but you are welcome to offer any changes you feel are needed on the article talk page, Talk:Mia Kang, in the form of an edit request(click for instructions). Any suggestions you have for adding or changing information will need to be sourced to a published independent reliable source. Please read the autobiography policy. 331dot (talk) 07:14, 18 October 2020 (UTC)
 * and specifically the section WP:Autobiography. --ColinFine (talk) 12:00, 18 October 2020 (UTC)

Issues with infoboxes on Chrome?
I'm not really sure if this is the right place to ask about this, but I'm noticing malfunctioning infoboxes for pretty much anything that has an infobox, but only when I'm using Chrome. I've tested Firefox, Brave, and Edge and they do not seem to have the same problem. Basically, instead of being smaller, right-aligned, and non-infringing on the text of the article, they are massive, with no box surrounding them, left-aligned, and taking up the entire first part of the article before even the intro. This seems to have just started within the last week and I have made no changes to my machine or my browser configuration...Theroguex (talk) 08:19, 18 October 2020 (UTC)
 * As an update, within a couple weeks this issue had gone away. I'm not sure what caused it, as I was never able to isolate it other than the fact that it happened only on Chrome.  I apologize for not coming in and letting everyone know!  Have a great new year! -- Theroguex (talk) 00:07, 14 January 2021 (UTC)

Centering a route map in an infobox
Dear experts,

At The Ghan, in the infobox, I have placed a route map template. It's right-algned. How can I put it in the centre, please? Cheers, Simon – SCHolar44 🇦🇺 &#128172; at, 29 July 2024 (UTC)
 * The infobox contains a template, itself a wrapper around . Per the doc of routemap (section "floating state"), by default it floats right, which can be changed by adding the parameter. However, changing the TG template will cause it to unfloat in every article it is placed in, which might not be desirable; I am not sure how to pass through a parameter.  Tigraan Click here to contact me 08:11, 21 October 2020 (UTC)

My pages on Wikipedia and Wikimedia
Hi There

My own Wikipedia and Wikimedia pages are all about me and my own life and Filled with correct information about me, so please stop deleting them. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Davey Peterson (talk • contribs) 13:01, 18 October 2020 (UTC)
 * Hello, . I'm afraid that, like many people, you have a fundamental misunderstanding of what Wikipedia is. Wikipedia is an encyclopaedia, not social media or a directory. It is basically not interested in what anybody says or wants to say about themselves: it is only interested in what people wholly unconnected with a subject have chosen to publish about the subject in reliable sources. If you meet Wikipedia's criteria for notability (which mainly come down to the independent sources I have already mentioned) then there could be an article about you. You are strongly discouraged from writing it yourself or getting somebody to write it. If there is an article about you, whoever writes it, it will not belong to you, and it will contain what a consensus of editors agree it should contain, not what you want it to contain. --ColinFine (talk) 13:10, 18 October 2020 (UTC)
 * User has now been blocked indefinitely for abuse of editing privileges.--Shantavira|feed me 16:01, 18 October 2020 (UTC)

Big Error In Tonight Show Episode Numbers
I have no idea how to edit any Wikipedia info, but there are lots of you who do.

When doing research on The Tonight Show, the Johnny Caron years, I noticed an error in the numbering of episodes.

Go to 1971, scroll to September and you will notice on September 28, 1971 the episode no is 2312, the next day, September 29, 1971 the episode number is 2213!

Since the season episodes seem to be formulaic, adding "1" to the previous number from that point forward ALL the episodes for all the rest of the seasons are wrong.

Wanted to pass along so someone with the skills can correct the mistake.

Cheers, Ron — Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.122.30.123 (talk) 15:05, 18 October 2020 (UTC)
 * Which article did you see this on? I'm not seeing anything that looks like episode lists on The Tonight Show or The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. — Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 )  16:19, 18 October 2020 (UTC)
 * Ah I think I see where it is. Linked to it via courtesy link. — Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 )  16:21, 18 October 2020 (UTC)

Is there a way to display all articles in a specific folder in my userspace?
Hi all

I am trying to organise my sandboxes by type by putting them in subfolders eg User:John Cummings/Articles/Clean coal and User:John Cummings/Old/monmouthpediaguide (note the different subfolders). My question is is there a way I can show all the pages in a specific subfolder on a page similar to all the articles in a category? Is there some way to do it with search maybe? I've tried simply using User:John Cummings/Articles/ in the search bar however this shows up many other unrelated pages.

Thanks very much

John Cummings (talk) 17:58, 18 October 2020 (UTC)
 * , are you familiar with Special:PrefixIndex? For example, if you type in, your search results will include all the subpages under that prefix. — Tenryuu 🐲  ( 💬 • 📝 )  18:01, 18 October 2020 (UTC)


 * this is super helpful, thanks very much. One follow up question that would be really appreciated, would there be some way of providing a URL (in my case https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:PrefixIndex?prefix=User%3AJohn+Cummings%2FArticles&namespace=0) that did this search but each user got the results for their userspace? I know there are some special links on Wikipedia that do this kind of thing but no idea how they work.


 * Thanks again


 * John Cummings (talk) 19:15, 18 October 2020 (UTC)
 * , I'm afraid you'll have to clarify what it is you're attempting to do when you say "the results for their userspace". Are you asking if there is a link that would send a user to a search of their userspace subpages (and no one else's)? — Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 )  20:56, 18 October 2020 (UTC)


 * I'm sorry for not being clear, I would like to create a link that when I click on it it goes to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:PrefixIndex?prefix=User%3AJohn+Cummings%2FArticles&namespace=0 and when you click on it it goes to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:PrefixIndex?prefix=User%3ATenryuu%2FArticles&namespace=0 I was hoping that it might be possible since I know there special links in Wikipedia that go to a different page depending on the user who clicks on it. John Cummings (talk) 21:31, 18 October 2020 (UTC)
 * , this unfortunately goes beyond my expertise. I do not believe that Wikipedia's search function has this capability, but someone may have designed a template that can return the name of a user who clicks on it like REVISIONUSER. I don't think the search box can take magic words or templates, so I am just as lost as you are when trying to create a very specific wildcard like this. — Tenryuu 🐲  ( 💬 • 📝 )  21:43, 18 October 2020 (UTC)
 * It is not possible to create such a link to update for every user that views the page. The closest one that is possible would be a link to the subpages of the (user-)page you are currently looking at, like this: [ Subpages]. Victor Schmidt (talk) 07:45, 19 October 2020 (UTC)
 * , many thanks. — Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 )  15:51, 19 October 2020 (UTC)

and thanks very much for your help, I got much further than I could have on my own. John Cummings (talk) 09:44, 19 October 2020 (UTC)

Tim Curry
Tim curry is starring in my animated film Dagon Troll World Chronicles, I have proof of this in his voice recordings among other things, but every time I try to list my film as one of the films he is playing in for 2020 someone takes it down instantly without even asking me if they can see proof or resolve it in any way by putting it in another segment of the wiki page. The fact remains that Tim Curry is in my animated film, isn't wikipedia all about facts? How can I make them stop taking my edits down? Or at least adding in my film's listing without deleting it completely. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.50.244.90 (talk) 18:35, 18 October 2020 (UTC)
 * Wikipedia is concerned with verifiability, not truth. Wikipedia can only publish something that can be verified by reliable sources. A Wikipedia editor claiming something on the Help Desk does not qualify as a reliable source, even if the claim is true. We have no way of knowing whether the claim is true or not unless we can verify it in a reliable source. See WP:RS and WP:TRUTH. J I P  &#124; Talk 18:41, 18 October 2020 (UTC)


 * I'm sorry, but your personal free website is not a reliable source... If you can provide a news article, or other third party independent source for the information, it could be added... not to be rude, but just because you say so, and mention it on your free website, does not mean it is true, anyone could make that website and claim... - Adolphus79 (talk) 18:49, 18 October 2020 (UTC)


 * And by the way, if you're going to add links, please at least remove the Facebook click ID parameter. J I P  &#124; Talk 19:10, 18 October 2020 (UTC)
 * Seems suspicious to me: . The only hits there are user-contributed sources. The IMDb film poster does not show his name. I'll note that IMDb claims the film is in "pre-production". —[  Alan M 1  (talk) ]— 23:18, 18 October 2020 (UTC)

Final publication
I have submitted a draft and am waiting for it to be checked by Wikipedia. It has not yet been published. How can I follow the progress, and how long between submission and publication? As far as I can see, my submission has not been acknowledged, so I am uncertain what I should or could do. Nils-Eric Svensson — Preceding unsigned comment added by Nesvensson~commonswiki (talk • contribs) 19:39, 18 October 2020 (UTC)
 * , I assume it's the content in your sandbox? You haven't submitted it for review, there's a blue button at the bottom of the box at the top that allows you to do that, but before you do that you need to cite some sources - as it stands, the draft would be rejected as unsourced. Take a look at WP:FIRST for some more tips. Cheers Girth Summit  (blether)  20:00, 18 October 2020 (UTC)
 * Just as an aside, given to similarity between your username and the name of the subject of that draft, you might also need to read through WP:COI, if you are related to them in some way.   Girth Summit  (blether) 20:03, 18 October 2020 (UTC)