Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2022 March 21

= March 21 =

Is The Ukraine members of NATO?
When I typed the in to the address bar something like this. This is the first thing people see is something like The Ukraine joined NATO in 1992. but actually the Ukraine aren’t members of NATO and it does say that further down in the article but the first thing people see is yes they joined in 1992 but that’s maybe true but it’s not true today where they’re not members of NATO they got out in 2010! This is very worrisome people are going to see on wiki. That it says The Ukraine join NATO in 1992. So they’re going to take for granted that they are members but they only wanted to join after that aircraft was shot down a few years ago. I thought wiki. Was telling me the truth whether good or bad. This article is going to sway a lot of people saying we should help cause of the NATO act. But I don’t think we should get involved Canada 🇨🇦 — Preceding unsigned comment added by Johnnycab66 (talk • contribs) 00:55, 21 March 2022 (UTC)
 * , you seem to be commenting on one article, though you don't say which article it is. Whichever article it is, it has its own talk page (clearly linked from the article). Please comment, or make a suggestion, at the foot of that talk page. -- Hoary (talk) 01:02, 21 March 2022 (UTC)
 * Was this from a Google search? Google knowledge graph pulls from a variety of sources in an often unclear way.  RudolfRed (talk) 01:53, 21 March 2022 (UTC)
 * Ukraine has never been a NATO member. If you enter something other than a url in your browser address bar then you probably get search results or an attempt to answer a question from an external search engine like Google. Wikipedia has no control over what external search engines display. If Ukraine–NATO relations is a search result then a search engine may display an excerpt like "Ukraine became a member of the organization on 10 March 1992" which is part of a longer sentence with "inviting Ukraine to join the RPAS (Ukraine became a member of the organization on 10 March 1992)". We don't reformulate articles just because a search engine might take something out of context and give a wrong impression. PrimeHunter (talk) 03:16, 21 March 2022 (UTC)


 * Please note that the preferred name of the country is Ukraine, without "the". See Name of Ukraine. AndrewWTaylor (talk) 13:34, 21 March 2022 (UTC)

Golden Globes website reilable?
Is the Golden Globes website considered reliable for use as a source of date of birth in Wikipedia? Thanks in advance. --76.14.122.5 (talk) 05:06, 21 March 2022 (UTC)


 * I would say Golden Globes is only borderline reliable as that information is probably provided by the actors' agents, and actors are notorious for falsifying birthdates. Per WP:DOB: "Wikipedia includes full names and dates of birth that have been widely published by reliable sources", so confirmation from other sources is desirable.--Shantavira|feed me 12:01, 21 March 2022 (UTC)
 * Thanks! 76.14.122.5 (talk) 21:48, 21 March 2022 (UTC)

Is there a way to easily switch between mobile and desktop versions of articles?
A quick search showed no results applicable to my query.

Several people have linked me to various pages using a mobile link, and I haven't found a easy way to swap to desktop (I think my mobile automatically request the mobile version in the reverse)

If not, I don't know how to suggest such a feature, or if such a feature has been discussed before, or if wikipedia would look into using CSS media query to detect if a user is on mobile or not.

Even a simple button that is disabled when the screen width drops below a certain width. — Preceding unsigned comment added by FogCraneGio (talk • contribs) 06:05, 21 March 2022 (UTC)


 * If you are viewing a mobile page in a browser (as opposed to the Wikipedia App), then at the very bottom of the page is a line of links, one of which is "Desktop". Click that, and the browser will show the desktop version.  (At the bottom of a desktop view page is an inverse link labeled "Mobile view".) - R. S. Shaw (talk) 07:00, 21 March 2022 (UTC)
 * @FogCraneGio There is a tiny link named "Desktop" at the bottom of all Mobile view pages. 73.127.147.187 (talk) 07:06, 21 March 2022 (UTC)
 * Thanks for helping and replying.
 * I can't see it. What are some of the links near it? FogCraneGio (talk) 13:15, 21 March 2022 (UTC)
 * Terms of use * privacy policy * desktop mode. It's right at the bottom of the page. Best Wishes,  Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 13:19, 21 March 2022 (UTC)
 * OK, I see it. Thanks!!
 * As the issue has been resolved, do I somehow remove the topic from the help desk area? FogCraneGio (talk) 13:35, 21 March 2022 (UTC)
 * It will be archived automatically in a few days. And maybe someone else has the same question and can benefit from the archived answer. —Kusma (talk) 13:53, 21 March 2022 (UTC)


 * If you always want to use the desktop version, you can install the script User:Þjarkur/NeverUseMobileVersion and you'll never see the mobile version. This has been a godsend for me, as I don't need to scroll down and click the desktop link whenever I somehow land on a mobile page. CodeTalker (talk) 21:22, 21 March 2022 (UTC)

Language link for High Commission of Pakistan, New Delhi
I received a request from a user that the French article of the one linked above is currently not appearing in the Language sidebar. I assumed that it was as simple as putting its info in the Wikidata entry, but it's asking me to merge something with a something else? Basically something I don't have the mental capacity to learn or am complicating. Could somebody guide me about what I'm doing incorrectly? Panini! • 🥪 06:15, 21 March 2022 (UTC)
 * , you can merge d:Q27031139 and d:Q56307034. -- Hoary (talk) 08:03, 21 March 2022 (UTC)

Question regarding ref access date
I've asked this in the Teahouse but failed to get a response, so I thought I'd ask here. Copy-pasted from the Teahouse:

I'm still a beginner here and one thing that kinda confuses me when citing sources is the access-date parameter. It seems simple: just write down the day, month, and year on which you accessed the source. My question is:

If I already cited some particular source, and then I go back to editing the Wiki article so I can add more information, and in order to do that I need to access the source again: do I have to change the access-date to the one I'm currently accessing the source on? So, if I for example added a reference on March 5, and a few days later, on March 8, I'm again accessing the website I referenced, do I change the access-date to March 8, or do I keep it as March 5?Castlepalace (talk) 15:18, 21 March 2022 (UTC)


 * @Castlepalace, answered at the Teahouse. It may take a while for a person who knows the answer to a question to get to it. StarryGrandma (talk) 15:46, 21 March 2022 (UTC)
 * Thanks! Maybe I was a bit too impatient but I saw other questions asked after mine get responses, so I figured maybe it'd be worth it asking here. I[User:Castlepalace|Castlepalace]] (talk) 17:05, 21 March 2022 (UTC)
 * Please keep in mind we are all volunteers. Nobody is on duty here, there is no predetermined order nor any schedule of answering. A question gets answered if some editor happens to find it, who knows the answer and has enough time to write it. This often takes just a couple minutes, sometimes several hours and even a day or two. There is WP:NOHURRY, just let things go --CiaPan (talk) 19:31, 21 March 2022 (UTC)
 * I guess I overreacted a bit. Thank you regardless. Castlepalace (talk) 19:48, 21 March 2022 (UTC)
 * Hello, Castlepalace. The point of the access-date parameter is so that we know when somebody checked the site to see that it was good, and contained the information that it is being cited for. Also, if the site goes away, or is edited to remove or change the relevant information, the access-date can be useful in finding an appropriate archived copy. Whether to update the date on a later visit is a judgment call: if it's only been a few days, there's no point in worrying. If it's a year since it was checked, then it might be helpful to update it. One factor is how often the site is likely to change. If it's a scan of a book, or it's a PDF, then it may never change, and it's not that important when it was accessed. If it is a site that gets actively updated, then it might be helpful to update the access-date often. ColinFine (talk) 16:26, 21 March 2022 (UTC)
 * Thank you so much! This is super helpful. Castlepalace (talk) 17:06, 21 March 2022 (UTC)

Edit Request Template
I made a comment on the Talk page of "Francois Fenelon" and added an Edit Request. A template has now been added to that entry in the Talk page, stating unequivocally that the "user has an actual or apparent conflict of interest".

Is that meant to be literally true, or is it just a lack of flexibility in the template? I put the Edit Request because I was unsure of the legitimacy of correcting a grammatical error in a quotation and wanted a second opinion. (I have since added a comment justifying correction.) Should I have used something other than an Edit Request, or can the edit request template be broadened to cover my circumstances? 110.174.110.132 (talk) 15:19, 21 March 2022 (UTC)
 * The edit request templates are meant to be used when the person who placed them either cannot make the edit themselves (because of the protection level of the page) or should not make the edit themselves (because of a conflict of interest). It sounds more like you weren't sure the edit should be made at all, and were wanting to start a discussion to gain consensus on the edit.  No template is needed in that instance. ~  ONUnicorn (Talk&#124;Contribs) problem solving 15:25, 21 March 2022 (UTC)
 * Perhaps I should have just waited "a while". But the F F Talk page is pretty quiet: previous entry 2014. What do I do to get attention if no-one responds (and how long should I wait)? 110.174.110.132 (talk) 15:49, 21 March 2022 (UTC)

I see you have now made the correction. (Well spotted!)--Shantavira|feed me 19:42, 21 March 2022 (UTC)