Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2024 February 29

__EXPECTED_UNCONNECTED_PAGE__ = February 29 =

Removing entries from "Suggested languages"
When I try to switch from an article in Wikipedia to the same one in a different language, the first section has a list of "Suggested languages" which seem to be remembered by some cookies or past preferences linked to my IP/machine/browser/whatever. I want to remove some of those languages from being offered in the pool of the suggested ones. Is there a way to do this? Zubizarreta5 (talk) 01:17, 29 February 2024 (UTC)
 * Searching around, I've seen this question asked several times, often with no answer, or responses that claim no such thing exists in the interface. Yikes! Here's the documentation I could find: mw:Universal Language Selector/Compact Language Links DMacks (talk) 09:21, 29 February 2024 (UTC)
 * You can for example remove language code pt (Portuguese) from suggested languages at all wikis by saving this in meta:Special:MyPage/global.css:
 * No other language takes the place under suggested languages. The list just gets shorter if Portuguese would have been there. PrimeHunter (talk) 17:49, 29 February 2024 (UTC)
 * No other language takes the place under suggested languages. The list just gets shorter if Portuguese would have been there. PrimeHunter (talk) 17:49, 29 February 2024 (UTC)

How do I cancel my account
How do I cancel my account Rdeaki01 (talk) 01:36, 29 February 2024 (UTC)


 * Wikipedia accounts generally don't require deletion. If you mean cancelling a recurring donation to Wikipedia, see this page. If you really do want to delete your account, see WP:VANISH. Remsense  诉  01:39, 29 February 2024 (UTC)


 * Rdeaki01, two comments on 's mention of WP:VANISH above. First, for an account to vanish doesn't mean that it's deleted. Actual deletion is never possible. Secondly, your question above is the only time that you, as "Rdeaki01" have "contributed to" (written anything for) Wikipedia. (You haven't even made any edits that were subsequently deleted.) It's unlikely that anyone would ever notice that a "Rdeaki01" had ever been present. A request to "vanish" would be a waste of people's time. -- Hoary (talk) 04:23, 29 February 2024 (UTC)
 * I assumed it's possible they are asking on behalf of another account, but this is worth mentioning regardless. Remsense  诉  04:24, 29 February 2024 (UTC)

Cite menu not showing up when editing
This is my edit menu logged in:

This is my menu when logged out:

I've always been able to access the menu logged in before without issue. Is there some extension I need to activate? ADifferentMan (talk) 05:12, 29 February 2024 (UTC)


 * @ADifferentMan: Hi there! When you're logged in and go to Preferences > Gadgets and go down to the Editing section, is the refToolbar box checked? GoingBatty (talk) 05:55, 29 February 2024 (UTC)
 * I just looked and it wasn't. It shows up after ticking that box. Thanks! ADifferentMan (talk) 06:10, 29 February 2024 (UTC)

Joe Gatto
On the Pi Lambda Phi page Joe Gatto of impractical Jokes and founding member of the Phi Lambda Phi LIU Chapter is missing. "Formerly known as The tenderloins" CW Post 1998, Long Island University. Constitutional Kyle (talk) 06:21, 29 February 2024 (UTC)
 * , you are free, indeed encouraged, to add Joe Gatto to List of Pi Lambda Phi members. That list can be edited by anyone. All you need to do is provide a reference to a reliable source that verifies the content. Cullen328 (talk) 06:57, 29 February 2024 (UTC)

Bananas
Do bananas stay less round than plantain? 2601:8C0:A01:C0A0:89DD:3EF2:7303:9145 (talk) 15:24, 29 February 2024 (UTC)


 * Hello, IP user. I don't know what your question means, but I am confident that it is not appropriate to this page, which is about help in editing Wikipedia. If the Wikipedia articles banana and cooking banana don't answer your question, it is possible that somebody will be able to answer it at the Wikipedia reference desk; but I think you will need to clarify what you are asking. ColinFine (talk) 16:13, 29 February 2024 (UTC)

When would it be appropriate to use ?
Can anyone send me a few examples of correct usages that justified    『π』  BalaM314  〘talk〙  15:37, 29 February 2024 (UTC)


 * @BalaM314 The usage of the various levels of warning message is described at WP:UWLS. You don't need to use these templates: if you prefer, just leave a polite but assertive message on the offending editor's Talk Page. Mike Turnbull (talk) 15:53, 29 February 2024 (UTC)

Linking a book title to a copy of the book or a website that has the book
I have a book (Falcon Brigade, Combat and Command in Somalia and Haiti) that is listed and referenced in the Wikipedia site entitled, "Battle of Mogadishu (1993)". I noticed all of the books (with the exception of mine) referenced in the Published Account section are highlighted in blue and link directly to a photo of the book cover and info on the book. How do I rectify and establish a link? Thank you for your assistance.Zhwks (talk) 19:38, 29 February 2024 (UTC)
 * Hello Zhwks, and thank you for the question. I've added a citation to the book that includes a link via the ISBN to sources for the material. I've also posted a standard notification to your talk page with guidelines regarding editing with a conflict of interest. VQuakr (talk) 19:49, 29 February 2024 (UTC)
 * Thank you - much appreciated. Zhwks (talk) 21:24, 29 February 2024 (UTC)

Remove Wikidata edits from watchlist
How do I filter out Wikidata changes from my watchlist? -- Verbarson talkedits 20:17, 29 February 2024 (UTC)


 * Verbarson, there should be an input above the list itself that says "Filter changes". Click it to pop up a list of filters, scroll to the end of that and uncheck "Wikidata edits". Rummskartoffel 16:21, 1 March 2024 (UTC)
 * Rummskartoffel, thanks, I've already looked at that, and the "Wikidata edits" option is already unticked (as are all the options under "Type of change"). Does that mean I have to tick all those options except "Wikidata edits"? Tried that; seems to work. Can I be sure the other five options include everything else? -- Verbarson talkedits 17:36, 1 March 2024 (UTC)
 * Huh, it didn't even occur to me you might have every option unticked, but I guess it makes sense that it'd just show everything in that case.
 * Verbarson, I think they should include everything, yes, unless you can think of something that wouldn't be covered by any of the other five options but which you would expect to be shown. Rummskartoffel 18:28, 1 March 2024 (UTC)

Ripen fruit
How can you tell if a pineapple is ripe or not about? C.jamisonm96 (talk) 22:39, 29 February 2024 (UTC)


 * This page is for questions about using wikipedia. Your question would be better suited to one of the reference desks, perhaps the science one. Mikenorton (talk) 22:44, 29 February 2024 (UTC)

Most "optimized" way to cite a bunch of chapters from one book that all have different authors?
There's one article I want to get to FA status one day, and the best English source is a book that each chapter is written by a different person with a distinct focus, idea and everything. I could use Rp templates which works for most articles I do, but since there's a lot of other books cited I think another way would be best, but I'm not really sure. Sorry if I didn't explain this the best. Most of the sources will probably be books. PARAKANYAA (talk) 22:48, 29 February 2024 (UTC)


 * I would use Template:Cite book for each book and Template:Harvc for each chapter, with each indented under its book. Then I'd use Template:Sfn for the citations and have each refer to the specific chapter and page being cited. Firefangledfeathers (talk / contribs) 23:07, 29 February 2024 (UTC)
 * That looks good, thank you :) PARAKANYAA (talk) 23:14, 29 February 2024 (UTC)
 * @Firefangledfeathers Is there a way using that method to get something approximating how the "orig-date=" parameter works on Cite book, for the individual chapters? Like if the chapter is initially from 1992, but the book was published in 2010, or is that not possible with these templates? PARAKANYAA (talk) 23:34, 29 February 2024 (UTC)
 * This question doesn't make much sense. The purpose of  is to avoid unnecessary duplication of bibliographic detail.  Including something like orig-date in  would be unnecessary duplication.  If you are citing a chapters by multiple authors in a single edited source, orig-date belongs in only one place: the base  template.  Do not use the year from orig-date in  and .  For those two templates, use the year from date or year in the  template.
 * —Trappist the monk (talk) 00:01, 1 March 2024 (UTC)
 * Well, the original date part wouldn't apply to the cite book template, only to the chapter (the chapter was published earlier), so it can't be in that. In that circumstance it should just be removed entirely. Maybe I should just stick with rp templates, clutter be damned.PARAKANYAA (talk) 00:11, 1 March 2024 (UTC)
 * Wait. What?  If you are citing an edited collection of chapters, the only date that matters is the publication date of the collection that  consulted.  Some editors think that it is important to recognize that a collection that they consulted was previously published.  When that is the case, the date of previous publication goes in orig-date.  The purpose of a citation is to help our readers locate a copy of the source that  consulted so for that source, orig-date doesn't point to the collection the  consulted.  The all-important date is the collection's publication date and it belongs in date (or year if you prefer).
 * No doubt, the individual chapters in your source were all (and perhaps previously published) at different times but the publication of them as a collection in  source occurred at a specific date so for purposes of citing a chapter of  source, the collection's publication date is all that is required.  If this collection was previously published, you may put the date of previous publication in orig-date if you think it important.
 * —Trappist the monk (talk) 00:46, 1 March 2024 (UTC)
 * If for some reason the original publication date of the chapter is relevant, I'd probably just added that as a note just after the end of the harvc template. Firefangledfeathers (talk / contribs) 01:49, 1 March 2024 (UTC)
 * See the sixth example ("Citing a chapter in a book with different authors for different chapters and an editor") at WP:Cite book. Deor (talk) 23:11, 29 February 2024 (UTC)
 * Yeah, that's what I was doing, I just found it looked a bit messy/repetitive. I'd seen FA's do it better before but I wasn't exactly sure how that was done. PARAKANYAA (talk) 23:13, 29 February 2024 (UTC)
 * Yeah, that's what I was doing, I just found it looked a bit messy/repetitive. I'd seen FA's do it better before but I wasn't exactly sure how that was done. PARAKANYAA (talk) 23:13, 29 February 2024 (UTC)