Wikipedia:Help desk
- For other types of questions, use the search box, see the reference desk or Help:Contents. If you have comments about a specific article, use that article's talk page.
- Do not provide your email address or any other contact information. Answers will be provided on this page only.
- If your question is about a Wikipedia article, draft article, or other page on Wikipedia, tell us what it is!
- Check back on this page to see if your question has been answered.
- For real-time help, use our IRC help channel, #wikipedia-en-help.
- New editors may prefer the Teahouse, a help area for beginners (but please don't ask in both places).
Can't edit this page? ; a volunteer will visit you there shortly!
Edit on Laura Kenny
editHi, I have seen several edits on Laura Kenny in the past few months where the edit is non controversial but they are accompanied by bizarre edit summaries. Out of curiosity can anyone tell me what the editor is trying to achieve? I don't know how to link to a specific edit, but it is the most recent one on the page. Thank you. Canary757 (talk) 13:55, 25 August 2025 (UTC)
- @Canary757 I have no clue. it almost seems like some sort of AI assisted pov pushing... —TheDJ (talk • contribs) 14:06, 25 August 2025 (UTC)
- You could ask them... Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 16:24, 25 August 2025 (UTC)
- I've seen this before, although it was a while ago. If it is the group I am thinking of, the group edit Wikipedia as a group concensus (their own concensus, not Wikipedia concensus), hence all the names. I've racked my brain/s and I really can't remember where they edited last so I could give an example, sorry. I struggle to remember what I ate for tea some days. Knitsey (talk) 19:12, 25 August 2025 (UTC)
- Probably best to ignore my first comment as I've seen the other edits the ip has made. Knitsey (talk) 19:16, 25 August 2025 (UTC)
New account
editHello, I created a Wikipedia account under my own name a long time ago. However, I have forgotten either the password or the email I used, and I can no longer access that email account. Now, if necessary, I am willing to verify my identity with my real documents, such as my passport or the ID card I obtained in the country where I currently live.
I would like to create a new account under my name again, but the system says that an account with this name has already been created before. As I mentioned, it has been more than 10 years since I opened that account, and I no longer use or have access to the email linked to it. Could you please help me with this issue? 2001:8F8:1A43:60F:1883:C14D:3B96:B654 (talk) 18:49, 25 August 2025 (UTC)
- Well, you can't create another account in your name because you already did. Typically, if a user loses access to their account by forgetting the password, that's the end of the line for that account and we encourage the user to create a new account and identify it as a successor to their old account("I am User5678, I was previously User1234 but lost access"). According to m:Steward requests/Username changes on meta, accounts with valid edits are not usurped, so if you made good edits with your original account, I think you're stuck with creating a new one. You could try contacting Trust and Safety (m:Wikimedia Foundation/Legal/Community Resilience and Sustainability/Trust and Safety) to see if they can help you regain access to your account, but I'm not certain they can. 331dot (talk) 19:12, 25 August 2025 (UTC)
Problem with the automatic saving in translation draft
editI tried translating an article from English to Greek. The automatic saving stopped on the 2nd day of work and I cannot publish either. The error I get states :
Δεν είναι δυνατή η αποθήκευση. Επανάληψη προσπάθειας σε λίγο... Anthi5 (talk) 21:19, 26 August 2025 (UTC)
- We can't help with anything on the Greek Wikipedia. I suggest asking at el:Βικιπαίδεια:Βοήθεια χρηστών. ColinFine (talk) 22:34, 26 August 2025 (UTC)
Looking for Wikipedia tutorials
editI am new to Wikipedia and I want to look at tutorials on how to edit pages correctly and figure out how things work on here. Nateiac7 (talk) 00:39, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- @Nateiac7: Hello, and welcome to Wikipedia. You can find a beginners tutorial at the tutorial page. You may also be interested in doing the The Wikipedia Adventure. They will both allow to understand the basics of editing here and how to interact with the MediaWiki software itself. If you have any other questions about editing, feel free to bring them up over at the Teahouse, the page dedicated to helping new users contribute to Wikipedia. cyberdog958Talk 00:47, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- @Nateiac7 Become a Wikipedian in 30 minutes might be of use. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 09:53, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
Link query
editHow do I link to a category without making it a page category? Electricmemory (talk) 01:01, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
{{Category link}}- —Trappist the monk (talk) 01:05, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- Thanks! Electricmemory (talk) 01:07, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- Or add a colon.
[[:Category:Example]]produces Category:Example. This also works with files and interlanguage links. PrimeHunter (talk) 07:37, 27 August 2025 (UTC)- Thank you! I'll keep this in mind :) Electricmemory (talk) 23:52, 28 August 2025 (UTC)
- Or add a colon.
- Thanks! Electricmemory (talk) 01:07, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
Henry Flitcroft
editPlease placed this new book: https://www.lundhumphries.com/products/the-ingenious-mr-flitcroft-palladian-architect in the sources or books section at the end of the referenced article above.
Thank you - I have tried and get it wrong. 115.70.23.77 (talk) 03:28, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- What do you use it as a source for? Polygnotus (talk) 03:38, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- I added it at the end of the article, but ideally you should use it as an WP:INLINE citation. Polygnotus (talk) 03:44, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- I also recommend creating an account. It is free, has a few benefits, and makes communication easier because your IP keeps changing. See WP:ACCOUNT. Polygnotus (talk) 03:49, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- Polygnotus, the IP has an account, and uses it in order to upload files to Commons and to post here when semi-protected, but perhaps only then. -- Hoary (talk) 07:33, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
draft of a new article
editGood day! I have created a draft of the article. could someone please help move it to the regular articles? ---Габделхак (talk) 07:46, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- I also want to attach it to an element in wikidata ----Габделхак (talk) 07:49, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- You have submitted your article for review. There are many such requests, so it takes a while. Please be patient. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 08:41, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- @Габделхак Your draft has now been declined as not demonstrating how this person meets English Wikipedia's notability guideline for musicians. I found it strange that the "personal life" section was entirely about someone else. If accepted, the article can easily be linked to the Wikidata item but we don't do that for drafts. Mike Turnbull (talk) 11:24, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
Kelsey Wicks Reinhardt
editWhy is she not listed in Wikipedia? I certainly hope it’s not discrimination based on her position as a Catholic leader. Please explain. David Dempsey donor 199.68.108.46 (talk) 13:21, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- Wikipedia is not a mere database where people are "listed" and existence merits inclulsion. This is an encyclopedia with criteria for inclusion, termed notability- such as a notable person. Articles are written by volunteers, so if no article exists, it means that no one has tried to write one yet.
- An article about a person summarizes what independent reliable sources with significant coverage have chosen on their own to say about a person, showing how they are notable. Significant coverage goes beyond merely telling what they have done in their life and goes into detail as to what is seen as important/significant/influential about the person. If you have gathered such sources and can summarize them, you are welcome to attempt to create a draft via the article wizard. 331dot (talk) 13:29, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- She's mentioned on the page CatholicVote.org: according to this article by the Catholic News Agency, she's recently been appointed as their president, so this may be of interest to the Women in Red project. ~dom Kaos~ (talk) 13:44, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- Creating an account at Special:CreateAccount makes it easier to get help and track replies. It is also a successful path to combating vandalism. Editor1769 13:54, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- Thank you for donating, but the fact that you are a donor is immaterial to the matter in hand.
- We have thousands and thousands of articles about people who are Catholics, good and bad, including Catholic leaders, and about aspects of Catholicism. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 14:20, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- About 100,000 different people from around the globe edit Wikipedia every calendar month: doubtless many of them are Catholic. Every editor works voluntarily and independently, and there is no possible route (that I am aware of) for an "anti-Catholic" or "anti-anything" agenda to be pursued without rapidly becoming apparent and being stamped on by the community. Neutral Point of View is a core policy of Wikipedia, please assume good faith unless you have positive proof of someone not so acting. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.210.150.115 (talk) 14:56, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
Մանկական Եվրատեսիլ 2025
editԵրկրների քանակ EGSADE (talk) 14:39, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- You are asking how many countries are in the junior eurovision contest 2025? It hasn't been held yet. See Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2025 and List of countries in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. Polygnotus (talk) 14:53, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
glaring missing data
editYou guys left the USA off of the list of sexual violence by country! Estimates of sexual violence Unless the USA has ZERO sexual violence, please fix this glaring oversight. Scott w spengler (talk) 16:35, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- Um....the US is mentioned in the lead....please actually review the article. 331dot (talk) 16:39, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- @331dot I think they mean it is not in this section: Estimates_of_sexual_violence#By_country. It is possible the Bureau of Justice Statistics or the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey has something we can use. Polygnotus (talk) 16:42, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- Okay, then this user should discuss this on Talk:Estimates of sexual violence. 331dot (talk) 16:48, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- Yup. Polygnotus (talk) 16:49, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- Thank you. Someone else replied to me that I should 'talk about it'. Scott w spengler (talk) 17:03, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- They mean write a message on the WP:TALKPAGE about it, here: Talk:Estimates of sexual violence. Polygnotus (talk) 17:24, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- Thank you. Someone else replied to me that I should 'talk about it'. Scott w spengler (talk) 17:03, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- Yup. Polygnotus (talk) 16:49, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- Okay, then this user should discuss this on Talk:Estimates of sexual violence. 331dot (talk) 16:48, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- @331dot I think they mean it is not in this section: Estimates_of_sexual_violence#By_country. It is possible the Bureau of Justice Statistics or the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey has something we can use. Polygnotus (talk) 16:42, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- It appears to be because the source of data for the table didn't differentiate US data. For the category of sexual violence, only Bermuda and Canada are available for sexual violence in North America, while that UN data only provides US data for the specific category of sexual violence: rape. If you see a problem with something missing on Wikipedia, the best thing to do is be WP:BOLD and make the changes, with a reliable citation, and be prepared to discuss the edit if other editors disagree with the edit! CoffeeCrumbs (talk) 05:41, 28 August 2025 (UTC)
ISSN when citing old issues
edit- Should I include magazine ISSN when citing old issues printed before the ISSN was created?
I cited Rannikon puolustaja (Finnish navy and coastal defence magazine) 1979 issue in a ship article. The magazine ISSN 1239-0445 did not exist in 1979 (or at least it is not mentioned). Should I still include the ISSN in the citation template? MKFI (talk) 17:24, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- @MKFI Yeah, it makes finding the correct magazine easier, so I would recommend it. Polygnotus (talk) 17:25, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
Problem reading CAPTCHA
editI have content filtering on my computer that blurs all images and I can't read the CAPTCHA. יצמח פורקניה (talk) 22:45, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- @יצמח פורקניה: You have successfully created an account. Are you trying to add content? Most CAPCTHA requirements disappear when your account becomes autoconfirmed after four days and ten edits. Can you live with that? PrimeHunter (talk) 23:12, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- I can't edit at all, I think it's been more than four days already. יצמח פורקניה (talk) 23:14, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- You could temporarily disable the content filtering. Or tell the content filtering software to make an exception. It is probably pretty bad software if it even filters such tiny images. Polygnotus (talk) 23:28, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- I can't disable it. It filters out all the images. יצמח פורקניה (talk) 23:31, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- @Polygnotus: Maybe I'll send you the link and you can tell me what letters appear there. יצמח פורקניה (talk) 23:32, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- I won't see the same captcha. Maybe use another computer (or phone) for the first 10 edits. Then, after 10 edits and 4 days you won't have to fill in a captcha. Polygnotus (talk) 23:33, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- Would you like to try writing me what is written here?
- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Captcha/image&wpCaptchaId=3416914539678406447 יצמח פורקניה (talk) 23:37, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- tangtoga Polygnotus (talk) 23:38, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- It changed for me, thank you very much
- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Captcha/image&wpCaptchaId=4935016134942442259 יצמח פורקניה (talk) 23:40, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- Request Error
- Requested bogus captcha image Polygnotus (talk) 23:41, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- Something strange, when I put the picture here it automatically opens for me.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Captcha/image&wpCaptchaId=3207771295795594398 יצמח פורקניה (talk) 23:43, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- crumbwaded Polygnotus (talk) 00:04, 28 August 2025 (UTC)
- @Polygnotus: Now for some reason it won't open for me, what does it say in the last picture? יצמח פורקניה (talk) 23:46, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- tangtoga Polygnotus (talk) 23:38, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- I won't see the same captcha. Maybe use another computer (or phone) for the first 10 edits. Then, after 10 edits and 4 days you won't have to fill in a captcha. Polygnotus (talk) 23:33, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- @Polygnotus: Maybe I'll send you the link and you can tell me what letters appear there. יצמח פורקניה (talk) 23:32, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- I can't disable it. It filters out all the images. יצמח פורקניה (talk) 23:31, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- Every edit counts, including your posts here and you now have nine. You usually only have to make a CAPTCHA if you add an external link. Your account was created a little more than four days ago so you only need one more edit. PrimeHunter (talk) 23:47, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- You could temporarily disable the content filtering. Or tell the content filtering software to make an exception. It is probably pretty bad software if it even filters such tiny images. Polygnotus (talk) 23:28, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
- I can't edit at all, I think it's been more than four days already. יצמח פורקניה (talk) 23:14, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
Template:Inflation
edit
ResolvedShippingport Atomic Power Station says the following:
The plant was built in 32 months at a cost of $72.5 million (equivalent to $601,000,000 in 2023)
Is there a way to reduce the result to $601 million? I've not seen anything in the template documentation. Nyttend (talk) 02:36, 28 August 2025 (UTC)
- @Nyttend Why not change the input value to 72.5? And then manually add the word million. Polygnotus (talk) 03:25, 28 August 2025 (UTC)
- If that is unacceptable for some reason you could use {{Str crop}}. Polygnotus (talk) 03:34, 28 August 2025 (UTC)
- I tried the first option but found that it won't work, because "in 2023" is generated by the template, so it would read "$601 in 2023 million". I think the second wouldn't work for the same reason. Nyttend (talk) 05:28, 28 August 2025 (UTC)
- @Nyttend
{{str crop|{{inflation|US-GDP|72500000|start_year=1957|fmt=eq||cursign=$|r=-6}}|20}} millionrenders asequivalent to $601 millionPolygnotus (talk) 05:31, 28 August 2025 (UTC)- Wow, that's complicated. Code now added; thank you. Nyttend (talk) 07:10, 28 August 2025 (UTC)
- @Nyttend: {{str crop}} is a hack which relies on the precise format of the output to remove the right number of characters so it may break later. It also makes it hard to edit the {{inflation}} call in VisualEditor. You can use the million example at Template:Inflation#Examples (also complicated).
$72.5 million (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US-GDP|72.5|start_year=1957}} million in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}})gives: $72.5 million (equivalent to $601 million in 2023). PrimeHunter (talk) 11:20, 28 August 2025 (UTC)
- @Nyttend: {{str crop}} is a hack which relies on the precise format of the output to remove the right number of characters so it may break later. It also makes it hard to edit the {{inflation}} call in VisualEditor. You can use the million example at Template:Inflation#Examples (also complicated).
- Wow, that's complicated. Code now added; thank you. Nyttend (talk) 07:10, 28 August 2025 (UTC)
- @Nyttend
- I tried the first option but found that it won't work, because "in 2023" is generated by the template, so it would read "$601 in 2023 million". I think the second wouldn't work for the same reason. Nyttend (talk) 05:28, 28 August 2025 (UTC)
Merging monthly archives into yearly archives
editMy archivebox is taking up my entire talk page and frankly it isn't active enough to warrant it, so I've changed my archiving from Year/Month to simply Year. What's the best way to retroactively merge the monthly archives into their respective years, preferably while maintaining the revision history? DatGuyTalkContribs 13:34, 28 August 2025 (UTC)
- I wonder if it's possible to put a "collapse" on it? Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 14:56, 28 August 2025 (UTC)
- Collapse in what sense? Place the archivebox months under collapsible years? I tried to look through {{Archive|archivelist}} but it seems to require manually adding the archives, as with Special:PageHistory/Wikipedia:Media copyright questions/Archivelist. DatGuyTalkContribs 21:35, 28 August 2025 (UTC)
- @DatGuy: I looked at the code of User:ClueBot III/ArchiveThis and there is an undocumented
|collapsed=yesto collapse all the archive links. PrimeHunter (talk) 10:15, 29 August 2025 (UTC)- I took up your suggestion, with a few alterations, and it's much better. But I would still prefer the merged archives, so if anyone's got ideas for that I'm open. DatGuyTalkContribs 14:31, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
- @DatGuy: That's a lot of code to get the same result. I think you would have to do merging manually. It's a little easier if you copy the content of all the archive pages (excluding
{{MonthlyArchive}}) back to the main talk page and let the bot archive everything again with different directives. You can redirect the current archives or request deletion. I don't know how much revision history you want to maintain. The original posts will still be in the main talk page history and most or all of the archives have probably only been edited by bots with no need for attribution or inspection by users. PrimeHunter (talk) 08:36, 30 August 2025 (UTC)
- @DatGuy: That's a lot of code to get the same result. I think you would have to do merging manually. It's a little easier if you copy the content of all the archive pages (excluding
- I took up your suggestion, with a few alterations, and it's much better. But I would still prefer the merged archives, so if anyone's got ideas for that I'm open. DatGuyTalkContribs 14:31, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
- @DatGuy: I looked at the code of User:ClueBot III/ArchiveThis and there is an undocumented
- Collapse in what sense? Place the archivebox months under collapsible years? I tried to look through {{Archive|archivelist}} but it seems to require manually adding the archives, as with Special:PageHistory/Wikipedia:Media copyright questions/Archivelist. DatGuyTalkContribs 21:35, 28 August 2025 (UTC)
Updating Pennant International page
editWe have had a Pennant International Page for sometime. The content on the page is very outdated and does not reflect the business as it is today. We have tried to make updates over the years, but these are always reverted. Could someone please help us get the page updated so those visiting it can get accurate information. Thank you. SourceCorrectInfo (talk) 15:52, 28 August 2025 (UTC)
- @SourceCorrectInfo: "we"? Role accounts are forbidden. You are also obligated to DISCLOSE YOUR EMPLOYMENT per the Terms of Use and (in some jurisdictions) covert-advertizing laws. —Jéské Couriano v^_^v threads critiques 17:00, 28 August 2025 (UTC)
- @SourceCorrectInfo Please read WP:COPYVIO. Thank you! Polygnotus (talk) 17:22, 28 August 2025 (UTC)
Need help fixing infobox
edit ResolvedHello! I am new to editing Wikipedia, and unfortunately I probably let my excitement get the best of me. I was trying to update some info on the page for BAWLS Guarana (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bawls), but somehow in the process broke the infobox which is now displaying as standard text. I feel really bad for this and apologize sincerely, and want to know how it can be fixed. Thank you! GrizzlyRed (talk) 17:57, 28 August 2025 (UTC)
- @GrizzlyRed No need to feel bad, fixing problems on Wikipedia is very easy compared to on other websites.
Fixed Polygnotus (talk) 18:54, 28 August 2025 (UTC)
- Thank you so much!!! GrizzlyRed (talk) 19:59, 28 August 2025 (UTC)
What happened to Valentina Gomez?
editI was looking at the website of Valentina For Congress and i noticed that when you scroll down to the bottom of the page there is a section saying "Banned on Wikipedia"
I cannot find any mention of an article about the subject being deleted or any accounts related to her being banned from Wikipedia
Is there anyone here who knows what incident she is referring to? Trade (talk) 19:56, 28 August 2025 (UTC)
- @Trade My guess is that it is probably just something they say because they think it makes them "cool". Some people believe that if the "MSM" hates me I must be "cool" and not just someone who breaks the ToS of various websites in a desperate attempt to get attention. Irrelevant anti-woke crusaders have turned crybullying and having a victim complex into an artform in my opinion. Polygnotus (talk) 20:05, 28 August 2025 (UTC)
- I know for a fact that she was banned from Instagram and Facebook so it would seem weird for this one to be false Trade (talk) 20:08, 28 August 2025 (UTC)
- @Trade Well we don't know which IPs she may or may not have used. I can't find evidence that it is true, but it could be of course. Polygnotus (talk) 20:09, 28 August 2025 (UTC)
- I know for a fact that she was banned from Instagram and Facebook so it would seem weird for this one to be false Trade (talk) 20:08, 28 August 2025 (UTC)
- Draft:Valentina Gomez is an abandoned draft. Polygnotus (talk) 20:07, 28 August 2025 (UTC)
- Think you could get an admin to look at the draft and tell me the user who created id? Trade (talk) 22:42, 28 August 2025 (UTC)
- Trade, it was created by User:Riley Paul Turner on February 29, 2024. That account has been inactive since this January. Cullen328 (talk) 23:08, 28 August 2025 (UTC)
- 21 May 2024 review of submission by PeaRidge62 is also relevant; as is User:GPL93/Draftify log#March 2024. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 15:49, 31 August 2025 (UTC)
- Think you could get an admin to look at the draft and tell me the user who created id? Trade (talk) 22:42, 28 August 2025 (UTC)
Draft was rejected
editI have resubmitted and updated this draft for the new Maine Maritime Academy training ship twice and it was rejected: "Far to short and too few sources" I don't want to pad it with unnecessary information and the page will certainly be expanded next year when the ship is operational. But I think the sources cited capture all of the current relevant information including this weeks dedication by the president of South Korea. There is a place holder for this new page on the old "State of Maine" wiki entry, a ship is no longer in service. Kronveldt (talk) 20:58, 28 August 2025 (UTC)
- Hi @Kronveldt. The draft was declined, not rejected. You have re-submitted for review. I'd like to see one or two more sources that aren't primary sources - do you have any? I think your current sources are totally fine, but one or two more would make it acceptable. qcne (talk) 21:13, 28 August 2025 (UTC)
- @Kronveldt: - the draft can be greatly improved by the addition of an infobox ({{Infobox ship}}) and a description section giving basic dimensions, tonnage, power and propulsion details. See MV Missourian (1921) for an example. Mjroots (talk) 14:57, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
- @Mjroots: infoboxes do not have any bearing on if a draft is accepted or not. qcne (talk) 18:51, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
- @Qcne: they don't, but they do improve articles. Mjroots (talk) 04:50, 30 August 2025 (UTC)
- @Mjroots: infoboxes do not have any bearing on if a draft is accepted or not. qcne (talk) 18:51, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
- @Kronveldt: - the draft can be greatly improved by the addition of an infobox ({{Infobox ship}}) and a description section giving basic dimensions, tonnage, power and propulsion details. See MV Missourian (1921) for an example. Mjroots (talk) 14:57, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
victoria broom
editHello, im trying to find a wiki draft for actor and lgbt activist victoria broom. is there a draft anywhere? 2A01:4B00:8730:B200:38DB:B3DD:385E:B5CA (talk) 10:02, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
- Doesn't seem to be, nor a deleted draft/article. If you want to begin writing, the best place would be at Draft:Victoria Broom. Mike Turnbull (talk) 10:13, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
- Clicking Draft:Victoria Broom actually shows there is a deleted draft. Would you like it restored so you can try to improve it? It was declined four times. PrimeHunter (talk) 10:22, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
- oops, not sure why I missed that! Mike Turnbull (talk) 12:29, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
- Clicking Draft:Victoria Broom actually shows there is a deleted draft. Would you like it restored so you can try to improve it? It was declined four times. PrimeHunter (talk) 10:22, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
- Hello, IP user.
- Please have a look at your first article, and at Backwards.
- By far the most effective way of creating a new article is by finding the sources first - several sources, each of which meets all the criteria in WP:42.
- If you are unable to find such sources, you will know that there is no point in continuing with this particular article (as you almost certainly cannot establish notability) and will not have wasted any time in writing unusable text. ColinFine (talk) 15:48, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
lead section
editCan someone please create a lead section for Big Sur land use? Thanks, Polygnotus (talk) 13:05, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
- You may. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 15:41, 31 August 2025 (UTC)
Switching talk page archive format
editI was wondering whether it'd be possible to change Cluebot 3's archive format from the year/month format to be ordered instead, since the archived pages on Talk:Office Assistant are just one section each, making browsing quite tedious. --Opecuted (talk) 13:55, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
SpecialPages
editSpecial:SpecialPages, Is there a way to revert back to the old layout? - FlightTime (open channel) 14:28, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
- @FlightTime That link gives me a display much as I remember it always being. Are you looking for Help:Special page#Alphabetical_order? Mike Turnbull (talk) 15:24, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
- No. I wish I had a screenshot of the old layout. - FlightTime (open channel) 15:37, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
- commons:Special:SpecialPages Commons is still the same as ours used to be. - FlightTime (open channel) 15:45, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
- @FlightTime: For a while, Special:SpecialPages had an annoying layout with one page per line and no grouping. Are you still seing that? I see the old layout now, same as commons:Special:SpecialPages. Have you tried to bypass your cache? The changes were discussed at Wikipedia:Village pump (technical)/Archive 223#SpecialPages. PrimeHunter (talk) 16:38, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
Template order
editWhat is the prescribed order for templates at the top of an article or section? How does one know or check which templates to put before or after others? Donn Fretz (talk) 16:28, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
- To my knowledge, it does not especially matter which order they are in. Some templates, like infoboxes or TOCs need to be placed before or after other elements in order to be visually pleasing/correctly formatted. Therefore, I don't think there is any strict rule for organising templates like tags or infoboxes, and the only restricting factor is aesthetics or general formatting guidelines. Hope this helps, CoroneC0rnix-64 (talk) 17:47, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
- @Donn Fretz MOS:ORDER. Polygnotus (talk) 18:11, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
- @CoroneC0rnix-64 See above. Polygnotus (talk) 18:11, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
Personal Knowledge Base
editI have developed a uniquely powerful and easy to use hyperlinking system based on LibreOffice and Emacs and have published this as open source on GitHub. I designed it specifically to serve as a personal knowledge base. Can I add its description to the Wikipedia Personal_knowledge_base topic? DavidMcCracken (talk) 21:48, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
- I'm afraid not @DavidMcCracken. Until it has been written about by somebody wholly unconnected with you, in a reliable source, it should not appear in a Wikipedia article.
- Also, adding your own projects is regarded as conflict of interest, so it is strongly preferred to raise an edit request for an uninvolved editor to look at. But, as I say, in my view it does not at present belong in an article. ColinFine (talk) 22:12, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
I am planning to propose an rfc but I need your help to accomplish it.
editCan you propose an rfc that is technical and would change WikiPedia's policies and system? ~Rafael (He, him) • Talk • Guestbook • Projects
22:17, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
- We already have way too many RfCs. Polygnotus (talk) 22:21, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
- @Polygnotus no, what I meant was if you want to propose an rfc, can it be technical and would change WikiPedia's policies and system? ~Rafael
(He, him) • Talk • Guestbook • Projects
22:40, 29 August 2025 (UTC)- In theory, yes. Although if you propose to turn Wikipedia into a 3d environment we can walk around in then it may be difficult to find someone who is willing to do the technical work required. The more drastic the chance the more difficult it is to convince everyone. Polygnotus (talk) 22:42, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
- @Polygnotus no, what I meant was if you want to propose an rfc, can it be technical and would change WikiPedia's policies and system? ~Rafael
- Hello, @Rafaelthegreat. Generally the way to do this is to start a discussion at WP:VPR. ColinFine (talk) 23:35, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
- ... or if its technical WP:VPT. Per WP:RFCBEFORE it always starts with a discussion. Polygnotus (talk) 23:42, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
Referencing errors on List of people legally executed in Tasmania
editReference help requested.
Hi there - I have received an error message to say that some of the citations I have added to the page: List of people legally executed in Tasmania - has a title error. I don't understand and I don't know what it is referring to with the term title error. Title of what? Thanks for your help in clarifying this.
RobynHobart
Thanks, RobynHobart (talk) 04:50, 30 August 2025 (UTC)
- @RobynHobart: Missing or empty title means you should fill out the title field. In VisualEditor, click the reference, click edit, and find the "Title" field. For [1] it would be
George Nixonwhich is displayed as a page heading. PrimeHunter (talk) 08:22, 30 August 2025 (UTC)
Clarification on UK Time Formatting: “a.m.” vs “am” and Use of nbsp
editAs a new editor working on harmonising time formatting across royal biographies, I’ve been applying “a.m.”/“p.m.” with a plain space, following MOS:TIME and British ENGVAR. However, on the Elizabeth II article, this was reverted in favour of “am” without periods and with nbsp. I’ve since been told conflicting things—some say UK English prefers “am”, others cite MOS:TIME as supporting “a.m.”. I’m now unsure which format is correct for UK-based articles, and whether {{nbsp}} is necessary. Any clarity on the preferred style and how to handle harmonisation across articles would be much appreciated. ItsShandog (talk) 11:31, 30 August 2025 (UTC)
- FWIW, both The Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors (OUP 1984 corrected reprint), a widely followed UK publishing standard, and its companion volume Hart's Rules, specify "a.m." and "p.m.": this I suppose avoids any possible confusion with the verb form "am".
- That said, is this harmonisation between articles rather than within them really necessary? I can't think of any likely confusion if it were not done. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.210.150.115 (talk) 13:47, 30 August 2025 (UTC)
- Its more just for consistency across articles, but a lot of people are saying British English prefers am and pm and it seems American pages prefer a.m. and p.m. So its just confusion on which is right or wrong but it seems either can be used. ItsShandog (talk) 13:52, 30 August 2025 (UTC)
- As with many minor conventions of this sort, there is no absolute right or wrong, but most people agree consistency should be observed within a single piece of text, and this is often extended to maintaining a 'house style' within a journal or other periodical, and often within the output of a particular publishing house (except where there is a reason otherwise, such as an author's strong contrary preference).
- There is no official national arbiter of British English (unlike in France), though the Oxford University Press publications I referenced above are followed by many British publishers. Others have their own house-style manuals which may differ on this point (as on others), but I have now also checked an influential Cambridge University Press manual (Judith Butcher's Copyediting, CUP 2nd Ed. 1986 printing) which also specifies the "a.m." form. (As you may have guessed, I used to work professionally in publishing, hence my possession of these and other publishers' manuals.)
- I cannot see in MOS:TIME or WP:ENGVAR mention of a BrE preference for "a.m." over "am", or vice versa, but given the professional authorities I have referenced, I think the onus is on the "lot of people" to cite sources for their assertions that in formal writing (appropriate to this encyclopaedia) it prefers "am". Hope this helps. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.210.150.115 (talk) 19:57, 30 August 2025 (UTC)
- Its more just for consistency across articles, but a lot of people are saying British English prefers am and pm and it seems American pages prefer a.m. and p.m. So its just confusion on which is right or wrong but it seems either can be used. ItsShandog (talk) 13:52, 30 August 2025 (UTC)
- MOS:TIME does say to use a non-breaking space (there are several ways of creating that character, such as
- Why would you want 12:27 on one line and "pm" (or p.m.) on another line?
- The incident happened at 12:27
- p.m. on Tuesday 14 May
- -- Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 15:33, 31 August 2025 (UTC)
Change Donation
editI have a monthly donation, but I am changing banks. Can I edit my donation? Or do I just set up a new one after I cancel the card being used? 2600:4040:95D9:E500:112A:CDAA:27D9:A5C3 (talk) 15:35, 30 August 2025 (UTC)
- See here. Since this involves your bank rather than Wikimedia, it may be simplest to cancel the old monthly donation and set up a new one.--♦IanMacM♦ (talk to me) 15:40, 30 August 2025 (UTC)
- This will depend on your bank, and possibly your ___location. In the UK, for example, banks transfer such recurring payments seamlessly, when you transfer accounts.
- You need to ask your bank. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 15:29, 31 August 2025 (UTC)
Emmanuel College
editI have destroyed reference number 8 on this page by adding in a page number - it is in "red". Please repair - sorry. 49.184.232.220 (talk) 23:51, 30 August 2025 (UTC)
- I've fixed it. The problem was that it said {{cite news |last1=Ebsworth | ... |page 8}} instead of {{cite news |last1=Ebsworth | ... |page=8}}. "Cite news" tells the system which template is used, and then all of the other entries in that template need an equal sign to set the value. FactOrOpinion (talk) 00:21, 31 August 2025 (UTC)
How to use the short name of a railway line for {{rail color box}}
editHello, I was adding a {{rail color box}} to a PRDIR station article when I realized the full name of the railway line was too long, so I added its short name to Module:Adjacent stations/PRDIR, but I've got no clue how to use its short name in a {{rail color box}} instead of its full name. Could anyone teach me how? Thank you.
%FJ% (talk | contribs) 02:40, 31 August 2025 (UTC)
- That's quite niche; I suggest you ask on Template talk:Adjacent stations. If that fails, try Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Trains. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 15:26, 31 August 2025 (UTC)
Find phrase on page
editIs there a command or gadget that I can use to find a phrase on a Wikipedia page? I can edit the source of the page, then Select All, and Copy, and paste into a Word document, and use the Word Find capability, but that is complicated. Is there a feature that I can use instead? I may have seen the answer to this question before and forgotten it. Robert McClenon (talk) 03:41, 31 August 2025 (UTC)
- Is there a reason you can't just use your browser's Find command? ClaudineChionh (she/her · talk · email · global) 03:51, 31 August 2025 (UTC)
- @Robert McClenon: If you don't know how then what is your browser or device? It's usually Ctrl+f. The default source editor and toolbar has a Search and replace feature where you can just omit replacing. Click "Advanced" in the toolbar and then the magnifying glass icon at the far right. PrimeHunter (talk) 07:51, 31 August 2025 (UTC)
- @Robert McClenon See Help:Searching and in particular I like the power of "insource" searching which can find a phrase within the source code of articles, which might be rendered differently in the text the normal reader/browser sees. Use Special:Search to set up your search if you want to search for the phrase across all articles. Mike Turnbull (talk) 13:45, 31 August 2025 (UTC)
- Robert wanted to find occurences of something on a specific page, e.g. the word "align" on Help:Table if you are trying to align a table. Learning how your browser or device makes such a search is the best option in most cases. PrimeHunter (talk) 16:14, 31 August 2025 (UTC)
Camp coffee
editThe page Camp Coffee refuses to load. Browser reports the page could contain harmful content. Admin may wish to look at this.
2A00:F41:34E5:4B6E:8A4:72FF:FE9C:5710 (talk) 14:11, 31 August 2025 (UTC)
- For what its worth it loaded for me. 331dot (talk) 14:36, 31 August 2025 (UTC)
- Camp Coffee is fine on my PC / Edge browser and WP:navigation popups also preview the page correctly, so I think the issue must be your end. You could report this to WP:VPT if you want further advice but would need to give more detail (e.g. device, browser and whether you have anti-virus software). Mike Turnbull (talk) 14:37, 31 August 2025 (UTC)
- Just checked it loaded fast for me too. Jp33442 (talk) 14:44, 31 August 2025 (UTC)
- (edit conflict) I wonder whether the external link is a problem? On Edge browser I get a warning that
This server couldn't prove that it's www.campcoffeeclub.co.uk; its security certificate is from *.dnsmadeeasy.com. This may be caused by a misconfiguration or an attacker intercepting your connection.
TSventon (talk) 14:47, 31 August 2025 (UTC) - Do you have the same problem with other page names containg "amp" like Magic Camp (film), or even non-existing pages like No such Camp? If so then it sounds like over-cautious anti-malware in your browser or device. PrimeHunter (talk) 14:52, 31 August 2025 (UTC)
- Yes, "amp" pages won't load. Odd.
- 2A00:F41:34E5:4B6E:8A4:72FF:FE9C:5710 (talk) 15:07, 31 August 2025 (UTC)
- You can make some shenanigans with "amp" in url's but I don't think they work if it's part of a word like "Camp". Does your malware protection allow it if "a" is encoded as "%61" like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%61mp_Coffee? PrimeHunter (talk) 15:53, 31 August 2025 (UTC)
- Interesting. Other Wiki pages load fine. Thanks for checking. 🙂 2A00:F41:34E5:4B6E:8A4:72FF:FE9C:5710 (talk) 15:04, 31 August 2025 (UTC)
AfD question
editHello, Wikipedians! Is an article having no reliable sources a valid reason to start an AfD? Thanks, CoroneC0rnix-64 (talk) 15:24, 31 August 2025 (UTC)
- CoroneC0rnix-64 no, you also have to show that there are no sources that meet the GNG requirements that could be added to the article. Sungodtemple (talk • contribs) 15:35, 31 August 2025 (UTC)
- It is impossible to do that; what you are required to do is to see if you can find any. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 15:59, 31 August 2025 (UTC)