MediaWiki talk:Unblockiptext

December 2019

Following up on my note at a recent WP:ARC - this message could likely use some improvements. It is the last screen an admin would see before pressing "unblock" on an account. — xaosflux ^Talk 16:55, 21 December 2019 (UTC)

The current message is:

Use the form below to restore write access to a blocked IP address or username. When unblocking a user, remember to check for and clear any active autoblocks as well.

Remember, there was probably a good reason for the person to be blocked. Please consult the blocking administrator before unblocking.

Administrators: Unless you imposed the block, you cannot unblock your own account, and you may not unblock any alternate accounts (including bots) without permission from the blocking administrator, even if you believe the block is unfair, inappropriate, or in error. Instead, contact another administrator through email, IRC, or by leaving a note on your talk page.

— xaosflux ^Talk 16:57, 21 December 2019 (UTC)

The whole message probably needs updating in general.

• When unblocking a user, remember to check for and clear any active autoblocks as well. should be removed. Since MediaWiki 1.20 (a while ago), all autoblocks are automatically lifted when a user is unblocked.
• Remember, there was probably a good reason for the person to be blocked. Please consult the blocking administrator before unblocking. should be moved up to the first line. Perhaps Please consult the blocking administrator before unblocking could also be written in italics to bring emphasis to that statement. If an admin can't see that italics suggests something important, then they shouldn't be an admin.
• Someone might want to verify whether or not the unblock screen even appears if an admin who was blocked by someone else attempts to unblock themselves; if it does not, then we don't need to mention that you can't unblock your own account. (EDIT: After some testing, the unblock screen does appear if the blocked admin attempts to unblock themselves; however, they cannot actually unblock anybody—including themselves) And given the kerfuffle, maybe make mention of the blocks that admins are normally not supposed to undo—namely CU, OS, and ArbCom blocks.

So, with that being said, here's my proposed draft of the new message:

Use the form below to restore write access to a blocked IP address or username. Remember, there was probably a good reason for the person to be blocked. Please consult the blocking administrator before unblocking.

—k6ka 🍁 (Talk · Contributions) 00:23, 30 December 2019 (UTC)

@K6ka: the CU/OS part is looking good, however the first part seems to be a drift from the Wikipedia:Blocking_policy#Unblocking - the administrator placing a block does not gain indefinite exclusive control over it, rather it explicitly calls out reasons another admin may unblock. — xaosflux ^Talk 01:11, 30 December 2019 (UTC)

Never mind, I just re-read that that part is only about blocks of alt-accounts - looks fine! — xaosflux ^Talk 01:14, 30 December 2019 (UTC)

Marking this for to-do, need to validate that the formating boxes won't cause an error first. — xaosflux ^Talk 01:16, 30 December 2019 (UTC)

 Done — xaosflux ^Talk 04:00, 31 December 2019 (UTC)

Here's a late additional support for the change. I have just noticed it and was positively impressed. 👍 ~ ToBeFree (talk) 23:47, 1 January 2020 (UTC)