AmeliorationBot

AmeliorationBot
This user is a bot
(talk · contribs)
	AmeliorationBot surveys the area for test edits from atop a tank
Operator	Ameliorate! (talk)
Approved?	Yes
Flagged?	Yes
Task(s)	Removing test edits (details)
Edit rate	As fast as it finds text to remove [explanation]
Edit period(s)	Randomly
Automatic or manual?	Automatic
Programming language(s)	AWB, Regex
Exclusion compliant?	No
Emergency shutoff-compliant?	Yes

Deactivated

This bot is no longer active on Wikipedia.

User:Ameliorate!/up/bots

Click here to jump to the task and information section

This user account is a bot that uses AutoWikiBrowser, operated by Ameliorate! (talk). It is used to make repetitive automated or semi-automated edits that would be extremely tedious to do manually, in accordance with the bot policy. The bot is currently inactive but retains the approval of the community.
To stop this bot until restarted by the bot's owner, edit its talk page. If that page is a redirect, edit that original redirecting page, not the target of the redirect. Administrators: if this bot continues causing harm after receiving a message, please block it or remove from the approved accounts.

Emergency bot shutoff button

Administrators: Use this button if the bot is malfunctioning. (direct link)
Non-administrators can report a malfunctioning bot to Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard/Incidents.

Information

Task

AmeliorationBot checks a list of pages (mostly generated from Google searches) to find "test edits". The bot defines a test edit as text that is produced by clicking on the formatting buttons at the top of the edit screen. The bot is capable of removing the basic versions, produced by single presses, and some of the more complex variations produced by pressing multiple buttons.

The text is regularly added by people who are unaware of what they are doing, and is often left in the article across numerous revisions by bots and users who do not notice the text or are unaware that it should be removed. Other times it is added on purpose by malicious users.

Examples

These examples are in no way all inclusive, these are just to explain what the bot does for anyone who is unsure

The bot will remove instances of '''Bold text''' ''Italic text'' == Headline text == [[Image:Example.jpg]] and the like (created by single button presses).

It can also remove the markup created by multiple presses, such as '''''Bold text''''' [[Image:[[Image:Example.jpg]]]] <math><ref>Insert formula here</ref></math>, however due to the obscure nature of these it is impossible for the bot to find everything.

It will also remove any instance of a mainspace article being signed by a user with a default signature.

Errors

False-positives

False-positives occasionally occur when text that resembles a test edit is used legitimately, for example as a key in a list. I have tried to mitigate situations like this as much as possible by having the bot skip pages where the text could be used legitimately. Pages containing the following text are skipped, the link indicates an example of an article which necessitates the skip:

in bold text [ex]

in italic text [ex]

bold text denotes [ex]

italic text denotes [ex]

bold text means [ex]

italic text means [pre-emptive]

bold text indicates [ex]

italic text indicates [pre-emptive]

(Bold text [ex]

Any article containing <code> [ex]

I am happy for other articles which contain text not covered by the above to be reported to me. If you are not sure if the article will be ignored (and needs to be blacklisted) feel free to ask me.

I would appreciate it if examples of possible future false-positives are reported to me.

"Your bot made a mistake ..."

"It did not remove everything"

Due to the potentially random nature of the markup created from multiple button presses, it is impossible for a bot to remove the text flawlessly. I am satisfied that my bot removes a large portion of the common examples, and, at the very least, "tones down" more dramatic variations (eg. removing Example.jpg makes a big difference to an article).

"It removed something it shouldn't have"

If the bot removed text (such as a key) from an article please feel free to revert the edit and let me know. I appreciate all reports of removals that shouldn't have been made. If the bot is removing large portions of text, please do not hesitate to disable it. I run this bot as I want Wikipedia articles to look clean and professional, if my bot has gone astray (which will be due to my mistake and I accept all blame) and is damaging articles; please, shutdown first, ask questions later.

Edit rate

My bot edits as fast as it finds text, this is because it often runs idly through pages that have already been fixed before it makes an edit. This can result in large periods of time where it is doing nothing and as such imposing a 5 second delay (which is what it used to use) was arbitrary. With no delay it is possible that when the bot reaches the list of "fool proof" entries (such as the Example.jpg links, as they are generated from live data) it will make around 10 (usually much less) concurrent edits.

Shutdown

If in doubt the bot should be shutdown. Administrators can block the bot from editing by clicking here, non-administrators can block the bot by clicking here and saving the page. It is also possible to block the bot by making any change at all to its talkpage. I would really appreciate both an email and a talkpage message if my bot is ever disabled.