Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2008 September 7

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September 7

Userboxes

I want to create a userbox such as {{improvearticle|PARAMETER}}, where this would produce a userbox requesting the article stated as the parameter. I can make a basic userbox but I've no idea how to code parameters. Any help? :) Thanks —Cyclonenim (talk · contribs · email) 00:23, 7 September 2008 (UTC)

Have you checked out {{Currentlybox}} and Help:Variable for starters? -Optigan13 (talk) 00:37, 7 September 2008 (UTC)

Help:Template#Parameters is more like what you are looking for. You need to put {{{1|default}}} in the userbox template code where you want "PARAMETER" to appear, "default" being the text you want to see if no parameter is entered (it can be null if you want). SpinningSpark 00:49, 7 September 2008 (UTC)

I love the help desk :) Cheers! —Cyclonenim (talk · contribs · email) 00:50, 7 September 2008 (UTC)

You might want to also take a look at Template:Articleissues which may do what you want already. SpinningSpark 00:54, 7 September 2008 (UTC)

And see Wikipedia:WikiProject Inline Templates and Wikipedia:WikiProject Templates. --Teratornis (talk) 02:34, 7 September 2008 (UTC)

Uploading Pictures?

I would like to upload the cover for a single onto a page, but i can't because i don't have a clue how to, can anyone help me? ChillaxNOW (talk) 09:56, 7 September 2008 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by ChillaxNOW (talk • contribs) 09:55, 7 September 2008 (UTC)

If you are an autoconfirmed editor which means that you have been on wikipedia for more than 4 days and have edited more than 10 times then all you have to do is go to the upload file which is in the toolbox which can be found on the left hand side of the screen. You then browse for the image you want to upload and say where you want it to be uploaded to. Hope that helps BountyHunter2008 (talk) 10:14, 7 September 2008 (UTC)

Unless the image is in the public domain or under some free license (very unlikely), you will need to provide a fair use rationale for the image. The template, {{album cover fur}} is probably what you're looking for. Please see Image:It's Over (Electric Light Orchestra song) cover.jpg in edit mode for an example of how to fill out the template's information parameters.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 14:17, 7 September 2008 (UTC)

Auto confirmed user message

Resolved

 – ukexpat (talk) 14:51, 7 September 2008 (UTC)

Hi guys, Today I have been using NPwatcher, when I take action on a new page by marking it as Blatant advert or no Notability etc this message appears "The action you have requested is limited to Autoconfirmed users, Administrators." It does not prevent the speedy deletion box appearing on the page, It is just a bit annoying. I have used NPwatcher before and never has this message appeared. and I know what Autoconfirmed user is all about I can not work out why it is happening. I have done well over 1000 edits on wikipedia.--Theoneintraining (talk) 10:01, 7 September 2008 (UTC)

Sorry people forget about my question, I logged into Wikipedia with NPwacther and problem is solved sorry for the inconvenience.--Theoneintraining (talk) 10:20, 7 September 2008 (UTC)

Navbox transclusion

Hi. I'm trying to transclude a navbox into another navbox. My intent is to sweep some narrow-range navboxes as a collapsable subgroup of a broad-scope navbox; I am aware of the existance of Template:Navbox with collapsible groups but it doesn't seem to be designed to work with transclusion (I'd like to transclude these other navboxes because they do change slightly from time to time and I'd hate to have to make those changes twice). I have tried simply transcluding the navboxes into the mother navboxes under a new group, but they don't integrate very well and look horrible with the borders. I was thinking that if it was possible to transclude the smaller navboxes, but modify a parameter during the transclusion, it would be possible; is that realistic? Thanks. bahamut0013♠♣ 11:49, 7 September 2008 (UTC)

Could you provide an example or two of your attempts ? Equendil Talk 15:58, 7 September 2008 (UTC)

Here is a diff for you: [1]. bahamut0013♠♣ 11:24, 8 September 2008 (UTC)

Vanuatu Articles

G'day, first off, i know this is going to be the wrong place to post my questions. For a first time user of Wikipedia, it took me 2 hours just to find this page. Anyway, i am looking to make contact with an Editor to OK my post in regards to Vanuatu and it's Islands.

I have added content to one of my websites, and need to know if i have the correct Copyright info showing, and second, i wrote an article on my website regarding a Vanuatu Island, and then added that to Wikipedia in the correct section, which had very little before i did. I have also added a link to Wikipedia for this article, but i am the Author.

I would like an Editor to look at both of my sites, and the Wikipedia article i edited http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aore_Island , and give me the OK. As i am not a lawyer, i find it very difficult to understand exactly what is required if i use Wikipedia content, and vice versa, and the correct linking, copyright and Author tags etc. I would appreciate it somebody could help me out with this please. I will forward all relevant links to the person who helps me with this. Maxeaus (talk) 15:33, 7 September 2008 (UTC)

Please refer to this.Also note the fine print at the bottom "All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License".

Your contribution looks OK to me, but I didn't look deep into it.

Cheers mate!

Λuα ^{(Operibus anteire)} 15:39, 7 September 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for the quick response on that, any other thoughts or comments (from editors) would be appreciated also. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Maxeaus (talk • contribs) 17:35, 7 September 2008 (UTC)

Well nothing really regarding your questions, but a little on your confusion. Just to clarify, everyone is an editor of Wikipedia. "... the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit. Although its great to have your edits on Wikipedia reviewed, its not necessary, be bold. Happy editing, and Welcome to Wikipedia! Scottydude _review 18:01, 7 September 2008 (UTC)

If you want to reuse Wikipedia content, see the links under WP:EIW#Reusing. Wikipedia is extremely complicated. Everything you need to know to use Wikipedia is in the online help (see the Editor's index for a mind-numbingly complete overview), but getting all that information into your head so you know what to do requires considerable work. Wikipedia is one of the world's most popular Web sites, and a Web site doesn't get to be so popular by being simple. "Simple" generally equates to "powerless" which equates to "not interesting to many people." That doesn't mean everything which is complicated becomes popular, but every popular Web site is complicated. With popular sites like Google, the complexity is mostly behind the scenes, but on Wikipedia, every user can be an editor, so all the complexity is right on the surface where we can drown in it. Wikipedia is a do it yourself project, so it's up to every user to decide how much to do with it. If you want a structured introduction, you could get the book Wikipedia - The Missing Manual, although the book is not strictly necessary if you are willing to read hundreds of pages of free online documenation. --Teratornis (talk) 22:17, 7 September 2008 (UTC)

Stage names - which name to redirect and which to use?

In the articles I am writing for the members of the group Perfume I am not sure whether I should use their surnames or their stage names. For example, A~chan has been redirected to Ayaka Nishiwaki, but she is very rarely referred to with her full name and in accordance to WP:Naming conventions (common names) I have referred to her as A~chan.

Should I change the article to use "Nishiwaki", or should I change the redirect so that A~chan is the article and her full name is redirected to it? - Torika (talk) 18:44, 7 September 2008 (UTC)

It sounds like A-chan should be used per Wikipedia:Naming conventions (people)#Nicknames, pen names, stage names, cognomens. PrimeHunter (talk) 18:55, 7 September 2008 (UTC)

Thank you very much! - Torika (talk) 19:12, 7 September 2008 (UTC)

Image Use

Hello,

I would like to use a certain image for an entry. Corbis features this image on their website as "rights-managed". Do I need to purchase the rights to use a web-based image on Wikipedia? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.178.246.67 (talk) 19:06, 7 September 2008 (UTC)

If you can purchase all the rights (right to duplicate, make derivatives, edit, and show, even for commercial use), then you can upload it normally. However, as I doubt you can, a much easier way would be to follow Wikipedia's WP:Non-free content policy, which instead uses a claim of fair use. Calvin 1998 ^(t·c) 19:10, 7 September 2008 (UTC)

However, Wikipedia's WP:Non-free content policy highly restricts the use of non-free content. In particular, almost all pictures of living people are excluded, because someone could replace them with free images. —teb728 t c 02:12, 8 September 2008 (UTC)

Articles created

Is there a script that can give a list of articles created by a specific user? --92.0.224.34 (talk) 20:21, 7 September 2008 (UTC)

WP:WPEC gives this. Algebraist 20:58, 7 September 2008 (UTC)

Getting rid of a table of contents

Hi, i was wondering if there is a way to get rid of a table of contents from an article? I know it is possible to hide the TOC but i want to get rid of it all together from a particular article as the article is really to short to need a toc and it gets in the way. Thanks. 79.75.136.194 (talk) 20:43, 7 September 2008 (UTC)

Insert the magic word __NOTOC__ (two underscores, NOTOC, two more underscores) somewhere in the article. Alternatively, you may be able to remove some unnecessary section headings - if the TOC is getting in the way, then perhaps the sections are too short. Xenon54 20:47, 7 September 2008 (UTC)

Remember that the TOC is a useful took for many users, especially those using mobile devices, or assistive technologies. Andy Mabbett (User:Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy Mabbett; Andy Mabbett's contributions 21:07, 7 September 2008 (UTC)

Users can choose not to see tables of contents, under Special:Preferences, "Misc" tab. You should leave in the TOC for users who do want to see it. The TOC is helpful for users who want to generate links to particular sections. An article may be short now, but we expect articles on notable topics to grow. If an article can never become long enough to need a TOC, we might ask whether the subject is really notable enough for an encyclopedia article. The standard sections that WP:LAYOUT describes will by themselves almost justify a TOC, so almost every article with the preferred article layout will have some sections to navigate. See Wikipedia:Layout#Headings and paragraphs, MOS:SECTIONS, and WP:TOC#Table of contents (TOC). --Teratornis (talk) 22:08, 7 September 2008 (UTC)

Teratornis, you can still link to sections without the TOC being displayed. — Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 01:17, 8 September 2008 (UTC)

Sure, and I can edit documents without a computer, but I like to use a computer because it's easier than using a typewriter (or a chisel and stone tablet, etc.). Linking to a section requires two parts: the page title, and the section title. When a page has a TOC, and the lead section isn't too long, both chunks are close together, making them easier to copy and paste. Another issue is consistency. The vast majority of pages on Wikipedia that have enough sections to trigger the automatic TOC do in fact display the TOC. Therefore, when I see a page that doesn't have a TOC but appears that it should, the departure from expectation distracts me from whatever I originally went to the page to find. It's like meeting someone who has one eyeball noticeably missing. Everyone else's attention will go straight to the empty eye socket. One of the things I like best about Wikipedia is its overall consistency. Almost every article on almost every subject follows a predictable layout, which means when a user looks at a new subject, he or she only has to learn about the subject, without the extra cognitive work to learn some new idiosyncratic page design. (This is one reason why Wikipedia articles are often better introductions to unfamiliar topics than one finds through general Web search. Web search results subject the user to endless design variation, which distract the user to no real purpose.) --Teratornis (talk) 06:15, 8 September 2008 (UTC)

Check an edit, please

I'm at work, so I can't check the web site that the anon IP claims to have the reference. So, could someone here check this edit and verify the info? Thanks, Dismas|^(talk) 23:34, 7 September 2008 (UTC)

I can't find any such claim on the linked website. There's nothing on ethnicity in the biography section, where I would expect it to be. Algebraist 23:43, 7 September 2008 (UTC)

Thanks! Dismas|^(talk) 00:03, 8 September 2008 (UTC)