Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2009 September 12

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September 12

Searching an article's history

Resolved

 – Jeffrey Mall (talk • contribs) - 15:31, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

Is there a way to search the history of an article? For example, an article is citing a book and I'm pretty sure that book is based on an older copy of a Wikipedia article meaning the article is citing Wikipedia and not a reliable source. I know I could hunt-n-peck my way through the history. Is there a way to search it to see at what points a specific phrase may have been in the article? --Marc Kupper|talk 03:22, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

Would this be what you are looking for? Calvin 1998 ^(t·c) 03:30, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

That does the trick. Thanks! --Marc Kupper|talk 04:14, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

How to Create a Link to a "Diff", please?

Resolved

 – Jeffrey Mall (talk • contribs) - 15:31, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

What's the right way to create a click-able link on a talk page for the "Diff" that this url

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Steve_Carson&diff=prev&oldid=285822238

points to? ( and could you put "nowiki" tags around your reply, so I don't get confused? )

Thanks! Ohiostandard (talk) 06:41, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

Try [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Steve_Carson&diff=prev&oldid=285822238] for [1] or [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Steve_Carson&diff=prev&oldid=285822238 this] for this. –túrian^patois 06:53, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

See Help:Diff and Template:Diff. -Optigan13 (talk) 06:55, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

Bee-yoo-tee-full! Thanks, both of you! Ohiostandard (talk) 06:58, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

Links

Is there any way on wikipedia to make a link that automatically purges a page without having to go through the "would you like to purge this page" page? Neobenedict (talk) 10:05, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

Update: Can it be posted in my talk page? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Neobenedict (talk • contribs) 10:06, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

Replied on user talk. The confirmation step for purges should only be needed for users who are not logged in. PrimeHunter (talk) 10:14, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

I am unable to look up for an article, i was on somedays back, today.

Hello,

I was surfing on 'sex' and after much of it i ended up on article( which i dont remmember). It explained about the time not good to have sex eg: sex under rainy, dark sky, thunder causes ill to lady. And about an estimated time of intercourse right after 'her' period for conditioning the sex of the child..and so on. Please, i have surfed alot more with no result. If help can be brought. i seek for it. Please please please, this one you organise is a vast collection and thats where i feel so helpless.

Thanks, 'pa'pi 13:34, 12 September 2009 (UTC) pa. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Paandkv (talk • contribs) 13:34, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

What Web browser are you using? When did you view the page you are trying to find? Modern browsers have a "History" item on the menu bar which shows the pages you have recently browsed. Did you view the article on Wikipedia? The bit about a link between sex and weather does not sound encyclopedic, so maybe you did not read that on Wikipedia. See Maternal influence on sex determination and Human sex ratio, and try searching with Google. --Teratornis (talk) 19:25, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

Thank you people. However, its not it. Fortunately, atleast, i know only one wiki and one google i surf and i read the article here. I was there after checking on many a Hyperlinked word..i can recollect vageuly i was on 'positions', then its ways of performing, e.g,oral, nonpenetrative, mutual mast. then..seminophagia along an animated pic of lady with a jar full of semen, then suddenly to chinese names; thats where i read them all. I dont have the History anymore and am feeling so sorry to have not saved the page. Dint knew the worth less its absence. Only after that i opened this a/c to see if it helps anyhow. Thanks for the help anyways. thanks anyways. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Paandkv (talk • contribs) 13:59, 13 September 2009 (UTC)

Unable to confirm my email address

I want to get email when one of my watched pages is updated, or if someone sends me a message. I click the link to confirm my email address, and it says it sends me a code, but it never arrives. Is there something else I need to do? --MrsSpooky 14:33, 12 September 2009 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by MrsSpooky (talk • contribs)

Could you double check that you have entered the address correctly? If so, check your spam/junk folder in case an over-zealous filter is blocking the confirmation email. ∙ AJCham^talk 14:43, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

Note that the feature to get email notification of edits to watched pages or your talk page is disabled on the English Wikipedia. But a mail with confirmation code should still be sent to the address you give when you try to enable email. If you cannot receive the mail there then you may try another email address. See Help:Email confirmation#Known issues. PrimeHunter (talk) 15:22, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

Thanks, that does help explain things. The address is correct and I frequently check my junk mail folder. Nothing. I do not get an email with any codes. I tried 2 email addresses, but both were from the same domain (these are the mailboxes I check frequently). If it doesn't work, then getting the code to enable this feature is moot. Thanks again! --MrsSpooky 18:45, 12 September 2009 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by MrsSpooky (talk • contribs)

New image version does not show off at the article

Hi guys, I uploaded a new version of File:Air Berlin A320.jpg, but in the article still the old one appears. What went wrong? Per aspera ad Astra (talk) 14:42, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

I purged the server cache for that image on Commons, and it is now showing correctly (although you may need to refresh the page, or clear your local cache - Ctrl+F5 - to see it). The new picture was uploaded a month and a half ago, so I am baffled as to why it had not yet updated. ∙ AJCham^talk 14:51, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

How to search for user by IP block range

I've looked here Help:Special_page and tried using Special:AllPages and Special:ListUsers but can't find a way to search for a user by ip block range.

This would be useful to see what edits a particular user from one isp would of likely to have done. 118.208.97.169 (talk) 15:27, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

In your preferences > Gadgets > User Interface Gadgets:

Allow /16 and /24 – /32 CIDR ranges on Special:Contributions forms (uses API), as well as wildcard prefix searches, e.g., "Splark*".

∙ AJCham^talk 17:55, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

Thanks for the keyword CIDR

It helpmed me find a solution that has the dvantage of listing all the contributions from the range in order by date, with the most recent ones first. (This helps focus your attention on vandals who are currently active).and also works with anonymous users - Wikipedia:Administrators'_noticeboard/IncidentArchive561#Vandalism_by_66.4.233.x_IP_range 118.208.97.169 (talk) 11:53, 13 September 2009 (UTC)

css for removing the navigation tab

Hi all!
I find that the navigation tab on the left takes up way too much space on my cellphone. What would I have to add to my monobook.css to remove it? Thanks in advance, decltype (talk) 16:31, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

If you're having issues with navigation on a mobile phone, try using the mobile version of Wikipedia at http://en.m.wikipedia.org. Be aware that you cannot edit from the mobile version. If you absolutely must be able to edit, you can go to Special:Preferences and switch to "MySkin", "Nostalgia", or "Chick", which remove all of the left-hand toolboxes. Xenon54 / talk / 16:58, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

The following CSS should zap the four standard boxes on the left, and resize the main content pane to fill the space. Of course this means you lose those four boxes altogether, which rather handicaps the interface. Ask me if you want to just move them to the top; I think they can just be unfloated (so they'll take vertical space rather than horizontal).

   div.generated-sidebar {  display:none; }
   div#p-logo   { display:none; }
   div#p-search { display:none; }
   div#p-tb     { display:none; }
   div#p-lang   { display:none; }
   div#content  { margin-left:0; }

This shouldn't zap editing, so you shouldn't be able to get yourself into an interface that you can't get out of. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 17:03, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

Update: you also need the p-lang line, which I've added above. --Finlay McWalter • Talk 17:11, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

Thanks, will try! decltype (talk) 19:43, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

What about #p-coll-create_a_book, #p-navigation, and #p-interaction?Lemmiwinks2 (talk) 20:11, 13 September 2009 (UTC)

<--Update: it worked well. I reinstated the search field using

div#p-search { 
left:0px !important;
top:-30px !important;  
}

Quick question: How would I go about putting it in the top right corner instead? Thanks, decltype (talk) 00:19, 13 September 2009 (UTC)

Use the Try Beta link at the top. Not sure if that CSS is compatible with the Vector skin though. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 00:29, 13 September 2009 (UTC)

submitting or posting a new page

I created an account and wrote an article. Apparently I didn't submit it correctly because the only place on Wikipedia that it can be found is in my account. When I go to the main page and search for it it's no where to be found. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.171.73.37 (talk) 18:02, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

What was it called? -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 18:06, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

You wrote your article whilst logged into the account you created, so it's not showing up in the contributions history of the anonymous IP address under which you asked this question. You say "the only place on Wikipedia that it can be found is in my account", so it's probable that you have written the text of your article on your user page rather than creating a new article in the encyclopaedia space. That's why it doesn't show up in searches - it's not actually in the encyclopaedia yet. It's actually a good idea to work on a new article in your user space first before it goes live as an article, referring to guidance like Wikipedia:Your first article to ensure that what you are writing meets the site's guidelines and policies and will not be nominated quickly for deletion. You can create a sandbox in your user space if you like, as a convenient place to work on articles. If you can tell us under what account name you created the article, we can advise you whether it's ready to be a Wikipedia article, and we can also leave some handy links on your talk page to help you find your way around the editing process. Karenjc 19:01, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

How do you submit a feature request?

I would like to request that they find a way to localize dates because I'm sick of having to switch dates around in my head when reading an article. Thanks. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.235.191.128 (talk) 18:36, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

Proposals for changes of this type go to the Village pump, but if by "localize dates" you mean standardize a format for expressing day/month/year, bear in mind that this has been discussed at length over the years. This is a summary of the styles that are currently acceptable. If you mean a feature that would automatically change all dates so they were shown in your own country's preferred format, I suppose some whiz could possibly write some code that would do the job for IP editors whose IP identifies their location (not a clue how though), but it wouldn't work for anyone editing on a named account. Karenjc 19:16, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

If you create an account then you can select a preferred date format at Special:Preferences, but many or most dates may ignore the preference setting. See more at Wikipedia:Manual of Style (dates and numbers)/Date autoformatting. PrimeHunter (talk) 19:24, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

Posted by original user: Thanks! I made a new account (made an account years ago but it's probably long gone by now). I hope it helps a bit. And yes I mean a feature that would allow users to display dates the way they want. Writers should be able to enter them any way they want as well. I'll think about it some more and maybe post something in the village pump area. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Vbilaniuk (talk • contribs) 22:12, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

We have a #dateformat magic word that can style the date, but readers who are not logged in will see the raw date. Technically, we could stick a default format, but just don't see any consensus on the mmm-dd-yyyy v. dd-mmm-yyy formats. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 23:00, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

OMGosh that's exactly what I was talking about! Thank you! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Vbilaniuk (talk • contribs) 02:47, 13 September 2009 (UTC)

Re it's probably long gone now - accounts are very rarely deleted, even if they have been dormant for years. If you could remember the details (such as the e-mail address associated with it), you could get a new password sent to you! -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 09:20, 13 September 2009 (UTC)

Parsing question (yet again)

Can the parse function

{{#ifeq: (string 1) | (string 2) | (value if equal) | (value if unequal) }} 

work with very long strings (say, userpages?)? If so, how (mine doesn't seem to be working)? Also, does that function recognize the expressions "{{Template resulting in string 1}}" and "{{subst:Template resulting in string 1}}" and "string 1" as equal (if not, which, if any)? Thanks in advance. Intelligentsium 19:57, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

Trying to find website?

I am trying to find a free bettting website where you can bet with imaginary money. Its a very popualr website but forgot the name. Does anyone know? Thanks. --OtherIncomeQuad (talk) 20:46, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

Hello. I suspect, based on your question, that you found one of our roughly three million articles, and thought that we were directly affiliated in some way with that subject. Please note that you are at Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia that anyone can edit, and this page is a help desk for asking questions related to using the encyclopedia. Thus, we have no inside track on the subject of your question. You can, however, search our vast catalogue of articles by typing a subject into the search field on the left hand side of your screen. If you cannot find what you are looking for, we have a reference desk, divided into various subject areas, where asking knowledge questions is welcome. Best of luck. Intelligentsium 21:24, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

Hi, the help desk is only for asking questions about how to use Wikipedia, I'm sure the folks at the Reference desk wouldn't mind helping you find your website. Jeffrey Mall (talk • contribs) - 21:28, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

Pokerstars has an option that allows you to play with pretend money. TNXMan 03:25, 13 September 2009 (UTC)

Changing the monobook.css

ionI'm a beta user and use the monobook skin with the green text on black background option. The problem is, it is hard to read the green text inside white boxes. Could somebody tell me excactly how I change the green text to white instead? I created my user page and saved '/monobook.css' on it in an effort to edit the skin, but that didn't help much :) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ioannes Climacus (talk • contribs) 23:05, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

Change user:Ioannes Climacus/monobook.css. Help:User style has some more info. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 23:09, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

If he is using Beta, isn't he using the Vector skin; in which case it would be user:Ioannes Climacus/vector.css? ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 23:15, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

How to link from a Wikipedia article to an ovg video file

I can't seem to find how to link to an ovg video file. To link to an image file you use the following format: "[[Image:filename.jpg ..." How do you link from a Wikipedia article to an ovg video file? Any help would be appreciated. Mfstelmach (talk) 23:30, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

I guess [[File:example.ovg should do it. I've linked an .ogg video in the same way anyway. Smartse (talk) 00:13, 13 September 2009 (UTC)

I don't think files ending in .ovg can be uploaded. Wikipedia:Creation and usage of media files says: "As of December 2008, the following file types may be uploaded: png, gif, jpg/jpeg, xcf, pdf, mid, ogg, svg, djvu." What is the exact name of the file? PrimeHunter (talk) 12:14, 13 September 2009 (UTC)

After looking at your Commons contributions I guess you mean an ogv file. See Wikipedia:Creation and usage of media files#Video usage. PrimeHunter (talk) 13:15, 13 September 2009 (UTC)

Creating an account

I tried to create an account with the user name consisting of 4ea tilde symbols (to the left of the [1] key). When I submit the request (along with a password) the Login server apparently crashes. I hope I didn't break it. Anyways, what is going wrong? 174.146.36.96 (talk) 23:41, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

Tildes probably don't work in usernames. If you are having problems creating an account, you can request an account here. I create accounts, and I would be glad to process your request promptly. Intelligentsium 00:08, 13 September 2009 (UTC)

Since four tildes are wikimarkup for a signature, that probably won't work; if it did, it would be confusing. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 00:27, 13 September 2009 (UTC)