Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2012 July 16

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July 16

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Made a mistake in the article title -- how to fix it?

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In this new article USAV ''Malvern Hill'' (LCU 2025) I placed double quotes around the name of this vessel -- ideally, they should not be there. I don't know how to fix this.

The article title should be USAV Malvern Hill (LCU 2025).

Suggestions?

Cyberherbalist (talk) 05:42, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I moved it for you, though you can do that yourself, just click on the move tab at the top, slightly left of centre. Valenciano (talk) 05:49, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Ah ha! I had never seen that before. Thanks for the fast response! Cyberherbalist (talk) 05:54, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
The Move link is placed differently in the default Vector skin. See more at Wikipedia:Moving a page. PrimeHunter (talk) 10:17, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

US informationin Germany

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I am an American living in Germany and I am using the English translation for the the Wikipedia web site. I am specifically looking for chart information for several American music albums. However, the Wiki page for the albums have only the German and Swiss music chart information (i.e. this album hit # 26 on the German music chart). I'm sure this is because the information is coming through a German ISP. There's nothing wrong with German music charts - just not the information I'm looking for right now. Is there a way to connect with the US Wiki site so I can get US-focused information? Thanks. 07:47, 16 July 2012 (UTC)Kfoote (talk)

There is no such thing as a US Wikipedia, this is the English Wikipedia. Wikipedia is divided by language, not country. You can try searching for the artist/band in the search box at the top right of the page, but without the name of the artist/band we can't give you any more advice. Roger (talk) 07:58, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Wikipedia shows the same page to all readers regardless of their ISP and IP address. If you look at an external site for information then it's possible it will be different. Can you give a link? PrimeHunter (talk) 10:14, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

How or where can i display a proposed change to a protected page.

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I'm very new to Wiki Editing (a few days), i wish to propose a change to a semi-protected article's table layout. I copied the 'View Source' and compiled the table in a new format in My Sandbox. However, it doesn't look like other users can view test pages in another's sandbox.

Is there anywhere on Wiki that one can display a proposed change to an article so people can see how it looks? I think it's a great change and needs to be viewed by others who can then make their comments and opinions known.

Am i right in understanding that the main Sandbox gets written over pretty much instantly so i can't link to that? ManchesterSpeedway (talk) 09:59, 16 July 2012 (UTC) ManchesterSpeedway (talk) 10:01, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Everybody can see all pages including your sandbox. And yes, Wikipedia:Sandbox is often overwritten. If you link there then it should be to a specific version in the page history. Your account became autoconfirmed when you made you tenth edit 40 minutes ago so you can edit semi-protected pages now. PrimeHunter (talk) 10:09, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Indeed. Your sandbox is right here. Dismas|(talk) 10:50, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you for the info. Someone in the article i'm involved in 'talking' about has actually linked to my sandbox, so i do realize now that one can indeed do so. I don't think i'd ever seek to edit a semi-protected page unless had advance agreement from everyone. — Preceding unsigned comment added by ManchesterSpeedway (talkcontribs) 22:33, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Claim inactive username

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Hello, is it possible to claim a username of an user which is obviously inactive and even registered without any mail-adress record? --141.3.200.149 (talk) 10:44, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

In some cases, yes. See WP:USURP. Dismas|(talk) 10:48, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Greater Manchester

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Hi there is an article on Swinton which begins, "Swinton is a town within the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England."

What is meant by "Greater Manchester" here?

Kind regards Gerard Dugdill [details removed] (UK) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2002:5C29:335C:0:0:0:5C29:335C (talk) 12:26, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

You refer to Swinton, Greater Manchester which starts: "Swinton is a town within the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England." The blue or purple text is links. Click on "Greater Manchester" to see the meaning. PrimeHunter (talk) 12:33, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I have removed your phone number to protect your privacy. -- John of Reading (talk) 12:35, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Colombian Cyclists

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In the list of Colombian Cyclists, a cyclist was ommitted,PEDRONEL GIL GALLEGO, he lives in Miami, he is one of the "Keens of the Mountains" during 1950 and 1952 194.81.222.173 (talk) 14:51, 16 July 2012 (UTC)and he is also mention on the book by M. Randall,he is very well regarded as a cyclist as he was second and third. Please include him in the list of Colombian Cyclists.[reply]

194.81.222.173 (talk) 14:51, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply] 

Your sincerely.

N. Alvarez 194.81.222.173 (talk) 14:51, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

There is no List of Colombian cyclists. Could you give us the link? Regards.--GoPTCN 15:59, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I guess you mean Pedro Nel Gil. If you refer to Category:Colombian cyclists then it's not a list. It's a category and it can only show Wikipedia articles. There is no article about Pedro Nel Gil. See Wikipedia:Notability (sports) for requirements. If you can find sources to satisfy it then you can write an article yourself. See Wikipedia:Your first article. PrimeHunter (talk) 16:37, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Please copyedit London Chorus

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Someone please take a look at this article. Thanks in advance, Arcandam (talk) 15:00, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

The best venue for copyediting is WP:GOCE/REQ. Regards.--GoPTCN 15:56, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Blatant copyvio, I reverted it. Ryan Vesey Review me! 16:03, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Where do I find the template for References?

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I'm in sandbox and I don't know what it means after I use the template above to cite a book it tells me I have the ref but not the references???? Is this talking about coding? I've been reading the help pages but it just isn't clear what I'm supposed to do other than click on the templates provided and fill in the blanks. Then what? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Nflemin2 (talkcontribs) 16:12, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Hi, you need to add {{reflist}} to the bottom of the page in order for the references to appear. Ryan Vesey Review me! 16:13, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Display the duration of a YouTube video

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Is there a way to display the length/duration of a YouTube video? I would like this to be displayed next to the link to the video so users have an idea how long the video is. It seems that this information is obtainable via the YouTube API but I think that would require some JavaScript or PHP to use and I don't know how that would work on Wikipedia. We're assuming here that it is appropriate to link to the video in the first place. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Unjedai temp (talkcontribs) 16:54, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

{{Cite video}} has a time parameter that can be used to manually add the length. Ryan Vesey Review me! 16:59, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I was hoping for something more dynamic, so that if the video was edited and the duration changed, the value would update automatically on the wiki page. Unjedai (talk) 20:09, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
So is it possible to use JavaScript on a wiki page and use the YouTube API? Unjedai (talk) 15:47, 17 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Try asking at WP:VPT.— Vchimpanzee · talk · contributions · 21:34, 18 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
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Hello. I used to come to wikipedia all the time, but, alas, I fear today is the beginning of the end. When I viewed a page, suddenly, there appeared at the bottom of my page, this big ugly blue search bar for related terms. It says "related terms" as a link to automatically search those at random I supposed, then beside that "online advertising" because I just might want to click that! Then, a typical white search box. It is at the bottom of the wiki page and interferes with my line of vision, rather like having subtitles or closed captioning on when you would rather watch the movie. This bar also has to load with every page, creating a slight lag, sort of like a hiccup, where everything stops for a moment as you are trying to scroll down the page. Then, it suddenly moves but more than likely will instead present the popup message that a script working would you like to stop the script or proceed. This happens on every page and must be related to this new search box. I resent this intrusion in my wiki experience here and feel it is a cheesy and unnecessary addition to your site. Whoever decided to add it should discuss it with a board group or something and have it removed very quickly. I won't return until it is gone, the reading has become too cumbersome now and, after all, there really are a lot of different sites to go to, I had simply become accustomed to coming here. Thank you.

I also think it is ridiculous that my submission for help has to be treated like I am adding an article. I do not add articles, I do not care to nor do I know how. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 108.79.61.133 (talk) 17:23, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think it the wp site. Try http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page and see if it goes away. Then try WP:HD in the search box to see if you get back to here without it? It could be an add-on, malware type thing on your browser.--Canoe1967 (talk) 17:37, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I would have used a stronger word than "cheesy" for the thing you are seeing. And I agree with Canoe1967, it has nothing to do with the the Wikipedia site, some advertising malware has subverted your browser. I suggest that you install a different, new, browser, and check how the Wikipedia pages look in that. Maproom (talk) 17:47, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
See also Wikipedia:FAQ/Readers#Why do I see commercial ads at Wikipedia? PrimeHunter (talk) 20:19, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Try the free version of Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware. Arcandam (talk) 15:41, 17 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
No, I think it is Wikipedia itself. To experience this, you must be fortunate enough to have a slow network. I have got this many times. Yeah, everything like borders is colored in blue. The search box is under the bottom of the page. The talkpages etc. are also given there. Every thing is given in sections. I mean, there are separate sections for page-related ones, user-related ones etc. But I do not know about the ad. I suspect that Powered by MediaWiki and A Wikimedia Project is referred by it. I wonder if it is another skin, but I have got no opportunity to compare it. (I always liked it as it doesn't have the waste area to the left of vector skin). So it must be a networking problem not a malware one. When refreshed and the networkspeed becomes good, the page in vector skin is displayed. Vanischenu mTalk 16:46, 18 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Please obtain a screen capture if you can recreate this again. BigNate37(T) 16:58, 18 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Yuppie! I tried it now by disconnecting and reconnecting the network and was successful. Unfortunately, I have no software nor camera to do this. These are the properties. (The page was Polyvinyl chloride)

  • The chembox is on the left
  • Wikitables are on the left, without background color or border. No border but background only for yellow backgrounded vector terms.
  • Image is on left. All pictures have a blue border and are not like normal thumbnails (but the button for enlargement is given on right and text given below the image freely without a background color)
  • Links are underline and in blue (dark blue, not like vector skin), even the superscripts for ref are underlined.
  • TOC without border and background. In it, the sections have a solid round bullet, subsection a round hollow, and sub-subsection - a solid square.
  • [edit] is placed at left of each section just before the name. The size of it is larger for a high rank section. A sub section has a smaller sized [edit] item compared to its main section. It is in turn bigger than that of its own subsection.
  • Navbox Health issues of plastics and Polyhalogenated compounds (PHCs) is shown like a cladogram. But Plastics is shown as normal. Hi hi, the V·E·T is shown above the table (about the middle) and is given in separate lies. V above E above T. It looks weird.
  • After such sections and before categories, the following is written
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Polyvinyl_chloride&oldid=502656494"

After these the following are given in separate sections whose entries are bullet listed. Categories:, Hidden categories:, Personal tools, Namespaces, Variants, Views, Actions, Search, Navigation, Interaction, Toolbox, Print/export, Print/export.

At the very bottom of the page the comments on last modified, copyright status, etc which are found at a normal vector page are given but listed with bullets. The very last entries of the list are the images with blue boundaries containing the A Wikimedia Project and Powered by MediaWiki is given. This is to aligned to the left and anyone can mis-consider it as an ad Vanischenu mTalk 17:24, 18 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I checked every skins and the conclusion is it is not a skin.
The bottom part (from the section views onwards) is comparable (but is not identical) to My Skin.Vanischenu mTalk 17:40, 18 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
It sounds like you just need to clear your entire cache to get the normal page design working again. It was your mention of "online advertising" which made us think your computer was infected but now I guess you weren't referring to actual advertisements. PrimeHunter (talk) 21:23, 18 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I have uploaded the images. (I recently got a 5 MP mobile camera)

Thank you.···Vanischenu「m/Talk」 15:53, 15 September 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Replied at User talk:Vanischenu#Display problem. PrimeHunter (talk) 16:55, 15 September 2012 (UTC)[reply]

My watchlist is screwed up

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I used to use the watchlist customization feature that renders pages I haven't visited since the last change in italics. All of a sudden, it changed to displaying unvisited changes to bold display. What happened? I think the behavior of the watchlist display is controlled by the code at User:Toshio Yamaguchi/vector.css, but I didn't change anything there. I want to have my watchlist style back. -- Toshio Yamaguchi (tlkctb) 18:09, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Mine is messed up too in a similar way. It's probably just a momentary glitch, maybe related to the database lag. Equazcion (talk) 18:13, 16 Jul 2012 (UTC)
Wikipedia:Village_pump_(technical)#Bolding_of_unread_in_Watchlist_again... Equazcion (talk) 18:14, 16 Jul 2012 (UTC)
I had bold, then nothing, now it's bold on its own. It appears that somebody made a "bold" change to the main watchlist CSS. It should be reverted per the RfC if someone knows what page it is. Ryan Vesey Review me! 18:15, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Page of "Annabel Jäger"

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I´m very sorry. I editet the page of Annabel Jäger - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annabel_J%C3%A4ger. Now is the mask disturbed. Can you help to repair the side?

Thank you for your help. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.135.17.46 (talk) 18:56, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Fixed it for you, you just missed the closing brackets, }}--Jac16888 Talk 18:59, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Renaming an Event

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Is there a way to change the title of a yearly event that is listed on Wikipedia? There is a yearly festival that has been renamed, and I think it would be good to have the title use the new name, with (formely know as...) beside the title. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberta_Arts_Days 199.213.125.71 (talk) 19:16, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I found confirmation on the official website of the name change, so I have moved the article to Alberta Culture Days, leaving the old name as a redirect. The article still has issues, though. - Karenjc 19:56, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Age at time of death

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Is it applicable to put the age of a person when they died at the end of their "Death" section? For example: "On July 16, 2012 Smith died of a heart attack. He was 65 years old." Thechased (talk) 19:38, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I think that's fine. There are some templates that do this automatically, so it should be okay to do it by hand as long as the math is correct. RudolfRed (talk) 19:43, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
(edit conflict)This is usually handled in the infobox portion of the article. I believe there's a template where you enter the birth and death dates and it automatically calculates the age at death; and the standard is that the template and the information is included in the infobox rather than the text itself. See Wikipedia:Age calculation templates which has a list of commonly used templates for these purposes. --Jayron32 19:46, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

You may wish to see {{death date and age}}, the failed 2007 TfD nom for it, the failed policy proposal WP:DEATHAGE. I probably missed some relevant info, as well, but that ought to get you started. BigNate37(T) 19:47, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Quick favor

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I'm not sure whether it's my computer or the link that's the problem here, so could someone see if this goes anywhere? The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 19:49, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Doesn't lead to anything for me too. What do you want to do with it? -- Toshio Yamaguchi (tlkctb) 19:52, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
It's listed as an external link in Menachem Ben-Sasson, so if it's not working it should be fixed or removed, but I wanted to make sure it wasn't a problem on my end before doing anything. The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 19:59, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
In case you want to fix anything, here is a cached version at the Wayback Machine. -- Toshio Yamaguchi (tlkctb) 20:02, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks, I'll go put that in. It's happened to me a couple times that my computer just doesn't want to load a particular website, so I'm glad that's not what happened here. The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 20:09, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I get nothing as well. Just times out for me. --Jayron32 20:10, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Yeah, the server hosting that site seems to be down. -- Toshio Yamaguchi (tlkctb) 20:13, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
In the future you can use http://www.downforeveryoneorjustme.com to check this type of thing :) Equazcion (talk) 20:16, 16 Jul 2012 (UTC)
Thanks, will do. I thought there was probably some way, and now I know. The Blade of the Northern Lights (話して下さい) 20:24, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Awesome. That went straight to a new page in my userspace. :) -- Toshio Yamaguchi (tlkctb) 20:28, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Uncyclopedia

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What's Uncyclopedia and what's the relationship between wikipedia and it? Xentram (talk) 20:11, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Uncyclopedia. Bretonbanquet (talk) 20:13, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
It's a parody website that has no relation to Wikipedia (except that Wikipedia is the subject of their parody). Hersfold non-admin(t/a/c) 21:18, 16 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I think it's powered by MediaWiki, the same that runs ours. Vanischenu mTalk 04:21, 17 July 2012 (UTC)[reply]