Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2024 January 30

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January 30

Colatura di alici

I would like to remove the warning "This article does not cite any sources. (January 2024)" because it's placed in the wrong place; it should be placed at the beginning of the article. Unfortunately, I cannot remove the warning, because removing it also removes the bibliography. Someone has wrongly formatted the bibliography. JackkBrown (talk) 00:48, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

JackkBrown, I have reversed one of your changes so the article now has a references section again. TSventon (talk) 01:01, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

@TSventon: to me it looks more like a bibliography than references. JackkBrown (talk) 01:11, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

@JackkBrown: "References" is a more usual heading, according to MOS:REFERENCES. The main thing is don't change the code under it as you did previously. TSventon (talk) 01:26, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

@JackkBrown: In this edit, it appears you changed <references /> to {{References}}. {{References}} redirects to {{Unreferenced}} - a banner usually placed at the top of an article stating that the article has no sources. Maybe you meant to use {{reflist}}, a template that formats the list of references in the proper place, usually a section called "References". GoingBatty (talk) 03:15, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

@GoingBatty: yes, that's right, my mistake, it had never happened to me before. I solved it: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Colatura_di_alici&diff=prev&oldid=1200729682. JackkBrown (talk) 03:57, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

Closing the Media Viewer is impossible?

That's dearchivation of my topic because it's ongoing. It's under today's date to prevent the bot from archiving it again. Hello. I noticed some issue with the Media Viewer of MW (i'm sure: this problem was not happened in the past). I cannot close it when i opened it after scrolling the page down (i mean going back to the article, not disabling it), because the page header covers it's close button. Are there any way to hide the header when the media viewer is opened? (This is a serious bug, it'll be better if someone can hide it when it's opened for everyone, not with some user-script.) RuzDD (talk) 21:30, 26 January 2024 (UTC)

@RuzDD: What device are you using? Could you please give an example of an article and image where you are experiencing this? Thanks! GoingBatty (talk) 00:33, 27 January 2024 (UTC)

@GoingBatty Firefox on Windows 10 PC, that happens on even the photo in this page. RuzDD (talk) 00:59, 27 January 2024 (UTC)

Extra note: my header is sticky. RuzDD (talk) 01:51, 27 January 2024 (UTC)

@RuzDD: I just had a similar experience that I could duplicate with the image on this page.

1. I click on the image above to go to File:The_Batley_Frontier_-_geograph.org.uk_-_413091.jpg and can see the close button.
2. I click on the image itself and it expands to cover the whole screen. Even when scrolling, I cannot see the close button.
3. I used my browser back button to go back to the help desk page.

Does this work for you? GoingBatty (talk) 01:56, 27 January 2024 (UTC)

Yes, i cannot see the close button on the in-page media viewer and that's the problem. I don't remember this from past so i think a recent interface change must be caused this. RuzDD (talk) 02:03, 27 January 2024 (UTC)

@RuzDD: Just to clarify - does using your browser's back button resolve the issue? GoingBatty (talk) 02:12, 27 January 2024 (UTC)

@GoingBatty Yes (sorry for late answer), but the close button is easier to use and must not be covered by header. RuzDD (talk) 12:14, 27 January 2024 (UTC)

I don't think there is a Close button on that page. When I open the image by clicking on it, it opens https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/The_Batley_Frontier_-_geograph.org.uk_-_413091.jpg, and the only content is the image, which does not fill my screen - there is a black border around it, and above that is the usual browser header. The only way back is the browser Back button. I do not remember there ever being a Close 'X' button for images displayed in this specific way. -- Verbarson  ^talk_edits 21:03, 27 January 2024 (UTC)

That's the builtin media support of the browser and not the subject of this topic. If you look at [1] (if you not disabled media viewer) you probably see a close button at the topright corner, now click it and click the image again after scrolling the page down a few lines. If your header is sticky like mine, you must see that button is covered by the header. RuzDD (talk) 22:13, 27 January 2024 (UTC)

@RuzDD By "sticky header", are you referring to some gadget or user CSS? If so, I think you need to bring this up with whoever wrote that gadget or CSS. Rummskartoffel 22:01, 31 January 2024 (UTC)

No, my custom CSS does not have a rule to make it sticky (i don't know if it's a gadget and i don't know who made it). I have a z-index, and problem is solved when i delete it, but i got problems on other wikis some other pages when i deleted it. So, i think there's a bug, but i'm not sure it's where. RuzDD (talk) 23:58, 31 January 2024 (UTC)

Correction: not on other wikis, rather than other pages (for example, i cannot see the header bar at Main Page). RuzDD (talk) 10:37, 1 February 2024 (UTC)

@Rummskartoffel May the whole problem is in Main Page(s)? RuzDD (talk) 03:48, 2 February 2024 (UTC)

The header bar not showing on the main page is probably intended behaviour. But in any case, the fact that removing your custom CSS fixes the issue means there isn't anything wrong with the media viewer. Rummskartoffel 22:40, 2 February 2024 (UTC)

Image layout

Could I have some help from a sighted editor to deal with this edit on my watchlist to the Torreón page? I'm blind and use a screen reader and even *I* know that that's a rather unorthodox image layout. Thanks! Graham87 (talk) 05:36, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

I ripped out a bunch of images. Now it looks ok to me. Maybe excessive, but just a stack on the right edge. DMacks (talk) 06:57, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

I use the skinnier width layout on vector and it is still uh... not pretty. But that's mostly the fault of the climate table. PARAKANYAA (talk) 07:03, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

@DMacks, @PARAKANYAA: The article suffers from attempting to be a picture-postcard of the town. I have further culled the "sight-seeing" images which caused the clutter by removing any not mentioned in the text; and restored the climate table to full-width. Bazza (talk) 09:56, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

Thanks Bazza 7! DMacks (talk) 15:47, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

Draftspace

Once I make an article in draft space, once I think it's ready do I have to go through the AfC process, or can I just move it provided I am a (generally) experienced editor?

This isn't related to any articles that were moved into draftspace due to being considered currently unsuitable for mainspace, I figure that would be different. PARAKANYAA (talk) 06:55, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

You don't have to, but newer users are well-advised to go through the Afc process. You have over 12,000 edits and around a dozen created articles to your credit, and that seems like well into the experienced editor territory. If based on your experience, you are persuaded that the Draft demonstrates clear WP:Notability and has sufficient citations to reliable sources, I think you are within your rights to just move it to main space. Mathglot (talk) 08:38, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

(ec) :Per WP:CONFIRM, "Autoconfirmed/confirmed users can create articles". The worst that that can happen is it gets WP:AfD'd. Just remember to remove the draft afterwards. Clarityfiend (talk) 08:42, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

I knew that, I was just worried about the fact I started it in draftspace and was going to move it, not starting it directly in mainspace. I seem to be fine to do this though. PARAKANYAA (talk) 08:57, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

The normal way to promote a draft to an article is to move it from "Draft:Whatever" to "Whatever", turning the former title into a redirect. I don't think that anything else that could be called a removal is needed. -- Hoary (talk) 09:18, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

Not with your own draft. That would make the whole process rather pointless. Clarityfiend (talk) 00:22, 31 January 2024 (UTC)

I would guess they meant the big draft template thing that's created whenever you make a draft with the draft wizard. PARAKANYAA (talk) 09:21, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

I have written over a hundred articles and none has ever been deleted. I write new articles in my sandbox space, and move them to main space only when I am certain that the topic is notable and that my work shows that through its references. And that it complies with our other policies and guidelines. Newer autoconfirmed editors can create mainspace articles if they want, but the New Pages Patrollers will take a look and they are not pushovers. Editors who write outstanding content have nothing to worry about. Editors who write mediocre, poorly referenced content ought to worry and should change their ways. Cullen328 (talk) 11:17, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

can't login on other device

There is no problem to log in on my computer, but it doesn't work on my smartphone. Could it be blocked for some reason? I deleted and downloaded the wiki app twice, but it doesn't help. What is the problem? Dall'Abaco (talk) 09:04, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

What happens when you instead use a browser on your phone? -- Hoary (talk) 09:15, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

login via browser on iphone doesn't work neither Dall'Abaco (talk) 09:38, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

When, using your computer, you successfully log in, are you typing in your password, or is the browser feeding Wikipedia the password you've already had the browser save for the purpose? If the latter, is it possible that, now that you're using your phone, you've misremembered the password? -- Hoary (talk) 12:21, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

No, I can reach my account from every device except my iPhone. It's IP adresse is obviously blocked, so I guess. The previous history: a couple of month before I had another wiki account which worked well on every device, but I deleted it and created this one. Since that moment I can't use the mobile phone. Could it be relevant somehow? Dall'Abaco (talk) 16:21, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

You can't actually delete an account, you can only abandon it...do you still have the login information? Valereee (talk) 16:56, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

Yes, but I can‘t login there from the iPhone neither. Whatever browser I use or an app - it doesn‘t work here. But on other devices. 213.21.54.182 (talk) 17:50, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

it says, the password is incorrect. When I tried to change password from the mobile it didn‘t work neither - as if no action werde done at all, and the password remained the same on other devices. Very strange. 213.21.54.182 (talk) 18:02, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

Using another iPhone it doesn't login neither. Only on android. Dall'Abaco (talk) 18:09, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

Another inconsistency in B

Note that most articles denote the letter is in Latin alphabet, but B is in Latin-script alphabet. I want to note that so you should make it sound synchronized it every alphabetical article. It is different in the lead sentence. 2001:EE0:4BC5:7AC0:3DA6:7723:C1A5:5A75 (talk) 11:37, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

If you have a suggestion for the article B, please make it in a formal edit request at the foot of Talk:B. (Perhaps you should rephrase "make it sound synchronized it", which makes no sense to me. Also, please explain the difference between "Latin alphabet" and "Latin-script alphabet".) -- Hoary (talk) 12:27, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

No need to talk about. The main and visible change is the redirect to subheading and the entire article. One, for 'Latin-script alphabet', direct me to the written alphabet. Another, for 'Latin alphabet' takes me to the entire article. You can go there for verification. 2001:EE0:4BC5:7AC0:3DA6:7723:C1A5:5A75 (talk) 14:11, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

I think (and I could be wrong, because it's a bit confusing), that say A says it's is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, whilst B says it's of the Latin-script alphabet. Latin alphabet and latin-script alphabet are for some reason different articles. Lee Vilenski ^{(talk • contribs)} 14:18, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

I agree with you. It could confuse the readers as what would be more correct and more precise, Latin or Latin-script. Though it looks the same, but there is actual difference in meaning. So why not figure it out now? 2001:EE0:4BC5:7AC0:3DA6:7723:C1A5:5A75 (talk) 14:33, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

Probably a better question for one of the talk pages in question, probably at talk:B, or WT:LANGUAGES. Lee Vilenski ^{(talk • contribs)} 14:35, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

Yeah. I will do that now. 2001:EE0:4BC5:7AC0:3DA6:7723:C1A5:5A75 (talk) 14:37, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

Wikipedia:Education noticeboard/Wiki Ed course submissions

Can anyone fix the archiving here? It's some sort of unusual manual system, but the page hasn't been archived since sometime in 2022 and it's now at 700Kbytes. I can't even get it to load. Valereee (talk) 12:19, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

I'm on it. Graham87 (talk) 15:31, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

Thank you! Valereee (talk) 15:47, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

Done ... I hope it all works. That page had/has ... a remarkably odd setup. I'll try to keep an eye on it. Graham87 (talk) 16:10, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

How to use Massviews to search for all English Wikipedia pages which use references from a source?

Hi all

I want to find all the pages on English Wikipedia (and later from other Wikipedias) which use references from a specific source, starting with FAO.

I've managed to work out with help that I can use this query for all articles on English Wikipedia which includes fao.org in the wikitext.

However I've realised this will miss out any references sources from FAO which don't include the URL, e.g if the reference was generated from an ISBN. I think this can be captured if it would be possible to add to the previous search to look for either fao.org or publisher=FAO on the page.

Can someone tell me how to add this to the existing query?

Thanks very much

John Cummings (talk) 12:45, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

My own Wikipedia page

I would like to get rid of the template at the top of my page which flags up a problem with my wikipedia page 82.12.60.204 (talk) 13:07, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

we don't know who you are, you know. ltbdl (talk) 13:18, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

Danny Lee Wynter is NOT your Wikipedia page it is Wikipedias article about you and currently it is VERY poorly sourced to two press releases, hence the tags. Theroadislong (talk) 13:20, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

Three of the four tags on the article were inappropriately applied, so I have removed them. However, the fourth is correct - the article lacks sources. See WP:V and WP:RS. And if you are the subject of the article, please see our FAQ. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 14:45, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

The edits I've put up are getting deleted by another user who is threatening to block me from platform

I've been editing a page on wikipedia --> Jensen-Group. I've been editing with information about the company from their website. I've tried to make the edits on the page twice now, but the same user called Mean As Custard has been deleting my edits and claims the content I'm adding is 'promotional or advertising material' which I believe it is not. I've only been adding facts from the company's website which are factual according to the company. The user Mean As Custard is threatening to block me from using the platform if I make the edits to the wikipedia page. What should I do? 2A02:C7C:6421:ED00:557A:F4B:3B1E:FF00 (talk) 15:31, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

This user User:Idabranding is editing whilst logged out, has now been blocked for promotional and undisclosed paid editing. Theroadislong (talk) 15:45, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

please enable preview by default again

Several days ago, the preview feature stopped working. By "preview", I mean the setting that can be enabled by clicking the very last text string ("Edit preview settings") at the bottom of most if not all Wikipedia pages. By "stopped working", I mean that it is off by default. (It had been on for many months if not years.)

If there is a reason why the default is now off, at least please make the setting persistent. As it is, I need to click on the "Edit preview settings" string and enable it on every page. When I open a new page in Wikipedia, the new page should inherit that setting from the old page (my opinion, of course). But please restore the default of having preview enabled. Thank you. 184.169.112.59 (talk) 19:00, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

Hi fellow IP editor - the preview feature still works exactly as it always has for me. It sounds like there may be a problem specific to the software you use to edit Wikipedia. If you head over to WP:VPT and give them the details on your setup, maybe they can pinpoint the problem. 57.140.16.1 (talk) 19:47, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

Thanks for the reply. Sad to say, I am not an editor. At the link you provided (and possibly out-of-context), I read: "Page Previews is made for readers who have no use for many Navpopups features like disambiguating links, and many other features would just be distractions to most readers. And Page Previews is designed to work for unregistered users so it has no configuration options apart from a way to disable it." Well, I am a reader and have no login, so that seems to describe me, except that preview now has no configuration option apart from a way to enable (rather than disable) it--and that option does not stick from page to page. FWIW, this is in Firefox 122.0 under macOS 11.7.10. However, based on your comment that it hasn't changed for you, I checked the Wikipedia home page in Safari, and preview is enabled in that browser, so maybe something changed in Firefox. Being a non-techy, I wouldn't know where to look. 184.169.112.59 (talk) 21:45, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

It sounds like a problem with a cookie in Firefox. Try to delete cookies for wikipedia.org. Start by clicking the padlock icon to the left of the address bar in Firefox while you are here at wikipedia.org. PrimeHunter (talk) 20:35, 31 January 2024 (UTC)

Thank you; that seems to have fixed it. But it wasn't quite as you speculated. I always clear cookies before visiting Wikipedia, so I start with a clean slate. However, when I clicked the lock icon (thanks for that tip) and looked around, it said cookies were blocked. I went to Firefox's Manage Exceptions for cookies, and there was an entry for Wikipedia that said to block cookies. (There was an additional entry that said to allow session cookies.) I cleared all entries related to Wiki[anything], and pages no longer have the "Edit preview settings" link and I did see previews. Thank you for the suggestion to investigate cookies, and especially for the suggestion to click the lock icon. 184.169.112.59 (talk) 13:51, 1 February 2024 (UTC)

Changing accounts

I have a new account. How do I import bookmarks from my old one ? Bear2647 (talk) 19:27, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

Hello. Bookmarks are a feature of the mobile app, and are not available in a browser, as far as I know. I don't know whether you can transfer them between accounts or not. The place to look is MW:Wikimedia Apps and its subpages (there seems to be information about bookmarks in the "Android App FAQ" and "IOS App FAQ" pages). If you can't find what you want, I suggest asking on the talk page of the appropriate FAQ page.

You could also ask at WP:VPT, but unless somebody there happens to know the answer, I suspect they'll point you to the same pages as I have done. ColinFine (talk) 21:23, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

I suggest others not spend too much time on this question; they are either a sock of soon-to-be-banned Bears247 (talk · contribs), or a joe job. Floquenbeam (talk) 21:37, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

@Bear2647: Just WP:AGFing for a moment. (yeah. I know) What was that old account? -- Deepfriedokra (talk) 21:40, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

I'm right here. You can threaten me directly. Are you a moderator? An admin ? Bear2647 (talk) 22:03, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

You know, Bear, it doesn't really matter whether someone asking a question is an admin. Maybe that's been the problem. Any experienced editor is worth listening to and taking seriously. Valereee (talk) 22:19, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

I'm an admin, not that it matters, and I'd like answer to my question to better assist you. Thanks! -- Deepfriedokra (talk) 00:01, 31 January 2024 (UTC)

CU found this Bear unrelated to that Bear. Anyway. Not sure what "closed account means," but I'm out of time and I'm hungry, so signing off. -- Deepfriedokra (talk) 00:06, 31 January 2024 (UTC)

this other account is not me. crazy to me that somebody would take the time to make a fake account in attempt to get me banned Bears247 (talk) 04:30, 31 January 2024 (UTC)

@Bears247: Or just someone with exquisitely poor timing in choosing so similar a username. Or one of our LTA's having fun. I guess we'll never know. Oh, blocked. @Bear2647: Please email me the answer to what your prior account was. Thanks -- Deepfriedokra (talk) 06:03, 31 January 2024 (UTC)

Population history table appearing under references header regardless of its placement in the source

The population history table for Armstrong's Point keeps appearing under the references header, regardless of its actual position in the source. I'm trying to have it under the demographics header like it is for Centennial, Winnipeg and Central Park (Winnipeg) but when displayed on a full desktop display it always appears under the References tag. It doesn't do this on the mobile app or when the page is less than a 16:9 ratio. Any advice would be highly appreciated.

Thank you, AveryTrashmouth (talk) 20:27, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

It's something to do with the presence of the image on the right in the §History section. Removing that image fixes the placement of the §Demographics items. DMacks (talk) 20:57, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

Citation error

Hello I'm writing a draft and I have a problem with citing a source here. Could you help me fix it again? Thanks! ⚒️★MinecraftPlayer★³²¹⚒️ Let's Chat! 21:03, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

This is the edit that broke things. You wrote:

<ref name=":3"

with no closing > for the tag. But there is a deeper problem. Either you are trying to define the reference named ":3", but you do not have an actual reference here, or you are trying to re-use a reference, but there is no actual ref by that name defined. What exactly do you want in that reference? DMacks (talk) 21:19, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

I need the 3rd reference of the list ⚒️★MinecraftPlayer★³²¹⚒️ Let's Chat! 21:46, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

Hold up. I'm sorry, I gave the wrong link. Here's the updated page. I need the second reference of the reference list. Thanks ⚒️★MinecraftPlayer★³²¹⚒️ Let's Chat! 21:49, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

@MinecraftPlayer321: It appeared you both had slightly incorrect syntax for the empty ref tag and was using a name that matched the title in the cite but not the name of the ref. This diff fixes it, I believe, so you can see how it normally should be. Please let me know if I was wrong in my assumption. Skynxnex (talk) 22:26, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

Thank you! ⚒️★MinecraftPlayer★³²¹⚒️ Let's Chat! 00:04, 31 January 2024 (UTC)

Pump won't work

I have a 32 Oz bottle of facial cleanser. When I inserted the pump into bottle I can't get the pump to work. Please respond on what to do. 2601:201:8B80:67B0:8A94:8136:EBF2:BA41 (talk) 21:03, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

This page is for asking questions about "how to use or edit Wikipedia". Meters (talk) 21:09, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

You could try contacting the manufacturer. GoingBatty (talk) 21:22, 30 January 2024 (UTC)