Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2024 November 8

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November 8

Newspapers.com

Hello. I recently got renewed access to Newspapers.com through the WikimediaLibrary (hurrah) and it was working fine until yesterday when I can't access it again. Could someone please point me in the right direction to ask about this - I deleted the email thread about it once it was sorted and I can't remember where to go. Thanks BJCHK (talk) 09:21, 8 November 2024 (UTC)

@BJCHK You can post at WT:TWL, where that sort of issue normally gets resolved. Mike Turnbull (talk) 12:03, 8 November 2024 (UTC)

Search not working on main page using Chrome

Wikipedia looks normal when I open it, but the search function doesn't work at all. This has been happening during the last two days. Seems to work fine using Edge. Can't believe no one else has this problem! 8 Nov 2024 2603:6010:9501:2500:DD80:98E0:64CA:2E36 (talk) 11:21, 8 November 2024 (UTC)

What goes wrong? If there is no search box then look for a magnifying glass icon at top. PrimeHunter (talk) 12:34, 8 November 2024 (UTC)

I use Chrome (on a laptop) and the search function appears to work as normal for me. If you don't get a helpful response here, you can try Wikipedia:Village pump (technical). Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 12:35, 8 November 2024 (UTC)

It sounds like it might be a specific problem on your computer, as I have tried it on several different systems that run Chrome. However, since you are referring to a search box, this is often where your plug-in/extensions will interact with a page, such as password autofill, grammar checkers, etc., for that reason, perhaps try disabling all of your Chrome extensions and see if that solves your problem, if it does, then slowly add them back in until you discover which one is causing the problem. TiggerJay (talk) 15:52, 8 November 2024 (UTC)

You might need to clear up some cache in your Chrome browser. INeedSupport ^:3 18:43, 8 November 2024 (UTC)

How many readers, and percentage figures (thanks)

I'm not sure how to read the numbers, and have read varying tallies and estimates, so would like to know an accurate count/percentage to quote when needed:

1) How many individual readers view English Wikipedia daily? (average or approximate) Does a count correctly reflect each individual reader or does it add '1' each time a different page is clicked (even if by the same reader)?

2) What percentage of these readers view English Wikipedia on mobile and how many on desktop/laptop?

Thanks ahead of time. As a p.s., the 'Help' button at the top of my watchpage goes to MediaWiki and not to a relevant Wikipedia in-house page, which seems counter-productive (maybe a Wikipedia page can provide this information?). Randy Kryn (talk) 13:01, 8 November 2024 (UTC)

[1] may be of help, I think there's a filter for mobile and the like. Lee Vilenski ^{(talk • contribs)} 19:40, 9 November 2024 (UTC)

Walter Coy article

Instead of Mr. Coy the posted photo shows Jeff Morrow from his appearance in The Sign of the Pagan, 1954 2601:8C:4700:3800:FCF4:340E:9E99:9D43 (talk) 14:37, 8 November 2024 (UTC)

Thank you for your observation. Do you have a link or some other citation to establish what you're claiming? From a quick search, the photo currently shown for Coy [2] certainly does not look like it is from the Sign of the Pagan movie. I can see how they do appear to have some similar features and were active during the same years. TiggerJay (talk) 15:58, 8 November 2024 (UTC)

using push pin map to demarcate area and perimeter

I came across this article recently which uses push_pin parameters to locate the school in the infobox.
I noticed the perimeter of the school's grounds are demarcated but on exploring the infobox source I cannot see where the push pin map is getting the data for the boundaries.

Can anyone help explain through which process one would go about creating such a map that included perimeters? Thanks! Jo Jc Jo^{Talk💬Edits📝} 15:40, 8 November 2024 (UTC)

@Jo Jc Jo: See mw:Help:Extension:Kartographer/OSM. The data is from https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1299385063 which says "wikidata Q24995263". "In other projects" under "Tools" at Bogaerts International School also links there on "Wikidata item". Surprisingly, the Wikidata item does not link to https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1299385063. It doesn't have to. Kartographer gets data from OpenStreetMap by itself and detects the connection to the Wikipedia article. I think that it's not because OpenStreetMap links the Wikipedia article but because they both link the same Wikidata item. PrimeHunter (talk) 16:36, 8 November 2024 (UTC)

Table rowspan interaction with headings may have changed in Chrome

I noticed that Bitwise_operation#Truth_table_for_all_binary_logical_operators had alignment issues in Chrome and resolved it. While the rowspan attribute on the divider cells was large enough to include the bottom heading row, it didn't affect it. Using up-to-date browsers without extensions, this is impacting Chrome but not Safari or Firefox.

Because the historical page versions are rendering in the same broken way as the live page before I edited it, I believe it was a relatively recent change in Chrome. I tried searching the internet and didn't find any discussion of whatever the change may have been.

Playing around with the table, it looks like if I reduce one rowspan from 6 to 5 and add a normal non-header data cell into that bottom header, the other rowspan=6 works fine and includes a gap in that bottom header. But if there are no normal cells in that header row, then both rowspan=6 behave as if they were rowspan=5.

I'm posting here for three reasons. 1. This behavior isn't mentioned on Help:Table and related pages. I don't know if it should be. 2. I don't know if this is something that Chrome would consider to be a bug, and therefore if it should be reported. 3. If this is a permanent change that may affect multiple pages, someone might want to look for and fix other instances, if there are any. Solid kalium (talk) 16:28, 8 November 2024 (UTC)

@Solid kalium: Your edit made no change for me (except for adding some cell borders) in Google Chrome on Windows 10. Have you enabled Make headers of tables display as long as the table is in view, i.e. "sticky" near the bottom of Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-gadgets? The gadget alters table header rows but it can cause tables to become malformed when there are rowspans involving those cells. Different browsers may react differently to a malformed table. Or do you have a Chrome feature which tries to make sticky headers by itself? PrimeHunter (talk) 16:54, 8 November 2024 (UTC)

@PrimeHunter Thanks! That was indeed the issue. I was signed out in the other browsers.

I've removed the borders I added. Interestingly, the header for that table isn't sticky with or without that setting enabled. Solid kalium (talk) 19:56, 8 November 2024 (UTC)

Why are people allowed to write lies on my wikipedia about me. I want to rectify this

why are people allowed to write lies about me. I want to make my account accurate. 2A00:23C6:E787:D01:9846:14FD:87D3:141F (talk) 16:56, 8 November 2024 (UTC)

If you have particular concerns about libel written on your page, you can go to WP:BLPN and explain your situation in better detail there for a volunteer to assist you. Otherwise, Wikipedia is not censored and if the "lies" turn out to be backed up by reliable sources and given their proper weight in the article, they're likely to stay. Please do not edit your own article directly, unless the edits are obviously vandalism. Departure– (talk) 17:07, 8 November 2024 (UTC)

Assuming this is Louise Robey it's not a matter of people being allowed to write lies about you. Wikipedia doesn't necessarily document what is true but rather what can be verified by reliable secondary sources. These include this source - which is the basis for the statement on the Louise Robey page. Simonm223 (talk) 17:08, 8 November 2024 (UTC)

To clarify, I just added that source a few minutes ago. The statement was previously unsourced. But it's repeated in a lot of other places too, such in as the blurb for Stan Shaffer's posthumous 2010 book and several social media accounts claiming to represent Louise Robey. AntiDionysius (talk) 17:12, 8 November 2024 (UTC)

What is your account, then? Please log in to it to post. Bishonen | tålk 17:07, 8 November 2024 (UTC).

Presumably "account" as in "A record of events; a relation or narrative.". Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 21:33, 8 November 2024 (UTC)

You may find WP:About you and our FAQ for article subjects useful. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 21:33, 8 November 2024 (UTC)

Hacked accounts

I need help for hacked accounts please help I’m suffering from 2022 up to date there are many users and unknown devices in my account they have full access 149.54.37.34 (talk) 18:26, 8 November 2024 (UTC)

You are not currently logged in to an account. If you have an account and you suspect it to be compromised, please see WP:HACKED. Ivanvector (^Talk/_Edits) 18:30, 8 November 2024 (UTC)

Several hurricane remembrance templates need to be fixed

I recently created several hurricane or storm related userboxes and want to make some more. But the templates of User remember Gilbert and the User remember Gordon didn't turn out proper for some unknown reasons. Can somebody please help me revamp these templates and make both of them show properly according to Style Manuals? I intend to create other Hurricane or storm remembrance userboxes. Please help me. Angela Kate Maureen Pears 19:56, 8 November 2024 (UTC)

Publish Changes Button not Working

Every time that I have gone to use the publish changes button on the slender-billed vulture page after making my edits to the page, the top bar that shows the loading just loads forever and it never publishes. I can still edit the summary for some reason, but I can't exit out of it either to get back to the page. The only way out of it is to reload the page which deletes anything I added. What should I do? Thatcrypticrobyn (talk) 21:20, 8 November 2024 (UTC)

@Thatcrypticrobyn: I don't see anything that should be preventing you from editing - the page is not protected and there doesn't seem to be any unusual code on it, and I was able to edit it. Clearly you can edit other pages, though, so I don't think it's a software problem. You also have no entries in your filter log. I've made a copy of the page at Draft:Slender-billed vulture, can you try to make your edit to that page? Ivanvector (^Talk/_Edits) 21:32, 8 November 2024 (UTC)

@Ivanvector hm- this is so odd. So I logged out and back in to try one more time, and this time it worked on the original page, however I left some bolded content that I forgot to undo so I went to make another edit to fix it, which immediately started having the same problem. The only way I could fix that one was going to the source mode and sending it through as a minor edit through there, which finally worked. Thatcrypticrobyn (talk) 21:43, 8 November 2024 (UTC)

@Thatcrypticrobyn You now seem to have made an edit to slender-billed vulture, so I assume the issue is now resolved. Note that you should add cited sources for each statement as you proceed. Mike Turnbull (talk) 21:44, 8 November 2024 (UTC)

@Thatcrypticrobyn: hmm, I don't know the ins-and-outs of the visual editor very well, but maybe its code is getting stuck on something. Maybe there's an update in progress, or a recent change introduced a bug, or maybe an extension you're running is interfering with it. You might get better advice by posting at the village pump for technical issues. Hopefully you find a resolution soon, and sorry I couldn't be of more help. Ivanvector (^Talk/_Edits) 21:52, 8 November 2024 (UTC)

question about vandalism warnings and reporting to AIV

An account (Sdfdsa) was recently created, and it made an edit to Susie Wiles, that was the same as a reverted change by an IP user (72.77.35.159). As I believe that the user account was created in attempt to mask or hide the warning, should I count this warning as a warning when reporting the account to AIV? owuh (talk | she/her) 21:47, 8 November 2024 (UTC)

@Ow0cast I would be cautious about this. The content removed from the lead is not mentioned in the body text and hence is not a valid summary, as WP:LEAD says it should be. Hence it is arguably a perfectly reasonable change and not necessarily WP:VANDALISM. You would be better to handle this by engaging in a discussion on the Talk Page of the article well before going to AIV. Mike Turnbull (talk) 22:13, 8 November 2024 (UTC)

Understood, I was just going off of previous edits. I will of course go to the Talk Page before going to AIV, and was more asking for future reference. owuh (talk | she/her) 22:17, 8 November 2024 (UTC)

@Ow0cast Note also the Finkbeiner test, which may have been one of the reasons not to have that comment. Mike Turnbull (talk) 22:23, 8 November 2024 (UTC)

Michael D. Turnbull, I am reminded a bit about a possible reverse Finkbeiner test which is mentioned in that article. Consider Henry Way Kendall who won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1990. That is an article that I helped expand. Under this theory, his Wikipedia biography should focus entirely on his physics research with no mention of his possibly testosterone related avocations. Kendall was also an influential peace activist, and a highly accomplished diver and mountaineer. Given that he died at age 72 in a diving accident, failing to discuss his significant diving activities a half a century earlier would be a disservice to our readers, in my view. A well rounded life deserves a well rounded Wikipedia biography, in my opinion. Cullen328 (talk) 10:51, 9 November 2024 (UTC)

Agreed. The point here is whether the lead should use the phrase "she will be the first woman to...". There is an essay about that at WP:WAW. Mike Turnbull (talk) 12:15, 9 November 2024 (UTC)

Women dive and climb mountains, too. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 14:26, 9 November 2024 (UTC)

Yes they do, Pigsonthewing. I am the primary author of Miriam O'Brien Underhill. I also contributed to Arlene Blum and took the 1977 photo of her. Cullen328 (talk) 19:52, 9 November 2024 (UTC)