Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2024 October 25

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October 25

Error Message

I am new to Wikipedia and trying to create a new article about my game development company and a game we are creating. I can't seem to publish the article or submit it for review. I get the error message: No stashed content found for 0/ade9d217-8059-11ef-b300-337c9d2b1324

I tried Googling what to do and looked at several articles from people with the same issue. What do I do to fix this? Nothing i've found is clear. Impossiblycreative (talk) 00:05, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

New accounts cannot directly create articles, you must submit it for a review via the Article Wizard, but you will need to radically change your approach. Wikipedia is not a place for companies to tell the world about themselves. Wikipedia articles summarize what independent reliable sources with significant coverage have chosen on their own to say about the company, showing how it meets the special Wikipedia definition of a notable company. Please see your first article.

You must read the information on your user talk page. You must also immediately change your username so it is individualistic, go to Special:GlobalRenameRequest. 331dot (talk) 00:10, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

@Impossiblycreative Just to mention that the "no stashed content" error message happens when you leave the visual editor open for too long without save/publishing an edit: I don't know exactly how long but it never happens in the source editor I normally use. Mike Turnbull (talk) 11:54, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

Added to WP:PFAQ#STASH. Folly Mox (talk) 17:20, 26 October 2024 (UTC)

The error message for this is MediaWiki:rest-no-stashed-content. Some admin (of which I'm not one anymore) should probably add a more descriptive error message there. See also phab:T366721. * Pppery * _{it has begun...} 18:04, 26 October 2024 (UTC)

Help w/ custom signature and line breaks

When I reply to talk pages and discussions using (*) to make a bullet point or (:) to indent, my signature appears on the next line, as though a line break is inserted. I have played around with the placement of the markup, adding and removing the hyphens and emoji, and a few other things and I can't figure it out. I will reply to this to provide examples of what it looks like. What is causing this? My signature is formatted as:

--[[User:Myceteae|<span style="font-family: verdana; color: blue;"><b>MYCETEAE</b></span>]] 🍄‍🟫—[[User talk:Myceteae|<span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>talk</i></span>]]

Please let me know if me know if this is the wrong place to ask. I saw someone direct another editor here for a question about signatures. Many thanks! --MYCETEAE 🍄‍🟫—talk 00:23, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

• Here is an example with a bullet.

--MYCETEAE 🍄‍🟫—talk 00:25, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

And here is one that is indented.

--MYCETEAE 🍄‍🟫—talk 00:25, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

@Myceteae: You use "Enable quick replying" at Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-editing. The newline was apparently added as a deliberate feature at phab:T263217. It also happens for the default signature. The tool thinks you are making a list and it wants the signature below the list and not at the end of the last list item. I don't use the reply tool but I think it's meant to automatically indent your post so maybe just try to not add your own indentation. PrimeHunter (talk) 01:09, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

• @PrimeHunter: By golly, it works! And per the link you shared, manually signing with ~~~~ overrides the automatic formatting when using quick reply. Big thanks! --MYCETEAE 🍄‍🟫—talk 01:59, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

Church of Our Lady of Lourdes Klang

Please fix reference 9 - the date of publication is not clear to me. Sorry. 115.70.23.77 (talk) 00:41, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

The url that you posted says 10-18-24 as a date. 331dot (talk) 01:00, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

Srbernadette, "??" is not an acceptable value for the field "date". Template:Cite web#Date says: "For no date, or 'undated', use |date=n.d.". NB not "??". As for what to do when you do know the date, Template:Cite web#Date explains this as well.

Now take a look at my own list of links I find useful. It's on my user page, so I never forget where to find it. Here's a suggestion:

1. Log in as Srbernadette when editing.
2. On your user page (User:Srbernadette), create and maintain a list of links you find useful.
3. Whenever stuck, start by consulting the relevant item(s) in your list of useful links.

How does that sound? -- Hoary (talk) 05:46, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

Broken notifications

There is seemingly one notice in my inbox, but it's completely empty when I click on it. I also keep getting an internal error when I check my notifications page. This has been going on since noon today. Salmoonlight (talk) 03:21, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

@Salmoonlight Special:Notifications is working OK for me. If you click that link, do you still get the error message? If so, please copy the full message here. Mike Turnbull (talk) 11:37, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

[b0b59a3d-ed84-4bfe-b6ff-a7be49a94d66] 2024-10-25 17:34:38: Fatal exception of type "InvalidArgumentException" Salmoonlight (talk) 17:35, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

Well beyond my paygrade. If User:PrimeHunter doesn't turn up soon with an answer, you'll have to repeat the question at WP:VPT. Mike Turnbull (talk) 19:41, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

Okay so I'm not the only one getting this error message then. Good to know. Procyon117 (talk) 11:25, 26 October 2024 (UTC)

Ledes of articles about cities/places with two official names

Hi, could someone perhaps tell me how place names of places with two official names should appear in the lede? There are several places in Germany that also have an official Upper or Lower Sorbian name. The name which is used far more in English sources for those places is however the German one. So if a city is officially called Cottbus in German, and Chóśebuz in Lower Sorbian, should the lede then be like:

Cottbus (Lower Sorbian: Chóśebuz) or

Cottbus (Lower Sorbian: Chóśebuz) or

Cottbus or Chóśebuz (Lower Sorbian pronunciation: [ˈxɨɕɛbus])?

I'd mainly like to know, if the Lower Sorbian name should appear within or outside of the brackets. Thank you. Tibesti1 (talk) 04:47, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

The first one will be more inline with the writing conventions of Wikipedia. As stated in MOS:BOLDSYN, significant alternative names should also be in boldface. Regardless of the inclusion of brackets, "Lower Sorbian" should be placed before "Chóśebuz" to make it clear that it is a Lower Sorbian term. Tutwakhamoe (talk) 12:22, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

@Tutwakhamoe: Thank you and which version would be more inline with the conventions then:

Cottbus (German pronunciation: [ˈkɔtbʊs] ) or Lower Sorbian: Chóśebuz ([ˈxɨɕɛbus])

or

Cottbus (German pronunciation: [ˈkɔtbʊs] ; Lower Sorbian: Chóśebuz [ˈxɨɕɛbus])?

Thanks Tibesti1 (talk) 13:38, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

I can't find any guideline specifically for this. Personally I'd say the first one is better. Tutwakhamoe (talk) 02:20, 26 October 2024 (UTC)

In my opinion, definitely the first one, as otherwise you reduce the Lower Sorbian variant into a part of the parenthetical element. You might want to pose this question at the relevant talk page at WP:MOS; not sure exactly which section it'd go under, though. —Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 ) 02:52, 26 October 2024 (UTC)

Fixing erroneous information across multiple languages.

Please see the explanation of the error here. In short, the abbreviation "CSSHQ" is original research and was never used in any official Chinese (the country not the language) sources. I have cleaned all instances of "CSSHQ" and "Chongfu Shiyong Shiyan Hangtian Qi" (missing a "ke" and wrong placement of spaces) that I could find on en wiki, but the erroneous names had been spreaded to other language versions (excluding zh and ja) of the article (and some more other pages). As I do not speak those other languages, how may I seek help on those wikis? The phrase "CSSHQ" should be removed, and the pinyin should be written as "Kechongfushiyong shiyan hangtianqi", note the "ke" at the start and the position of the spaces. Also, should the CSSHQ redirect be deleted? 103.66.132.62 (talk) 09:56, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

It's up to you to have the skills needed to participate in another language wiki- you could post on the article talk page here to see if any speakers of the relevant language follow those articles and request their assistance; you could use Google Translate or your preferred translator to access the Help Desk of the other Wikipedias and request assistance that way(either with a translated statement or even just in English for others to translate). 331dot (talk) 10:04, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

Is there a place on en wiki that I can easily seek assistance from editors of other language wiki? 103.66.132.62 (talk) 10:12, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

That is a very good question that I don't know the answer to; absent a specific forum this is probably the best place. I'm sure others will see this and, if they know the relevant language and are willing, will offer to help. 331dot (talk) 10:44, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

On the English Wikipedia, the Wikipedia:Local Embassy project seems fairly inactive. But on the Chinese Wikipedia, zh:Wikipedia:Guestbook for non-Chinese speakers seems more active. The Embassies are designed for cross-wiki content discussion, and therefore generally can use non-wp-native language. DMacks (talk) 14:38, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

Thank you, I will leave a message at the embassies for the languages that I cannot handle. 103.66.132.62 (talk) 15:45, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

I have just compiled a list, as you can see, there is quite a lot, if anyone know of a place where I can more easily seek help please do let me know. Hopefully someone in en can help translate and spread the message to those wikis, otherwise I can only try my best to fix it myself or seek help on those wikis. 103.66.132.62 (talk) 11:00, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

103, the abbreviation CSSHQ appears to have originated in this September 2020 edit by sitebanned User:Sbb1413 (previously Soumya-8974). Incorrect; see below.

I poked around meta: tryna find some sort of translation error noticeboard, but I think the closest thing they have is meta:Wikimedia Forum— their version of the Village Pump.

Unregistered editors can edit WP:RFD (confirmed in private tab), so you can list CSSHQ there. No one has ever linked to it before your OP above. Also incorrect. Well done yesterday me 🙄 Folly Mox (talk) 11:34, 25 October 2024 (UTC) edited 16:23, 26 October 2024 (UTC)

Oh nvm I see you've removed incoming links to the CSSHQ redirect in recent edits, which is why WhatLinksHere is empty. Anyway. Folly Mox (talk) 11:38, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

Thank you, I will visit the meta forum and rfd. 103.66.132.62 (talk) 11:46, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

IP editor. I'm not sure it helps but that acronym is used externally to Wikipedia. I found via the Wikidata item for our article a Google knowledge graph here. Mike Turnbull (talk) 11:47, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

Geez I should probably have checked for that before assuming CITOGENESIS. Slightly predating Sbb1413's diff linked above is Lennon, Annie (8 September 2020). "Reusable Chinese Space Craft Lands Returns Earth". [sic]. Labroots. Which uses the CSSHQ initialisation. Folly Mox (talk) 12:27, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

Accounting for time zones, wasn't Sbb1413 half a day earlier? 103.66.132.62 (talk) 12:39, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

My bad, thought the dates are the same. But that doesn't change much, it wasn't from a reliable source and the wiki page definitely helped propagate it. 103.66.132.62 (talk) 15:43, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

One of the sources quoted in the Lennon piece is this sciencealert dated a day earlier, which also uses the acronym. Interestingly, that article links to the Wikipedia page, so it could be citogenesis! We were using the acronym on 4 September 2020. Mike Turnbull (talk) 16:06, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

@Phoenix7777:. You created that article. Would you like to comment? Mike Turnbull (talk) 16:17, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

IP editor, CSSHQ was present in Phoenix7777's first version on 4 September 2020 here. It was later removed and then added back by Sbb1413. TSventon (talk) 16:34, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

I would assume he got that from "Gunter's space page", the 3rd source listed in the first version, and since 4th Sept was the day that the thing launched, all other mentions of the name probably referenced either wiki or Gunter. 103.66.132.62 (talk) 16:43, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

Whoops sorry I provided the wrong diff. I saw it being added and didn't think to check earlier revisions. Folly Mox (talk) 17:47, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

Search Function

On the Main Page, where is the search box?? 64.67.134.165 (talk) 12:32, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

Under the loupe icon. —TheDJ (talk • contribs) 13:00, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

If you don't see the search field, look for the icon and click on it. If you're using a Windows PC you can also use the key combination Alt+⇧ Shift+F. —Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 ) 14:10, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

Need help editing title of draft

I’ve created a draft but the topic needs parenthetical information to differentiate from other articles by the same name. I’m not finding a way to edit the title yet, and Wikipedia has not enabled the function for me to be able to move the page yet. Any suggestions? Hungryscamp (talk) 17:05, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

Welcome to Wikipedia, User:Hungryscamp! I'd not worry about it; if and when the draft is accepted, the reviewer will figure out the right title to move it to. As long as it is a draft it does not matter. -- Maddy from Celeste (WAVEDASH) 17:08, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

The biggest problem with Draft:Justin Johnson is that it is written in WP:PEACOCK language, and it will be going nowhere near full article status until this is fixed. I would also have to ask the usual question about whether WP:COI or WP:BOSS is involved here. Also, a Wikipedia biographical article should not read like a CV or resume.--♦IanMacM♦ ^{(talk to me)} 17:15, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

My earnest advice to new editors is to not even think about trying to create an article until you have spent several weeks - at least - learning about how Wikipedia works by making improvements to existing articles. Once you have understood core policies such as verifiability, neutral point of view, reliable, independent sources, and notability, and experienced how we handle disagreements with other editors (the Bold, Revert, Discuss cycle), then you might be ready to read your first article carefully, and try creating a draft. ColinFine (talk) 21:50, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

@Hungryscamp I see that you have moved the draft to main space yourself. I don't think this was a good idea for someone with as little experience at Wikipedia as you have. I have made some improvements, but the article is still not in great shape and may be deleted. I would urge you to move it back to draft and continue working on it there until it is approved by a reviewer. CodeTalker (talk) 03:59, 26 October 2024 (UTC)

I moved it back, as it's a BLP mess also. That's a good-faith attempt to help Hungryscamp, who I agree almost surely has a COI. DMacks (talk) 08:41, 26 October 2024 (UTC)

Making changes to pages

I am the communication director at Barbers Hill ISD. I want to update the dress code entry with the latest information, but have been blocked, not allowed to make these changes myself. I want to update the entry to reflect that a federal judge has sided with the district, and that district judge ruled the district is NOT in violation of the CROWN Act. Most of the stuff in the entry is outdated and/or incorrect. I would be glad to discuss with someone. Thank you. 72.22.198.35 (talk) 17:40, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

@David Bloom -- BHISD: Assuming this is your account that has been engaged in an edit war, you absolutely need to stop directly editing the article, especially when you've been removing content that was cited from secondary sources. You have been brought to the conflict of interest noticeboard where you should address the concerns given there.
Additionally, you demonstrate a paid relationship with the subject, and so you should not be directly editing the article (barring situations outlined at WP:COIU) to begin with. Please make your edit requests on the article's talk page at Talk:Barbers Hill Independent School District, and explicitly disclose your paid relationship, preferably on your user page. —Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 ) 17:50, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

Randomly keep on getting logged out for no reason

I need help. Ever since I joined Wikipedia for the first time, for no reason, I keep on getting logged out of my account, whenever I get out of my computer for a hour or so. It has been bothering me for the past couple of days and I wondering if there is any way to fix this. [User:MatthewPlayThrough|MatthewPlayThrough]] (talk 18:01, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

@MatthewPlayThrough:Maybe a silly question, but do you click the "keep me logged in" button when logging in? Might your browser for some reason be deleting the authentication cookie? By the way, there seems to be a problem with your signature. -- Maddy from Celeste (WAVEDASH) 18:04, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

Yes, I click the "keep me logged in" button always when this happens to me. Side note, what is the problem with my signature. An error or something? [User:MatthewPlayThrough|MatthewPlayThrough]] (talk 18:27, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

You should add another opening bracket at the very front if you want it to link to your user page. On your issue, you may also want to ask at Wikipedia:Village pump (technical), if you do not get the answer you need here. -- Maddy from Celeste (WAVEDASH) 18:31, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

I think I might have fix the problem. Did I correct the signature or there is still more I have to do? MatthewPlayThrough (talk) 18:39, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

Your signature looks good now! :) -- Maddy from Celeste (WAVEDASH) 18:46, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

Thank for helping me! :) MatthewPlayThrough (talk) 18:48, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

why was I removed?

my name is Jeffrey Johnson. I have been a working actor in Los Angeles for about 25 years. my IMDb page has over 50 entries. why was my Wikipedia page taken down? I was quite proud of it. let me know how I can go about reinstating it. hugs & kisses-jj (I am including my IMDb page: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1378502/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_0_nm_8_q_jeffrey%2520johnson) 2600:1700:E750:34D0:E452:6764:DC4F:460C (talk) 18:21, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Jeffrey Johnson (actor) (2nd nomination) is where the discussion took place. IMDB is not sufficient, what is expected is significant coverage from relaible sources. Just Step Sideways ^{from this world ..... today} 18:25, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

Fair or not, our general rule is that no accomplishment gets anyone an article. What you need is a couple articles with at least a full meaty paragraph (or so) about you, ideally in say People and Variety etc., but the Southampton News-Warrior and say San Diego Press etc. would do. Get your agent on it maybe. Herostratus (talk) 21:07, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

It appears that, like many people, you confuse Wikipedia with a promotional website. A Wikipedia article about you does not belong to you, is not controlled by you, may be edited by almost anybody in the world except you and your associates, will not necessarily say what you want it to say, and is not in any way for your benefit except incidentally. See an article about yourself isn't necessarily a good thing. ColinFine (talk) 21:55, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

Adding all articles in a category to watchlist

Is it possible to add all articles in a category to my watchlist, or would I need to add each article individually? There's recently been a string of vandalism across several articles related to Blumhouse Productions thanks to encouragement from some youtubers, so I was planning to add everything in their list of films to my watchlist before seeing that the category has over 150 articles.

It's easy enough to just look up the text that keeps getting added to those articles, but it'd be even more convenient if I could have it automatically show up in my watchlist. LaffyTaffer (talk) 19:09, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

@LaffyTaffer As it happens, someone else asked about this a while ago. The response is now at WP:Help_desk/Archives/2023_November_1#Adding_all_articles_in_a_cat_to_my_watchlist?, which gives one suggestion. Mike Turnbull (talk) 19:30, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

Whoops, should have looked it up better than I did haha. Thank you, this should work for what I need. LaffyTaffer (talk) 19:33, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

AfD Merges

The instructions on Wikipedia:Merging and on the template Afd-merge from are a little confusing. When I complete a merge from an AfD, should I add any merged-to merged-from templates to, or delete any AfD template from the destination and source pages talk pages? I'd been leaving the Afd templates as they were, but still adding the merged-to/from templates, but after reading a few different places I'm not sure if I was doing it right. penultimate_supper 🚀talk 20:20, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

I thin i got scammed and need to know how to get my business piblished

I submitted and paid a couple thousand bucks to some wikipedia business submission helper... they seemed legit... but then wanted more money to do PR links etc., and then i researched them and they were a scam :(

How and where do i go to submit my business I work for? I don't want to promote them, just list factual info... history, corporate governance, news citations, etc just like other companies in our space Flyusateam (talk) 22:56, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

Just Step Sideways ^{from this world ..... today} 23:22, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

That's about all we can do for you. If your company is notable, a legitimate editor will get around to writing about it at some point. Just Step Sideways ^{from this world ..... today} 23:24, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

Gotcha, thanks for the info. Oh well, I'll just lick my wounds and my pride on this one hahahaha. Flyusateam (talk) 13:01, 26 October 2024 (UTC)

Wikipedia isn't a business directory, there is criteria for inclusion, written at WP:ORG. 331dot (talk) 23:45, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

Need help finding my mistakes

•  Courtesy link: General Authority for Research and Identifying Missing Persons in Libya
•  Courtesy link: Draft:The General Authority for Search and Identification of Missing Persons, Libya

Can you explain to me where the mistakes are in my article so that I can edit it and allow me to publish it? I did not understand the mistake. I am a novice editor and I want to learn.

General Authority for Research and Identification of Missing Persons in Libya

No need to copy and paste the entire article on to this page when a link to the article is more than sufficient

The General Authority for Research and Identification of Missing Persons in Libya is a Libyan governmental institution established in 2013 by Resolution No. 1 of 2013 of the General National Congress[1]. The Authority aims to search for and identify missing persons in Libya, as a result of the conflicts and events that the country witnessed during the February 17, 2011 revolution and subsequent events.[1] Authority's Tasks Collecting information and data related to missing persons Conducting search and excavation operations for the remains of missing persons Analyzing DNA samples to identify missing persons Coordinating with relevant local and international entities Documenting cases of forced disappearance and human rights violations Authority's Achievements Since its establishment, the Authority has achieved numerous accomplishments in the field of searching for and identifying missing persons. According to a report issued by the Authority in 2020, more than 200 bodies were identified and returned to their families[2]. The Authority has also established a national database for missing persons that includes information on thousands of cases. Challenges The Authority faces several challenges in its work, including: Difficulty accessing some areas due to the security situation Lack of financial and technical resources Complexity of the process of collecting and analyzing samples The need for greater cooperation from local and international entities International Cooperation The Authority cooperates with many international organizations, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross[3] and the International Center for Transitional Justice, to enhance its capabilities and exchange expertise in the field of searching for and identifying missing persons.[2] References 1. Resolution No. 1 of 2013 of the General National Congress on the establishment of the General Authority for Research and Identification of Missing Persons .[3] 2. Annual Report of the General Authority for Research and Identification of Missing Persons, 2020 . [4] 3. "Libya: Cooperation with Libyan authorities in the search for missing persons", International Committee of the Red Cross, 2019 .[5] External Links - [International Commission on Missing Persons - Libya](https://www.icmp.int/where-we-work/middle-east-and-north-africa/libya/) - [International Committee of the Red Cross - Missing Persons](https://www.icrc.org/en/war-and-law/protected-persons/missing-persons)

Hanoohmmba (talk) 23:45, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

Hanoohmmba, your draft is completely lacking in references to reliable independent sources that devote significant coverage to the topic. Your draft cannot possibly be accepted in its current form, because all an a acceptable article does is summarize such sources. Like many new editors, you have tried to write an article backwards. To use an older analogy, you are putting the cart before the horse. Cullen328 (talk) 09:28, 26 October 2024 (UTC)