Jump to content

Wikipedia:Help desk: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Content deleted Content added
Line 401: Line 401:


Can someone add a website field to [[Template:Infobox building]].--[[User:TonyTheTiger|TonyTheTiger]] <small>([[User talk:TonyTheTiger|t]]/[[Special:Contributions/TonyTheTiger|c]]/[[User:TonyTheTiger/Antonio Vernon|bio]]/[[WP:CHICAGO]]/[[WP:LOTM]]) </small> 05:55, 28 July 2009 (UTC)
Can someone add a website field to [[Template:Infobox building]].--[[User:TonyTheTiger|TonyTheTiger]] <small>([[User talk:TonyTheTiger|t]]/[[Special:Contributions/TonyTheTiger|c]]/[[User:TonyTheTiger/Antonio Vernon|bio]]/[[WP:CHICAGO]]/[[WP:LOTM]]) </small> 05:55, 28 July 2009 (UTC)
:Why would a building have a website? Oh well, please suggest this at [[Template talk:Infobox building]] '''<small>[[User:Scarce|<font color="gray">• S • C</font>]][[User talk:Scarce|<font color="gray"> • A • R</font>]][[Special:Contributions/Scarce|<font color="gray"> • C • E •</font>]]</small>''' 07:33, 28 July 2009 (UTC)


== Problem within your setup a new user menu ??? ==
== Problem within your setup a new user menu ??? ==

Revision as of 07:33, 28 July 2009

Template:Active editnotice

    Welcome—ask questions about how to use or edit Wikipedia! (Am I in the right place?)
    • For other types of questions, use the search box, see the reference desk or Help:Contents. If you have comments about a specific article, use that article's talk page.
    • Do not provide your email address or any other contact information. Answers will be provided on this page only.
    • If your question is about a Wikipedia article, draft article, or other page on Wikipedia, tell us what it is!
    • Check back on this page to see if your question has been answered.
    • For real-time help, use our IRC help channel, #wikipedia-en-help.
    • New editors may prefer the Teahouse, a help area for beginners (but please don't ask in both places).


    July 25

    User:TonyTheTiger/monobook.css

    I want to edit my monobook, but WP does not think that User:TonyTheTiger/monobook.css exists. Why is this?--TonyTheTiger (t/c/bio/WP:CHICAGO/WP:LOTM) 00:05, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    It has to be created like other pages. See Help:User style. You have only created User:TonyTheTiger/monobook.js. PrimeHunter (talk) 00:13, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    How do I delete an entry?

    How do I delete an entry? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.146.189.193 (talk) 07:04, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    What do you mean by an "entry"? —teb728 t c 07:08, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    If you want to undo an edit just click the (undo) button. For more information see WP:UNDO • S • C • A • R • C • E • 10:09, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    If you want a page to be deleted then see Wikipedia:Deletion policy. Only administrators can delete pages. PrimeHunter (talk) 12:15, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    To delete the page have to go thru an admin. Unless It meets the crteria for speedy deletion. See: Wikipedia:Criteria for speedy deletion.Etineskid (talk) 16:25, 28 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Article on George Mandler

    I have been working on the article for George Mandler, several times, most recently by gollowing editors' suggestions re peacock terms etc. The page has been saying for over two days that the article was edited 2seconds ago, but no progress is being made. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Mandler (talkcontribs) 08:20, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    I dont seem to be able to find such an articleOttawa4ever (talk) 08:52, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    It's an article at WP:AFC. The article in question is Wikipedia talk:Articles for creation/George Mandler. I'm not familiar with the AFC process; I suggest you contact the reviewer User:MSGJ and ask him if it's ok and the concerns are addressed. ≈ Chamal talk 10:15, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    If the article you are referring to is at Wikipedia talk:Articles for creation/George Mandler, I think there are two separate issues: 1) The template at the top of the page was saying "Last edited 1 second ago by Mandler" even though it had been some time since you last edited it. I have purged the article which seems to have resolved this - the template now says "Last edited 103 minutes ago by Mandler". 2) The article has been put on hold by a reviewer who noted the concerns re neutral point-of-view and peacock terms. I am not familiar with all the ins and outs of the WP:AFC process, but it looks like the article will be re-examined within a certain time to see if these issues have been resolved before making a decision. The template says the length of time is 24 hours, but if there are a lot of articles to be reviewed, this may be longer. --Kateshortforbob 10:25, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    I have added further information to the above wikipedia page, how do I know if it will be deleted. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Zthatin (talkcontribs) 09:21, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Keep an eye on it (using your watchlist)... you'll see there if the information is deleted. I would not expect it to be deleted, although it may possibly be improved if necessary. PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 10:04, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    Also I noticed that the instructions for IE7 were totally wrong, I have gone ahead and fixed it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Zthatin (talkcontribs) 10:06, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    Thank you! I'm not knowledgeable about these things, but others who are will no doubt see it, and improve it if required. PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 10:10, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    HARD DISK

    WHAT IS DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CYLINDER AND PLATTERR IN HARD DISK. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.168.216.22 (talk) 09:28, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    This page is for questions about using Wikipedia. Please consider asking this question at the Computing reference desk. They specialize in answering computer questions and will try to answer any question in the universe (except how to use Wikipedia, since that is what this Help Desk is for). Just follow the link and ask away. You could always try searching Wikipedia for an article related to the topic you want to know more about. I hope this helps. • S • C • A • R • C • E • 10:01, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    See Hard disk drive, Hard disk platter, and Cylinder-head-sector. --Teratornis (talk) 22:44, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    "Seed" in Portals

    What does "Seed" mean in random portal components? • S • C • A • R • C • E • 10:11, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    It's for generating the random number used... see Random seed. PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 10:23, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    {{Random portal component|max=#|header=Title|subpage=Subpage|seed=#}} Isn't that what "max" is for? • S • C • A • R • C • E • 10:52, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    Seed, as in Random seed Oops, didn't realise Phantomsteve had already linked that - it seems to be used to choose which page is shown. Max is to limit the number of possible pages in the pool. (I think, from a quick look.) --Kateshortforbob 12:00, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    {{Random portal component}} uses {{rand}}. If you use {{rand|max}} multiple times on the same page then you get the same value unless you give different seeds. Compare these {{rand|100}}:
    No seed: 13, 13, 13, 13, 13, 13, 13, 13, 13, 13
    Same seed each time: 95, 95, 95, 95, 95, 95, 95, 95, 95, 95
    Different seeds: 60, 27, 61, 95, 63, 97, 65, 99, 67, 69
    PrimeHunter (talk) 12:07, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Creating an account

    In all of your publicity you stress the advantages of registering as a user by creating an IP address. Yet nowhere do you give clear guidance as to how to perform this rudamentary information. Can you set out the process step by step? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.134.218.80 (talk) 12:13, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    I'm not sure what you refer to by "registering as a user by creating an IP address". The Internet connection on your computer is automatically given an IP address by your Internet service provider (ISP) unrelated to whether you use Wikipedia. If you are not logged into an account when you edit Wikipedia then your IP address is shown. Yours is currently 86.134.218.80. If you want to create an account then fill out the few fields at Special:UserLogin/signup. There are instructions later on the page. If you have problems then you can also use Wikipedia:Request an account. PrimeHunter (talk) 12:29, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    I'm not sure that many people will be confused by this, but I have clarified the opening statement of Wikipedia:Why create an account? in light of your question (see this diff). Cheers.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 15:31, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    Wondering "Why do People ask strange questions here ?--Notedgrant (talk) 14:51, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Notability process

    If a you are placing a biograpghy notibility template on a article. What is the time frame and process when it finally will be deleted or merged? Who evaluate the situation?--Kslotte (talk) 14:02, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Do you mean CSD for an article of someone that isn't notable? If it's controversial, it will go through the AFD process, if it's extremely obvious it will be deleted immediately. It could take anywhere from 60 seconds to a week, an administrator will delete it if obvious. Read more at WP:CSD#A7 • S • C • A • R • C • E • 15:31, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    In this cases it's about athletes that may have been in Wikipedia for a while (for years) but don't fully fill the Wikipedia:ATHLETE#Athletes requirements. If I then place a tag {{notability}} on that page. In what time frame are we talking about then. Days, weeks, months or years? Can it stay there for a while so people can add more information to the article? --Kslotte (talk) 19:13, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    Yes, it can stay there. Tagging an article with {{notability}}, in itself, does not lead to deletion. (Actions that may lead to the deletion of a page are explained at WP:DEL.) Goodraise 19:33, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Translations

    I'd like to go to Wikipedia Brasil and read the articles in English. How can I do that? Thanks, CKClarkelly33 (talk) 13:46, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    You could use a translation tool like BabelFish to translate Portuguese into English. Cheers, TFOWRThis flag once was red 13:49, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    Here is a great translator from Google • S • C • A • R • C • E • 15:27, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Spacecraft Endeavour

    How does the Endeavour re-enter the Earth's atmosphereHopalongtwo (talk) 14:05, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Try google Bing search--Notedgrant (talk) 14:46, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    Please do your own homework.

    Welcome to the Wikipedia Help desk. Your question appears to be a homework question. I apologize if this is a misevaluation, but it is our policy here to not do people's homework for them, but to merely aid them in doing it themselves. Letting someone else do your homework does not help you learn how to solve such problems.
    Please attempt to solve the problem yourself first. You can search Wikipedia or search the Web.
    If you need help with a specific part of your homework, the Reference desk can help you grasp the concept. Do not ask knowledge questions here, just those about using Wikipedia. • S • C • A • R • C • E • 15:21, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Did you read Space Shuttle Endeavour, Space Shuttle orbiter, and Atmospheric reentry? --Teratornis (talk) 22:41, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Speedy delete

    [1] Eric Partridge (talk) 15:05, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    What's your point ?--Notedgrant (talk) 15:14, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Content dispute

    There has been a long lasting content dispute in Category talk:Anarchist communists. The dispute is about whether the category should be included as a subcategory of Category:Communists. The editor I am arguing with has provided very little constructive arguments and is displaying strong signs of tendentious editing, but he isn't really disturbing the article (if you don't count one protest revert) so I feel that reporting to administration is overreacting. I asked for and received a third opinion, which was discarded by the other editor, and also asked for help on WikiProject politics, but he simply ignored or discarded all their opinions as well. What to do? Kotiwalo (talk) 16:26, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    that user seems to be writing as if he owns the site WP:own An Admin can help you out --Notedgrant (talk) 16:58, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    Okay I'll ask for help. Kotiwalo (talk) 17:09, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Question

    Resolved

    What is the welcome tag that is includes IP User registering? I currently use the {{Welcome}} template, which does not include registration Sephiroth storm (talk) 17:01, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    The documentation for {{Welcome}} links to {{Welcome-anon}}. See also Wikipedia:Welcoming committee/Welcome templates and Wikipedia:Welcoming committee/Standard user greeting. PrimeHunter (talk) 17:09, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    Thanks. Sephiroth storm (talk) 20:05, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Reverting edits on talk pages

    If a person edits articles it may be for a good reason but is editing (others posts)/deleting them allowed on WP

    http://en.wiki.x.io/w/index.php?title=Talk:Qur'an&diff=292639237&oldid=292553851

    If the posts contain inappropriate material or are malicious in any way, then yes. Articles and talk pages have very similar rules. Kotiwalo (talk) 17:55, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    Note that by inappropriate material I mean not only profanity, personal attacks etc but also spam and text that isn't related to improving the article in question, including general discussion of the topic, even when not in bad faith. Kotiwalo (talk) 17:57, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    Thank you I wont reinstate my edits I tried to write appropriately out there but I may err Thanks for the quick response and have a good day :D--Notedgrant (talk) 18:00, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    You too. Don' let them bite you! Kotiwalo (talk) 18:05, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Robert V. Decareau

    I have a source that I keep getting a </ref> missing for <ref> for [[Robert V. Decareau]] even though if you click on the edit of the section, both the <ref> and </ref> are in there. What am I doing wrong? Please advise. Chris (talk) 18:31, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Found it. Never mind. Chris (talk) 19:05, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Duplicate account : Joe.mambo and Joe.Mambo are the same user, but different accounts

    Dear Helpdesk!

    I have recently noticed that I made a type on my first registered Account Joe.mambo. I would like this account to be merged with my correctly spelled one : Joe.Mambo

    Would be delighted if that were to be possible.

    Thanks

    Joe.Mambo —Preceding unsigned comment added by Joe.mambo (talkcontribs) 23:10, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    I am sorry but accounts cannot be merged. Just use the one you prefer from now on and abandon the other one. You can also add a note about this to your userpage so people can review the previous contributions under this name. Regards SoWhy 23:28, 25 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    You may also be interested in WP:USURP • S • C • A • R • C • E • 07:01, 26 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    He owns both the accounts already. ;) --59.95.99.49 (talk) 07:05, 26 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    July 26

    Why is my domain blacklisted from creation?

    I'm trying to setup a new page for my company fighterz.com (its a niche social networking website for boxers and martial artists) but the system tells me that the domain is blacklisted for some reason

    A little help on this subject would be hugely appreciated!

    edit: I should mention that I initially signed up with a differetn username (fighterzcom) before realizing the domain would be a better username. Tried registering with a different email. 96.49.141.91 (talk) 06:17, 26 July 2009 (UTC) 96.49.141.91 (talk) 06:02, 26 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Not sure about blacklist issue, but articles about future companies and websites (as yours—"Coming soon!"), that are not even mentioned anywhere by the media[2] are likely to get deleted very quickly as non-notable or spam, specially when the owner himself posts the article under a spammy username like fighterzcom (talk · contribs). I suggest you read WP:COI, WP:WHYNOT and not create the article yourself; if the website becomes notable in the future, someone else will do. --59.95.99.49 (talk) 06:52, 26 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    Wikipedia is not a collection of promotional articles and the username change violates the username guidelines. See also: WP:ORIGINAL; WP:IOWN; WP:COMPANY and links provided by anonymous user above. ZooFari 06:54, 26 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    See also, WP:BLACKLIST and meta:Spam Blacklist • S • C • A • R • C • E • 06:57, 26 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Thanks so much... new to Wiki gotta spend some time reading through how things work. appreciate feedback —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.82.135.70 (talk) 08:13, 26 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    blackberry storm

    Do you have an app for this phone, or maybe a mobile version? thank you Jim May —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.19.64.122 (talk) 08:09, 26 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    I've no idea if any of these are of use, but you could look at Google Search: "Blackberry storm wikipedia app". How official they are, I don't know... you'll have to read the pages! Caveat emptor PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 08:20, 26 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    I suspect, based on your question, that you found one of our over 6.8 million articles and thought we were 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 for asking questions related to using or contributing to Wikipedia itself. Thus, we have no special knowledge about the subject of your question. You can, however, search our vast catalogue of articles by typing a subject into the search field on the upper right 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. —teb728 t c 10:02, 26 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    See Wikipedia:Mobile access. PrimeHunter (talk) 11:23, 26 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    I'm pretty sure there's one.I have it on my phone. you could also look in the mobile web. type in wikipedia.org. that might work.--Microartg (talk) 17:07, 26 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    antique oriental fan

    need to know what the red stamp looking symbol under artist signature means —Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.101.204.158 (talk) 13:23, 26 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    This page is for questions about using Wikipedia. Please consider asking this question at the Wikipedia:Reference desk. They specialize in knowledge questions and will try to answer any question in the universe (except how to use Wikipedia, since that is what this Help Desk is for). Just follow the link, select the relevant section, and ask away. You could always try searching Wikipedia for an article related to the topic you want to know more about. I hope this helps.PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 13:41, 26 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Question for Template experts

    Resolved

    I'm trying to clean up some pages, when a person has more than five awards in a nav box, I'm moving them into a collapsible nav box. One template seemed to be misbehaving.

    The template in question:

    Extended content

    When I look at the code, I see: </td></tr></table></td></tr>

    Looks like closing tags, without corresponding opening tags. I don't know whether that is causing my problems, but it appears to me this is spurious code, perhaps left from an earlier approach using tables. I'd like to remove it, but I'd like someone more familiar with templates/html to reassure me that it can be removed without harm.

    They aren't doing anything useful. They don't even affect the html produced. Algebraist 14:16, 26 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    The closing tags can have an effect if the template is transcluded to a position with open tags before the template. I guess the removal by Algebraist will fix your problem. PrimeHunter (talk) 14:23, 26 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    Thanks for the feedback - I just checked, and the new version does not cause the same problem.--SPhilbrickT 14:46, 26 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    How much experiance is needed to participate at ACC?

    Resolved
     – I'm happy with the responses Harlem675 18:56, 26 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    I recentley requested access to the Wiki ACC Interface but was quickly declined. Whilst I realise I am still fairly new here, I wasnt aware of any large requirements needed. When would be a more appropriate time to re-request as I am eager to help in that area of Wiki aswell, Thanks. Harlem675 15:50, 26 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    There is no fixed time-based criteria as such, but users who have been here for < 5 months usually get declined quickly (unless an interface admin knows and trusts them personally); those with > 1 year of trouble free editing without long wikibreaks maybe approved, but as I said there is no set-in-stone criteria. --59.95.104.239 (talk) 17:05, 26 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    Are you sure it was declined? A tool admin would normally notify you on your talk page and ask for confirmation (unless the procedure has changed now). For the record, I got it when I had edited about 4 months and had 2000+ edits. If your request was declined, it was probably because your account is still new as you said. You should have a bit of experience and there should also be an indication you can be trusted; best and easiest way to judge this is a good and clean editing history (not only the edit count though). If you don't get it, you should probably request after a few more months. ≈ Chamal talk 17:10, 26 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    Ok cheers, I'll probably give it another shot after 5+ more months of experiance. Harlem675 17:11, 26 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    Reply to Chamal: I was not notified on my talk page, I tried to log in to AAC and a message came up saying my request had been declined. Anyway, I'll rack up about another 5 months experiance first and then retry. Harlem675 17:17, 26 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Pictures

    b —Preceding unsigned comment added by Microartg (talkcontribs) 17:01, 26 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Please use the WP:SANDBOX for test edits. You can ask questions about using wikipedia here. --59.95.104.239 (talk) 17:06, 26 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    (e/c) Unfortunately, a single letter question isn't quite enough information for us to respond, but given the name you gave this post, see Wikipedia:Images, Wikipedia:Image use policy, Wikipedia:Picture tutorial, Wikipedia:Ten things you may not know about images on Wikipedia Wikipedia:How to improve image quality and note the existence of you sister project, the Wikimedia Commons.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 17:07, 26 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    dates?

    Hi

    how do I list this on the dates page ?/ thanks Gregory

    Hans Julius Hubertus Liebrecht (German Industrialist) Ingelheim am Rhein died Ing born 26.July.1931 died 27.July.1991 —Preceding unsigned comment added by Gregorypa (talkcontribs) 17:16, 26 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    As he has no article, he can't be added! You could always create an article!
    Before creating an article, please search Wikipedia first to make sure that an article does not already exist on the subject. Please also review a few of our relevant policies and guidelines which all articles should comport with. As Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, articles must not contain original research, must be written from a neutral point of view, should cite to reliable sources which verify their content and must not contain unsourced, negative content about living people.
    Articles must also demonstrate the notability of the subject. Please see our subject specific guidelines for people, bands and musicians, companies and organizations and web content and note that if you are closely associated with the subject, our conflict of interest guideline strongly recommends against you creating the article.
    If you still think an article is appropriate, see Help:Starting a new page. You might also look at Wikipedia:Your first article and Wikipedia:How to write a great article for guidance, and please consider taking a tour through the Wikipedia:Tutorial so that you know how to properly format the article before creation.-- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 17:18, 26 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    How do I program a bot in JavaScript code?

    Back in April, I attempted to have my bot, Dylan620 Bot (talk · contribs), approved, but I withdrew because I did not know how to program a bot. Since I would like to program it in JavaScript, can someone please teach me how to program in JavaScript? Thanks, Dylan620 (contribs, logs) 19:38, 26 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    You can't really program a bot in JavaScript, because JavaScript is a client-side scripting language, which means it is run in the browser when a person visits a particular page. Bots, as (semi-)autonomous entities, need to be programmed in either a server-side scripting language (PHP, Perl, etc), or a fully-fledged programming language like C, C++, or Java. In any case, if you want to learn JavaScript, the W3C's JavaScript tutorial is an excellent place to start. Calvin 1998 (t·c) 20:06, 26 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    As an example, Sinebot and Cluebot are programmed in PHP, while the AIV helperbots are Perl. You can do some semi-automated editing with AWB, but that's really not the same as programming a bot. As for learning a language, I've had luck with the "For Dummies" series of books. Your local library, if it's in good shape, should have a decent selection of such books and others relating to programming. Xenon54 (talk) 20:16, 26 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    Since I can't technically make a bot in JavaScript, how could I make one in Perl? --Dylan620 (contribs, logs) 01:15, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    Frankly, if you don't already know how to code a bot, you would likely be better off not writing a bot. Writing a bot is no easy task, and trying to write one while learning the language you're writing it in is not going to work. Instead, you should simply put the idea at Wikipedia:Bot requests, and see if someone good at writing bots will write one for that task. Calvin 1998 (t·c) 01:24, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    Everybody has to start somewhere. All programs were written by people who at one time had no idea how to write programs. The odds are against the average Help desk questioner who might want to write a bot, but it is possible to learn. Just be prepared to work very hard, and you'd better get good at looking things up with Google. Start by reading all the links under WP:EIW#Bot, especially Wikipedia:Creating a bot. Read the Perl article, and read the Perl documentation on Perldoc.org. A bot framework in Perl is available. You should practice by first installing your own Personal wiki that runs MediaWiki by following the procedure in mw:Manual:Wiki on a stick. Then you can write and debug bot programs by running them on your own wiki, with no worries about causing damage on Wikipedia. Once you are confident you understand bots, and you can demonstrate your competence, you should have a better chance of getting approval to run your bot on Wikipedia. --Teratornis (talk) 16:22, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Why isn't the What Links Here page alphabetized? Can it be made to do so? --Siddhant (talk) 21:34, 26 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Not sure, see Help:What links here • S • C • A • R • C • E • 05:37, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    missing fonts?

    The Phoenician and Syriac characters at Aleph don't display for me. What do I need for my browser (Safari) to display these? Шизомби (talk) 23:29, 26 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    talk page vs discussion page

    i am new on this site, i would like to ask what the difference is between a talk page and a discussion page? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Zthatin (talkcontribs) 23:43, 26 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    It's the same. See more at Wikipedia:Talk page. PrimeHunter (talk) 23:54, 26 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    What would be the appropriate way to comment?

    Hi, I didn't know where to go to ask this (I thought the Administrator's Noticeboard would be a bit extreme): I have discovered a user who makes almost all their edits (it appears hundreds a week) without edit summaries, and marks the vast majority of their edits with the "minor edit" qualifier, many of which are minor, but upon closer inspection some are definitely quite significant. I would like to point this out to this contributor, but I do not wish to cause any animosity, as the user appears to be a frequent, long-time editor and I don't know how to bring it up. I don't think I should just pop out of nowhere and instruct the editor on procedure, but in a lot of contexts edit summaries are quite important, and I have seen some of the editor's contributions to articles where he makes significant changes over the course of several edits with no explanation (even marking many of them minor). So, a question for you more experienced editors out there: What would be the appropriate way to deal with such a situation (or should I just leave it alone)? I have learned in a short period of time the importance of edit summaries and the care that ought to be taken when using the "minor" tag. Peace and Passion (talk) 23:43, 26 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    PS Half the time when he does leave a summary it says something along the lines of "edited." Peace and Passion (talk) 23:57, 26 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    Just say what you said in this message, leave him/her a message saying "I've noticed the majority of your edits often have no edit summaries and are marked minor, many of which are important, you might want to watch out for that!" There comes times when you have to be bold • S • C • A • R • C • E • 01:11, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    I would try to make it not sound too much like a warning or too harsh. If you give that to an experienced editor, you are likely to get some sort of policy quote telling you in effect to get lost (there is a reason that templating someone is not the best option). Rather than that, inform them politely and in a friendly way that this is bothering you a bit and ask them to be more specific in their edit summaries for important edits. WP:MINOR clearly says that an edit should be marked minor only if it is not a significant change to the article as well. ≈ Chamal talk 01:30, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    I have rarely seen this kind of thing from experienced editors; you might want to see how experienced they actually are :) Anyway whether they are experienced or not the best approach is a friendly one; taking the holier than thou attitude is not a good idea for any situation and it is less likely they will listen to you if you do that. ≈ Chamal talk 01:38, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    Never link guidelines (like WP:) in messages to experienced editors, you're very likely to get a heated response • S • C • A • R • C • E • 02:51, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    FYI: my preferences → editing → Mark all edits minor by default. I once forgot I had this setting checked, and someone approached me and brought it to my attention, and I unchecked it. That is probably the situation here. You might suggest to them that this setting is "intended" for people who are engaging in minor tasks habitually, like adding categories to articles. Agradman talk/contribs 03:29, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    I wouldn't template a regular with {{Uw-editsummary}} and {{Uw-minor}}, but I think it would be OK to pipe links to Help:Edit summary and Help:Minor edit in a post like the suggestion by Scarce. PrimeHunter (talk) 04:44, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    I also noticed on checking that the editor has gone through a series of articles and slowly, but surely, severely de-linked them as a series of minor edits, for one John Patten (representative), two John M. Vining, but there are numerous others if you keep looking. I'm not sure how to handle this now. I mentioned the edit summary issue to the editor, they said they would try and note their edits, but these other issues seem like a systemic, ongoing problem (notable after reading their talk page and looking at their history) that maybe an administrator should talk to them about? There are also many examples of editing the formatting against strong consensus and marking it as minor. Peace and Passion (talk) 05:23, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    See also Wikipedia:Don't template the regulars • S • C • A • R • C • E • 05:44, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    Not linking guidelines in messages to experienced editors sounds un-WP:BOLD to me. If someone objects to something I do, I appreciate it when they link directly to whatever guideline they believe supports their objection, so I can examine the guideline myself and see whether I violated it. If they don't link to the guideline they have in mind, then I have to guess what they are alluding to. Not linking to guidelines implies that someone's personal opinion is the issue - but personal opinions do not matter on Wikipedia, only the policies and guidelines matter. (See Wikipedia:There is no common sense - everybody has different opinions, so the only way we stay coherent is by limiting ourselves to the agreed-upon policies and guidelines.) Everything we do gets the scrutiny of any number of other editors, and by editing here, we voluntarily agree to being critiqued by everyone else. Nobody is above scrutiny here. Also, few people have read and fully grasped every last policy and guideline, so when we see an editor who behaves as if he or she has never heard of some particular rule, there's a good chance he or she hasn't. Lots of people don't read manuals. Making the same mistake 5000 times is not what I would count as "experience." An editor's experience level would be the number of times he or she has properly followed the rules. --Teratornis (talk) 16:42, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    July 27

    Insects

    I have some insects that are black and thin and a little long in my toilet, we don't use it because a roll of toilet paper got flushed down, and the bleach is not killing them. what are they and how do I kill them?~ —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.87.69.156 (talk) 02:02, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    This page is for questions about using Wikipedia. Please consider asking this question at the Miscellaneous reference desk. They specialize in knowledge questions and will try to answer any question in the universe (except how to use Wikipedia, since that is what this Help Desk is for). Just follow the link and ask away. You could always try searching Wikipedia for an article related to the topic you want to know more about. I hope this helps. • S • C • A • R • C • E • 02:48, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    What does the unlink tab do? I'm assuming it came from Twinkle. • S • C • A • R • C • E • 02:57, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    It removes links to the current page from articles. Algebraist 03:02, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    That is a fantastic tool • S • C • A • R • C • E • 03:11, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Wrong info or right one? Please answer!

    Hello How ru? I noticed that on that article: http://en.wiki.x.io/wiki/Ken_Chu#Profile

    That you said (or whoever added it) that Ken is a Buddist...I'm not sure about that...I've included photos of the other 2 (Jerry Yan, and Vic Zhou) wearing crosses...

    <<Jerry>> http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/2710/jerry.png <<Ken>> http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/6519/kenuju.png <<Vic>> http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/958/vicm.png

    On nearly every site they say that the 3 are buddist but I really don't know. Hope you can help, or you might find this information handy. Thanks a lot Nancy


    PS: The source of these photos is http://gallery.asianfanatics.net

    PSS: Please contact me on my email because I dunno how to get to this page again: [details removed] —Preceding unsigned comment added by 41.234.25.97 (talk) 04:10, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Have you began a discussion on this on the talk page for the article? • S • C • A • R • C • E • 20:47, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Jimmy Alvarez

    I am new to wikipedia. I started to write my article, before I knew it I had a deletion notice? I would like to continue to re-vamp the article in a format that is acceptable. I am not sure how to contact the editor that put the article in possible deletion status. Jimmy D. Alvarez 04:31, 27 July 2009 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jimmy D Alvarez (talkcontribs)

    The deletion discussion for Jimmy Alvarez is at Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Jimmy Alvarez. You could post there, or you could continue to work on the article; it should be several days before a decision is made on whether to keep the article. But you should be aware that the problem is not so much format as the subject matter and content. The subjects of Wikipedia articles must qualify under the notability guidelines at Wikipedia:Notability. And even if the subject should be notable, articles are not allowed to be promotional, but since you seem to have a conflict of interest, it may not be possible for you to be sufficiently neutral in writing this article. —teb728 t c 04:53, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    By the way you signed your post incorrectly please type ~~~~ or press the signature button on your toolbar when you edit () to sign properly. Do not sign anywhere else but talk pages. • S • C • A • R • C • E • 05:31, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Fraternity articles

    I've stumbled across a number of fraternity articles, but I've not sure whether they're notable or not. (I thought they weren't and marked two or three for speedy deletion but then stumbled across some better referenced ones.) Could someone with a better idea of the notability requirements check them? The two I marked for deletion should be in my contribs list unless they've already been deleted. Vltava 68 04:38, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    I think the two articles you mention have been deleted. Ideally, what you are looking for is news stories, but any source that is considered reliable will do. For example, if I was writing an article on a University of Virginia fraternity, I would look for articles in The Cavalier Daily or The Daily Progress or perhaps WCAV's website, but not a student blog. References to the fraternity's own website, if it exists, do not usually establish notability. Flat Hat Club is a good example of an article on a "college society". Xenon54 (talk) 13:26, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Template:Infobox NFLactive

    Resolved

    How can I link the term Super Bowl XLI in the caption at Cato June?--TonyTheTiger (t/c/bio/WP:CHICAGO/WP:LOTM) 05:51, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Done, I think that's what you wanted? Just simple linking? Gary King (talk) 05:54, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    It seems very simple. If it failed for you then maybe you accidentally tried to link in the image name which is almost identical to the caption. PrimeHunter (talk) 06:09, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    Yes that is something I would do and probably did do.--TonyTheTiger (t/c/bio/WP:CHICAGO/WP:LOTM) 06:59, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    question

    What is the only word that is pronounced in exactly the same way in all modern languages? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 210.212.214.196 (talk) 05:58, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Have you tried the language section of Wikipedia's Reference Desk? They specialize in answering knowledge questions there; this help desk is only for questions about using Wikipedia. For your convenience, here is the link to post a question there: click here. I hope this helps. PrimeHunter (talk) 06:03, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    I screwed up the formatting of an article

    I screwed up the formatting of the infobox in the article Camden East, and I can't seem to fix it. I don't want to revert because the information contained before was incorrect -- I researched through Statistics Canada and put the correct information in the infobox (as I've done before with other infoboxes and templates), but for some reason, this time, the reference I added screwed up the Population field in the infobox, putting in "UNIQ1a6a73e87bf66e68-ref-00,000,005-QINU?" and not the reference itself. Interestingly enough, that reference did, however, appear where it was supposed to at the end of the article. After messing around with it and previewing, I still can't seem to get it to work. If anyone who knows what I did wrong could fix it and explain it to me, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time, Peace and Passion (talk) 07:20, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    AlexiusHoratius fixed it.[3] See Template:Infobox settlement#Usage. Some template parameters must be numbers only so the template can process them as numbers. PrimeHunter (talk) 07:31, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    Thanks to User:AlexiusHoratius for fixing it so quick! Easy fix; I wasn't used to using this particular template infobox. Peace and Passion (talk) 07:32, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Company Logo change

    Hi,

    Our company Mott MacDonald Group have recently changed our company logo and I need to upload the new logo and change the existing file. How do I do this, I do not appear to have the necessary permission to upload file

    Current location is here...


    http://en.wiki.x.io/wiki/Mott_MacDonald

    Thanks for any help!

    Kind Regards, John R. John Rothwell (talk) 11:22, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    This has to be done by an autoconfirmed user. Do you want File:MottMacLogo.png to be replaced by http://www.mottmac.com/images/logo.gif in Mott MacDonald? PrimeHunter (talk) 11:41, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]


    Yes, Please!

    How do I become an Autoconfirmed User for future reference?

    Many Thanks, John R. John Rothwell (talk) 11:57, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    As the autoconfirmed link in my post says, your account must be more than 4 days old and have made at least 10 edits. But somebody else will probably do it for you. I have to leave now and don't have time at the moment. PrimeHunter (talk) 12:03, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    I have now uploaded File:Mott MacDonald logo.gif, added it to Mott MacDonald and deleted the old logo File:MottMacLogo.png. PrimeHunter (talk) 13:11, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    k-box

    I have written an article about a speaker called the K-box. It was posted several weeks ago and some editors deleted it by calling it spam (even though it had not been up for speedy deletion and the article had been posted for a couple of weeks). This is the article. I would like to know if it is ok to re-post it or not? http://en.wiki.x.io/wiki/User:Cheaperbydozen/K-box Thanks for your helpCheaperbydozen (talk) 13:01, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    I have only had a quick look at it - the kids kinda distract me from working too much on wikipedia - but I have two main impressions: firstly, it is like Advertising; secondly, although it is good that there are citations, none of them are necessarily what would be counted as reliable - they are mainly reviews in magazines, none of which are seemingly world-reknown. However, having said this, my impression is that it would certainly be a good start for an article - if proof of notability was present, which is the other main issue... if I have time later on, I'll have a look at it! -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 13:14, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    Yes, the article definitely seems like it belongs in a catalog. All you need to do is provide reliable sources to prove notability and write the article from a neutral point of view and you'll be set. Xenon54 (talk) 13:19, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    left justification of right-to-left text?

    As Salam al Amiri has a section of Arabic which is written right to left, so is right justified at the right most edge. Is there a way to make it look better when combined with left justified text for other sections? RJFJR (talk) 14:18, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    How does it look now? Algebraist 14:22, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    Much better. Thank you. RJFJR (talk) 14:29, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    A nice solution - my one would have been to use {{rtl-lang}} for each line, rather than {{rtl-para}} for the whole paragraph... but Algebraist came up with a much neater solution, so I didn't even try it out... although I'm going to have a quick try on one of my own user pages out of curiousity! -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 14:37, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    I've just replaced the {{rtl-para}} with {{rtl-lang}} (no other changes), and it seems to have worked: User:Phantomsteve/Test-bed. Just thought you'd like to know - I still think Algebraist's is a neat solution -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 14:40, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    It looks good, but maybe it's Wikisource material? Right now it's not an article about As Salam al Amiri as it should be, it is just the arabic language, transliterated, and translated text of As Salam al Amiri. Шизомби (talk) 14:44, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    That removes the line-by-line right-alignment, though, which is probably not desirable. Algebraist 14:46, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    Ah, so it does... thanks for that, Algebraist. As I said, even leaving this aside, I like your solution! -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 14:52, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    center aligned userboxes

    How do you get a group of userboxes to be center aligned rather than right aligned?

    Pepperpiggle (talk) 15:25, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    If you read the documentation for Template:Userboxtop at Template:Userboxtop/doc, that explains that you can only align left or right - assuming you are using Userboxtop...Userboxbottom. -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 15:32, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    You can align them more or less to the centre of the page using a table though. See my page if you want an example. ≈ Chamal talk 17:17, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    Should be abel to use the {{center}} template. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) talk 21:04, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Why whenever I use a colon in the search box, I always get some trouble? (e.g. When I type ":" in the search box, I go to the main page, and not Colon (punctuation)?--Mikespedia (talk) 16:13, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    The colon is used as a special character in wikipedia to show a namespace separator. I'm not sure if there is anything that could be done about this. -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 16:20, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    Pages like ':' and '#' take you to the main page for some reason. This is the case in all Wikimedia projects AFAIK, so I think it's something to do with the MediaWiki software. You can ask at the MediaWiki Support Desk if you like. ≈ Chamal talk 17:12, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Live Articles

    When does a Wikipedia entry become "live," or available for viewing by the general publi? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.47.251.30 (talk) 16:58, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    As soon as it is created. Algebraist 16:59, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    If it's on a User Page, it wouldn't be generally available through the Search box, but it would still be available if you knew where to look. -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 17:02, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    Immediately. If you want to prepare an article before posting, make in into Word or something. ConnorJack (talk) 17:54, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Adding book references

    I am new to Wikipedia. How do I add a book as an external link? Example: Saint Gaspar del Bufalo ISBN 1580025021 —Preceding unsigned comment added by Joe12811 (talkcontribs) 18:13, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Well, to add a book as a reference, place {{cite book}} (with the appropriate parameters) between ref tags. That will produce a good citation. 18:15, 27 July 2009 (UTC)

    How do I delete a sentence in a biographical entry?

    Henry Louis Gates, Jr.'s entry: The paragraph headed "Early Life" begins with the sentence: "He is a racist." I want to delete it, even though I feel the police officer in the current controversey acted in a reasonable way. George10027 (talk) 18:45, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Such unconstructive edits are called vandalism. Though it has been removed now, you should click "edit" at either the top of the page or the heading of the section containing the vandalism, then select and remove the vandalism as you would in a wordprocessor. Xenon54 (talk) 18:52, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Medical School Admissions

    Would informing the medical school of alumni relatives improve one's chances of gaining admission? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.102.52.104 (talk) 20:18, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Maybe. It depends on the school. However, this desk is for asking questions about using Wikipedia. You may find a better answer at the reference desk. TNXMan 20:42, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    This page is for questions about using Wikipedia. Please consider asking this question at the Wikipedia:Reference desk. They specialize in knowledge questions and will try to answer any question in the universe (except how to use Wikipedia, since that is what this Help Desk is for). Just follow the link, select the relevant section, and ask away. You could always try searching Wikipedia for an article related to the topic you want to know more about. I hope this helps. • S • C • A • R • C • E • 20:44, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Nationality category

    I don't often use the Help Desk. However, an admin reverted my addition of 'English American' to the entry on Myron E. Leavitt, an article to which I have contributed, as well as to the entry on Mike Leavitt, to which I have also contributed. I have written most wikipedia entries relating to this family, all of whom either descend from two English settlers in the 17th century: John Leavitt or Thomas Leavitt (settler). One branch of the family became Mormons, and this branch produced Myron and Mike Leavitt. I hesitate to have to add a footnote to each article, but will happily do so if that's what it takes. A number of the Leavitt entries I've written have appeared as DYK's. (Check my talk page). Thank you for your assistance. Regards, MarmadukePercy (talk) 20:46, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    "English American" is not a nationality. It is, if anything, an "ethnicity" or "heritage". My issue with all the "X-American" forms is, how far back do you go? How many generations of descendants of the Mayflower are "English-American", before they just become "American"? I don't have an answer, just raising a question. – ukexpat (talk) 21:09, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    I probably phrased that incorrectly, sorry. It is however a matter of heritage, which is what I was getting at, and as far as I know these categories are still extant here on wikipedia. Has the subject been brought up for discussion before, I assume? MarmadukePercy (talk) 21:14, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    According to the Recent African origin of modern humans theory, every American is an African-American. --Teratornis (talk) 00:52, 28 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    I'm sware of the origins theory. My point was that if there is such a category for ethnicity, I thought it might as well be used. Sorry now that I inquired about it. Obviously, the category has outlived its usefulness. MarmadukePercy (talk) 01:01, 28 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    The first place to check would be Category talk:English Americans. Note the deletion discussions linked from that page. You could review those discussions and possibly get some insight into the administrator's reversion of your edit. You might also ask the administrator on his or her talk page about why he or she reverted your edit. Some editors will provide a coherent explanation, others will just ignore such questions. In my opinion (which counts for nothing), classifying Americans by ethnicity makes some sense as long as they maintain some easily recognizable ancestral ethnic identity. English Americans probably assimilate faster than any other immigrant group, taking about one generation to become unrecognizable as English. As soon as their kids pick up an American accent, what is recognizably English about them? I doubt that English Americans put as much energy into making their heritage an issue as some other hyphenated Americans do. --Teratornis (talk) 02:32, 28 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Dynamic template question

    I have this template over at Template:China-related pages by type. As you can see, the values in all of the columns so far are dynamic (they change automatically based on what is in each of their respective categories). I would like to add a "total" column that is also dynamic, changing as the combined total from all of the categories changes. How would I do this?--Danaman5 (talk) 21:05, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    I can't get it to work, but something along these lines would calculate the total: {{#expr: {{PAGESINCAT:Disambig-Class China-related articles}} + {{PAGESINCAT:Redirect-Class China-related articles}} + {{PAGESINCAT:Template-Class China-related articles}} + {{PAGESINCAT:Category-Class China-related articles}} + {{PAGESINCAT:Image-Class China-related articles}} + {{PAGESINCAT:Portal-Class China-related articles}} + {{PAGESINCAT:Non-article China-related pages}} }} - I get an error Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character ",". (see User:Phantomsteve/Test-bed for the table with that line)... can someone more knowledgeable than me look at it? -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 21:24, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    This works by removing commas with |R and readding commas with formatnum:
    {{formatnum:{{#expr:{{PAGESINCAT:Disambig-Class China-related articles|R}}+{{PAGESINCAT:Redirect-Class China-related articles|R}}+{{PAGESINCAT:Template-Class China-related articles|R}}+{{PAGESINCAT:Category-Class China-related articles|R}}+{{PAGESINCAT:Image-Class China-related articles|R}}+{{PAGESINCAT:Portal-Class China-related articles|R}}+{{PAGESINCAT:Non-article China-related pages|R}}}}}}
    PrimeHunter (talk) 21:36, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    Thanks for that, PrimeHunter... I didn't know those functions -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 21:41, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    Thanks a ton. I was having the same problem as Steve, but I'm all set now!--Danaman5 (talk) 22:33, 27 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    July 28

    Create the Wikilympics

    I propose that we create the first Wikilympics. Its the alternative for the WikiCup (it'll be held in the winter so it won't conflict with the WikiCup in the Summer). It'll follow the same rules of the WikiCup but there will be some difference: IP's are allowed to participate, Two flags for one person will be allowed, more points for each round, add "on this day..." for expansion of it, help for different wikis and uploading pictures. The winner will get a medal.

    Support:

    Neutral:

    Oppose:

    For More questions, respond on my talkpage. Secret Saturdays (talk) 00:58, 28 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    This page is for help with Wikipedia, not proposing things. You want the village pump. Algebraist 01:00, 28 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Image help

    I've just uploaded an image but it has come out the wrong way around. When I open it on my computer it opens vertically, and even after rotating the image, after uploading it becomes horizontal on Wikipedia. I even tried saving the version I had uploaded, rotating and saving it, and reuploading it, but it still came out horizontal. Why won't it upload vertically? SiameseTurtle (talk) 01:49, 28 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    I've rotated it. You might have rotated it with whatever software you used and forgot to save it. • S • C • A • R • C • E • 02:52, 28 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    The image should be on Commons. See Commons:Pulsatilla alpina and Wikipedia:Moving images to the Commons. --Teratornis (talk) 04:11, 28 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Retirement question

    Where does one secure the little badge that says an editor is retired from wikipedia? Thanks. MarmadukePercy (talk) 02:01, 28 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    This might help: "Wikipedia:Right to vanish" -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 02:11, 28 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    Thank you. MarmadukePercy (talk) 02:14, 28 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    Were you asking about {{retired}}? You'll find different versions of this at WP:BREAK. ≈ Chamal talk 02:16, 28 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    Again, many thanks. MarmadukePercy (talk) 02:20, 28 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    Marmaduke, you're not retiring are you? Damn, another great editor bites the dust?--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 02:49, 28 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Retrieving an account

    I know I have an account already set up. I could not find any way for me to retrieve my information. Any help would be greatly appreciated. 68.105.161.129 (talk) 03:05, 28 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    A checkuser can help you • S • C • A • R • C • E • 03:08, 28 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    I have alerted Nishkid64 (a checkuser) on the matter, please continue discussion with him/her • S • C • A • R • C • E • 04:03, 28 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    I accidently made an edit to an entry without logging in to my account

    As a result my IP Address was exposed. Is there any way to block the IP address? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Dodgers20008 (talkcontribs) 03:28, 28 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    ooh, good question. I hereby ask it also. Agradman talk/contribs 03:36, 28 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    No, the IP cannot be blocked, as it changes periodically and it only remains blocked for a certain amount of time. Thus it is only used for vandalism and never blocked indefinitely. However, you can reset your adapter settings and hopefully change the IP address.ZooFari 03:52, 28 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    If I understand the question, or rather the concern here - I don't believe you have any reason to worry. If you were not logged in, then the "sig" will not show as being related to your account. While some editors might be able to "assume" that an edit was made by both an account and a username - only a checkuser would be able to confirm that. It's extremely unlikely that you have to worry about as far as someone knowing what your individual IP address is at this point if you are editing in good faith and not vandalizing pages. (which I assume is the case) — Ched :  ?  07:23, 28 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    How do I prevent a contribution/topic from deletion?

    There isn't any references available. I'm trying to further
    the establishment of a phrase.
    Imagine the person that tried to get the phrase 'Jump the Shark
    ' started....

    TJStepp (talk) 04:32, 28 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Please read WP:No original research. Also, you can't add phrases in article unless it's from a quote, it would be bias. You can't prevent an edit from be reverted • S • C • A • R • C • E • 05:00, 28 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    ITI

    What is the scope after doing ITI in Information Technology & Electronic System Maintenance ? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.98.69.205 (talk) 05:50, 28 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    This page is for questions about using Wikipedia. Please consider asking this question at the Computing reference desk. They specialize in answering computer questions and will try to answer any question in the universe (except how to use Wikipedia, since that is what this Help Desk is for). Just follow the link and ask away. You could always try searching Wikipedia for an article related to the topic you want to know more about. I hope this helps. • S • C • A • R • C • E • 07:20, 28 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    add website field to infobox

    Can someone add a website field to Template:Infobox building.--TonyTheTiger (t/c/bio/WP:CHICAGO/WP:LOTM) 05:55, 28 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Why would a building have a website? Oh well, please suggest this at Template talk:Infobox building • S • C • A • R • C • E • 07:33, 28 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Problem within your setup a new user menu ???

    To whom this may concern, I'm trying to add my company and myself for people that would like to search me or my company. After trying to create an account (which I can't), I'm getting a message that says

    Login error The name "Ifocusfilms" is too similar to the existing account: Ifocus films (contribs) Please choose another name.



    When I search the my name (that I own), nothing comes up. So I'm reporting a problem within your new user setup menu.


    Thank you Christopher J. Szlachetka iFocus Films LLC [details removed] —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.101.116.57 (talk) 06:14, 28 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    You never created account, it was too similar to an existing account, please choose another name. By the way, please read WP:Username policy, yours violates the promotion policy. A username can't contain the name of a company. It sounds to me you're looking for Facebook or MySpace. This is an encyclopedia, if you're interested in creating an article for your company (if notable enough) go ahead. • S • C • A • R • C • E • 07:22, 28 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    After searching for your company, I could not find any results, thus any article created for it would soon be deleted. Again, this is not a social networking site, people create accounts here to edit our encyclopedia. And I can assure you, our Log in setup will always at tip top shape • S • C • A • R • C • E • 07:28, 28 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Country Province/State City Database

    Hi, I'm building a new website, that we need all the country-province-city database. I saw it is completely exist in Wikipedia, but we cannot refer to it. Would you please how can i use the information in my website for DropDownList choice. Does it free or not?

    Thank and looking forward your feedback! —Preceding unsigned comment added by WU.Xiang (talkcontribs) 06:52, 28 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Perhaps Wikipedia:Citing Wikipedia is what you are looking for. Our pages are available under WP:CC-BY-SA, if you're looking for the type of licensing that we use. — Ched :  ?  07:14, 28 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    Coordinate display

    Using {{coord |…|display=title}} causes the coordinates to be displayed on the title line. Where is the code that makes this happen? (I would like to implement it on another WP.) --Redaktor (talk) 07:11, 28 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

    {{coord}} would probably be the first link to read through. — Ched :  ?  07:17, 28 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]