Wikipedia:Bots/Requests for approval/RustyBot 2

The following discussion is an archived debate. Please do not modify it. To request review of this BRFA, please start a new section at Wikipedia:Bots/Noticeboard. The result of the discussion was

Withdrawn by operator.

RustyBot 2

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Operator: Rusty Cat (talk · contribs · SUL · edit count · logs · page moves · block log · rights log · ANI search)

Time filed: 15:17, Sunday, September 15, 2024 (UTC)

Function overview: Categorize and create redirects to year pages (AD and BC).

Automatic, Supervised, or Manual: Automatic

Programming language(s): Python (pywikibot)

Source code available: Will provide if needed

Links to relevant discussions (where appropriate): Wikipedia:Bot requests/Archive 86#Articles about years: redirects and categories

Edit period(s): one time run

Estimated number of pages affected: about 1000-2000 year pages, so assuming we have to create 3 redirects for each, maximum 6000

Namespace(s): Main

Exclusion compliant (Yes/No): Yes

Function details: For each number 1-2000, the bot will operate on the pages "AD number" and "number BC".

~~On AD pages, the bot will append Category:Years AD to the page if it does not already have it.~~
The bot will create redirects "ADyear", "year AD", and "yearAD" to AD pages, and "BCyear", "BC year", and "yearBC" to the BC pages.

Discussion

Support as requester. Note that the AD year articles are, in the main, currently not categorised other than by number (e.g. Category:98 for AD 98). Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 10:15, 16 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]
@Pigsonthewing: I just checked and realized that the number categories are subcats of the Category:Years category. Does that mean that the bot does not need to put the page into the AD Years category? Rusty 🐈 14:53, 16 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Ah, I'd missed that. I guess so. I'll start a separate discussion about subdividing Category:Years into BC and AD sub-cats. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 14:58, 16 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]
It was suggested to use categories like Category:Years of the 19th century instead, so I'm applying those now, using Cat-a-lot. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 15:36, 29 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Which "R from" templates, if any, will be placed on the new redirects? I'm seeing one on AD 812 and a different one on 79 AD. Is there a systematic way of using them? – Jonesey95 (talk) 10:17, 17 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I'd say that {{R from year}} is what should be used here, as it states "This is a redirect from a formatted year title to the related year article."

And "AD" isn't a disambiguator in the parenthesis sense. Rusty 🐈 14:02, 17 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Separate question: I am seeing both AD 128 and 152 as year pages, but the task description says that the bot will operate only on "AD pages", or, in a separate specification, "AD number" pages. How will the bot task know the correct target for its redirects? Is there a systematic numbering method of these pages? – Jonesey95 (talk) 10:22, 17 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]
@Jonesey95:

I didn't know about the existence of 152 previously, thanks for bringing that to my attention.

I believe it will not be as straightforward to find all the year pages only beginning with a number; assuming the year pages are correctly categorized, the bot should check for a subcat of Category:Years on the page, and if so, assume it is a year page.

If the "AD number" page exists and it is not a redirect, we assume that page is the year page for that year. Otherwise, it is assumed that the year page is just the number. Rusty 🐈 13:58, 17 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Is there a consensus for this task? If there is a lack of standardisation in the naming of pages, that should be taken care of first, followed by a consensus on which redirects to have (I note that 2/3 of each example given in the BOTREQ thread were redlinks). Primefac (talk) 11:42, 20 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
On hold. pending answers to the above queries. Primefac (talk) 12:50, 10 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]
@Primefac: Sorry for the late reply. I think that the page name standardization doesn't matter as long as we have the redirects to each page consistent (MOS:VAR?)

I believe that the examples given in the BOTREQ are redlinks because they are what the requesting user wants to be created by the bot. Rusty 🐈 00:38, 12 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Redirects may be cheap, but we're talking 2000 of them, at least. I would like to see a consensus that this is desired, rather than just something Andy thinks is necessary. Primefac (talk) 21:46, 17 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]
{{Operator assistance needed|D}} Any movement on this? Primefac (talk) 14:02, 1 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
@Primefac: no, I don't think so Rusty 🐈 04:19, 2 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
@Rusty Cat: Are you planning to move forward with this, or are you happy with marking this BRFA as withdrawn for the time being? – DreamRimmer (talk) 11:39, 1 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]
I'll have it Request withdrawn for the time being. ~ Rusty ^meow ~ 14:50, 1 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. To request review of this BRFA, please start a new section at Wikipedia:Bots/Noticeboard.