View source for Help:Cite errors/Cite error references no text

{{Wikipedia how-to|HELP:CERNT}} 
{{Help:Cite errors/header
|msg=Cite error references no text
|cat=Pages with broken reference names
}}

==Overview==
{{see|Help:Footnotes}}
A footnote used multiple times may be defined with a name:
:{{tag|ref|params=name="foo-bar"|content=''content''}}

To invoke a named footnote:
:{{tag|ref|s|params=name="foo-bar"}}

References may also be defined within the reference list. Here is a correct example:

{{pre2|<nowiki>
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name=rename1>refcontent1</ref>
<ref name=rename2>refcontent2</ref>
<ref name=rename3>refcontent3</ref>
<ref name=rename4>refcontent4</ref>
}}</nowiki>}}

==Issues and resolution==
{{see|WP:REFNAME}}
A named reference was invoked but never defined. The reference may be defined inline or in the reference list. You may have misspelled the reference name, or used special characters that <em>look</em> the same but are actually different.

For instance,
:{{tag|ref|params=name="foo-bar"|content=''content''}}
::and
:{{tag|ref|params=name="foo–bar"|content=''content''}}

are ''not'' the same: one contains a [[hyphen]] while the other uses an [[ndash]]. To avoid this sort of error, try to use only the characters available on the standard keyboard.
----
You may have also invoked a reference but never defined it, for example: {{tag|ref|params=name="foo–bar"}} or {{tag|ref|s|params=name="foo–bar"}}.
----
You may have tried to include the reference inside the ref tag, for example: {{tag|ref|o|params=foo–bar /}}.
----
The full reference may have been removed from the article with other content, such as when removing information under [[WP:BLP|BLP]] concerns.  In this case the text of the reference will be available in the page history, and you can convert the single {{tag|ref|s}} tag into a full reference.
----
[[WP:LDR|List-defined references]] may have this error if:
* The closing {{tag|ref|close}} tag is missing or malformed. This would normally result in a {{red|1={{MediaWiki:Cite error included ref}}}} message, but the missing tag causes the reference to "eat" the reference following in the list. Since that reference is undefined, the {{red|1={{MediaWiki:Cite error references no text}}}} for both references. This can be very confusing, as the order of references in the list may not match the order used in the content.
* If {{tl|reflist}} is used and the {{para|refs}} parameter is missing or malformed.
* If a named reference is invoked within the reference list markup:
{{pre2|<nowiki>
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name=refname1 />
}}</nowiki>}}

==Display==
If the reference name includes characters other than standard English alphabet and numerals, then those characters will be dot encoded. That is, the characters will be converted to [[Wikipedia:ASCII|ASCII hexadecimal]] and shown with a period before them. For example, a name such as <code>$$abcd</code> would show as <code>{{red|.24.24abcd}}</code>. As noted at [[WP:NAMEDREFS]]: "Please consider keeping names simple and restricted to the standard English alphabet and numerals."

==Examples==
{{Help:Cite errors/lang}}

===Standard===
{{xt|Here the reference named ''minim'' is invoked, but never defined:}}

{{pre2|<nowiki>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.<ref name=ipsum>Reference 1</ref> Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.<ref name=minim/> Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.<ref name=duis>Reference 3</ref>Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

==References==
{{reflist}}</nowiki>}}

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.<ref name=ipsum>Reference 1</ref> Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.<ref name=minim/> Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.<ref name=duis>Reference 3</ref>Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

{{fake heading|sub=3|References}}
{{reflist|close}}

{{xt|Now ''minim'' appears to be defined, but the / actually invokes the reference before the definition; note that the closing {{tag|ref|close}} shows:}}

{{pre2|<nowiki>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.<ref name=ipsum>Reference 1</ref> Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.<ref name=minim/>Reference 2</ref> Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.<ref name=duis>Reference 3</ref>Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

==References==
{{reflist}}</nowiki>}}

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.<ref name=ipsum>Reference 1</ref> Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.<ref name=minim/>Reference 2</ref> Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.<ref name=duis>Reference 3</ref>Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

{{fake heading|sub=3|References}}
{{reflist|close}}

===List-defined references===
{{xt|Here, the referenced named ''excepteur'' is improperly closed— it causes the reference following in the list named ''ipsum'' to not close, thus both references show an error:}}

{{pre2|<nowiki>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.<ref name=ipsum/> Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.<ref name=minim/> Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.<ref name=duis/> Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.<ref name=excepteur/> Curabitur pretium tincidunt lacus.

==References==
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name=duis>duis</ref>
<ref name=excepteur>excepteur<ref>
<ref name=ipsum>ipsum</ref>
<ref name=minim>minim</ref>
}}</nowiki>}}

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.<ref name=ipsum/> Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.<ref name=minim/> Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.<ref name=duis/> Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.<ref name=excepteur/> Curabitur pretium tincidunt lacus.

{{fake heading|sub=3|References}}
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name=duis>duis</ref>
<ref name=excepteur>excepteur<ref>
<ref name=ipsum>ipsum</ref>
<ref name=minim>minim</ref>
}}

==Technical==
{{Help:Cite errors/tech
|msg=Cite error references no text
|cat=Pages with broken reference names
}}
{{Wikipedia referencing |state=collapsed}}