Wikipedia:Help desk

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November 8

How do I back up all Wikipedia to my hard drive?

You see, Wikipedia could go under. (For example, in the 2012 apocalypse.) However the site collapses, that's why we need to be able to back up the whole encyclopedia to our hard drives.

Also, it might give me something to read if I go on a mission with the Peace Corps for over 2 years, and I might not have Wireless Internet the whole time.

So how do we download the whole encyclopedia to our hard drives? How large is the size of the download? Thanks, --98.190.13.3 (talk) 01:53, 8 November 2010 (UTC)

See WP:Download. DMacks (talk) 01:56, 8 November 2010 (UTC)

(edit conflict)See WP:DUMP Dismas|^(talk) 01:57, 8 November 2010 (UTC)

However, there is little point to downloading the entire encyclopaedia. Even excluding non-content pages such as those in the Wikipedia:, Talk:, User:, etc. spaces, the database dump is an estimated 27 gigabytes uncompressed (as of ca 2 months ago). Wikipedia probably will not go under anytime soon, and even if it does there are hundreds of mirrors and forks which hold complete copies of the database. You should also consider the bandwidth that you would consume to download the entire file - bandwidth that might be put to better use serving pages to online users. If you would like to read Wikipedia without Internet access, you might consider taking advantage of our recently-added Book: feature. (See also: Help:Books) Intelligentsium 02:09, 8 November 2010 (UTC)

How to change "government type" in the sidebar for a city?

I don't see an "edit" button for this. I changed an incorrect government type for a city in the "local government" text section, but can't find out how to do it in the quick facts-type sidebar. Thoughts? Thanks!

02:32, 8 November 2010 (UTC)~~ —Preceding unsigned comment added by Letsplayfair (talk • contribs)

Click the "Edit" tab at top of the page. See also Help:Section#Editing before the first section. PrimeHunter (talk) 02:50, 8 November 2010 (UTC)

Thanks a lot! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Letsplayfair (talk • contribs) 03:47, 8 November 2010 (UTC)

Delete Wikipedia Search Engine...

I am using FireFox. After someone other than myself had used my computer, I noticed up in the right hand corner a box for the Wikipedia search engine. How do I delete that? Thanks!! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.102.24.21 (talk) 02:47, 8 November 2010 (UTC)

The firefox logo there is probably a pulldown menu where you can select among various sites for the search function there. DMacks (talk) 02:53, 8 November 2010 (UTC)

I think you mean the Wikipedia logo, DMacks. --ColinFine (talk) 00:03, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

Ah yeah. I'm using some wacky custom search on my machine that is defaulting to a ffox logo right now. DMacks (talk) 03:00, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

problem with redirect, I think

I am D. Kimbrough Oller, that is, Kimoller as a user name. I have written a wikipedia article about a living scholar, very eminent, John L. Locke. It can be found under that name, well-documented I believe, by searching Wikipedia. But if I search Google under the same name and add Wikipedia to the search item, I find the site, but it is titled User:Kimoller/John L. Locke and when the page is opened it shows (Redirected from User:Kimoller/John L. Locke). HOW DO I GET GOOGLE or any other search engine to find the site without the REDIRECT FROM User:Kimoller? Please help YOu can also use my email account, <email removed> Kimoller (talk) 07:21, 8 November 2010 (UTC)

I've nominated this redirect User:Kimoller/John L. Locke for deletion and hopefully, an administrator would be able to remove it for you. Minimac (talk) 07:25, 8 November 2010 (UTC)

Also, as it says at the top of the page, we don't use email addresses here and you're advised not to post them here. Dismas|^(talk) 07:27, 8 November 2010 (UTC)

Google will sort itself out when it gets round to re-indexing these pages. It may take a few days; until then, the redirect is doing a useful job, sending searchers from the old page address to the new one. (I have removed your email address to protect your privacy; this page is highly visible, and email addresses here are likely to become targets for spam) -- John of Reading (talk) 09:22, 8 November 2010 (UTC)

The article is well-written, but the only sources given are the scholar's own works. Have other people written about this person? Please see reliable sourcing and independent sourcing for advice. -- John of Reading (talk) 09:36, 8 November 2010 (UTC)

Adding Community / Information Website about area

I have added a community website to a page on wikipedia (there are two already) and it keeps getting deleted. Unlike the other two there are no ads on this site nor is a profit making site like one of the others yet it keeps getting removed. Why? It contains useful information about the area —Preceding unsigned comment added by Camposolweb (talk • contribs) 11:58, 8 November 2010 (UTC)

The reason for the deletion can be seen in the history sheet for the page in question. (Just click on the "history" tab at the top of the page). You need to read WP:COI and also WP:U. David Biddulph (talk) 12:07, 8 November 2010 (UTC)

Vandalism?

I was adding some information (episode names from he BBC website) to Apprentice UK Series 6, and was notified that I was vandalizing the page. The notice said that I had to cite references, but it seems silly to site references for episode names. Also the referencing is a bit confusing (just me I guess). All I'd like to do is get the episode names on the page. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.36.136.201 (talk) 17:48, 8 November 2010 (UTC)

One of the principles of Wikipedia is verifiability. The reference you need is probably this, which is just one click away from the External Link that's already on the page, so I've reverted TT's edit. David Biddulph (talk) 18:07, 8 November 2010 (UTC)

New school slang words,what does this mean?

I have a 12 year old daughter who is having probs.in school,i told her if she needs 2 know anything 2 ask me,have looked on this site & in dictioary-no solutions,can someone answer my question,she got called either wren or rem or wrem & wants 2 know what it means,can anyone out there help me?She can't ask in school as it would cause more probs. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.209.222.77 (talk) 18:08, 8 November 2010 (UTC)

Hello. I suspect, based on your question, that you found one of our over three million articles, and thought that we were directly 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 a help desk for asking questions related to using the encyclopedia. Thus, we have no inside track on 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. TNXMan 18:14, 8 November 2010 (UTC)

entry creation

how do a make an entirely new entry/article? also can i put in pictures of the subject that i find on, for example, google images. if so, how do i do so? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Futballer13 (talk • contribs) 21:21, 8 November 2010 (UTC)

For creating a new article see Wikipedia:Your first article and Wikipedia:Article development; and you may wish to try the Article Wizard. For creating a new page in your userspace see How do I create a user subpage?; or use the Article Wizard, which has an option for that. As to pictures: images found through search engines are almost always going to be violations of copyright, and thus cannot be used here except under extremely limited circumstances. --Orange Mike | Talk 21:28, 8 November 2010 (UTC)

How can I undo or roll back?

I tried to translate Kamidia Radisti to Swedish, but did it on this English wp instead of the Swedih one. Now I managed to fix the Swedish one, but how I undo or roll back on the English wp? --Mats33 (talk) 22:47, 8 November 2010 (UTC)

Hi Mats33. Undoing is limited to reverting a single revision, and can be unavailable because of intervening edits. What you needed to do here was revert to the last good version, which I have done. Cheers.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 23:31, 8 November 2010 (UTC)

Article text doesn't appear on edit text!

Hi, is someone able to fix the very beginning of Ender's Game (comics)? The "category: 2008 comic debuts" part doesn't appear in the actual edit text, and undoing to previous versions doesn't remove it. Sorry if this isn't the proper place for this. Kreachure (talk) 22:54, 8 November 2010 (UTC)

Fixed. This just about had to be something going wrong with a template on the page so I checked the infobox and it is apparently supposed to place the page into [[category:YEAR comic debut]] when you add the year of debut to the |startyr= parameter. Obviously {{Infobox comic book title}} is not working quite right on that front.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 23:26, 8 November 2010 (UTC)

I think the problem was that there was a restricted character in the page name (specifically, the single quote, ' ), which I have replaced. Intelligentsium 23:36, 8 November 2010 (UTC)

November 9

Help fighting the dispute on my page.

I created the page on General Michael D Healy. There is a NPOV dispute on my page and several if not all of my pictures were removed. I have adjusted the inconsistencies that were noted on the talk page but the dispute is still there. As for the pictures, they belong to my family. My husband is General Healy's grandson and namesake. I have every right to post the pictures and need help replacing them please. Please help me, this page means a lot to my family and to the General himself. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Doodledorf (talk • contribs) 02:27, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

I have not looked at the page, and am not intending to get involved in the dispute. But for me alarm bells ring when you say "this page means a lot to my family and to the General himself". I understand that you might have these feelings, but they have no place in Wikipedia, which is for recording information which has already been published elsewhere, and not a platform either for promotion or for celebration of anybody or anything. --ColinFine (talk) 09:07, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

Please read WP:OWN and understand that the article you started is not "your page" at all. Other users are quite entitled to edit it and to point out inconsistencies, and you have no special rights over the content. Having read the article I would say that it needs far more sources to support what is largely unsourced material, particularly since this is the biography of a living person. As for the images, copyright is a complicated area. Did you or someone in your family actually take them? You may have "every right" to upload them if you do hold the copyright, but you need to license and tag them appropriately, otherwise they cannot be accepted. Bear in mind that if you do own the copyright to these images and you upload them under an acceptable license, you are granting total strangers the right to reuse them provided they comply with the terms of the license. You need to be very careful about what license you select. There is more information at Wikipedia:Uploading images. Karenjc 20:26, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

Vandal Recently Changed our Company's Wikipedia Page Repeatedly

Hello,

In this article, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceTime_(software), about the software product called SpaceTime which is both patented and trademarked, the most recent editor of the article changed the trademark name of the article "SpaceTime" to " (also known as SpaceTime3D)" which is a way to confuse the public about the actual name of the software and its well deserved trademark. For some reason, each time in the edit review history that the name was changed to the actual product name of "SpaceTime" one of the editors changed it back again to " (also known as SpaceTime3D) "

You can view the actual issued mark here: http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4002:9c0iub.2.1

In addition, the software application "SpaceTime" in an older revision said is a "three dimensional graphical user interface that allows end users to search their content such as Google, Google Images, Yahoo!, YouTube, eBay, Amazon and RSS. The 3D Search system allows end users to visually search through the actual web pages, videos, products, RSS or other items in a three dimensional visual stack." The current edit on the page is attempting to limit the scope of the actual working product by saying SpaceTime is a " 3D graphical user interface that displays web pages in a 3d tabbed stack." when in fact it displays a lot more than web pages such as images, videos, products, RSS and more in a 3D stack.

There have been several attempts to place the "patented" word in the Wikipedia description as you can validate from the proof of the actual issued patent: http://www.google.com/patents/about?id=UHfRAAAAEBAJ&dq=bakhash

In addition, the last editor of the Wikipedia page decided to show the product in the worst light possible by referencing an unknown blogger with no respectable reputation as follows:

"The beta browser received mixed reviews. Rich Menga of PC Mech described how "thoroughly disgusted" he was with "any product that takes already-fast things that everyone does on the internet and tries to '3D-ize' them."[10] Jack M. Germain, of TechNewsWorld described how "SpaceTime delivers on its promise to save me time and provide a revolutionary online searching too" stating that "while I continue to use the 3-D searching environment, though, I am having more fun than I should at work."[7] Edward N. Albro of PCWorld gave the beta browser a 2.5/5 stating that while its "visual results can make searches easier", that "for basic browsing, SpaceTime has no appeal" and that the browser was too "buggy and slow for basic browsing".[11]"

When in fact, the world's most reputable technology reviewer and his team, Walter Mossberg of The Wall Street Journal gave the product rave reviews by saying: SpaceTime and "Visual Search can save time and turn searching into a fun process."

You can read The Wall Street Journal Article here: http://solution.allthingsd.com/20080326/testing-souped-up-search-functions/

We ask the good community of Wikipedia to stop this editor from desecrating the work of an honest hard working software team that brought a useful product to the technology community through a hard-earned patent, trademark and product.

We are wondering why the recent editor is changing the article in a negative light that does [not] represent the facts.

Thank you. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ez3d (talk • contribs) 02:40, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

When there is a dispute over content normally the first step in Wikipedia's Dispute resolution process is to discuss the matter with the other party, either on the article's talk page or directly on the other user's talk page. If you have not yet done this please do so. -- œ^™ 11:17, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

What we have is a misunderstanding. The editor (me) is not trying to portray the article in a negative light. Rather, I am trying to maintain a nuetral point of view. When the article reads "The beta browser received mixed reviews", this is not intended to malign the product, but rather to put forth the reception section in a balanced way. On Wikipedia, we use reliable sources to reference our statements. If you the source used in a citation is not reliable, then the statement and citation may be removed. We don't generally indicate whether software is patented/trademarked (for example see Windows XP), I've added it in as a note. I've also opened a thread at Wikipedia:Reliable_sources/Noticeboard#PC_Mech_and_TechNewsWorld to determine whether the sources I used were reliable. You may view the page's history here (or by clicking the view history tab of the article]. You may view the article's talk page at Talk:SpaceTime_(software) (or by hitting the Discussion tab). I've worked with User:Mabdul to expand several other browser articles including Cello (web browser), Arena (web browser), and others. I hope you don't view my edits as vandalism following this explanation. If you have any further questions, please feel free to post them here, to the article's talk page at Talk:SpaceTime_(software) or at my talk page at User talk:Smallman12q. Smallman12q (talk) 02:03, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

Images

I'm really confused on adding images of album and single covers. I've seen dozens of covers use the "This image is of a cover of an audio recording" for their fair-use rationale and nothing happens to them. But then every once in a while a cover using that will be tagged. Why is this? Why can one be on the site for close to five years and be fine but then one gets added this year and gets tagged? --Shadow (talk) 06:03, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

The image file page needs BOTH a copyright notice AND a fair-use rationale. If you don't have both, then the file can be tagged for deletion. The answer to how something which needs to be deleted but doesn't get deleted for five years is that no one noticed for five years. Wikipedia is a big place, and every once in a while, something gets lost. --Jayron32 06:08, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

moving an artical from he.wikipedia.org to en.wikipedia.org

Shalom

I want to move the artical about the sculptress-artist Zahra Rubin from he.wikipedia.org to en.wikipedia.org.

Although I was in charge of publishing the Hebrew version it turn to be impossible for me to do it withut the help of several veterans that volunteers to help me.

I found that it will be very difficult for me to issue the English version, by myself, although I have all the needed texts in English.

Where should I turn to ask for help of that sort?

Eagerly anticipating for responses to my question

Dani

P.S. To see the Hebrew version you can can copy and paste the folowing URL: http://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/זהרה_רובין —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rubindani (talk • contribs) 09:21, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

I'm sorry I can't be of more direct assistance in this regard as I'm inexperienced in transwiki areas, but I can direct you to some help pages that may help guide you.. Wikipedia:Copying within Wikipedia#Translating from other language Wikimedia Projects is important to read first to learn about attribution, because it looks like that Hebrew article has other contributors. Help:Import describes the process of importing text from other Wikipedias but I believe you need to have the Importer flag. Wikipedia:Translation has other resources and links that may be of use to you. Hope this helps in some way. -- œ^™ 10:56, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

First - THX, THX a LOT!

I still feel & think that I need some one that will "take my hand" and admit me in and guide till through the sand box and to the the first public page. So - still waiting

D. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rubindani (talk • contribs) 16:33, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

I imported the English translation of the Hebrew artical a.m. at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zahara_Rubin

Can anyone help me to arrange it to have a "decent looking" similar to the Hebrew artical? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rubindani (talk • contribs) 13:42, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

I will take a look at it in a moment. – ukexpat (talk) 13:54, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

 Done. I have edited the article to comply with the manual of style for biographies. A couple of points: you will have to find some more references to support notability, hence the tag at the top, and some of the arty-farty claptrap in the second career paragraph will have to be edited to be more encyclopedic (or removed). I also removed some material completely and copied it to the article's talk page in case someone else finds it useful. – ukexpat (talk) 14:13, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

Fallout Characters page

Is there a page with a list of the characters from the fallout series. I'm looking to make one if there isn't however I want to make sure there isn't one before I do. --MagnusWolfEikrem (talk) 09:41, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

Have you tried Wikipedia's Reference Desk? They specialize in knowledge questions and will try to answer just about 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. I hope this helps.Template:Z37 -- œ^™ 10:46, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

I don't see why you're being sent to the Reference Desk since your question seems to deal specifically with Wikipedia. Anyway, there doesn't seem to be a list of characters article linked from Category:Fallout series or the template {{Fallout series}}. Dismas|^(talk) 11:25, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

Oh, sorry. I was always under the impression that the Reference desk, in addition to answering general knowledge questions, aids readers in finding information on Wikipedia, such as certain articles and lists. -- œ^™ 11:32, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

We do that there, yes. But the addition of the willingness of this editor to create an article if one doesn't exist seems more of a help desk issue to me. Dismas|^(talk) 11:54, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

Yes, of course you're right. This user's question is just as valid here as on the reference desk. I could've been more helpful instead of jumping the gun and templating. My apologies to you MagnusWolfEikrem. -- œ^™ 11:58, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

And I believe we've been remiss in not pointing out Wikipedia:Your first article to Magnus. Dismas|^(talk) 13:21, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

He should also read WP:Stand-alone lists. --ColinFine (talk) 18:33, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

The Missing manual - Chapter 2 - broken link

In the Advanced Citations Techniques, Automated Citation Tools section, there is a link to http://www.srcf.ucam.org/~ms609/Wiki/Scholar that returns a 404. Is this a broken link? Thanks. Mark^Dask 12:06, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

It certainly seems to be! At Wikipedia:Citation tools there is a description of a similar tool, so I will shortly be updating the 'Missing Manual' page. -- John of Reading (talk) 13:20, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

Thanks John. Mark^Dask 14:13, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

Proceed from work-in-progress to Live

I have completed my article in a Work-in-Progress environment, but I would now like to place it on Wikipedia live. I do not seem to be able to find the Step PLan showing me what to do next. What are the simple steps I should follow? Can I proceed to Live from my work-in-progress environment? I have only been a registered user for about 2 days.DrSchaub (talk) 13:03, 9 November 2010 (UTC) Regards DrSchaub

The process would be to WP:MOVE the page. Your account is too new to perform this, so I will do it for you... Dismas|^(talk) 13:11, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

WP:SYMUD is a useful read. – ukexpat (talk) 14:23, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

Hearing Aids Page

I keep adding a link to our website buyahearingaid.com which is completely unbiased collection of unique articles and the most updated and complete database of hearing aid brands and models. And then it is being removed. Please let us know why. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Phdimov (talk • contribs) 15:15, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

The link was removed by User:Orangemike and he left a message on your talk page about it. His reasoning has to do with our guidelines about the use of external links. The best way to get clarification as to what Orangemike feels is wrong with the link is to ask him. If you'd like, look over the guidelines as well to familiarize yourself with possible reasons why. Dismas|^(talk) 16:08, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

In particular, please note the wording of the section WP:EL#ADV: "... you should avoid linking to a site that you own, maintain, or represent—even if WP guidelines seem to imply that it may otherwise be linked. When in doubt, you may go to the talk page and let another editor decide." Karenjc 19:33, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

Broken Link

What should one do when a broken link is discovered? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.191.97.2 (talk) 16:52, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

Assuming you're referring to external links, first thing is to try to repair the link by searching for another copy of the page on some other website by googling the url, or checking the Internet Archive at http://www.archive.org for an archived copy. If you cannot repair it you should tag the link with the {{dead link}} template. It is important that you do not delete the link, especially if it's being used for a reference. Read Wikipedia:Link rot for more information. -- œ^™ 17:40, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

cannonball

I have an iron cannonball that does not apparently apply to the cannons used during the American Civil War. I did some research on your info site and found a gun chart that reflects a size of ball that better describes a bore, diameter, and weight that seems a better fit for the cannonall. The "Minion" cannon seems to be a fit. My question: Is there a way to verify a British made cannonball (3"dia./ 3lb/10.8oz)located in an old farmhouse in Georgia,USA, and is that a real possibility?. It was very rusty when found,of course.

Any feedback or info appreciated74.190.113.145 (talk) 19:22, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

I suspect, based on your question, that you found one of our over 7 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. --Orange Mike | Talk 19:23, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

(edit conflict) Have you tried the Miscellaneous 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.Template:Z38 TNXMan 19:24, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

article content error

There was an article on the Peppermill Casino in Reno, Nevada written and posted in Wikipedia and the content is not totally correct as to how it began, owners and money to start the business... How do you post another rendition as to who started the casino and the real story?? Will it be posted by the orginal story or some other place? Bkchristy (talk) 19:30, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

You are welcome to edit Wikipedia, but all information you add must be supported by reliable sources or it is likely to be removed. Has the story of the casino's origin been published somewhere reliable, and can you cite that reference? If so, feel free to change the wording of the article, remembering to source your edit and to keep your contribution neutral and factual. (Please don't just add an alternative version to the existing story - Wikipedia is intended to be a collection of verifiable facts, not of conflicting opinions.) If your version has not been published anywhere and is only based on hearsay or personal experience, then it is no more reliable than the current version (which is also unsourced), and adding it would not improve the article. Your best bet in that case would be to seek sources for the information, and to discuss your proposed changes on the article's talk page in an effort to reach consensus on the best wording. Karenjc 19:53, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

How to remove an alert

How does one remove an alert once it is out of date. For example, after adding verifiable sources to an article, how does one remove an alert saying that there are no sources? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Bradjersak (talk • contribs) 21:15, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

You do it in the normal way, by editing the text of the article. The alerts are usually right at the top. You may find something like {{BLP unsourced|date=October 2010}} or perhaps a {{Multiple issues}} alert listing several problems and their dates. When you remove the alert, remember to give a clear edit summary, and do not mark the edit as minor. -- John of Reading (talk) 21:29, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

Wikipedia image vs. Commons image

I've encountered a problem which I suspect has come up in the past, but after searching the Help namespace both here & on commons, I failed to find the answer. I want to embed this image from commons into the article Eon of Axum, however if I take the usual steps, I instead get this fair-use image from Wikipedia. Is there a way to specify the commons file, or do I need to have the Wikipedia file renamed? -- llywrch (talk) 21:44, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

As far as I know the only solution is to have one of the images renamed. – ukexpat (talk) 21:54, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

I've moved the local image (suppressing the redirect). You should have clear sailing now. Cheers.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk)

Thanks! Image added. -- llywrch (talk) 17:02, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

November 10

Length of a string

How to know the length of a string of characters (I need it for a template on wp)? {{#len:string}} doesn't work! Thank you very much.--DrFO.Jr.Tn (talk) 00:44, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

We have a string manipulation template {{str len}}, but it is really something of a hack: it only supports strings up to 500 characters long, it is rather expensive, and it is not always reliable. Intelligentsium 01:28, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

Just a thought

Hello,

I've been looking around a bit about this but no luck so far.

My question is if there is a way to tell what was the last edited part of an article? I know it says the date in which it was at the bottom of the page, but sometimes people might like to see what part(s) were changed. If there isn't I would like to see a simple way of doing so implemented perhaps. Maybe a link at the bottom that reloads the page with the most recent change(s) highlighted if possible?

Thank you for any response you might have,

R.K—Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.180.196.220 (talk) 01:20, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

Click the "view history" tab, then click the "compare selected revisions" button; you can also use {{diff|<!-- PUT THE PAGENAME HERE -->|cur}} to generate a link. ǝɥʇM0N0 01:28, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

See more at Help:Page history. PrimeHunter (talk) 01:51, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

Payment of matured policyJeewan suraksha

The Policy has already matured but no intimation regarding the payment, ≈122.252.246.234 (talk) 07:03, 10 November 2010 (UTC) Surendra JohriMoradabad

Hello. I suspect, based on your question, that you found one of our over three million articles, and thought that we were directly 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 a help desk for asking questions related to using the encyclopedia. Thus, we have no inside track on 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.Template:Z25

(I have removed the policy number from your post to protect your privacy) -- John of Reading (talk) 07:17, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

Little red x top right of edit box

I tried to import a photo from commons, correct markup, and the red x buton appears - why please? Mark^Dask 10:13, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

Please tell us what photo you are referring to (you can place a link to an image using a colon inside the linking brackets like so: [[:File:name.jpg]]) and what you mean by "import". In fact, tell us everything that might be relevant about what you tried or attempted: where did you try to add it, what markup you used and so on. Commons photos can be used directly in Wikipedia articles, with normal image markup without being imported in any way. We recently had a sitewide problem with many images not displaying and it's possible you attempted to use an image during that span of time. Anyway, it's difficult to answer your question in the hypothetical.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 10:47, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

the article is Yanomamo Women - on that page I have inserted a test image, from commons, but the one I want is either Yanomani.jpg or Jacekpalkiewicz3.jpeg - neither works - if u go to page you can see for yourself. Thanks. Mark^Dask 11:34, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

When you use images you must use the exact name in all respects, and the best way to ensure this is by going to the image page, highlighting its name and then using your computer's copy function (ctrl+c) and then pasting the image name where you want to use it (ctrl+v). If you try to use File:Jacekpalkiewicz3.jpeg it will not work because the image is titled File:JacekPalkiewicz3.jpg; if you try to use Yanomani.jpg it will not work because there is no image by that name either here or at Commons. Maybe you mean File:Indio Yanomami.jpg?--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 11:55, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

Oops - I wasn't using capitals - sorry about that, and thanks for the Ctrl tip. Mark^Dask 11:57, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

Reviewing

My mini-biography on Isaac Seligman has been placed on line but apparently needs someone to review it. No idea how to organise that so could you put out an APB to all avid reviewers requesting a review of my biography? Many thanks.213.10.136.135 (talk) 11:19, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

Hi I've got time in the next few days to take a look - I will contact you on your talk page if I have any questions okay? Mark^Dask 11:47, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

Adding a one-line comment to a keyword in a Wikipedia page

Whilst researching a particular topic in Wikipedia, I believe that I can add some insight into the origin of a title (pronoun) relating to a rock band. Could you kindly advise me (or provide me with a link to a an instructional webpage within Wikipedia) so that can add a one-line comment to that article. I do not want to attach a full-page article or any other attachments but wish to allow other users access to my "comment" by clicking on the key word Spongorfungus (talk) 17:29, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

Edit the article (click the edit tab) to add your text, then follow it with a reference in the following form: <ref>text of reference goes here</ref>. You can also use one of the appropriate citation templates referred to at WP:CITE. – ukexpat (talk) 17:36, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

Note, however, that this has to be from an actual published reliable source; so if your "insight" is personal knowledge or mere speculation, then it has no place in the article. --Orange Mike | Talk 17:58, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

John L. Locke article

Dear Help I have added reliable third party refs (articles and books citing and clearly influenced by Locke) and to an article and two books by a key collaborator of Locke.

What is the process for removal of the header on the article that is there at the moment? (It says "This article needs references that appear in reliable third-party publications...")

Can you do that? Thanks, D. Kimbrough Oller —Preceding unsigned comment added by Kimoller (talk • contribs) 18:39, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

 Done – ukexpat (talk) 19:38, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

Kitchen

L AM WORKING IN A PROFFESSIONAL KITCHEN AND WANT TO KNOW IF L HAVE TO WEAR A UNIFORM BY LAW AS THEY SAID THEY WOULD SURPLY ME WITH ONE NOW THEY SAID L SHOULD JUST WEAR MY OWN CASUAL CLOTHES HOW DOES THAT STAND WITH HEALTH AND HYGIEN PLEASE —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.161.234.23 (talk) 18:54, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

Hello. I suspect, based on your question, that you found one of our over three million articles, and thought that we were directly 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 a help desk for asking questions related to using the encyclopedia. Thus, we have no inside track on 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.Template:Z25 TNXMan 18:56, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

And if you do ask at the reference desk, one of the first things people will want to ask you is what jurisdiction (country, state, etc.) you are in, as the answer will certainly depend on that. --ColinFine (talk) 22:30, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

Wikipedia with green theme for ENGINEERING articles

Sir..... Previously I found articles in Wikipedia separately for engineering...the main difference is the outline i general wikipedia, surroundings are bluish and in few engineering articles esp from engineering books, outline is little green in color..how can I get those pages <blanked> —Preceding unsigned comment added by Raghavsairam (talk • contribs) 19:21, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

Are you sure you saw the green outline in Wikipedia? Wikipedia is a general encyclopedia and normally uses the same background for all articles. It is one of many wikis with articles about engineering. Several of them use the same MediaWiki software as Wikipedia and have many design similarities. The Google search engineering wiki shows some of them. PrimeHunter (talk) 20:21, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

Two articles about the same subject

These two articles Domestic rabbit and House rabbit are about exactly the same subject. IMHO such a situation is totally unacceptable. Does a mechanism to force a compulsory merge exist? Roger (talk) 21:27, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

I'm not convinced; I think Domestic rabbit covers a much wider subject than House rabbit. You could begin a discussion, though - see Help:Merging for guidance on this. -- John of Reading (talk) 21:54, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

Disregard for the moment the specifics of these articles. I'm much more concerned about the general principle of not having two articles about the same subject and the existence or possible existence of a compulsory merge procedure to deal with such duplication. Allowing multiple articles on a single subject is a slippery slope to factionalism. Imagine if you will there being two articles about President Obama - one tending to prefer a Democrat POV and the other with a Republican bias - such a situation would be intollerable and should not be subject to the whims of ephemeral and capricious "consensus" as each article's set of fans would naturally contend that their version is "canonical".

Returning to the specific articles, it seems to me that Domestic rabbit is the more scientific (zoological) article while House rabbit is biased towards rabbits as pets so maybe there is room to develop the divergence further and also consider moving House rabbit to a title that more clearly identifies is as being about rabbits as pets. The editors then just need to keep in mind that there is a real risk of it violating NOTGUIDE and/or getting swamped with fancruft. Roger (talk) 22:25, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

I don't know what you mean by a 'compulsory' merge, but the word rings warning bells for me. Very little on Wikipedia is compulsory. If you think two articles should be merged, you should start the process, or if you think it is likely to be contentious, start a discussion on one or both talk pages about merging. See the link John provided above. --ColinFine (talk) 22:34, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

Maybe "compulsory" is too strong a word. I'm thinking of something equivalent to the speedy delete procedure where an action can be taken without pointless debate to correct a clear unambigious policy violation. Of course this presupposes that multiple articles on the same subject are in fact forbidden. Roger (talk) 22:52, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

There is, in fact, such a thing as a "compulsory merge", if not in title then in effect. Articles for deletion can result in articles not just being kept or deleted, but redirected, deleted and redirected, transwikied, userfied and in a decision to merge, and where that's the result, that is not an optional merge. However, historically such debates are almost always started as deletion debates, followed by consensus to do something else such as a merger. Though I do not remember ever seeing an AfD debate that started as a nomination solely to merge, I see no reason it could not be done. That being said, I don't think it would be the correct thing to do except under very specific and unusual circumstances (maybe to cut short an edit war with one side repeatedly merging and the other repeatedly reverting), and after other options have been tried and failed. Proposing a merger seems an obvious first step, as noted by others. Of course, you could be bold and just do the merge and see if that is reverted (I'm also talking generally here, not about the specific rodent issue this started with; I think these can be sustained as separate articles). The context here is articles that are not true duplicates but that are too duplicative to sustain autonomy. If an article is really just a duplicate WP:CSD#A10 may apply (in limited circumstances) or redirection and if reverted, then asking for salting of the redirect. I've seen a few AfDs that started that way. In the case of two Barack Obama articles, see Wikipedia:POV Fork.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 23:46, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

If you consider making drastic changes like merging two articles then start by looking for prior discussions on the talk pages. The content was deliberately split into two articles after a discussion at Talk:Domestic rabbit#House rabbit? The discussion is old but I think it would be inappropriate to merge them again without a new discussion. Undiscussed mergers is generally for cases unlikely to meet opposition, and the discussion shows there would at least have been opposition in the past. Furthermore, our logs show the split was performed by User:Ed Brey who edited House rabbit and Talk:House rabbit as late as 6 hours ago, and about half of all his 2010 edits are to those pages. You can propose a merger with the procedure at Help:Merging. If you make a merger without prior discussion then anybody who disagrees the two pages were "a clear unambigious policy violation" is entitled and able to revert it (unlike deleted pages which can only be restored by admins). PrimeHunter (talk) 00:48, 11 November 2010 (UTC)

Electronic Bagpipes Page

Dear Sir/Madam

Last year we provided information on new technology being used in the electronic bagpipe field by the company vPipes. We stated that vPipes was the only electronic bagpipe to use capacitive continual sensor technology being careful not to make an 'advertisement' out of the information provided. We realised that our contribution had been deleted by the page-owner although they have maintained the names and brands of other electronic bagpipes. We deem this completely unfair and a disservice to users of Wikipedia as the information provided on the current page 'Electronic Bagpipes' is incomplete now that vPipes, amongst other makes, no longer appears. We do not understand how a Wikipage can be so biased excluding information provided in good faith.

We would appreciate understanding why this situation has arisen and how it can be corrected.

Regards

85.53.138.178 (talk) 22:13, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

First, there is no such thing as a 'page owner' on Wikipedia: see WP:OWN. With certain exceptions, anybody may edit any page. Equally, anybody may remove another person's edit.

Secondly, Wikipedia is an encyclopaedia, it is not a product directory. I see that User:Hu12 removed a reference to vPipes in January 2010. A few hours later the same user removed a whole list of other brands, and links to them. So I do not see what is 'unfair' or 'biased' - but if you think something is unfair or biased, the place to discuss it is in the article's talk page.

You should also read WP:COI. You do not say that you are associated with the company, but your wording strongly suggests it. --ColinFine (talk) 22:49, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

November 11

Fundraising banner suppression

Anyone have the skinny on hiding it yet? I believe in the past after clamor it gets added to gadgets in user preferences but it's not in there yet.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 00:05, 11 November 2010 (UTC)

There's a tiny go-away box in the upper righthand corner of the banner, not very noticeable. --Orange Mike | Talk 00:46, 11 November 2010 (UTC)

Thanks! Quite small indeed, and not in a sharply contrasting color.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 00:52, 11 November 2010 (UTC)

El Salvador national football team article

Dear help, this article needs reliable resources and citations. The resource number in the bottom(reflist) does not match the top(in the article). I would be delightful if someone could try to add more references. --Thank you. Jaime070996 00:15, 11 November 2010 (UTC)

El Salvador national football team (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views)

It's probably not a good idea to expand the article at the moment; the article talk page says it is still in the middle of a copyright investigation. -- John of Reading (talk) 04:30, 11 November 2010 (UTC)

Peer Review

When trying to use the peer review template on my new article I get the text, "This template should be substituted on the article talk page." Problem is, I did substitute it on the talk page and it still gives me that text. Am I missing something? Or is this whats supposed to happen? Thanks! I'm Flightx52 and I approve this message 00:52, 11 November 2010 (UTC)

The template is geared towards talk pages of articles that are in the article mainspace. You're substituting it on a talk page, true, but it's the talk page of a user draft that is in the user talk namespace. For this article, at its current stage of development, you might want to ask for feedback at WP:FEED or here, but this article is a stub and is a long way from ready for a peer review. Peer reviews are "intended for high-quality articles that have already undergone extensive work, often as a way of preparing a featured article candidate."--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 01:21, 11 November 2010 (UTC)

Alright thanks. Well, I was gonna try something new because I have had my article on WP:FEED for a few days. Maybe 3 or 4. No one has reviewed it so I figured something was up. Maybe it's just me being impatient again:P Or is there a reason? I'm Flightx52 and I approve this message 02:31, 11 November 2010 (UTC)

Formatting problem

Could somebody please fix Tore Holm? Clarityfiend (talk) 01:22, 11 November 2010 (UTC)

Fixed. Apparently {{MedalBottom}}, or the way it interfaces with the other templates, breaks when there is not a new line between it and preceding material.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 01:31, 11 November 2010 (UTC)

Thanks. Clarityfiend (talk) 01:38, 11 November 2010 (UTC)

Alida Vázquez and Cornelia Tautu

These were stubs that have been recently deleted without any notice to me as the author. Both these women are listed in other encyclopedias. As I understand it, that should make them important enough for coverage in Wikipedia. Could I get the articles reinstated? Also, in cases like this where the subject looks obscure, should I mention within the text of the article or on the discussion page that the subject is covered in other encyclopedia?Pkeets (talk) 05:24, 11 November 2010 (UTC)

Roller Derby League

how in god's name do i contact the admin that deleted my account? i tried going to the name listed and there is no space/contact info to begin any discussion. i've no way of doing so to correct the mistake made or to edit my article to be more in line with what's expected. i am not advertising. i am trying to make an entry for our roller derby league. there are hundreds of other roller derby league entries. in fact there are some in our city. to not allow ours is unfair. i would like to conform to the wikipedia standards if given the opportunity. i'm not able to do so at this time without knowing/understanding what about my article was rejectionable.

thank you, Demalisha durga (talk) 05:26, 11 November 2010 (UTC)demalisha durga

re: Richmond Derby Demons

• Responded at user talk page. --Jayron32 06:30, 11 November 2010 (UTC)

Editing existing page

Hi,

Need help in editing existing page.

I have the content ready. Please check!

Content: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Wikitech001/Sandbox

Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Co-sourcing

Please help!

Thanks

--Wikitech001 (talk) 07:08, 11 November 2010 (UTC)