Template talk:Cite tweet

"user" parameter is not necessary

The |user= parameter is not necessary because we can find any tweet just from it's number. suppose whole url is https://x.com/Wikipedia/status/1843233092145701274, now this tweet can be accessed without knowing the username like this: https://x.com/anyuser/status/1843233092145701274. but this template always says |user is required and without that it returns error. see here^{[31 number reference]}.––kemel49^{(connect)(contri)} 13:28, 10 October 2024 (UTC)

Is there a way to determine a tweet's author from its number without following the link? Rjjⁱⁱⁱ (talk) 13:50, 10 October 2024 (UTC)

Username is not necessary at all, if we omit the user parameter, it could reach to destined tweet by following the number parameter. and we can fill out author parameter only if we wish and it's not necessary that's what i mean.––kemel49^{(connect)(contri)} 14:05, 10 October 2024 (UTC)

Consensus is for including the author in a citation if possible (Wikipedia:Bare URLs & Why Bare URLs are a problem]). Rjjⁱⁱⁱ (talk) 22:00, 10 October 2024 (UTC)

This edit was done because |user= parameter was populated by an unexpected input. in such case, instead of using user parameter (which is necessary) url could be retrieved by using anyuser. This is how the mentioned edit was done.––kemel49^{(connect)(contri)} 13:26, 5 January 2025 (UTC)

@Rjjiii, if we type https://x.com/anytexthere/status and then tweet number then the link will lead us to desired post, hence username is not necessary at all. One can still fill that parameter but making it mandatory only gaining expense on tracking category.––kemel49^{(connect)(contri)} 14:02, 29 May 2025 (UTC)

Are you asking about creating the URL without the |user= parameter, getting rid of the error/category, or both? Would you feel comfortable implementing your idea in the sandbox? Rjjⁱⁱⁱ (talk) 22:40, 29 May 2025 (UTC)

I don't know coding but i tried a little bit at the sandbox. see if i succeed or not.––kemel49^{(connect)(contri)} 05:01, 30 May 2025 (UTC)

Requiring |user= seems appropriate for completeness of bibliographic detail in the rendered citation. I guess I don't see any harm in using /anyuser/ in the constructed url but I don't see any great advantage either.

—Trappist the monk (talk) 21:31, 13 June 2025 (UTC)

Some errors needed to be suppressed.––kemel49^{(connect)(contri)} 09:53, 11 July 2025 (UTC)

X vs. Twitter

I think that instead of saying "via Twitter", this template should say "via X (formerly Twitter)". GnocchiFan (talk) 12:20, 8 February 2025 (UTC)

It is line 156 in the sandbox if you want to tweak it and seek consensus to change. Rjjⁱⁱⁱ (talk) 16:23, 8 February 2025 (UTC)

If that is to be done, oughtn't the |via= value be chosen according to the date of the source? Before some date certain, it should be Twitter because X did not exist; X thereafter.

—Trappist the monk (talk) 16:46, 8 February 2025 (UTC)

The {{Cite tweet}} template should be forked to something like {{Cite X posting}} template, as Twitter no longer exists and we wouldn't want to change older Twitter citations throughout Wikipedia by forcing a new name on them. — Foxtrot1296 (talk) 21:17, 16 June 2025 (UTC)

@GnocchiFan, Rjjiii, Trappist the monk, and Foxtrot1296: I would support changing it to "via X (formerly Twitter)". Melbguy05 (talk) 00:17, 9 January 2026 (UTC)

There is general agreement here. Now someone needs to put code in the sandbox version of the module to display the correct text based on the date of the tweet. – Jonesey95 (talk) 16:35, 9 January 2026 (UTC)

In another discussion, I offered to do that. So far, no one has come forward with the date of transition. I'll refresh the offer. Identify the correct date when twitter transitioned to x, and I shall tweak the module to render 'via Twitter' or 'via X' according the the tweet's timestamp.

—Trappist the monk (talk) 17:01, 9 January 2026 (UTC)

If you believe our own article: "Twitter was rebranded to X on July 23, 2023, and its domain name changed from twitter.com to x.com on May 17, 2024." Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 18:51, 9 January 2026 (UTC)

So which of those dates it the date we should use to demarcate twitter from x?

—Trappist the monk (talk) 19:15, 9 January 2026 (UTC)

Surely the former for the text label; and the later for the domain in the link? Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 22:14, 9 January 2026 (UTC)

Umm, that answer isn't an answer. This topic's question is: what do we put in |via=? If we are to write |via=Twitter for tweets before some date certain and |via=X for tweets after that date certain, we can only use one date for the avoidance of confusion. I asked for that date. Your answer seems to say: 'use both dates'. How does that work?

—Trappist the monk (talk) 22:52, 9 January 2026 (UTC)

It very much is an answer, and is indisputably correct.

You are referring to a text label, and I specified only one date which should be used in that label.

I also added that you will need to use the other date if you wish to correctly demarcate in the linked URL.

I trust that is now clear to you. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 11:31, 10 January 2026 (UTC)

We should not say "X (formerly Twitter)" if we are citing a tweet from before X was so called; doubly so if that tweet was deleted before that time. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 16:39, 9 January 2026 (UTC)

Agree with that if the coding is possible. Dates I found:

• Elon Musk posted on 23 July 2023 [1] "And soon we shall bid adieu to the twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds".
• Elon Musk posted on 24 July 2023 [2] "X.com now points to https://x.com/. Interim X logo goes live later today."
• Former CEO of X Linda Yaccarino posted on 24 July 2023 [3]] "X is here! Let’s do this."
• Elon Musk posted on 17 May 2024 [4] that "All core systems are now on http://X.com". Melbguy05 (talk) 05:11, 10 January 2026 (UTC)

@GnocchiFan, Rjjiii, Trappist the monk, Foxtrot1296, Pigsonthewing, and Jonesey95: There has been no progress in modifying the template over the last few days. What caused the update to be delayed? I added the dates when Twitter became X. thanks Melbguy05 (talk) 11:11, 14 January 2026 (UTC)

Because we've been occupied doing other things? Because real life has intervened? The sky is not going to fall. Relax.

—Trappist the monk (talk) 14:15, 14 January 2026 (UTC)

I am still open to pushing changes live if someone wants to work something out in the sandbox and get consensus for it. The sandboxes don't have template-editor protection. I have the sandbox module watch-listed, but I don't think anybody has been editing it recently. I have more things to do (both in general and on Wikipedia) than time to do them. Rjjⁱⁱⁱ (talk) 23:03, 14 January 2026 (UTC)

Faulty citation

Greetings and felicitations. From "Iron Dome," in

@Israel Defense Forces (18 November 2012). Defense Forces/status/270170595260510208 "Some numbers from the last 4 days: 544 rockets fired from #Gaza hit #Israel + 302 Iron Dome interceptions = 846 rockets fired at us" (Tweet). Retrieved 19 April 2012 – via Twitter. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)

{{Cite tweet |number=270170595260510208 |title=Some numbers from the last 4 days: 544 rockets fired from #Gaza hit #Israel + 302 Iron Dome interceptions = 846 rockets fired at us |url=https://x.com/IDF/status/270170595260510208 |user=Israel Defense Forces |publisher=[[IDF Spokesperson's Unit]] |date=18 November 2012 |access-date=19 April 2012 }}

what am I missing that is causing the error? It was also happening before I added the actual URL. —DocWatson42 (talk) 08:07, 20 June 2025 (UTC)

|user= and |number= are used to construct the tweet's url. The |url= that you supplied is ignored. Because |user=Israel Defense Forces includes whitespace, Module:Cite tweet constructed a 'url' that looks like this:

https://x.com/Israel Defense Forces/status/270170595260510208

Module:Cite tweet then hands that 'url' and the other {{cite web}} parameters to Module:Citation/CS1. That module notices the whitespace in the 'url' and emits the error message. Even so, Module:Citation/CS1 then creates this external link from the cite tweet url and |title=:

[https://x.com/Israel Defense Forces/status/270170595260510208 Some numbers from the last 4 days: 544 rockets fired from #Gaza hit #Israel + 302 Iron Dome interceptions = 846 rockets fired at us]

Perhaps rewrite the template:

{{Cite tweet |author=Israel Defense Forces |user=IDF |number=270170595260510208 |title=Some numbers from the last 4 days: 544 rockets fired from #Gaza hit #Israel + 302 Iron Dome interceptions=846 rockets fired at us |access-date=19 April 2012}}

Israel Defense Forces [@IDF] (November 18, 2012). "Some numbers from the last 4 days: 544 rockets fired from #Gaza hit #Israel + 302 Iron Dome interceptions=846 rockets fired at us" (Tweet). Retrieved 19 April 2012 – via Twitter.

—Trappist the monk (talk) 13:31, 20 June 2025 (UTC)

A belated thank you. ^_^; —DocWatson42 (talk) 03:57, 16 July 2025 (UTC)