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Template/category to a match-case restriction to link suggestions linking to a page

I'm looking for something I can add to pages like The C Programming Language to prevent them from showing up when doing a suggested link edit especially because in the case of things like The C Programming Language, it prevents the article that actually should be suggested which is C (programming language). Apersoma (talk) 15:20, 30 October 2025 (UTC)

@Apersoma: I don't think that is possible. PrimeHunter (talk) 21:51, 30 October 2025 (UTC)

Apersoma there's a template or category or something that turns it off; I'll see if I can find it again. Mathglot (talk) 05:24, 2 November 2025 (UTC)

Thank you. Apersoma (talk) 16:54, 3 November 2025 (UTC)

Has it not been found yet? Simanelix (talk) 21:38, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

Font when editing source text

screenshot

Something went wrong and the font used when editing source has changed for me. It changed in both Firefox and Chrome to something hard to read. I looked at Help:preferences, and it mentions "Options → Content → "Default font" Advanced " but I don't see that anywhere.

How can I set the font for when eding source? Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 16:40, 2 November 2025 (UTC)

@Bubba73 The Wikipedia part is set at the drop-down at Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-editing. The browser in use will have further options as described at the Help:Preferences page. Mike Turnbull (talk) 16:58, 2 November 2025 (UTC)

Thanks, but I don't see a drop-down there. Where is it? Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 17:04, 2 November 2025 (UTC)

Just below where it says Editor Edit area font style: Mike Turnbull (talk) 17:10, 2 November 2025 (UTC)

Do you mean "Editing"? I have three choices for font there: monospace, serif and non-serif, but they don't make any difference when editing source for an artucle. The font is smaller than it should be and some things are underlined when they shouldn't be. Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 20:07, 2 November 2025 (UTC)

@Bubba73: You can try code like this in your CSS:

#wpTextbox1 {font-size:20px;}

PrimeHunter (talk) 10:54, 3 November 2025 (UTC)

Did you perhaps accidentally turn on (or off) syntax highlighting? In some skins, it's a pen icon on the toolbar. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 12:25, 3 November 2025 (UTC)

I accidentally did something, since my screen went wild. It was probably that - I'll see. Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 19:59, 3 November 2025 (UTC)

Thanks, turning on "improved syntax highlighting" gets it closer to the way it was, but the font in the window for editing source is smaller than I like. Is there a way to change that? Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 20:32, 3 November 2025 (UTC)

@Bubba73: I just gave you a way to change it. If it doesn't give the wanted result then you can remove the code or try another size. It may affect other text boxes. PrimeHunter (talk) 21:36, 3 November 2025 (UTC)

Thanks, I tried it and exited out to make sure it loaded. I tried font up to 30 bit it only affects the headings when editing the source. It doesn't affect the other text. Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 01:42, 4 November 2025 (UTC)

@Bubba73: Syntax highlighting changes the required code. Try this:

div .mw-editfont-monospace  {font-size:20px;}

PrimeHunter (talk) 02:02, 4 November 2025 (UTC)

Thanks, I replaced the line you gave me previously with that, but it doesn't make any difference. (I tried replacing 20 by 28 to be sure.) Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 03:05, 4 November 2025 (UTC)

The problem is that when editing, I want to see plain black text. It is highlighting things in different colors and underlining things. Also, if I start to put link brackets around something, it changes it to blue before I finish. I don't know what setting is causing that. What is it? Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 05:40, 4 November 2025 (UTC)

It sounds like you are a person who does not like, and does not want, syntax highlighting.

Have you accidentally switched from "source editing" to "visual editing"? On my screen, that change is controlled by clicking a pencil icon. TooManyFingers (talk) 07:49, 4 November 2025 (UTC)

I didn't like the syntax highlighting at first, but now I see the benefits of it. The problem is the small size of the font - which is hard to read with my vision. Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 17:41, 4 November 2025 (UTC)

Is it possible that a new font got installed on your machine? Program installations (or updates), as well as system updates, can install a font, and that font can start being used by your browser. TooManyFingers (talk) 17:50, 4 November 2025 (UTC)

@Bubba73: There are different syntax highlighters which may interfere with fonts. See WP:HILITE and try to disable any that are active if you prefer plain black text anyway. Then try this which makes different attempts to increase font size and override other font settings:

#wpTextbox1 {font-size:20px !important;}
div .mw-editfont-monospace  {font-size:20px !important;}

If it still fails then what is your browser and what is your skin at Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-rendering? PrimeHunter (talk) 13:59, 4 November 2025 (UTC)

I added a screenshot of what my editor shows, so maybe someone can tell me what is going on and how to enlarge the font. Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 22:04, 8 November 2025 (UTC)

Bot tag query

In an article I'm working on, I was more than surprised a few days ago to find that 11 of my references had been flagged by a bot with alerts about citation issues. When I saw {{cite news}} and {{cite web}} on the tagged references, I went back to each of them to check whether I'd used a template other than the one the bot mentioned. But I found that all the reference had been created with the correct template.

Then I noticed that all the {{cite news}} and {{cite web}} tags mentioned CS1 maint: url-status (link). So I checked each of the references again to check if I'd missed typing live in the URL status field. But again in each case I found that I'd done so.

Please tell me what I'm supposed to do to satisfy the bot. Augnablik (talk) 11:30, 4 November 2025 (UTC)

@Augnablik: Please link the page. Always link any page you want help with. PrimeHunter (talk) 12:15, 4 November 2025 (UTC)

I had hoped to avoid having to do so. Augnablik (talk) 12:23, 4 November 2025 (UTC)

@Augnablik: Most problems can have multiple causes and depend on circumstances so always link the page from the beginning. "link" in the message goes to Category:CS1 maint: url-status which explains the problem here. url-status=live is for use in combination with archive-url=. If the citation has no archive link then don't say url-status=live. If you just want to say that the link works then you can use access-date= to give a date it was working and still supported the statement it's referencing. PrimeHunter (talk) 12:47, 4 November 2025 (UTC)

By the way, I haven't read any of the page and don't know what it's about if it makes you feel better. If you really wanted to hide something then you could have posted an example reference with the issue. Helpers should always know the code which caused a problem. Otherwise there are just too many possibilities. PrimeHunter (talk) 13:35, 4 November 2025 (UTC)

Be my guest, PrimeHunter. I trust you. I just didn't want to have that location out in such a public arena. Too late now! The references to which the bot added tags are 1, 4, 14, 17, 18, 19, 21, 24, 29, and 31. Augnablik (talk) 14:09, 4 November 2025 (UTC)

Wait ... if I wasn't supposed to put live into the template, then I'll undo that and see what happens. I'll also remove the link I gave you earlier till I know for sure if you've solved my problem. So please bear with me a few minutes till I get back here with the verdict. Augnablik (talk) 14:13, 4 November 2025 (UTC)

@Augnablik: I don't know whether you used a tool to create the citations but the page has never been edited by a bot. The message is made automatically by the citation templates depending on parameters. PrimeHunter (talk) 14:18, 4 November 2025 (UTC)

This is too weird, PrimeHunter: I removed live from one of the references, and after publishing it, took a look at it ... and saw that not only was the {{cite}} gone from that reference but so too from all the other 10 where it had also been!

This does not compute. 😗 But you do seem to have solved my problem. Many thanks! And just for luck, I'll remove the code from the other references too. I could have sworn we were supposed to put live on all templates involving an URL. Augnablik (talk) 14:26, 4 November 2025 (UTC)

@Augnablik: I still see the other nine. The messages are hidden by default with a CSS rule at Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css#L-103.They can be made visible with another CSS rule shown in Category:CS1 maint: url-status. I have similar code in User:PrimeHunter/common.css but you don't so you were never supposed to see the messages. You also said they appeared suddenly. I guess the CSS to hide them was not loaded correctly by your browser but now it is again. PrimeHunter (talk) 16:21, 4 November 2025 (UTC)

I've removed the other nine now. But I really don't understand all this about CSS, and why some people like you have the code but others don't. Especially if we ought to see what sort of {{cite}} messages end up in our references, because I'd assume they might get us into trouble with editors on patrol.

🥐 Another Danish pastry for you, PrimeHunter! Augnablik (talk) 17:17, 4 November 2025 (UTC)

@Augnablik: We don't want readers to see them. Registered editors can choose to see them by adding this to your CSS:

:root .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint {display: inline;} /* display Citation Style 1 maintenance messages */

PrimeHunter (talk) 17:46, 4 November 2025 (UTC)

Thanks, though I’d have no idea at this point in my Wiki career as to where to put that.

But I’m still wondering why all editors don’t automatically see the coding in their references — because surely if they don’t take care of it when it ends up there, other editors on patrol would connect with them about it, wouldn’t they? Or are there editors who quietly do that sort of work behind the scenes? Augnablik (talk) 18:41, 4 November 2025 (UTC)

@Augnablik: "your CSS" is a link where you can put it. Most registered users never make any edits. It would be possible to automatically display the messages if editors become autoconfirmed or extended confirmed but that's about protected pages and we generally don't change the interface for that. The messages are not classified as errors but less important maintenance messages. It's not something others would normally tell the editor about. Articles (not userspace pages) with the issue are automatically added to Category:CS1 maint: url-status. I don't know whether there are editors or a bot who monitor it. PrimeHunter (talk) 20:16, 4 November 2025 (UTC)

Got it. Glad to get this mystery cleared up. Augnablik (talk) 02:57, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

Well, almost cleared up. I clicked on the link you gave me, "your CSS", but I got an error message saying the page didn't exist. Augnablik (talk) 09:34, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

Linda Robson

I believe someone has edit her Wikipedia page as it wouldn't necessarily Linda, and has my friend involved Simon Dwain Kalavazides, he is partly sighted and very vulnerable and find if Linda it isn't him, please investigate it thanks. ~2025-30950-14 (talk) 21:28, 4 November 2025 (UTC)

Hi Editor. The subjects of an article are not permitted to edit articles about themselves, so Linda Robson should not be editing the Linda Robson article. Otherwise, do you have a specific question? qcne (talk) 21:30, 4 November 2025 (UTC)

@Qcne: "The subjects of an article are not permitted to edit articles about themselves"—this is not true. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 14:48, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

For all intents and purposes, it is absolutely true. qcne (talk) 15:22, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

No, it is not. You cannot cite a policy saying so. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 15:36, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

Sure, Andy. Sure. qcne (talk) 15:56, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

Yes, thank you, very sure. I am not clear why you are so mistaken in your belief about this.

I note, though, that you did not cite a policy. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 15:58, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

Thank you, Andy, for your always useful contributions. qcne (talk) 16:00, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

It might be important to add that the subject's friends, family, and associates are also not permitted to edit. TooManyFingers (talk) 22:16, 4 November 2025 (UTC)

@TooManyFingers: "the subject's friends, family, and associates are also not permitted to edit"—Also not true. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 14:49, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

As with the response from qcne above, while I have to agree that you're right in a merely technical sense, it's so strongly discouraged as to have become (at least in many people's eyes) a moot point. TooManyFingers (talk) 15:58, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

I am not right "in a merely technical sense".

Repeating a falsehood, now matter how many do it or believe it, does not make it true. I would hope a Wikipedian would understand that. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 16:00, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

I don't doubt that it's a fact, because I know you wouldn't lie, but in that case it's a fact surrounded with a great deal of FUD; to me, a lot of that FUD carries an air of being official and intentional, rather than coming from irresponsible people. TooManyFingers (talk) 17:13, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

The only FUD here are the claims "The subjects of an article are not permitted to edit articles about themselves" and "the subject's friends, family, and associates are also not permitted to edit". Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 17:40, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

I recognize that those are the only sources of FUD here in this discussion. But you're shooting the messenger. The editors who made those statements (including me) didn't fabricate or exaggerate anything. It's more than a little disingenuous for a knowledgeable person such as yourself to act as if the advice we gave here isn't frequently and insistently repeated by sources on Wikipedia that we (qcne, me, and others) as editors should and do expect to be trustworthy. If, in fact, the apparently trustworthy sources we keep hearing this from are actually loose cannons who shouldn't be misrepresenting the way things are done on Wikipedia, it would make more sense to find a way to cut the misinformation off at its source, instead of blaming people like us who didn't come up with the idea and who wouldn't keep saying it if we hadn't been legitimately and convincingly told it, or at least strongly led to believe it. TooManyFingers (talk) 21:48, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

You are one of the "messengers" posting those fabricated falsehoods, for which no source has, nor can be, cited. You can expect to have it pointed out to you that they are false, any time you do so. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 08:33, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

For clarity Wikipedia:Conflict of interest states “COI editing is strongly discouraged on Wikipedia. It undermines public confidence and risks causing public embarrassment to the individuals and companies being promoted.” I had to Google "FUD" not a term I have come across before! Theroadislong (talk) 08:54, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

Yes; "strongly discouraged", not "prohibited". It also says (at WP:COISELF) "An exception to not editing an article about yourself or someone you know is made if the article contains defamation or a serious error that needs to be corrected quickly".

At the same time, WP:AUTOPROB says "In clear-cut cases, it is permissible to edit pages connected to yourself. So, you can revert vandalism; but of course it has to be simple, obvious vandalism and not a content dispute. Similarly, you should feel free to remove obviously mistaken facts about yourself, such as marital status, current employer, place of birth, and so on."

Wikipedia:FAQ/Article subjects includes "It is generally considered okay for you to edit the article about you in certain circumstances" (followed by a list of five such examples); "Disclose your conflict of interest, and if the edit is simply fixing a minor error, go ahead" and "...vandalistic edits are bad-faith edits intended to disrupt the encyclopedia. You can revert those edits yourself..."

These are not the only places where we tell people that they can edit articles about themselves or people with whom they have a CoI.

Frankly, anyone suggesting that an article subject or someone close to them is "not permitted" to remove an egregious breach of our BLP policy, such as the edit in this case which suggested that a still-living subject "died from a case of explosive diarrhoea", needs to give their head a wobble. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 11:22, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

I just looked at the article in question. In recent days it was heavily vandalized, but is now more strongly protected against that, and has been cleaned up. TooManyFingers (talk) 00:53, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

Adding Vichay Phommachan to Laotian Americans Wiki

Laotian_Americans

Vichay Phommachan, Deaf Laotian-American entertainer, dancer, and actor ~2025-31316-07 (talk) 22:09, 4 November 2025 (UTC)

Is there already a Wikipedia article about this person? TooManyFingers (talk) 22:13, 4 November 2025 (UTC)

I'm not finding an article, so it's currently not possible to do that. Otherwise we'd end up having to add every person in the world to that page (or another page like it). TooManyFingers (talk) 03:49, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

Nope, that name is not even in Wikidata, so there are no foreign-language articles either. Mike Turnbull (talk) 15:00, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

What programming languages can be used to create a Wikipedia bot and an anti-vandalism tool?

Hey,

I'm planning to create a two tools to Wikipedia:

• A multi-task bot (Python or Java)
• An anti-vandalism tool, but designed as a CLI (terminal mode) program who can also in the low-end PCS.

So.. What programming languages can be used to create a Wikipedia bot and an anti-vandalism tool? Any API? Need a approval? VitorFriboquen :] (Talk) 23:46, 4 November 2025 (UTC)

See mw:API:Action API for the APIs of MediaWiki. You can use any programming language that can talk to the internet for that. Bots need to be approved at WP:BRFA. * Pppery * _{it has begun...} 23:55, 4 November 2025 (UTC)

@Vitorperrut555: See Help:Creating a bot. There a sections for Python and Java frameworks. pywikibot, in Python, is popular and interacts via the API for you. The information on User:ClueBot NG may be helpful for anit-vandalism tools. And yes, you will need approval as pppery mentioned. Commander Keane (talk) 03:23, 8 November 2025 (UTC)

Usernames

Does the change to the way that IP addresses are dealt with as "usernames" mean that you can have IP address looking usernames?

(Checked WP:USERNAME, no info)Because IP addresses would show up as usernames in histories, registered usernames could not look like legal IP addresses. Now that we have the temporary account setup so that usernames would show up as ~2025-99999-87 mean that we can now have a username look like 101.202.44.55? Conversely, are usernames that look like they could be (or eventually be) they are the temp filenames are banned? So we would not be able to have a username of ~2027-11111-11? Naraht (talk) 01:31, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

I hope that neither one is allowed, but I really hope that anything even slightly resembling the new temp names has been disallowed. TooManyFingers (talk) 03:29, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

Related to that, we used to have a very prolific editor who signed as "(The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 94.1.208.246" but as Special:Contributions/94.1.208.246 shows, their edits are now called "Legacy". I assume this means they will now be forced to use a temporary account, or create a permanent conventional one. Mike Turnbull (talk) 14:48, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

I just tried several permutations and they were rejected as invalid names. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 14:42, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

Policies indicating what would be rejected *should* be documented somewhere, at least in broad terms.Naraht (talk) 15:03, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

Rowspan

Chronic laziness has led me to avoid the creation of tables wherever possible. Now that I want to create one, "rowspan doesn't work", by which of course I mean that I have made some mistake that prevents rowspan from working. What stupid mistake can you find in the table at User:Hoary/sandbox? (Incidentally, the asterisks are intended to display as asterisks, not to indicate list items.) -- Hoary (talk) 03:10, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

Did you want colspan instead? Visually I'm not figuring out how you actually want it to go. TooManyFingers (talk) 03:19, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

I think I've fixed it for you. Children Will Listen (🐄 talk, 🫘 contribs) 03:24, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

Well, duh. Thank you, Children will listen! -- Fogeys will goof (talk) 04:38, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

As an aside, I'm not really sure what the table is trying to say. I presume the text inside the parentheses is supposed to be the idiomatic translation of the sentence, and the one listed under the "English" column is the literal one, but Jules a vite appris ses rôles translates literally as "Jules has quickly learned his lines", not *Jules quickly has learned his lines. I'm not a native French speaker, so I could be completely wrong here. Children Will Listen (🐄 talk, 🫘 contribs) 05:11, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

Children will listen, in the "English" column are (grammatical) English sentences and (asterisk-flagged) ungrammatical not-quite-English sentences. Entries in the right column aren't presented as English translations of those in the centre column. Does this enhanced (?) version make it any clearer (or is it merely a migraine-inducing technicolor nightmare)? (Incidentally, I've hardly looked at the text surrounding the table; I am not to praise/blame for it.) -- Hoary (talk) 05:33, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

"Jules has quickly learnt his lines." is supposed to be an example of an "adverb, [followed by a] tense-marked verb", but the adverb "quickly" is actually after the tense-marked verb "has". Is this intentional? Same goes for *Jules quickly has learned his lines., which is the other way around. This also contradicts the text that other languages (such as English) do not allow the adverb to intervene between the verb and its direct object, but of course, it might be because "have" is a special kind of verb. Children Will Listen (🐄 talk, 🫘 contribs) 05:44, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

Excellent point, Children will listen. It seems that my mind is in something of a fog today. I don't know whether that's the doing of the boost of Covid vaccine I received yesterday, talk of an enigma as a conceptual anchor, or just plain old senility. I do notice that the table now contradicts part of the text that immediately precedes it. I'll read up on the matter and hope soon to make the explanation more accurate. -- Hoary (talk) 06:53, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

Hoary, allow me to suggest that you try table operations in VE instead. Take it from someone (me) who abhors VE and uses it almost never, except for the solitary case of table operations, where it excels. Things such as swapping columns are horrifying with the wikitext editor, rather simple in VE, or doing complex cell fusion or splitting, and rowspan/colspan operations. Don't get me started on all the problems with VE, but whoever worked on the table operations portion should get a raise and a promotion, because it is a delight. If you don't use VE at all there will be a learning curve, but it won't take long, and once you have the basics, the table operations are worth it. Of course, the moment I have adjusted the tables on a page, it's straight back to the wikitext editor and my normal attitude again, but I have to give credit to VE for that one feature, which is both intuitive (once you learn it), and a timesaver. Hint: place the cursor just above a column or just left of a row, and play around with the active controls. Try it, and if you get stuck, ping me at my Talk page. Cheers, Mathglot (talk) 06:15, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

Can we ping temporary accounts?

Successfully, that is. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 10:30, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

According to Wikipedia:Temporary_accounts#Communication, yes. I haven't tried it yet though. Perception312 (talk) 14:11, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

It would be interesting to know whether temporary accounts can set email addresses. I would suppose not, or they might as well be permanent accounts. Hence the notification/ping/thank will just create alerts and notices which the person behind the account would have to see when (next) logged on, as they won't have offline email summaries. Mike Turnbull (talk) 14:33, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

Note template editing issue

New request: In this article, I need to make an accent to the final E of the name of an author included in a Note list (in Note 5, Herve Moulin should be Hervé Moulin). But I can’t figure out how to access the Notes. Although I use the Visual editor for most all my editing, I knew that for this task I’d need to use the Source editor. But when I went to the Notes section in the SE, all I found there was {{Reflist|1}}. I have no idea where to look for that, and probably what to do when I get there. Help, please. Augnablik (talk) 13:14, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

@Augnablik: The reference is defined in the text at Social welfare function § Axioms of cardinal welfarism. It's coded as <ref name=moulin2004>{{Cite Moulin 2004}}</ref>{{rp|66–69}}, which shows the actual reference as being in another template. If you have authority, then edit that template at {{Cite Moulin 2004}}; if you don't, reply to me here and I'll do it for you. Bazza 7 (talk) 13:27, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

@Bazza 7, I have no idea if I have authority, which probably means I don’t. If you’d swoop in on this, I would be most grateful. Augnablik (talk) 14:46, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

@Augnablik: All done.

Viewing Special:Preferences while your logged in will, in the User profile tab, show Member of groups. If you are a member of "Template editors" then you have the authority to edit templates. Bazza 7 (talk) 15:07, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

Not really true, that. In the case of {{Cite Moulin 2004}}, any editor can edit that template because it is not protected. I would argue that it probably ought not be a template at all since it has only a dozen or so article-space transclusions; but that's another discussion.

—Trappist the monk (talk) 15:25, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

Really grateful, @Bazza 7. Augnablik (talk) 19:12, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

Wikipedia

Why is my name not appearing in Wikipedia? Rabish Kumar Yadav (talk) 15:19, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

Hello, @Rabish Kumar Yadav. I'm assuming that your question means, "Why isn't there an article about me in Wikipedia?"

The answer is almost certainly that, like me and almost all of the eight billion people on Earth, you do not meet Wikipedia's criteria for notability: roughly, that people wholly unconnected with you have published enough information about you in reliable publications to base an article on.

If for some reason you are one of the few people who have been written about in that way to be notable, then the answer is, because nobody has yet written an article about you. ColinFine (talk) 16:01, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

If you mean to ask why there's not an article about you, the answer can usually be found at WP:GNG.

Perhaps you meant something else; I'm not sure. TooManyFingers (talk) 16:02, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

@Rabish Kumar Yadav You created a userpage in August but such pages are for statements about your intentions as a Wikipedia editor (see WP:UPYES). They are set up so that search engines do not index them, so no-one will find you as a result of anything you place there. Mike Turnbull (talk) 17:06, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

User doc other lang links

I want to insert a collection of language-specific links on my user page. What is the most standard way to do that? Whatback11 (talk) 16:42, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

@Whatback11 You already have a WP:Babel box, so I presume you mean links to articles in other languages. The template {{ill}} works on userpages just as it does elsewhere. Mike Turnbull (talk) 17:01, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

Not links to show my language proficiency or alternative pages, but something like this: English, 한국어, 日本語. Whatback11 (talk) 17:29, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

if you have user pages in other projects, they show up on the left hand side. Lee Vilenski ^{(talk • contribs)} 17:53, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

Like this, which puts the link under "Languages", in the sidebar (in default desktop skin). Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 17:53, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

About taxonomy templates

Can I create Taxonomy templates in my user namespace? Jako96 (talk) 18:42, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

Hello, @Jako96.

A page can be WP:transcluded from any namespace: if no namespace is given it defaults to Template:

So I have a template at User:ColinFine/PractiseFirst, which I can (and frequently do) transclude onto various help pages by {{User:ColinFine/PractiseFirst}}.

Does that answer your question, or have I misunderstood? ColinFine (talk) 22:27, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

Thanks, but this does not answer my question. I'm wondering if I can create templates like Template:Taxonomy/Felis and use automatic taxoboxes with them in my user namespace. Jako96 (talk) 10:18, 8 November 2025 (UTC)

Gypsy Rose Blanchard

It was recently published on TikTok that you have unblocked Gypsy Rose Alcida Blanchard from updating and changing information on her biography. I am asking, as a person who is very familiar with Miss Blanchard that you faithfully research any changes that she wishes to make to her biography. [redacted BLP violations] Thank you. Muadd1313 (talk) 20:04, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

Wikipedia takes precisely zero note of anything 'published on TikTok', and I'd suggest you do the same. AndyTheGrump (talk) 20:12, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

To add to the above, it appears that an individual claiming to be Blanchard made a couple of edits to the article, back on Oct 26th: both were reverted within minutes. And no, the article does not state that she is a bestselling author etc. I suggest you take the time to actually read Wikipedia articles before complaining about their content in future. AndyTheGrump (talk) 20:21, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

Question about adding a photo/copyright

I'd like to add a photo to a page for a hockey player, I have a hockey card of her - if I photograph the card, would that be fair use or would it violate copyright? maryshelagh (talk) 21:19, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

I don't know what a "hockey card" is, and guess that it's a card whose design presents a photograph of the player, and that you want to reproduce this photograph. (If I'm wrong, please correct me.) If you don't have a good reason to believe that the photograph is not conventionally copyright ("All rights reserved"), then assume that it is. (Lack of any explicit indication -- "copyright", "©", etc -- of copyright is not evidence for lack of copyright.) If it is conventionally copyright, then uploading your reproduction of it would indeed violate the copyright. -- Hoary (talk) 22:44, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

Yes, a hockey card is a trading card that features a hockey player. Photos are taken by the league during games and presumably the league or the company that prints the cards, Upper Deck, hold the copyright.

This answers my question, unfortunately not the result I want but certainly the outcome I assumed. I was hoping to get around the copyright thing because I purchased the card, but I understand there's still limitations. I suppose the only thing to do it go to a game and take a photo of the player myself!

Thanks so much! maryshelagh (talk) 22:59, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

maryshelagh, perhaps there are photos of this hockey player on Flickr. If so, please digest Wikipedia:Upload/Flickr to see if any of these are eligible for upload to Wikimedia Commons. -- Hoary (talk) 05:27, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

What is going on here?

Question was asked: "Creating a fake Wikipedia page." and then a series of unsourced edits: [1]. Quite sure some of these are not valid. Maineartists (talk) 00:32, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

Referencing errors on Pan Am

Pan Am

Reference help requested.

what do you mean by missing title in the pan am wiki

Thanks, ~2025-31562-66 (talk) 04:48, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

That's a very cryptic utterance. Perhaps you meant "What does the Mediawiki parser mean if, when I save the article Pan Am, it tells me |Missing or empty ?" If so, then at least once where template Cite book, Cite web, etc is used, no "title" is specified, but it must be. Thus for example

Bryant, Adam (January 16, 1995). "Market Place; In the volatile airline industry, it's Delta's time to shine". The New York Times. Retrieved May 31, 2009.

is produced by

{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/01/16/business/market-place-in-the-volatile-airline-industry-it-s-delta-s-time-to-shine.html|title=Market Place; In the volatile airline industry, it's Delta's time to shine|work=The New York Times|access-date=May 31, 2009|last=Bryant|first=Adam|date=January 16, 1995}}

-- Hoary (talk) 05:51, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

Article not published.

I had previously submitted a draft article for "AHH - Asia Healthcare Holdings" for approval, but it has not yet been reviewed or published. Could you please provide an update on the status or advise on any additional steps required from our side? We would also appreciate guidance on how to successfully upload and publish this article, including any best practices to ensure timely approval and compliance with Wikipedia's content policies. Thank you for your support and assistance. Socialsaga (talk) 06:19, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

Other than this Help desk post, your edit history shows no edits beyond your upload of the Logo file to Commons. [2] We have no draft at Draft:AHH - Asia Healthcare Holdings, at Draft:AHH, or at Draft:Asia Healthcare Holdings, and I can't find any evidence of it existing. Where can this draft be found, and under what account was it submitted? AndyTheGrump (talk) 06:28, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

Also, could you clarify who the 'we' (and 'our side') above refers to? Wikipedia does not permit multiple people to operate a single account, and if you are connected with AAH, you need to declare a conflict of interest. AndyTheGrump (talk) 06:32, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

Hello, @Socialsaga. Judging from Andy has found (or not found), it sounds as if you did not actually save your draft. Before you try again, may I recommend that you read WP:BOSS very carefully. ColinFine (talk) 22:39, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

Adding and removing spaces within fields in infoboxes and templates

G’day, over the years I’ve noticed some editors consistently editing articles with infoboxes adding or removing spaces between elements in a field. For example, changing |name=Foo to | name = Foo or vice versa. This also happens with cite templates like cite book etc. I couldn’t find any reference to previous discussions about it anywhere, but does anyone remember this being discussed? It seems entirely pointless to me, and I see that examples on MOS pages generally use the unspaced versions as examples. Anyone? Peacemaker67 (click to talk to me) 08:31, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

@Peacemaker67: it could be a side-effect of the WP:VISUALEDITOR, which I've noticed has a habit of reformatting things occasionally. You could test this by doing some dummy edits using the WP:SOURCE EDITOR and Visual Editor in your sandbox. Bazza 7 (talk) 10:06, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

I do that myself from time to time (spacing, that is), including occasional more extreme examples of padding to line up values, i.e. starting in the same column, but only when some were already so aligned. It just makes things easier to see while editing. Of course, that is at the same time as when I'm making other edits. Clarityfiend (talk) 10:58, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

Other than edits to hidden text, or those templates which are not meant to be seen, edits that do not affect the "rendered page" as seen by the reader, are unhelpful:-

1. because they are listed in "recent changes", so recent changes patrollers waste time reviewing the edit, and potentially let some other vandalism through
2. because they are listed on the watchlists of every editor who is watching the page, so they will waste time reviewing the edit
3. because they clutter up the article history, obfuscating the real changes to the article.

I thought that edits that do not affect the "rendered page" were deprecated, but like Peacemaker67 I can't find any previous discussions. - Arjayay (talk) 15:59, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

Some guidance at WP:SUBSTANTIVE and WP:COSMETICBOT. My take is that it is OK to make changes which would not have changed the rendered page when combined with a change that would be visible to readers. Mike Turnbull (talk) 16:49, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

"Legacy contributor" -- not dead yet

I have been an IP editor (with dynamic IP) contributing thousands of edits from 2012 up to November 3 of this year. Now my edits are "Legacy IP contributions for 136.56.165.118" and a login is required. What gives? If Wikipedia wants to ban IP editing, then so be it. ~2025-31716-53 (talk) 14:14, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

I don't understand your problem. You obviously haven't been prevented from editing, have you? Walter Ego 14:20, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

I tried editing an article and it sent me to the login page: :Special:UserLogin?useformat=desktop&usesul3=1&returnto=Special%3AMyContributions&returntoquery=&centralauthLoginToken=5ea192d1ae9b377a797cebb045b84eae --~2025-31716-53 (talk) 14:26, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

Have you read Wikipedia:Temporary accounts which explains the recent change? This has been put upon en.wikipedia by the Wikimedia Foundation, we had no choice in the matter. qcne (talk) 14:28, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

Yes, just now. ~2025-31716-53 (talk) 15:27, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

P.s., This contribution has caused the creation of an automatic "temporary account"

Which page did you try to edit and did it actually stop you or just display a warning with an optional login link? Maybe the page was protected. Most pages can be edited by anyone like this help desk. PrimeHunter (talk) 14:36, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

I tried to edit Ravens of the Tower of London, which was my most recently edited article. I tried just now, and it allows me to edit; presumably because I now have a "temporary account" that was created by my query on this desk. --~2025-31716-53 (talk) 15:13, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

That's odd. I can log out and get an edit window on the article. Maybe something special happens if you haven't got a temporary account yet but try to edit a page you had edited before the recent introduction of temporary accounts. PrimeHunter (talk) 16:12, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

I guess I'll just have to adjust to the new reality. I had developed my own way of compiling information about my editing, tracking edits, etc. For example, once I close this page, finding any replies will be counter-intuitive (yes, I know that I can save a shortcut to this discussion and/or my temporary account: ([[Special:Contributions/~2025-31716-53|~2025-31716-53]]) --~2025-31716-53 (talk) 19:20, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

You could just create an account. Use a throw-away email address (or none at all). Connect via a VPN. Use a secure browser. qcne (talk) 19:24, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

Yeah, I know. I like doing things my way because I'm an ornery codger. --~2025-31813-89 (talk) 07:14, 7 November 2025 (UTC)

Human rights

Looking for Wikipedia projects which work to combat "denial of human rights, hate speech, racist or discriminatory rhetoric"

Hi all

I'm working on an application for Wikipedia to be recognised for quite a large international prize. Can anyone suggest any projects within Wikimedia that work on combating "denial of human rights, hate speech, racist or discriminatory rhetoric"

This could be partnerships with organisations, image releases, community projects like wikiprojects etc.

Thanks very much

John Cummings (talk) 14:34, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

Advocacy and projects like Wikipedia don't mix well. One of our main neutrality rules is that we describe conflicts but do not participate in them. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 🛸 18:51, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

A Great Source! ...One problem...

Good morning from the East Coast U.S., Wikipedia Help Desk :)

It's me again... I've been writing large parts for the Dorian Heartsong page, and I came into contact with a simply immaculate source! I've corresponded with Mr. Heartsong himself in hopes of cleaning up the page and reducing inaccuracies (as well as— so far unsuccessfully— attempting to secure a superior quality photograph for the page). I have been given a true treasure trove here, but I'm not sure it's able to be used. This is a direct E-Mail conversation with Mr. Heartsong, and much of the biography is great, proprietary, even, but nowhere else will corroborate it.

And so I turn to you, wise fellows of the Help Desk, what must I do in such a scenario?

Thank you for your time :)

- TheSaturnLover TheSaturnLover (talk) 16:07, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

The subject of an article is not considered a reliable or suitable source for editing articles, as the subjects of articles are notoriously inclined to shade the truth in favor of what they consider to be "right". We insist on published content from reliable third-party sources with no conflict of interest. --Orange Mike | Talk 16:54, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

Dang. Well, that's a unfortunate thing, then. I'll see what I can do in spite of that being the case, thank you. TheSaturnLover (talk) 17:00, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

@TheSaturnLover General advice about what article subjects can do at WP:ASFAQ. One approach is to get them to suggest published sources, whether via email or (better) by adding their suggestions to the talk page of the article. WP:ABOUTSELF suggests that some statements by the subject of an article are OK if published, say, on their website or social media account. Never directly in emails, however. Mike Turnbull (talk) 17:16, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

TheSaturnLover, I think that you should try to get this interview published in a music magazine with a good reputation for covering rock music reliably. If you succeed, that interview could be cited for uncontroversial biographical facts or the opinions of the musician. But references to fully independent sources are required to establish notability. Cullen328 (talk) 07:23, 7 November 2025 (UTC)

Biography of Living Person and transitioning gender identity

Hi, I have a personal relationship with someone who has a wikipedia article about them. When they were notable, they used she/her pronouns, but in the years since they've started using updated pronouns and no longer identify as a woman. Unfortunately, they are no longer a public person and so their transition isn't publicly documented (nor do I think they'd want that). Is there any way to update their wikipedia to no longer misgender them? I assume not, but it'd be nice if there was some sort of process. ~2025-31783-92 (talk) 19:25, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

General guidance in this area is at MOS:GENDERID. Their gender needs to be reflected in some reliable source, we can't just take your word for it. 331dot (talk) 19:30, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

Why is there no table of contents in any page?

All pages on the wiki have no table of contents for me. I searched through my Preferences and saw nothing related to tables of contents. Simanelix (talk) 21:32, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

Hello, @Simanelix.

The table of contents can be hidden, in which case it appears as a "three dots and lines" menu icon beside the page title. Click it, and the contents should appear. ColinFine (talk) 22:44, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

Referencing errors on 2016 Pacific typhoon season

2016 Pacific typhoon season

Reference help requested.

The edit in question: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2016_Pacific_typhoon_season&diff=prev&oldid=1320812070

Internet Archive (reference not found): https://web.archive.org/web/20120919013946/http://gwydir.demon.co.uk/advisories/indexfull.htm

Original Reference (from Webcite): https://www.webcitation.org/6jWExC12G?url=http://gwydir.demon.co.uk/advisories/WDPN31-PGTW_201608041500.htm

Possible (?) Alternative: https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/13286/typhoon-conson-07w

I can't seem to find or fix this reference...

Thanks, DarklitShadow (talk) 23:21, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

Fixed in this edit. The double parentheses overrule the error warning, when an apparently generic value is the correct one. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 21:32, 7 November 2025 (UTC)

links no longer have pop-ups

I liked hovering over a link to get the gist of what I would get if I clicked it. Now I have to click and get the whole enchilada. Can I return to the good ole way? Jerry Colburn (talk) 23:29, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

Have you messed with your Preferences lately? See Preferences > Gadgets, section Browsing, items Navigation Popups and Reference Tooltips. Mathglot (talk) 23:58, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

@Jerry Colburn: There are two different popup features. The other is "Enable page previews" at Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-rendering. Only enable one of them. If you are logged out then only page previews is possible and can be enabled on "Edit preview settings" at the bottom of pages. PrimeHunter (talk) 01:25, 7 November 2025 (UTC)

Taylor co music band

is this band still playing music ~2025-31828-02 (talk) 00:48, 7 November 2025 (UTC)

Hello! This is the wikipedia help desk, where wikipedia editors come to ask questions about editing. I suggest using a search engine like google or duckduckgo, maybe you'll find better results there. If you simply must get a wikipeia editors help for whatever reason, theres the reference desk : ) mgjertson (talk) (contribs) 04:40, 7 November 2025 (UTC)

Zoom out OSM map in tunnel infobox

Is it possible to zoom out the OpenStreetMap view in the {{infobox tunnel}} in Seikan Tunnel? It is just showing ocean at the moment. Feel free to make the change I will check out the diff. Thanks. Commander Keane (talk) 07:59, 7 November 2025 (UTC)

I suggest remove it; it adds nothing, even if zoomed out.Shantavira|^{feed me} 09:18, 7 November 2025 (UTC)

I ended up figuring out and using map={{maplink}}. I think the existing map was auto-generated by {{coord}}, but I'm not sure. I see what you mean by an OpenStreetMap (OSM) version adding nothing, I removed the existing PNG (the alignment was suspect anyhow). OSM has the advantage of click and zoom, and it is easy to add the stations within the tunnel, if desired in the future. For reference the syntax would involve:

"type": "ExternalData",  "service": "geopoint",  "ids": "Q848922, Q23498231",  "properties": {    "marker-symbol": "rail,    "marker-size": "small",    "marker-color": "555555"  }

Commander Keane (talk) 12:34, 9 November 2025 (UTC)

Titles used in sources

Can someone point me at the MOS section, policy or guideline concerning whether/how titles used in sources should be transcribed in WP? I am thinking in particular about websites and news sources, where article titles often use lower case, e.g. "Everything you need to know about the new Wuthering Heights movie": should this be transcribed using title case? Or where they use ALL UPPER CASE: should this be transcribed as "All Upper Case"? Or, should the rules concerning quotes apply, i.e., no or minimal amendment? Thanks. Masato.harada (talk) 09:27, 7 November 2025 (UTC)

@Masato.harada Extensive guidance at MOS:TITLE and MOS:ALLCAPS. Mike Turnbull (talk) 10:03, 7 November 2025 (UTC)

What is going on at pending changes reviewer requests?

I took a look at the page Wikipedia:Requests for permissions/Pending changes reviewer, and I see multiple requests that are still pending, with the oldest one having been sent around a month ago. However, other requests that are more recent have been accepted/rejected already. Why are they not in order? Is that page mostly inactive? Also, would it be more reliable to go to the recent admins page and request that role from an admin instead of going to this page? Wikieditor662 (talk) 20:10, 7 November 2025 (UTC)

The page is still functioning. I suspect what's happening is that admins are granting rights to the people they clearly see as qualified and punting on the less obviously qualified people. And trying to step outside the standard process and ask directly is more likely to annoy people or lead to accusations of WP:ADMINSHOPPING than it is to succeed IMO. * Pppery * _{it has begun...} 20:36, 7 November 2025 (UTC)

Why don't they just straight up reject the less qualified applications instead of ignoring them? Wikieditor662 (talk) 20:46, 7 November 2025 (UTC)

If they're unsure they probably want to leave it for another admin to take a look, which gets repeated until someone makes a decision. Ultraodan (talk) 06:34, 8 November 2025 (UTC)

Okay, thanks for your help! Wikieditor662 (talk) 21:33, 8 November 2025 (UTC)

Currently just twelve applications, of which the oldest is less than a month old. By en:Wikipedia standards, that's pretty good. (The twelve are easily outnumbered by two-month-old AFC submissions.) -- Hoary (talk) 04:52, 8 November 2025 (UTC)

(The twelve are easily outnumbered by two-month-old AFC submissions.) sorry, I'm not sure how to use that, does that say the number that was answered? Wikieditor662 (talk) 21:32, 8 November 2025 (UTC)

The possible use, Wikieditor662, was to put the number in perspective (that is, as some background information). But an update: Arcticocean has pretty much cleared the backlog (for now). -- Hoary (talk) 23:35, 8 November 2025 (UTC)

Wow, after a month, just today an admin cleared it up? Could it be they saw this? Wikieditor662 (talk) 01:16, 9 November 2025 (UTC)

Company Page Updates

To Whom it May Concern,

I need to update my company's page. The entire article is completely out of date. ~2025-31966-35 (talk) 21:25, 7 November 2025 (UTC)

Please make requests on the article's talk page, following our COI and paid editing policies.

Your requests will be mroe likely to succeed if you can give reliable sources. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 21:43, 7 November 2025 (UTC)

No disclaimers, but a disclaimer template

Longtime listener, first time caller (so to speak).

In early 2020, editor Waxworker added to the article Data corruption an example corrupted video, captioned "A video that has been corrupted. Waxworker included the text "Warning: This video contains bright, flashing images", obviously intended for those prone to seizures due to same.

Today, Test account for testing (yes, that's the correct username) removed the text per "no disclaimers". Digging around, I found the formal WP:Content disclaimer, which states "Wikipedia may contain images and videos which can trigger epileptic seizures and other medical conditions." I certainly understand the rationale. But digging further, I ran across Commons:Template:Seizure warning. That certainly seems reasonable too - but I've no idea whether it's applicable on WP, and am not going to venture to add it to the article. But it seems prudent, at least, to warn those prone to seizures of the risk.

I'm wondering if it would be improper/inappropriate/a violation of the spirit of the disclaimer to simply modify the caption language, e.g. "A video that has been corrupted, displaying bright, flashing images", which is a true and correct description.

I'm happy to go with whatever is the correct path. cheers. anastrophe, an editor he is. 23:07, 7 November 2025 (UTC)

eh, I'm just going to be bold and make the change I suggested. It's no longer a disclaimer, so it should withstand any challenge. cheers. anastrophe, an editor he is. 00:07, 9 November 2025 (UTC)

Is this video necessary? Can we not use an example of a corrupted video without bright, flashing images? Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 12:54, 9 November 2025 (UTC)

It's arguably an 'over-presentation' of the phenomenon, there's certainly less intense corruption possible to videos; the problem would be finding/generating one with the appropriate license (I couldn't, though I didn't dig deeply). I'm not strongly inclined on the whole matter. cheers. anastrophe, an editor he is. 22:21, 9 November 2025 (UTC)

When to TNT?

Roméo et Juliette (musical) is almost certainly a notable subject, but at the moment our article is almost entirely sourced to a Tripod fansite. However, I suspect that if I take it to AfD, it will be Keep because the subject is notable. What's my best step here? Suggest WP:TNT at AfD? Just leave it and hope I or someone else have time to rewrite it soon? Something else entirely? Meadowlark (talk) 03:29, 8 November 2025 (UTC)

@Meadowlark, as described in Wikipedia:Deletion is not cleanup and WP:SURMOUNTABLE, problems like poor sourcing should usually be fixed without deletion if the subject is notable. If you can't easily fix the problem yourself, you can add maintenance tags or ask WikiProjects for help. Helpful Raccoon (talk) 10:13, 8 November 2025 (UTC)

Thanks @Helpful Raccoon. It seems a little silly that we have TNT, and that we're generally so gung-ho on having everything supported by a good source or removed, when those essays are in direct conflict with the ones you mention! Ah well, that's the Wikipedia way, isn't it :) Meadowlark (talk) 00:17, 9 November 2025 (UTC)

Meadowlark, it is not at all silly when you realize that three essays are being discussed and there is no expectation that essays will not contradict each other. Every essay, after all, has a notice at the top saying It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Essays are the personal opinions of one or more editors. They are not official or mandatory in any way. In my experience, WP:TNT is an essay that many editors do not like and disagree with. I happen to be among those who feel that way. Especially in a case like this, where a diligent French speaking editor could dramatically improve the article with a little bit of effort. As Helpful Raccoon noted, improving the article yourself is the best option and adding maintenance tags is the second best option. Attempting to delete an article about a notable topic is the worst option. Cullen328 (talk) 07:40, 9 November 2025 (UTC)

Also, Meadowlark, your description of the sourcing is misleading. The first reference is to a 2002 article in L'actualité, a respected French-Canadian magazine that has been around for over 115 years. Cullen328 (talk) 07:53, 9 November 2025 (UTC)

A Google News and Google Books search using the string "Gérard Presgurvic Romeo et Juliet" yields quite a few promising sources in English. Cullen328 (talk) 08:02, 9 November 2025 (UTC)

@Cullen328, I must have missed that one - a good start at least! Thank you for the search tip, that's going to be very useful. I guess I have a new project if no one else gets the sudden urge to overhaul a random French-language musical's article in the meantime! Meadowlark (talk) 13:08, 9 November 2025 (UTC)

Template: Date_table_sorting

Is there a way to make the abbr=on and format=mdy from this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Date_table_sorting apply to a whole table instead of repeating it on every row? ~2025-32119-45 (talk) 06:40, 8 November 2025 (UTC)

No. PrimeHunter (talk) 11:34, 8 November 2025 (UTC)

Table sorting

Is there a way to make one column of a table un-sortable? If the other columns can be sorted? I think I've seen it when reading pages, but I can't work out how to make it happen? ~2025-32119-45 (talk) 06:54, 8 November 2025 (UTC)

See Help:Sortable tables#Making selected columns unsortable. PrimeHunter (talk) 11:35, 8 November 2025 (UTC)

~2025-32289-14

User:~2025-32289-14 is a misleading username

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Contributions/~2025-32289-14

Piñanana (talk) 09:16, 9 November 2025 (UTC)

That is a temporary account, used to mask an unregistered user's IP address. —Jéské Couriano v^_^v ^{threads critiques} 09:19, 9 November 2025 (UTC)

"They were enabled on English Wikipedia on 4 November 2025."

Piñanana (talk) 09:22, 9 November 2025 (UTC)

If you're trying to say it's a registered account trying to look like a temporary account, no it's not. Ultraodan (talk) 10:51, 9 November 2025 (UTC)

temporary account enabled on English Wikipedia on 4 November 2025

Piñanana (talk) 11:52, 9 November 2025 (UTC)

Yes, we know that temporary accounts have arrived on this Wikipedia in the last few days. What is your question? ClaudineChionh (she/her · talk · email · global) 11:55, 9 November 2025 (UTC)

Non-free images

This is a casual question, hoping some very knowledgeable editors can weigh in. An individual who recently passed away has an article on Wikipedia. Because their fame was enjoyed mostly prior to the internet, there doesn't seem to be a free image. I have searched Google and OpenVerse and the Wikimedia Commons, I think in order to use a photo to show Soo Catwoman we would need to "borrow" a non-free image with a fair use rationale, is that the case? Or does the article need to go without a photo until some friend or promoter can provide us with a release of a photo of her from among their work? I am hoping that, as with music albums, we can upload some sort of image restricted in size that can just show what her look was, for example a cropped, 300px wide version of this magazine cover. I am not a lawyer. Sswonk (talk) 16:37, 9 November 2025 (UTC)

Does WP:NFCC answer your question? Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 16:50, 9 November 2025 (UTC)

Yes, thanks. My interpretation is that I can upload a lower resolution image and use it on the article. However, I tend to interpret wiki rules liberally. That is why I have asked here, because I want to avoid having it challenged. I am going to upload an image, see what happens. Sswonk (talk) 16:57, 9 November 2025 (UTC)

If it's too large, a bot will down-size it. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 21:52, 9 November 2025 (UTC)

Pointing out a possible copyvio

Hi, I had the intention of pointing out a possible copyvio, but the instructions on how to do so are so terribly complicated that it's not very encouraging to follow them, especially in a case that's more of a question than a clear copyvio. Maybe you can therefore just move this question to wherever the appropriate place for such questions may be:

The article Hatto Ständer appears to be based on the German language article. The German article however, as it turns out, is a 100% copyvio from the sheet music editor's website. I have no idea how this affects the English language article, but I thought I should point it out somewhere. Thanks, --~2025-32364-12 (talk) 17:06, 9 November 2025 (UTC)

@~2025-32364-12: that would be a problem, do you have the web address for the original text? TSventon (talk) 22:06, 9 November 2025 (UTC)

Sorry

i was 100 percent not aware that I was doing something unintentional I'm very new to the scene how can I stop any wrong doing of mine Julioloco (talk) 17:22, 9 November 2025 (UTC)

Hello, @Julioloco. I can't see where you've done anything wrong.

But even if you do make mistakes, I suggest you don't worry too much about it. As long as you are editing in good faith (not vandalizing), and you're willing to learn when people revert your edits or warn you of things, nobody will hold it against you.

It might help to have a look at WP:BRD. ColinFine (talk) 19:10, 9 November 2025 (UTC)

Hi @Julioloco the wikilinks you added looked fine, but I was able to shorten one of them. TSventon (talk) 19:16, 9 November 2025 (UTC)

Navboxes don't load

On the List of earthquakes in 2025 article, the templates "Template:Earthquakes in 2025" and "Template:Earthquakes by year" at the bottom don't load. Instead there's just text saying "#invoke:navbox". In addition, there's a random citation saying "#invoke:String". As one of the most prominent editors of this article, I am looking to fix this but I haven't found the exact cause of the issue. It could either be the length of the page, the high number of citations or both. Quake1234 (talk) 18:04, 9 November 2025 (UTC)

@Quake1234: It happens because the page is in the hidden Category:Pages where post-expand include size is exceeded. PrimeHunter (talk) 18:17, 9 November 2025 (UTC)

How do I get the template to load normally? Also, I forgot to mention that the templates load just fine on other earthquake lists, such as the one for 2024. Quake1234 (talk) 18:43, 9 November 2025 (UTC)

@Quake1234: the short answer is that you need to make the page smaller, there is an explanation at WP:PEIS. If you click edit on the article, then preview the page will then display "Parser profiling data" and if you click on that you can see how large the articles are (Post-expand include size). The maximum size is 2,097,152 bytes. TSventon (talk) 19:01, 9 November 2025 (UTC)

Main Page revision deletions

According to the deletion log for the Main Page, multiple revisions have been deleted with WP:DENY cited as the rationale. However, I am confused by this, as it has been fully protected since 2007, so that nobody but administrators can edit it. Why would drive-by vandalism and other attempts to gain attention be occuring by experienced admins on the main page? Somepinkdude (talk) 22:13, 9 November 2025 (UTC)

I haven't examined those situations but there have been compromised administrator accounts and the Main Page is a tempting target. PrimeHunter (talk) 23:27, 9 November 2025 (UTC)

Edits made by compromised accounts are regularly revdel'd to prevent false attribution, and yes, several admins have been compromised in the past, including Jimbo Wales himself. Children Will Listen (🐄 talk, 🫘 contribs) 23:30, 9 November 2025 (UTC)

As an admin I can confirm that the revdelled edits are by admins who were compromised. * Pppery * _{it has begun...} 22:28, 10 November 2025 (UTC)

Cite web date

Heya - i got an error with cite web that I couldn't figure out. I managed to fix it by changing to an ISO date, but I'm not sure why the original didn't work here? Diff is here -- RandomTime 00:05, 10 November 2025 (UTC)

See MOS:DATE. 09 November 2025 isn't a legal date format but 9 November works. StarryGrandma (talk) 00:17, 10 November 2025 (UTC)

Aha, got it - honestly didn't even think of that, thanks -- RandomTime 00:19, 10 November 2025 (UTC)

Postel's Law should apply (we could always have a bot clean up later). Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 10:43, 10 November 2025 (UTC)

Diacritics in DEFAULTSORT

Hello, I'd like to know if there is any unambiguous guideline regarding the use of diacritics in {{DEFAULTSORT}}. According to WP:SORTKEY, "In English Wikipedia, sort order merges (ignores) case and diacritics". I interpret this to mean that the use of diacritics doesn't matter, so if a name includes them, it would be preferable to retain them in the DEFAULTSORT as well. However, User:Qaswa disagreed on my talk page, and User:Ecourter removed them on another page, in this edit. I just want to know so I can follow the correct approach! Regards, Yacàwotçã (talk) 01:53, 10 November 2025 (UTC)

Yacàwotçã, I'd interpret In English Wikipedia, sort order merges (ignores) case and diacritics to mean that the use of diacritics doesn't matter, so as an example for the article Jindřich Štreit the choice between {{DEFAULTSORT|Štreit, Jindřich}} or {{DEFAULTSORT|Streit, Jindrich}} would have no effect. This is, of course, what you said to Qaswa. But imaginably WP:SORTKEY is misleading or even inaccurate. What I can say is that years ago, when I preserved diacritics for use in defaultsort, I sometimes noticed that other editors would then remove the diacritics; whereas in recent years, when I haven't preserved them for defaultsort, I haven't noticed other editors restoring them. -- Hoary (talk) 01:22, 11 November 2025 (UTC)

I can provide the CheckWiki error description for DEFAULTSORT with special characters:

Don't use special letters in the DEFAULTSORT. In most cases, diacritics should generally be stripped, e.g.:

à, ä, ã, æ, ă → a

ö → o, ü → u, ß → ss

in svwiki and fiwiki, ÅÄÖåäö are allowed

in cswiki, čďěňřšťžČĎŇŘŠŤŽ are allowed

in dawiki and nowiki, ÆØÅæøå are allowed

See Categorization#Sort keys and Namesort, for more details.

A majority of these errors are automatically fixed in WP:CLEANER and other tools. If a character can't be replaced (for example: 10¢ a Dance), WPCleaner doesn't auto-fix. For what it's worth, I'm only focusing on the high-priority errors for CheckWiki; the main problem in the edit linked were ref tags without a match. Ecourter (talk) 01:45, 11 November 2025 (UTC)

In short: Any diacritics in DEFAULTSORT are incorrect in the English Wikipedia, and that's been the case for years. Qaswa (talk) 14:50, 11 November 2025 (UTC)

Ecourter, is "æ" a diacritic? Why isn't it supposed to be replaced with "ae"? And most importantly who wrote this and why does WP:SORTKEY appear to ignore it? Yacàwotçã (talk) 15:30, 11 November 2025 (UTC)

How do you edit a page closed to editing that is hate speech, totally biased and founded on lies?

How do you edit a page closed to editing that is hate speech, totally biased and founded on lies? ~2025-32460-19 (talk) 04:04, 10 November 2025 (UTC)

Typically on the talk page of an article, you can make an edit request. However it's best to be precise in what you believe needs to be changed, and provide a reliable source supporting the change. – {{u|hekatlys}} ^WOOF 04:08, 10 November 2025 (UTC)

Hello, anonymous user. Hekatlys is right in general, but note that if the article falls within any of the areas listed as Contentious topics, then anonymous editors (and new accounts) are not permitted even to post requests on the article's talk page. ColinFine (talk) 13:46, 10 November 2025 (UTC)

That is not at all true. Even the extended-confirmed restriction (which only applies to a handful of contentious topics) says that Non-extended-confirmed editors may use the "Talk:" namespace only to make edit requests related to articles within the topic area, provided they are not disruptive. jlwoodwa (talk) 02:15, 11 November 2025 (UTC)

It would be easier for us to help you if instead of asking a general question, you actually got to the meat and potatoes of what you are actually talking about.

Wikipedia doesn't claim to be free of bias, as all sources of information have biases. Sources are presented to readers so they csn evaluate and judge them for themselves when determining what they think about what they read. You may read an article and disagree with everything presented. If the sources in an article are not being accurately summarized, please detail the errors on the article talk page. If the sources are being accurately summarized, but are in error, you will need to take that up with the sources directly and get them to issue corrections, or provide more current sources with what you deem more accurate information.

If sources in an article are so biased that they make things up out of whole cloth with no basis, that is a matter for the reliable sources noticeboard.

Some contentious topics(not all) have restrictions on editing by users with non-temporary or new accounts, meaning you cannnot contribute to them unless you register a username and it is 30 days old with 500 edits. 331dot (talk) 13:58, 10 November 2025 (UTC)

I'd also suggest that you read WP:TRUTH. 331dot (talk) 13:59, 10 November 2025 (UTC)

My money is that the article they're complaining about is under a 500/30 restriction (specifically, that of the PIA area). —Jéské Couriano v^_^v ^{threads critiques} 03:47, 11 November 2025 (UTC)

How do I deal with temporary accounts?

Hi! I am back after a brief (4 year) semi-retirement. While I was gone the way I see IP vandals changed. I like the changes (more privacy is good) but I can't do a few things I used to do, like doing my own informal sockpuppet investigations before making a report.

Here are a couple of temporary accounts that show what I am talking about:[3][4]

This is obviously the Dave Plummer Troll who has been vandalizing the Dave Plummer page for years. (I have no connection with Plummer other than having read his book on Autism). Previously, I would look at the IP Addresses, see that they came from the same geographical area and the same handful of ISPs that serve that area, and tweak my vandalism reports with that knowledge. Now I can't tell.

(To any admin reading this: please consider removing some or all of the edits from these two temporary accounts from the page history after this discussion ends. One of the things the Dave Plummer Troll likes to do is to go on Twitter, FaceBook, and YouTube and post links to his deleted Wikipedia posts. "I know you suffer from severe mental illness and attack everyone that has no tolerance for your obnoxious replies and existence" is a personal attack and "writing down history about david as a criminal that defrauded money out of people isn't an attack. it's facts... he is a criminal, he ran scams defrauding innocent people" is a BLP violation.)

Would it be appropriate to request WP:TAIV? I don't do a lot of sockpuppet work but I do some. I am assuming from "There are currently 261 users with temporary account IP viewer rights" that simply being a trusted user isn't enough and that the answer to that is no.

I can live without being able to do my own informal sockpuppet investigations before making a report, but there were a bunch of cases where I determined that I didn't have enough evidence and didn't make the report. Now I will have to make the report in cases where previously I wouldn't. Like I said, the minor inconvenience is well worth it to increase user privacy, but I am wondering if maybe I am missing something and there is a better way. --Guy Macon (talk) 04:08, 10 November 2025 (UTC)

If you don't want TAIPV, there is the option of asking an editor who has that permission to do a check before going through with an SPI. I believe the requirements to getting it, from what I have seen at PERM and the wording at WP:TAIVGRANT, is to be both fairly trusted and have a demonstrated need for it. Your sockpuppet work would likely fit the latter. 45dogs (they/them) (talk page) 04:48, 10 November 2025 (UTC)

TAIV, while it has a clear set of restrictions and associated guidance, isn't hard to acquire, from my experience. I applied and was granted access. This was my request (and it's honest and unembellished): [5]

Obviously a good faith accounting of ones interest in the access goes a long way. I think the small number of users is more a reflection of how few editors delve into combatting socks and vandals on any level. cheers. anastrophe, an editor he is. 04:58, 10 November 2025 (UTC)

The small number could also just be due to how new it is. The oldest request for the permission is this one on August 2nd. TAs themselves only started appearing on November 4th. 45dogs (they/them) (talk page) 05:04, 10 November 2025 (UTC)

Add business name

How to add my business ~2025-32571-49 (talk) 15:03, 10 November 2025 (UTC)

Hi @~2025-32571-49. Wikipedia is not a business directory, and only organisations that meet our strict criteria for inclusion may have an article on Wikipedia. qcne (talk) 15:17, 10 November 2025 (UTC)

Also, there are several reasons why you might not want an article about your business on Wikipedia. Please see WP:BOSS. ColinFine (talk) 18:17, 10 November 2025 (UTC)

My edit

I messed up List of Pretty Little Liars characters page I ment to move Toby to main charaters ~2025-32611-60 (talk) 18:18, 10 November 2025 (UTC)

Your edit has already been reverted. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 19:20, 10 November 2025 (UTC)

Garry McDonald

I noticed Wikipedia doesn't show this person has passed away in November 2023. ~2025-32634-56 (talk) 22:50, 10 November 2025 (UTC)

Hey, @~2025-32634-56. If you have a reliable source showing that Garry McDonald has passed away, you are free to edit the article, it is not protected. If you don't want to edit the article, you can create a new topic on the talk page, again showing your source, and someone can help you out. win8x (talk) 22:52, 10 November 2025 (UTC)

Since Garry McDonald is well known in Australia, I can only assume that there would be extensive coverage if he had died. Several other people with that name havd died in recent years, but not the famous Australian as far as I can tell from searching with Google. Cullen328 (talk) 23:55, 10 November 2025 (UTC)

Potential as an AFC reviewer

Hey, I wanted to try and help with the Article for Creation submission process, and I'm familiar with how to propose for AFC reviewer rights. However, despite my experience, I don't think I feel competent enough to regularly review drafts, yet I still feel like I'd like to at least try reviewing some proposals. Part of me feels like I might make a mistake, but do you guys think I should try the reviewing process? — Alex26337 ^(talk) 23:29, 10 November 2025 (UTC)

Asilvering You have experience with AfC, maybe you'd be able to help Alex? Polygnotus (talk) 23:48, 10 November 2025 (UTC)

@Alex26337, my advice would be that you get more experience at WP:AFD before applying to be a reviewer. We need to see some evidence of notability guidelines, which doesn't have to come via AFD, but that's both the best training for it and the easiest way to demonstrate it. And AFD is always sorely in need of competent, careful participants. -- asilvering (talk) 23:58, 10 November 2025 (UTC)

Using Google Earth historic satellite imagery as a reference

I am having difficulty finding any documentation for the closure of a runway. The FAA doesn't archive Chart Supplements or Airport Diagrams and no news sources exist talking about the closure. I have found that the runway was closed sometime between 2015 and 2017 based on Google Earth satellite images, but that's as much as I can narrow it down. Without those images the most it can be narrowed down is between 2014 and 2020. Is it okay to use Google Earth as a reference in this manner? I have used Google Maps as a reference before, but never Google Earth. Would I just use cite web for this if it is acceptable? ❯❯❯ Mccunicano☕️ 00:02, 11 November 2025 (UTC)

@Mccunicano Hello! Which runway on which airport are we talking about? Polygnotus (talk) 00:14, 11 November 2025 (UTC)

See Wikipedia:Requests_for_comment/Using_maps_as_sources Polygnotus (talk) 00:17, 11 November 2025 (UTC)

@Polygnotus: That's quite the lengthy RFC there. I am going to do a big update on the article Macon Downtown Airport. Runway 10-28 is still in use but the cross runway was closed in either late 2016 or early 2017. Since a regrading project happened on 10-28 last year, the former runway only exists as an unmarked taxiway to a hangar used by the Georgia Forestry Commission and has otherwise either been abandoned or obliterated. ❯❯❯ Mccunicano☕️ 02:08, 11 November 2025 (UTC)

Should article titles start with "the"?

I just wanted to get clarification on this, would it be appropriate to start titles of articles like The Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok with "the"? KraljLavova97 (talk) 09:10, 11 November 2025 (UTC)

@KraljLavova97 See WP:THE. Bazza 7 (talk) 09:19, 11 November 2025 (UTC)

Arts

@K . K Rasika udara chandrasekara@ @Lou 00@ @I $ NY ~2025-32791-77 (talk) 12:34, 11 November 2025 (UTC)

Hi @~2025-32791-77. Do you have a question..? qcne (talk) 12:36, 11 November 2025 (UTC)

Correction

Hello, I am professor Emanuel Levy. I need help in revising your entry of my life ad career. I've been getting hostile letters (during the Gaza War) due to the mentioning that I was born in Israel. In trying ti eliminate that information, we (with my assistant) accidentally deleted my photo and date of birth. Please restore. M<any thanks. ~2025-32664-20 (talk) 14:50, 11 November 2025 (UTC)

Hello! I fixed the infobox for you. The image, File:Emanuel Levty.jpg, will soon be renamed (Levty => Levy). Polygnotus (talk) 15:14, 11 November 2025 (UTC)

I don't know how hostile these letters are, but it may be a good idea to report them to your local police. Polygnotus (talk) 15:21, 11 November 2025 (UTC)

User Ziv thinks the photo used may be a copyright violation. Please see WP:PHOTO. Thanks, Polygnotus (talk) 15:29, 11 November 2025 (UTC)

Hello @Polygnotus: Yes is copied from Rotten Tomatoes. Mister Levy? Do you have a image that we can upload to Commons? Regards, זיו「Ziv」 • For love letters and other notes 15:44, 11 November 2025 (UTC)