Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2006 November 27

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[edit] November 27

[edit] Help needed on someone constantly deleting my user page

Could someone help me, a suspected admin keeps deleting my user page, I suspect its the same admin Guy Chapman who put a sockpuppet argument on my page Fact Finder2 15:54, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Your user page has never been deleted (see the logs for you and your userpage). --ais523 16:01, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

I mean the "contents" of my user page has been deleted Fact Finder2 16:44, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Contents is an auto-created table made by Wikipedia if you have more than 2 sections. (It could be more than 3, but I think it is more than 2). So, if you reduce the number of sections below the threshhold, Wikipedia won't make the table of contents table. It assumes it isn't needed. --Kainaw (talk) 17:13, 27 November 2006 (UTC)
Also - there is a tab called "history" on every page. Click it on your talk page. Other than you, only one other person has edited your user page. You can also see the user's username, allowing you to go to their user page and user-talk page. --Kainaw (talk) 17:18, 27 November 2006 (UTC)
I imagine this has to do with User:Fact Finder, not User:Fact Finder2. Prodego talk 17:25, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] hide user contributions

I see that some users have no user contribution selection in the toolbox, how is that possible? How can I hide my user contributions from other users? (LDFGeneral 15:46, 27 November 2006 (UTC))

You can't. If you are seeing a user with no "User contributions" link, it's not really a user. Some people have signatures that are not the same as their usernames - perhaps that's the source of confusion? FreplySpang 15:49, 27 November 2006 (UTC)
  • And if you follow the rules, you shouldn't be worried about someone checking your contributions. :) - Mgm|(talk) 16:23, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Image placement

I have added an image to the page titled Cecil Broadhurst, but it appears much smaller than I intended. I revised the image and enlarged it and uploaded it, but it still shows as the same size in Wiki.

How can I increase the size of the image? Also, how can I move it to the right side of the text rather than on top?

T. John F. Becker (Berryscroft)

Instead of using <gallery> tags, link to the image like this: [[Image:Example.png|right|thumb|180px|the caption you want]] (you can change the size by changing the 180px value). You can find more information at Help:Image. --ais523 16:12, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Image sizing

I have tried to increase the size of the image on the page I have created. I enlarged it in Photoshop, and re-uploaded it, but it still shows as the same size. Also, I would like to move it to the right of the page with the text butting up to it. How can I do that? Berryscroft 16:14, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

This is a duplicate question; I've answered in the section above. --ais523 16:20, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] tagging an image

i posted an image on the USA WEEKEND site and I put the copyright info and fair use in (that it is a low resolution magazine cover).... but it still says that the info has not been provided and that the image will be erased on 11/29/06.... Is there something else I need to do?

Jlarms01 16:49, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Image:USAW1022.jpg has no copyright information on it at all, if that's what you're referring to. If you put the {{fairusein}} tag on it (or one of the more specific Image copyright tags), give the source, and explain your reasoning for the fair use, then the picture probably won't be deleted. --ais523 17:00, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Submitted picture, was deleted ...

My first attempt to add a picture to Wikipedia was to the Woolsey Hall article. That article already has one picture, with a very clear licensing policy. At my daughter's graduation this past spring - a public event - I took a vertical panorama which includes the beautiful ceiling, the picture in Wikipedia doesn't show it, so I added mine to that article. I honestly think mine is a better picture. Some time later I looked back at the article and found my addition had been deleted due to lack of a copyright statement, or something like that.

My question is: What needs to be provided with a picture, to avoid having it deleted?

Clearly it is more than for text, for some reason it seems text is assumed to be alright in the absence of copyright clarification but pictures are assumed not to be alright.

FYI: Link to the photo I tried to add to the article, reduced size (full size is very large): http://JoeS.smugmug.com/photos/71249474-L.jpg

Are you prepared to release your picture for any and all uses, including commercial use without paying you anything? If so, do you want to insist on a credit, or not? These are the main things to consider in what tag you need. Notinasnaid 17:02, 27 November 2006 (UTC)
There's a list of available tags at Wikipedia:Image copyright tags; if you take a picture yourself, there are some licences for self-made pictures you can use to licence your work in such a way that Wikipedia can use it. --ais523 17:04, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] The annoying "+" tab.

The way my talk page is set up (User talk:Red Pooka), and because many Wikipedians are acoustomed (sp?) to using the "+" tab to add conversations (example, look at the bottom: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk%3ARed_Pooka&diff=90372453&oldid=90360291) it often clutters up the page and I am forced to edit comments back in, and I think it would be a bit rude to try to tell every person on Wikipedia not to do that. :S. So is there possibly some wikicode to get rid of the "+" tab at the top of the page? Kinda like the

__NOTOC__ 

code peice? Thanks. --RedPooka 16:58, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be an entry for this in m:Help:Magic word, so probably no. --ais523 17:03, 27 November 2006 (UTC)
It should work if you remove all the code from (and including) the "Uncyclopedia Talk" section. Prodego talk 17:07, 27 November 2006 (UTC)
Right. If you just leave the table opened, new messages will still appear to be inside of it and the Wikimedia software will close the table at the end of the page automatically. Put the Uncyclopedia section above the Wikipedia one or scrap it, and + messages will go to the Wikipedia one. Getting rid of the + wouldn't be a good idea, it's a very useful shortcut (having to learn the specifics of every user's talk page would be a pain). -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 17:14, 27 November 2006 (UTC)
(after edit conflict)
You can abuse Wikipedia's use of HTML Tidy (or whatever it uses). Make the page a two column table (if it isn't already). Fill the left column like it currently is. Put the right column in, but do not close the column (td tag), the row (tr tag) or table (table tag). Leave it open. Wikipedia should notice the poor HTML and close it for you. New comments will go at the end of the right table and the closing tags will be appended after the new comments. --Kainaw (talk) 17:11, 27 November 2006 (UTC)
There's also a CSS hack that works for some browsers and allows you to place text at the top of a page so that it appears at the bottom (for instance, Talk:Main Page uses this); I'm not sure how portable it is. --ais523 17:12, 27 November 2006 (UTC)
It works pretty well, but doing that here would make the Uncyclopedia section very difficult to post to. Prodego talk 17:14, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Actually I just want it to be where users simply just simply have to edit the page, nothing else. If they are from Wikipedia, they just click the edit button for that section, that's it. :) --RedPooka 23:17, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

The problem is that people will use all sorts of methods to edit a page. For instance, if you uploaded an unsourced image or vandalised a page in an obvious manner, a bot would notice and warn you at the bottom of your page, no matter what instructions or tab-hidings you use. A user using user scripts might quite possibly click on your name on a different page and send you a message using a '+' tab they'd generated there, and so on. In some cases I've even typed something along the lines of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Prodego?action=edit&section=new straight into the address bar to save time, and if I did that I'd miss a warning about where to edit entirely. --ais523 09:16, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] related to business law

when the communication of offer & acceptance are completed

  • Please talk in full sentences. I have no clue what you are talking about, but I do know your question should go on the reference desk. - Mgm|(talk) 18:56, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Go?

Where do I go to veiw the process on how to change my username?

Please see Wikipedia:Changing_username. –- kungming·2 (Talk) 19:53, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] A lot of confusion

Wow I went through the ringer getttin my name changed. Where are my Aelfwine contributions?--Ælfwine 20:26, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Have you tried Special:Contributions/Aelfwine?—WAvegetarian(talk) 22:19, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Translating issue

Hi!

I've just registered at Wikipedia and I was wondering if I can contribute by taking articles in english and translating them into spanish. I've noticed (here and in other wiki sites) that english version of the site is frequently more "complete" than spanish version, so when I look for an article and find something that I think has not enough information for me I need to go to the english version of the article. This wouldn't be a problem if every person who speak spanish also speaks english, but this is not the case, so I felt like it could be helpfull to translate some info. If there's a reason why I souldn't translate articles for the spanish version of the site, please let me know by <email removed for security reasons>.

Thanks a lot!

As long as you attribute the article to the original source (Wikipedia) per the GFDL, translation is fine. — Dark Shikari talk/contribs 22:04, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Line break

Which line break is preferred in Wikipedia: <br> or <br />? I know that it only matters in XHTML, not HTML, but I thought I might as well ask. —The Great Llamamoo? 21:12, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

  • It appears a lot of people prefer <br /> as it is the XML standard. Personally, I prefer br because it's shorter, but I recommend using the first. - Mgm|(talk) 21:51, 27 November 2006 (UTC)
  • Wikipedia uses the doctype: <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> Since it's XHTML, which indeed requires every tag be closed, definately use <br />. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 02:15, 28 November 2006 (UTC)
Mediawiki converts whatever you use to <br /> when it serves the page. You can check the page source of my sandpit.--Commander Keane 02:55, 28 November 2006 (UTC)
Well that's neat. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 03:03, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] I don't think this article is notable enough. What should be done?

I stumbled upon the article Nicktoons: Heroes Unite! I don't think fanfiction is notable enough to have its own article. However, I'm still relatively new, and I'm not quite sure what should be done. I feel it should be deleted, but I'm not even sure what kind of deletion should be used. Can anyone help me? Thanks. Psycho Kirby 22:02, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Hi! I commented on the AfD. While AfD is fine, speedy delete would work too. When you run into patent nonsense, biographies about obviously non-notable people (Bob lives in Seattle and he likes cake), or spam and such, you can simply slap a speedy delete tag on there (db-web, db-bio, db-nonsense, etc). Since this is obviously nonnotable fanfiction, you can put a db-web tag on there and not have to worry about process. Just letting you know ;) --Wooty Woot? contribs 22:39, 27 November 2006 (UTC)
There's also an intermediate stage, WP:PROD. But if you're not sure, AfD is usually the safest option. Grutness...wha? 02:05, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Problem with Archive

I just archived my talk page for the second time, at User talk:DoomsDay349/Archive 2, but for some reason the table of contents generated is enormous. Can anyone tell what's wrong? Thanks. DoomsDay349 23:14, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Shorten the header of number 45, and the TOC will be resized once more. –- kungming·2 (Talk) 23:28, 27 November 2006 (UTC)
Here's a quick link. –- kungming·2 (Talk) 23:29, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Aha! Thank you, thank you very much. DoomsDay349 23:30, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

No problem, glad to be of service. But number 49 is a bit long too. ;) –- kungming·2 (Talk) 23:40, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Online/Offline

I've noticed on a lot of userpages there's this status thing ("This user is online!" "This user is offline."). Is it possible to get the code that tells if you are Online or offline? Like if you log off, that thing on your Userpage changes, or if you log back on it changes back? I've seen it on Essjay's and BH's pages. --RedPooka 23:34, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

From memory, Essjay may have writen his own... User:Topaz has a sick one. See WP:STATUS :D. Peace out — Deon555talk 23:39, 27 November 2006 (UTC)
Actually I was looking for the code. Or otherwise code that would makethe word "online" would change to "offline" whenever you logged off, and vice versa :). --RedPooka 00:21, 28 November 2006 (UTC)
Ask Topaz if he can make it for you. On a side note, Topaz made Essjay's status changer, that is where I found Topaz. Topaz built my whole monobook, using parts from various files, and integrating them. If anyone can do it, he is the one. Prodego talk 02:33, 28 November 2006 (UTC)
User:Flameviper/scripts, has all the code. ~ Flameviper 17:32, 30 November 2006 (UTC)