Wikipedia:Image file names

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This page is considered a guideline on Wikipedia. It is generally accepted among editors and is considered a standard that all users should follow. However, it is not set in stone and should be treated with common sense and the occasional exception. When editing this page, please ensure that your revision reflects consensus. When in doubt, discuss first on the talk page.
Don't upload images or other files with generic, non-specific file names.


Contents

[edit] Generic image file names

Quite accidentally I noted unintended "revert wars" on "Image:Logo.gif". People upload a logo without checking what's already there. I uploaded this, instead: Image:Pleasedont.gif

and notified a couple of users that used the image, even re-named one user's image on his behalf. I also checked "Image:Logo.jpg" and "Image:Logo.png", and did the same. No links should have been left hanging, except for one user's user pages, and I've informed him/her on the talk page.

It goes without saying that images with generic names must be protected for this scheme to work. Please check here to see if the above image has been changed since I originally posted this.

Would this procedure be a good idea for other generic image file names (suh as Photo.jpg", "Image.gif" etc.)? --Janke | Talk 03:04:37, 2005-08-31 (UTC)

  • That or protecting the original image at the location, but it does seem like a problem that can be easily avoided. Christopher Parham (talk) 04:37, 2005 August 31 (UTC)
"...can be easily avoided" - How? Please explain, thanks. --Janke | Talk 06:18:25, 2005-08-31 (UTC)
By doing what you just suggested, obviously. Christopher Parham (talk) 17:10, 2005 August 31 (UTC)
D'oh! ;-) I thought you had some other idea... --Janke | Talk 17:22:53, 2005-08-31 (UTC)
  • Excellent idea. Radiant_>|< 09:55, August 31, 2005 (UTC)
  • Looks like a good idea. It's a very vague name. Something should be done. Optichan 12:58, August 31, 2005 (UTC)
  • Good idea. Is there any way of having that image (or the same thing as text) pop up whenever somebody tries to upload an image by that name? - ulayiti (talk) 16:52, 31 August 2005 (UTC)
Probably not without some code writing. You already get a warning if you try to load a file with a name that already exists. My proposal would have the simplicity of just protecting files with generic names, with the above image. Then the uploader has to think of another name. If that, too, is already in use, well... then it is no longer so simple. --Janke | Talk 17:28:17, 2005-08-31 (UTC)
  • Excellent idea. I'm all for it. Thryduulf 21:32, 31 August 2005 (UTC)
  • Sounds good to me. Another possibility, since it seems to me that keeping a list of common filenames would be a pain, would be, if an image someone's trying to upload has the same filename as an existing one, to simply throw a warning and show a thumbnail of the old image, and ask the user to rename their image. -- Avocado 01:25, September 6, 2005 (UTC)
  • Good idea, but it requires programming. For now, protecting the "don't use this name" image seemed like an excellent idea, so I did so. Noel (talk) 02:06, 6 September 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Protected images

Thanks for taking action! That will surely prevent some surprises... I didn't check if you protected more than one, but here are a few I can think of, that would all need to be protected (with that image above), for the very same reason:

  1. Image:logo.png / Image:logo.jpg (I already uploaded the image to these)
  2. Image:photo.jpg / Image:photo.gif / Image:photo.png
  3. Image:image.jpg / Image:image.gif / Image:image.png
  4. Image:img.jpg / Image:img.gif / Image:img.png

... and probably quite a few more. --Janke | Talk 05:59:40, 2005-09-06 (UTC)

I protected the first two; if you upload this to the others, and fix the links, etc, and drop me a line I will protect them. Noel (talk) 19:20, 6 September 2005 (UTC)
OK, you can protect them now. I uploaded the warning image to all the above (and moved & renamed one user's self-portrait, notified him), except "Image.gif" which resides on Commons. The image there is not used anywhere, but I'll let somebody else fix the Commons image (I've not logged in there - yet.) --Janke | Talk 06:26:39, 2005-09-07 (UTC)
OK, all done here. You'll have to get someone else to do the commons one, I'm not an admin there. Noel (talk) 15:55, 7 September 2005 (UTC)
Sorry, I have no experience with Commons. Will leave that to somebody else. --Janke | Talk 07:32:21, 2005-09-08 (UTC)

I listed Image:Image.gif for deletion on Commons. It will take a while to process. Andrew pmk | Talk 19:46, 10 September 2005 (UTC)

Surely if you simply upoad your file to Image:image.gif it will over-ride the version available at Commons? HTH HAND —Phil | Talk 15:37, September 8, 2005 (UTC)
Nope. Tried it. If it's on Commons, you can't use the same name on Wikipedia. --Janke | Talk 18:41:27, 2005-09-08 (UTC)

Oh, and while I think of it: did anybody check whether any of those older versions might actually be usable under a better name? —Phil | Talk 15:39, September 8, 2005 (UTC)

They were personal stuff, I either renamed/fixed links or notified uploaders of all files that were actually used. None was in use in the main namespace. --Janke | Talk 18:41:27, 2005-09-08 (UTC)

[edit] Still more

I found this thing: Image:picture.jpg

Uploading "please don't" image now. Ashibaka (tock) 03:10, 9 September 2005 (UTC)

Oh yes, all three: Image:Picture.jpg / Image:Picture.gif / Image:Picture.png How could I forget those? I'll ask Noel to protect them. --Janke | Talk 04:18:50, 2005-09-09 (UTC)

Great idea! Perhaps it's worth doing on Image:untitled.jpg, Image:untitled.gif and Image:untitled.png as well? the wub "?/!" 15:47, 9 September 2005 (UTC)
Done. Now we need an admin to protect them... --Janke | Talk 19:31:43, 2005-09-09 (UTC)

Image:Untitled.jpg is basketball.. Secretlondon 22:53, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

Uploaded four days ago (also a copyrighted image, no source given...) I thought that file name was already protected? --Janke | Talk 06:49, 28 September 2005 (UTC)
Apparently not. I've asked the user who uploaded it to use a different name (and also to provide copyright info). I then uploaded the "don't use this" image, and protected it. Noel (talk) 02:41, 1 October 2005 (UTC)
OK this is really confusing. I didn't upload it, merely reverted what was obvious vandalism. Even though it was my suggestion, I figured it would be best to wait for an admin to finish the move and protect properly. User:Basketballer0789 who uploaded the original image didn't provide copyright info and doesn't seem to be around, so unless anyone can find the copyright status might be best to let this one go. the wub "?!" 11:56, 6 October 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Commons:Forbidden filenames

Image:Forbidden filename.png
Image:Forbidden filename.png

Some people over at commons seems a little peeved that this new forbiten filename "policy" just materialised there out of "thin air". Remember commons is more than just a immage repository for this Wikipedia, they are a seperate entity with theyr own prosedures and guidelines and stuff. Also when replacing images on commons keep in mind that just because an image is not used in the English Wikipedia it doesn't automaticaly mean it's also unused in all the other Wikimedia projects or other language Wikipedias out there. --Sherool 01:44, 17 September 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Some more

Secretlondon 22:23, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

Secretlondon

Cover.jpg had been deleted, so I uploaded the "don't use this" image, and protected it. I did Photo1.jpg too. Noel (talk) 02:41, 1 October 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Wrap up

This centralized discussion has been ongoing since August 31. I suggest it's time to summarize the conclusions and wrap it up. Perhaps this should be moved to a Wikipedia policy page, as the conclusions agreed to above seem appropriate for such treatment. Cheers!  BD2412 talk 05:38, 15 October 2005 (UTC)

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