User:Yunshui/Twinkle for beginners

The Twinkle script, developed by User:AzaToth, is one of the most popular and powerful maintenance tools on Wikipedia. By bundling together scripts that deal with reversions, deletions, warnings, tagging, reporting and other behind the scenes tasks. Twinkle provides a single solution that deals with many Wikipedia issues in a single click. It's also - unusually, for such a powerful tool - available to any registered user, without requiring rollback or administrator rights to install.

This is intended as a quick guide to help you understand what Twinkle does and how to use it. The Twinkle documentation page provides more comprehensive information.

You can add Twinkle by going to the "My preferences" menu (top right of your screen, or click here), selecting the "Gadgets" tab and checking the box next to "Twinkle". You will need to refresh your browser cache in order to activate the tool.

The Twinkle menu

On most pages, you will now see a drop down menu marked "TW" next to the Search bar. This is your Twinkle menu. Here's what's inside:

On article pages

• CSD will apply a speedy deletion tag to the page. Speedy deletion is highly specific, be sure that whatever tag you are applying is appropriate. Twinkle will automatically notify the page creator by default. If there's more than one reason for deletion, tick the "Tag with multiple criteria" checkbox at the top of the Twinkle pop-up window.
• PROD allows you to apply a Proposed deletion or Proposed deletion - unsourced BLP tag. You can fill in your reasons before submitting the tag. Again, this will automatically notify the page's original author.
• XFD allows you to list the page for deletion at Articles for deletion. You will need to fill in your deletion rationale. This script will automatically notify the page creator, tag the page, and list the discussion at the correct location on AfD.
• RPP logs a request for page protection. You can specify what sort of protection you feel the article requires, and you'll need to give a reason for the request.
• Tag places one or more cleanup tags on the article. These are grouped by topic. Tempting as it may be to bombard a poor-quality page with tags, try to be as sparing as possible with them - limit yourself to those issues that you feel are vital for the article's improvement, rather than trying to cover every conceivable problem you can dig up.
• Last shows you the last edit made to the page.
• Unlink this will remove wikilinks to the article on other pages. It should really only be used if the article has been deleted.

On File pages

All of the above, plus:

• DI, which lists the file for deletion if it has incorrect copyright or sourcing information.

On userpages and user talkpages

• ARV reports the user to Adminstrators' intervention against vandalism, Usernames for administrator attention or Sockpuppet investigations.
• Warn places a warning tag on the user's talkpage. You will need to select the severity of the tag manually - unlike ClueBot NG, Twinkle doesn't check the previous warning to see what level of warning is appropriate next.
• Wel places one of a selection of {{welcome}} templates on the user's talkpage.
• Shared IP (IP talkpages only) puts a {{shared IP}} notice at the top of the page.
• TB places a {{talkback}} notification on the user's talkpage, to let them know you've replied to them somewhere else. It defaults to your own user talkpage, but you can specify other pages if necessary.
• CSD marks the page for speedy deletion, as above (the choices are automatically limited to appropriate CSD tags for userpages).
• XFD lists the page at Miscellany for deletion.
• RPP requests page protection, as above.

Reverting tools

Twinkle provides several new options when you view the diff of an edit. These appear above the details of the edit and the edit summary.

• [restore this version] reverts to an older version of the page. Useful if you need to remove vandalism from multiple editors.
• [rollback (AGF)] reverts the most recent edit(s) by the page's last editor. Twinkle will mark this as the reversal of a good-faith edit, and allows an edit summary, it can therefore be used to deal with edits that are not vandalism, but which are otherwise unsuitable or inappropriate.
• [rollback] performs the same action and asks for an edit summary, but does not add the good-faith statement.
• [rollback (VANDAL)] reverts all of the last editor's revisions to the page, marks them as vandalism, and opens the editor's user talkpage to allow to you to place a warning.

Customising Twinkle

Because of the large number of tools involved, most users like to customise Twinkle to some degree. You can do this at Wikipedia:Twinkle/Preferences. The options are fairly self-explanatory; it's worth mentioning, however, that CSD logs (created by checking the box marked Keep a log in userspace of all CSD nominations) are a popular vetting tool at WP:Requests for adminship - if you plan on running for adminship in the future, it's a good idea to check this box to record your CSD contributions (and then make sure you tag pages very carefully and correctly!).