Help desk
< November 1	<< Oct \| November \| Dec >>	November 3 >

Welcome to the Wikipedia Help Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current Help Desk pages.

November 2

Userboxes

How do i Create my Own Userboxes? (I love entei 01:29, 2 November 2006 (UTC))[reply]

See WP:UBX. —Mitaphane _talk 01:37, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You can use the Userbox template. Just fill in the blanks:

{{subst:Userbox
  |id       = id text or image
  |id-c     = id background color
  |id-fc    = id font color
  |id-s     = id text size
  |info     = info text
  |info-c   = info background color
  |info-fc  = info font color
  |info-s   = info text size
  |border-c = box color
  |border-s = border width in pixels
}}

Because this results in a lot of coding text, you may want to store each userbox as a subdirectory of your user space. To do this, just make a new page - for example, User:I love entei/userbox1, which you can call on your User page by typing {{User:I love entei/userbox1}}. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by tiZom (talk • contribs) .

Be warned however that fair-use images are not allowed in userboxes.--S e adog 03:42, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

'Wikipedia'..?

How was the name 'Wikipedia' derived? Very interested in how it was formed. TeAo 01:42, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well, the type of site is called a wiki, and the pedia of course came from the Greek word for education ([1]). For more info on where the word wiki came from , see wiki. tiZom_(2¢) 01:48, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You may want to look at Wikipedia as well, as it gives some mention of how the name was derived. —K e akealani 02:35, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Should articles in a Category only appear in the relevant Subcategory (within that Category)?

For example, in Category:Characters_in_the_Disney_animated_features_canon there's a subcategory Category:Disney's The Little Mermaid characters.Sebastian (The Little Mermaid) is listed in both categories, but should that article only be listed in Category:Disney's The Little Mermaid characters, or are articles like that listed within a subcategory and the main category? I'm not interested in Disney characters, but this is just a general example. (I tried wikilinking those two categories here using [[ ]] but the text just disappeared).172.143.236.240 02:31, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Generally speaking, no, they shouldn't be in the parent category (see Wikipedia:Categorization and subcategories). Also, if you want to link to a category instead of putting the page into the category, put a colon before it, like this: [[:Category:Disney's...]]. I've edited your comment above so that the categories show up as links. Ziggurat 02:55, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ziggurat beat me to the punch - right on. Nihiltres 02:57, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Rebar

what is the functional of reinforcement bar?—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 58.26.15.120 (talk • contribs) .

See Rebar. By the way, for future knowledge questions, please use the Wikipedia:Reference desk. This help desk is for asking question about using Wikipedia. Thanks.--Fuhghettaboutit 03:05, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

reinforcement bar

what is the functional of reinforcement.please answer my qustion

Click on this link: Link to article about reinforcement bars Nihiltres 03:19, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

image

how do i upload an image?

On the left hand side of the the page is the "toolbox" which has a link called Upload file, have a read of the Wikipedia:Uploading images page for more info on the process. - Akamad 03:30, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

delete image

how do i delete an image that is copyrighted that i accidently uploaded?

Place {{db-author}} on the page.--Fuhghettaboutit 03:38, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Only administrators (or higher) can delete pages or images. So placing that template that User:Fuhghettaboutit mentioned, you are putting that page on notice for an admin to delete. - Akamad 03:44, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

so how will the admins know?

Once you put in the template, the image will become part of a category which is frequently checked by admins for speedy deletion. They will delete this whenever they check the category next time -- Lost^(talk) 03:49, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Maybe I found a quicker way: Upload the image again and enter "none" for Licensing. That results in the message "the image will be deleted". The image was deleted the next second, so there either was a very quick admin or it worked automatically this way. — Sebastian (talk) 03:36, 5 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Template help

Where would I go to get help with a complicated template? --MZMcBride 04:42, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Is it the {{Element2}} template? What exactly is the problem? tiZom_(2¢) 04:48, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I've been trying to combine all of the different templates used to make an element infobox into one template. On my userpage, the infobox on the right uses the new code, while the infobox on the left uses the old code. The code's been written down to selected isotopes, but for some reason, it keeps stopping after "Atomic radius (calc.)" and then moving on to the "Miscellaneous" and "References" headers without completing the rest of the information. --MZMcBride 04:52, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Wow, that is complicated :o) At first I thought it was a limit on the number of template parameters, but I did a little digging, and it just seems that you missed a few pipes. I added them for you. Hope that helps! tiZom_(2¢) 05:28, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you so much. It was driving me crazy. :-) --MZMcBride 05:30, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Information

how do i download information found in wikipedia onto a diskette

See Wikipedia:Readers' FAQ#Can I get Wikipedia on CD, or download it for offline use? -- Lost^(talk) 07:24, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia would fill tens of thousands of diskettes. Notinasnaid 08:57, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

symbol?

hi i was just browsing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Duchess_Olga_Nikolaevna_of_Russia and is says her date of birth is Nov 3rd (O.S) and Nov 15th (N.S) what do OS and NS mean? how can one person have 2 birthdays?? im so very confused please help

Please see Old Style and New Style dates -- Lost^(talk) 08:46, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Can I remove numbers from TOC?

I would like TOC in some article not to have numbers for each section/subsection. That would make such pages like this [2] look more neat. Can I do this? I have read Help:Section but didn't find an answer. Crocodealer 09:19, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think that's possible when using an automatically-generated table of contents. --ais523 09:45, 2 November 2006 (U T C)

You might be able to do it for yourself only by modifying your personal css at User:Crocodealer/monobook.css, but I have no idea how you'd get that to work. Nihiltres 14:02, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, Nihiltres' suggestion is possible:

.tocnumber {display:none}

but that will hide the numbers on all pages and only to your own view. --ais523 09:10, 6 November 2006 (U T C)

adding a link under "external links"

For the article on Net Neutrality, I added an academic paper that is posted on the Social Science Research Network called "A Consumer-Welfare Approach to Network Neutrality Regulation of the Internet." After saving the changes to this edit, I could see the change on the net neutrality page. However, when other people have attempted to find the edit on the page, it does not appear. Have I posted this incorrectly?

Jgsidak 15:26, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

External links are generally frowned upon, unless they are substantially relevant to the article and add to its encyclopedic nature. The link was probably removed by a recent changes patroller. If you think the link should be on the article, I would advise you to propose it to the article's talk page with a rationale on why it should be included. -- Lost^(talk) 16:06, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The paper is visible under the section Network Neutrality#Academic Papers -- Lost^(talk) 16:09, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for the help. Jgsidak 16:35, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Image tag for official press conference photo

I wish to upload the image of Peter Moore at Microsoft's E3 2006 press conference announcing GTAIV, taken from the official XBox website 1. Which image tag do I need to use for this? I have looked through the list and am unsure which category it falls under. Thanks. Yeanold Viskersenn 16:20, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'm guessing {{Promotional}}. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 16:35, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Virtual imaging

Hi i produce virtual tours for internet use is it possable to upload virtual tours to your site we produce them in two main file formats which are quicktime and ipix

if it can be done on this site how do i go about doing it apart from using an external link User:Aperturelive

You may be interested in something like this -- Lost^(talk) 17:56, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Help requested with article

I would be glad if someone else could take a look at imposition. I deleted almost all of a new addition because I personally felt it was purely promotional, retaining a little of it. Now an anon user (possibly the same person but only an administrator could know) has removed much of the rest of the article, saying it is promotional too (because it uses screen shots from other software). I am uncomfortable with this but I would prefer more experienced editors to call the shots, contact users if required, etc. Notinasnaid 17:31, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I tried looking but have no knowledge about the subject. I'd suggest asking editors who contributed to the article in the past. Or else pose the question at a wikiproject where the article may potentially belong. -- Lost^(talk) 17:54, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Unfortunately this is a bit of an orphaned area, with few interested editors it seems, and no project I have found. The key thing in the second removal is the copyright tags on the screen shots, I think. I don't think detailed knowledge of the subject is needed; I don't think anything is factually inaccurate. It is about fairness (per edit summary), reasonable promotion, and so forth. I find myself unable to fully participate. Notinasnaid 18:25, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Adding Image

I am new here trying to help a friend update his bio Wikipedia has on him. It says his page needs cleaned up and he wanted me to add a picture of him to it. I posted the picture of him but it is still not showing up. Does it need to be reviewed first before approval? He is a Pro-wrestler that likes this site and just wants his information correct.

There are three steps needed while adding a picture:

Upload the picture using the link at the right hand bar.
Tag it appropriately using Wikipedia:Image copyright tags. Without this, the image will likely be deleted.
Link it to an article. See Wikipedia:Image tutorial for this.

Which article are you trying to add the image to? Have you uploaded it already? -- Lost^(talk) 17:50, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Compare gallons to ...

I am trying to compare gallons used, hours of ovetime, sand used, etc to everyday working or living experience. Examole: 170,000.0 gallons of diesel pumped would fill what? 5 swimming pools, Rockefeller Center, etc? Billievacca 17:55, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Have you tried Wikipedia's Reference Desk? They specialize in knowledge questions, and will try to answer any question in the universe (except how to use Wikipedia, since that's what this Help Desk is for). Just follow the link, select the relevant section, and ask away. I hope this helps. -- Lost^(talk) 18:01, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I want to nomainate my picture for a peer review but dont know how?

I want to nominate this picture

File:Titanic-grand-staircase.jpg

for a peer review to become a featured pic, but I don't know how. Please help!

How exactly did you create this image? Is it a screenshot from the movie? Then it is wrongly tagged. It would classify as a copyrighted image (most likely by the producer of Titanic movie. In general, to nominate pictures for featured pic, please see WP:FPC -- Lost^(talk) 18:11, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If your picture is acceptable as Lost stated above, you can submit for a "peer review" before nominating it. For a peer review look to this page Wikipedia:Picture peer review.¤~Persian Poet Gal ^(talk) 18:16, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If I was peer reviewing it, I'd want to know what it was (movie still, game screenshot, restored original photo, original computer graphic inspired by...). Please add a description. Notinasnaid 18:23, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It is a picture that I took myself, it was from an exhibition, does it have featured pic status? Can somebody put it forth for nomination, I've tried before but kept doing something wrong

If it's a picture of something, can you describe that? For instance, is it a photo of a picture, a photo of a model? What exhibition? Whose creative work? The key thing here is that you may have inherited some of the copyright of an original. Also, in terms of an encyclopedia: what does it illustrate? What is it telling us? A picture doesn't become featured just because it is nice to look at or well composed. Notinasnaid 19:59, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

- It is a picture of a model of the Grand Staircase of the Titanic taken at the Smithsonian exhibition. I'm not sure whose creative work the model is but I assume it is the property of the Smithsonian institute. I don't believe I've inherited some of the copyright, but I may be wrong. The picture illustrates the beauty of the Titanic and how tragic a loss it was when it was subjugated by the Atlantic waters. It is symbolic of beauty and the irony that was the Titanic, beautiful, but flawed, beauty, turned into a wreckage. It represents the tragedy of the destruction of the Titanic, I think anyway.

Ok, that's much better. You're probably ready to put it forward. Don't be too disappointed if it doesn't get anywhere: treat it as a learninge experience. Anyway, on Wikipedia:Picture peer review you'll see instructions. Read them all. When it mentions a template, it means the stuff in the box, under "do not change...". Copy and paste this, fill it in and add it as a new subpage, as described. Notinasnaid 15:04, 3 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Changing logo Image for an entry

Hi, I have read in the FAQ and other posts about how to upload images and include them within articles. I am interested in finding out how to replace the file/image that is being used as the logo for an article (Actors Theatre of Louisville). Someone uploaded our image, but it appears distorted and we'd like to replace it with a version at the proper size specifications so it does not appear distorted. How do I do this? Thanks, catmellen Actors Theatre of Louisville

Please see my reply just three questions above yours and follow the instructions. Let us know if you face a problem -- Lost^(talk) 18:13, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Figured it out--thanks. catmellen

New page

how do you make a new page on wikipedia?

See: Help:Starting a new page. You might also look at Wikipedia:Your first article and Wikipedia:How to write a great article. -- Lost^(talk) 18:39, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Template for articles used in the media

I remember seeing a message at the top of an article page saying something like "This Wikipedia article was used as a reference source for a news article appearing in <publication> on <date>". However, when I looked through the list of templates, I couldn't find it. Any ideas? 194.81.80.52 20:39, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I think it's {{source}}

Anchoress 20:41, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Edited the above so that this page doesn't get added to the respective category. Please also note that {{source}} is deprecated, but there are links to the appropriate templates to use. Details of their use are described on their respective discussion pages. Cheers!--Kchase T 21:00, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The reason I put the actual template in is because it contains a link to the page on Wikipedia in the media. Anchoress 21:07, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

YROTSIH

The page I had deleted has no history. When i veiw the hist for such page it says that it doesent exist.How can I veiw it so as to retrieve some of my important information? IP address

Go to the deletion log; type the exact name of the article into the search field marked "Title." You should then see the entry for the deletion showing which administrator deleted the article. Now click on his or her name and then hit discussion at the top of that page in order to access that user's talk page. Ask there for a copy of the text of the deleted page, referencing the URL of the deletion log entry.--Fuhghettaboutit 22:11, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Why do some pages redirect to pages that don't explain the original query?

I don't know how many times I've run into this, but several times I've entered a query and the page redirects to a related topic, but the related topic doesn't actually explain what the original query is. For instance, if you look up 'www2', it redirects to 'World Wide Web'. I know what the world wide web is, but I was searching for the reason for the naming scheme that some url's have that includes a 2 or a 3 after www in the address. The article World Wide Web doesn't explain anything about www2 or www3. So why should www2 redirect there?

207.189.149.2 22:06, 2 November 2006 (UTC)Mechanismatic[reply]

Help for an Autistic person?

I am Maj. Jesse Carnes, and I am at Louisiana State University. I went to a Wikipedia article. Please SEE Wikipedia URL:

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsarevich_Alexei_Nikolaevich_of_Russia

I saw a blatant equivocation in the following section on that page:

(Text follows)

He was two weeks shy of his fourteenth birthday when he was executed on 17 July 1918 in the cellar room of the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg. The execution was carried out by forces of the Bolshevik secret police under Yakov Yurovsky. Alexei witnessed the deaths of his father, mother, and two servants before the assassins turned on him. Rumors of Alexei's survival began to circulate when the bodies of his family and the royal servants were located. Alexei's was missing, along with that of one his sisters (generally thought to be Maria or Anastasia).

(End of Text)

SO WHAT IS MY PROBLEM? I wanted to edit this section, but I looked at your editing instructions, and I am flumoxed and I find the instructions quite nebulous. Visually, the "instructions" are confusing to me. So, WHY is it problematic for me?

I am autistic ... I have Asperger Syndrome. Your currently " in situ" instructions/programme for explaining editing procedures is OK for most people, but people like me need very NON-technical instructions, with assumed cyber-jargon explained. By the way some of your "instructions" read, one would almost have to have a graduate degree in computer science in order to wade through the morass of mezmorizing cyber-vernacular.

I'm sorry you're finding the interface difficult. If you haven't tried it, the Wikipedia:Tutorial provides a step-by-step guide to editing (among other instructions). You might also find this annotated example article instructional. Hope this helps.--Fuhghettaboutit 22:17, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You can also seek help in editing a particular article by adding a comment to the talk page of the article, just as you added a comment here. (The talk page of an article is reached by clicking the "tab" marked "discussion" at the top). By the way, where is the equivocation? Which word is being used in two different ways to create a logical fallacy? Notinasnaid 09:23, 3 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

By the way, to reply to these replies, click the word "Edit" next to the heading for this section (that is, "Help for an Autistic person?"). You will see a box with text in. Go to the very end, and start typing. When you have finished typing add this magic: ~~~~, which will sign your reply automatically. Notinasnaid 09:25, 3 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Image linking

When I click on images I have loaded by default it goes to the image page. Can I link it to media I have uploaded or link it to another web site? Thanks—The preceding unsigned comment was added by Mr G2 (talk • contribs) .

No, that is not possible. -- zzuuzz ^(talk) 22:53, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Coloured signatures on Wiki

Rather unimportant question, but anyway, I'd like to have a coloured signature here on Wiki :D How do I do that? I tried using HTML but it didn't work for some reason...I followed this also. Help? --Telescope 22:51, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If you follow the steps precisely it should work. Ensure you have selected 'raw signatures' in your preferences. -- zzuuzz ^(talk) 23:17, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Hmm. If I tick "raw signature" it says "Invalid raw signature; check HTML tags." and if I don't, it looks like this. --Stacey 23:45, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

[[User:Telescope|<font color="cornflowerblue">Stacey</font>]]. Try this. You had forgotten the inverted commas. And tick the raw signature tab. -- Lost^(talk) 08:37, 3 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Works! Thank you :D --Stacey 18:37, 3 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I am a newbie Help me out? From Darwin Dr. Darwinc 23:12, 2 November 2006 (UTC)

I am trying my best to put my link and one of the editors at "Sex doll" article stated this "blowmeupsexdolls.com - I removed this link from the article because to me it appears to be an advertisement. Promotional or commercial material doesn't belong on Wikipedia. Robotman1974 01:29, 1 November

"Hi Dr. Darwinc. My opinion hasn't changed, but if a consensus among Wikipedia editors is reached I'll abide by that decision. Can you please post a link on this page to the discussion on the general forum you mentioned? Robotman1974 23:14, 1 November 2006 (UTC) Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Sex_doll"

You will be able to see at least more that 5 angle views of each doll that are blown up. My site is not a place to purchase these dolls but we do accept affiliates and that is how we get revenue. Wikipedia would be losing out on this if you guys decide otherwise. I can provide Wikipedia with a doll's image if you allow me too.

Help me out here. Dr. Darwinc 23:12, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Hello Dr. Darwinc, please propose the link at the article's talk page. You will find people who show more interest in the subject there. -- Lost^(talk) 02:33, 3 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Potential Vandalism on Nick Nolte, advice on next step please.

I'm currently watching all edits made from this IP: 194.63.116.72 (See their talk for why I'm watching it.)

The most recent update was on Nick Nolte and I would like advice on the next best step for me to take. I'd like to assume good faith, but as there has been numerous occasions of vandalism from this IP I'm not sure if this is just the act of a newbie or something more malicious.

I couldn't find anything in a half hour search of Google to verify the quote added, so should I just remove it or just tidy up the edit?

I'm still fairly new to wikipedia and would be grateful of some guidance here.

Knowing wikipedia, I'm sure someone else will come along and fix it before I get a chance to look at it again but I'd still like to know :)

Cheers,

Phydaux 23:16, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Hi Phydaux! The edit certainly doesn't scream vandalism but it is unsourced. Generally, where unsourced (and questionable) material is added, the burden is on the person making the edit to verify the material and any edit lacking such a source may be removed. See Wikipedia:Verifiability#Burden of evidence. Moreover, where the person is living, as Nick Nolte is, any material that could possibly be considered defamatory should be immediately removed, with prejudice. See Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons. So you should remove the material and have no qualms about doing so.--Fuhghettaboutit 23:33, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for your quick, helpful guidance. Phydaux 23:47, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You're welcome.--Fuhghettaboutit 23:51, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]