Wikibooks:Reading room/Archives/2016/December

Dealing with a self-aware vandal
User:2003:62:4E71:C6A1:85D2:46B2:B3B0:A305 has made a post on one of the name appendices at Writing Adolescent Fiction, which can be seen here. He says he's vandalized it, and wants to see how long it takes before his edit is reverted. I'd like to send him/her one of those "Please do not vandalize Wikibooks" messages, but I don't know where the templates therefor are located. Cilantrohead (discuss • contribs) 00:26, 11 December 2016 (UTC)


 * Poking around a bit and following trails of breadcrumbs, I'd say you want Category:User warning templates. --Pi zero (discuss • contribs) 00:39, 11 December 2016 (UTC)


 * Thanks! I've used the "Test" warning template. Cilantrohead (discuss • contribs)

Article creation wizard discussion
Hi all,

This proposal suggests WMF to fund the writing of an article creation wizard at Wikipedia, but with enough interest it may -- or may it not? -- be expanded to write an article creation wizards framework or library for use at non-Wikipedia wikis, such as here. If desired, please join the discussion before December 12. (I've sent this message to English wikis; I ask you to deliver it to non-English wikis, if you can. Even delivering it in English there may be better than nothing.)


 * What tools do we use here, now, to make article creation easier for newbies?
 * What requirements do we have for a potential implementation?
 * How would you like to inform the people of the article creation perks and difficulties on this wiki?
 * What else needs to be considered?

Thanks. --Gryllida 03:53, 6 December 2016 (UTC)


 * I've always suspected this problem &mdash; which I hope to tackle with assistants based on wikidialog &mdash; will be especially difficult on Wikibooks because we don't just create articles, we create books, and every book is different; it's as if Wikibooks is really thousands of different microprojects, banding together for a common administrative infrastructure but each with its own idiosyncrasies. (Making Wikibooks an idea place to explore the potential of wikidialog, of course.)  --Pi zero (discuss • contribs) 04:27, 6 December 2016 (UTC)

some chhanges to Template:Blocked
hey guys! i've edited the template and i made it look very awesome! MIKEL S. SARWONO 04:51, 20 December 2016 (UTC)


 * I have reverted the changes, at least for the moment. In my view, the short-and-sweet original phrasing ("You cannot edit indefinitely due to disruptive editing") is clearer than the extended version, and the fine print is better explained through the relevant policy pages such as Blocking policy (also note that the link to it ended up losing emphasis after the modifications). Perhaps the discussion here will result in a consensus in favour of adding more information to the template; in any case, it is probably better to discuss proposed changes to core administrative templates before applying them. --Duplode (discuss • contribs) 18:28, 21 December 2016 (UTC)


 * I have also reverted your second change to the template, which was done in the 12 minute interval between my first revert and the posting of my comment just above. The same reasons mentioned above apply. Even though the second attempt is better than the first one, I still don't see it as an improvement ("You cannot edit" is clearer than "You have been blocked" for someone who isn't familiar with the meaning of "block" in Wikibooks), and in any case it is better to discuss the changes here first. By the way, it is not clear why you have attempted to delete this thread just after my revert, specially given that I mentioned it in the summary to the edit in the template. --Duplode (discuss • contribs) 18:40, 21 December 2016 (UTC)
 * The question rings... Why is there a need for a change?. Atcovi (Talk - Contribs) 20:56, 21 December 2016 (UTC)
 * After looking at his centralauth and his pattern of editing I have indefinitely blocked this account. MIKEL S. SARWONO is an account that is part of this "movement" to alter block/warn templates and mediawiki texts relating to blocking. Users/IPs like MIKEL S. SARWONO have been blocked in the past for this type of editing. As a result, we have no other choice but to do the same for this user. Thanks and hope you understand the situation. --Atcovi (Talk - Contribs) 15:28, 22 December 2016 (UTC)

Unable to show gadgets or the editing toolbar
Hello, I am trying to get the editing toolbar to show up, however I am unable to see it or any gadgets. I have disabled all gadgets, and tried to disable all custom javascript and css that I can find. I have not been using this account for a few years :) -Arlen22 (talk) 14:33, 22 December 2016 (UTC)
 * Looks like AdBlock might have been the problem. Works now. -Arlen22 (talk) 14:37, 22 December 2016 (UTC)
 * A hearty welcome back to you. --Atcovi (Talk - Contribs) 15:28, 22 December 2016 (UTC)

New way to edit wikitext
Summary: There's a new opt-in Beta Feature of a wikitext mode for the visual editor. Please go try it out.

We in the Wikimedia Foundation's Editing department are responsible for making editing better for all our editors, new and experienced alike. We've been slowly improving the visual editor based on feedback, user tests, and feature requests. However, that doesn't work for all our user needs: whether you need to edit a wikitext talk page, create a template, or fix some broken reference syntax, sometimes you need to use wikitext, and many experienced editors prefer it.

Consequently, we've planned a "wikitext mode" for the visual editor for a long time. It provides as much of the visual editor's features as possible, for those times that you need or want wikitext. It has the same user interface as the visual editor, including the same toolbar across the top with the same buttons. It provides access to the citoid service for formatting citations, integrated search options for inserting images, and the ability to add new templates in a simple dialog. Like in the visual editor, if you paste in formatted text copied from another page, then formatting (such as bolding) will automatically be converted into wikitext.

All wikis now have access to this mode as a Beta Feature. When enabled, it replaces your existing wikitext editor everywhere. If you don't like it, you can reverse this at any time by turning off the Beta Feature in your preferences. We don't want to surprise anyone, so it's strictly an opt-in-only Beta Feature. It won't switch on automatically for anyone, even if you have previously checked the box to "".

The new wikitext edit mode is based on the visual editor, so it requires JavaScript (as does the current wikitext editor). It doesn't work with gadgets that have only been designed for the older one (and vice versa), so some users will miss gadgets they find important. We're happy to work with gadget authors to help them update their code to work with both editors. We're not planning to get rid of the current main wikitext editor on desktop in the foreseeable future. We're also not going to remove the existing ability to edit plain wikitext without JavaScript. Finally, though it should go without saying, if you prefer to continue using the current wikitext editor, then you may so do.

This is an early version, and we'd love to know what you think so we can make it better. Please leave feedback about the new mode on the feedback page. You may write comments in any language. Thank you.

James Forrester (Product Manager, Editing department, Wikimedia Foundation) --19:32, 14 December 2016 (UTC)