Wikibooks:Reading room/Archives/2021/January

Quickbooks Online Book?
Can I create a book on how to use Quickbooks Online-a cloud-based accounting software? Would this topic be alllowed? Thank you. Starlord1990 (discuss • contribs) 12:39, 24 December 2020 (UTC)
 * I think it's fine. Leaderboard (discuss • contribs) 08:51, 2 January 2021 (UTC)
 * You will need to be cautious to avoid copyright material. For example, you won't be able to use screenshots of the software. QuiteUnusual (discuss • contribs) 13:48, 5 January 2021 (UTC)

Centering in a cell in a table
Hi, tables can be used to create an illustration as in this section. Observe that in the middle row, first column, "Oberon MediaWiki.Markup command ... downarrow" is left justified in the cell. In my trial, "text-align: center" failed to center the content in the cell. Is this a limitation of MediaWiki translation of markup to HTML? Can anyone suggest how to center in this instance? Thanks ... PeterEasthope (discuss • contribs) 17:57, 16 January 2021 (UTC)
 * I've tried something; not sure if it's the effect you wanted. --Pi zero (discuss • contribs) 18:50, 16 January 2021 (UTC)
 * Good! I should have thought of "align" rather than "text-align". Thanks! ... PeterEasthope (discuss • contribs) 19:06, 16 January 2021 (UTC)

Hide title on main page
Hi! I’m working at Norwegian WB trying to revive the project. I have used a copy of your layout with some adjustments on the main page. Is the extention that enables the magic word NOTITLE enabled by default? I haven’t been able to make it go away. What can I do to hide the page title? — Abuluntu  (talk) 10:42, 22 January 2021 (UTC)


 * I think this is done through CSS. At MediaWiki:Common.css it has the following: . I think this switches off the title. You need to do the equivalent for yours. -- Jules  (Mrjulesd) 17:49, 22 January 2021 (UTC)
 * Great! Thanks! I haven’t been granted permissions yet by meta, but when they do I’ll try it. — Abuluntu  (talk) 07:05, 23 January 2021 (UTC)

Renaming Book Pages
How do I rename a Book Page? When I change the name of the Book Page, it seems that the link to the old page is broken and I have copy the old content to the new page that was created as a result of renaming. TIA!

--Rjbfigueroa (discuss • contribs)


 * Can you give an example of a page you wanted to move, and where you wanted to move it to, so we can see what happened? Fwiw, here's how to move a page, if you're using Vector skin (in the desktop interface, rather than the mobile one): View the page you want to move (not its talk page). There should be a control bar at the top of the browser, and way over on the far right of it there should be a dropdown menu.  The only option on that menu should be either "rename" or "move"; use that.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Pi zero (talk • contribs) 17:26, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

I would guess the OP is changing the name of the page in the link expecting it to change the actual name of the linked page. The result is a red link (of course). Moving the page, as described above, is the way to resolve it. QuiteUnusual (discuss • contribs) 18:01, 29 January 2021 (UTC)

'Reading Room' is not a good label for this area. 'Forum' is better
I realize that the label 'Reading room' plays on the metaphor of library and books, but it does not accurately describe this part of the Wiki.

I would label this area as a 'Forum' -- a public place for discussion and (in some cases) deliberation.

This is just my opinion and suggestion and I leave it to others on what to do with it.

(I was going to put this comment in the 'Discussion' tab for 'Reading Room' but I do not have edit privileges for that page.)

--Russell Cameron Thomas (discuss • contribs) 20:30, 20 January 2021 (UTC)


 * Here are names for a common discussion area on different wikimedia sisters. Some projects have a single name for all the central stuff, while others may slpit off a few or many functions into pages named differently; it's a tough call which other names are worth noting.
 * {| class="wikitable"

! sister ! discussion ! other stuff
 * Wikibooks
 * Reading room (12) previously: Staff lounge
 * Wikimedia Commons
 * Village pump (3)
 * Help desk ; Administrators' noticeboard (4) ; Community portal (+1)
 * Wikidata
 * Project chat
 * Wikinews
 * Water cooler (5)
 * AAA (Admin Action Alerts)
 * Wikipedia
 * Village pump (6)
 * Help desk, Reference desk, Questions, etc.
 * Wikiquote
 * Village pump
 * Reference desk (+1)
 * Wikisource
 * Scriptorium
 * Wiktionary
 * Beer parlour
 * Tea room, Grease pit ; Information desk, Etymology scriptorium
 * Wikiversity
 * Colloquium
 * Wikivoyage
 * Travellers' pub
 * Tourist office
 * }
 * My own opinion of some of these: "Beer parlour" is a tad too eccentric; "Colloquium" is a bit academically snobbish (and I say this as someone with a PhD); "Village pump" is, meh; "Water cooler" has the merit of distinguishing itself from "Village pump" but, otherwise, meh; and "Scriptorium" is pretty cool. For whatever perspective any of this offers on what name would work best here.  I'm not, btw, personally filled with boundless enthusiasm for "forum". Brand recognition (i.e., sticking with a name that's been in use for a long time) has some advantage, though it oughtn't prevent all change. --Pi zero (discuss • contribs) 23:54, 20 January 2021 (UTC) [Later added Wikivoyage, as suggested below. --Pi zero (discuss • contribs) 14:12, 21 January 2021 (UTC)]
 * Would like to add the Wikivoyage term "Travellers' pub", since it invokes the feeling of an informal gathering. Perhaps "Book club" or "Reader's circle" or something similar would be appropriate? I also agree that Scriptorium would be cool. --Mbrickn (discuss • contribs) 10:01, 21 January 2021 (UTC)
 * "Forum" seems to be too generic, I'd prefer a name that suits our project well - which is why I would agree to "Scriptorium". The term fits our project and is also easier to reference the "Scriptorium" than the "Reading Room" (shorter word, basically). —Atcovi (Talk - Contribs) 14:04, 21 January 2021 (UTC)
 * I've added Wikivoyage (oops); indeed, "Travellers' pub" is pretty good. I suppose Wikivoyage's "Destinations" page is somewhat analogous to our Wikibooks Stacks. One of the difficulties with "Reading room" might be that some libraries use the term "reading room" to describe a somewhat different facility than others do.  Imho Scriptorium doesn't fit, because properly a scriptorium is a room where scribes go to write &mdash; kind of the opposite problem from "Reading room" which, in many libraries, is a place readers go to read. At opportunity, perhaps we should hunt down the discussion that accompanied changing "Staff lounge" to "Reading room". --Pi zero (discuss • contribs) 14:12, 21 January 2021 (UTC)
 * There's "Common room"; possible drawbacks that come to mind are maybe-somewhat-imperfect fit to the function, and vague similarity to the name of a different sister (Commons). Still, having thought of it I'm finding it hard to dismiss as it has a certain something. --Pi zero (discuss • contribs) 14:21, 21 January 2021 (UTC)
 * Break Out Area; Coffee Room (my local library calls it "Book Rest Café"); Creche?!; Editors' Meet... Maybe we should run a "competition?" QuiteUnusual (discuss • contribs) 14:59, 21 January 2021 (UTC)
 * You're looking for this. Leaderboard (discuss • contribs) 19:09, 21 January 2021 (UTC)
 * Oh! Thanks, Leaderboard.  Skimming, the one point I see that doesn't seem to have been much remarked this time around is that the name "Reading room" helps to keep everyone's minds focused clearly on books. --Pi zero (discuss • contribs) 19:35, 21 January 2021 (UTC)
 * Tourist office
 * }
 * My own opinion of some of these: "Beer parlour" is a tad too eccentric; "Colloquium" is a bit academically snobbish (and I say this as someone with a PhD); "Village pump" is, meh; "Water cooler" has the merit of distinguishing itself from "Village pump" but, otherwise, meh; and "Scriptorium" is pretty cool. For whatever perspective any of this offers on what name would work best here.  I'm not, btw, personally filled with boundless enthusiasm for "forum". Brand recognition (i.e., sticking with a name that's been in use for a long time) has some advantage, though it oughtn't prevent all change. --Pi zero (discuss • contribs) 23:54, 20 January 2021 (UTC) [Later added Wikivoyage, as suggested below. --Pi zero (discuss • contribs) 14:12, 21 January 2021 (UTC)]
 * Would like to add the Wikivoyage term "Travellers' pub", since it invokes the feeling of an informal gathering. Perhaps "Book club" or "Reader's circle" or something similar would be appropriate? I also agree that Scriptorium would be cool. --Mbrickn (discuss • contribs) 10:01, 21 January 2021 (UTC)
 * "Forum" seems to be too generic, I'd prefer a name that suits our project well - which is why I would agree to "Scriptorium". The term fits our project and is also easier to reference the "Scriptorium" than the "Reading Room" (shorter word, basically). —Atcovi (Talk - Contribs) 14:04, 21 January 2021 (UTC)
 * I've added Wikivoyage (oops); indeed, "Travellers' pub" is pretty good. I suppose Wikivoyage's "Destinations" page is somewhat analogous to our Wikibooks Stacks. One of the difficulties with "Reading room" might be that some libraries use the term "reading room" to describe a somewhat different facility than others do.  Imho Scriptorium doesn't fit, because properly a scriptorium is a room where scribes go to write &mdash; kind of the opposite problem from "Reading room" which, in many libraries, is a place readers go to read. At opportunity, perhaps we should hunt down the discussion that accompanied changing "Staff lounge" to "Reading room". --Pi zero (discuss • contribs) 14:12, 21 January 2021 (UTC)
 * There's "Common room"; possible drawbacks that come to mind are maybe-somewhat-imperfect fit to the function, and vague similarity to the name of a different sister (Commons). Still, having thought of it I'm finding it hard to dismiss as it has a certain something. --Pi zero (discuss • contribs) 14:21, 21 January 2021 (UTC)
 * Break Out Area; Coffee Room (my local library calls it "Book Rest Café"); Creche?!; Editors' Meet... Maybe we should run a "competition?" QuiteUnusual (discuss • contribs) 14:59, 21 January 2021 (UTC)
 * You're looking for this. Leaderboard (discuss • contribs) 19:09, 21 January 2021 (UTC)
 * Oh! Thanks, Leaderboard.  Skimming, the one point I see that doesn't seem to have been much remarked this time around is that the name "Reading room" helps to keep everyone's minds focused clearly on books. --Pi zero (discuss • contribs) 19:35, 21 January 2021 (UTC)

Moving Wikimania 2021 to a Virtual Event


''. Apologies if you are not reading this message in your native language. . ''

Wikimania will be a virtual event this year, and hosted by a wide group of community members. Whenever the next in-person large gathering is possible again, the ESEAP Core Organizing Team will be in charge of it. Stay tuned for more information about how you can get involved in the planning process and other aspects of the event. Please read the longer version of this announcement on wikimedia-l.

ESEAP Core Organizing Team, Wikimania Steering Committee, Wikimedia Foundation Events Team, 15:15, 27 January 2021 (UTC)

Project Grant Open Call
This is the announcement for the Project Grants program open call that started on January 11, with the submission deadline of February 10, 2021. This first open call will be focussed on Community Organizing proposals. A second open call focused on research and software proposals is scheduled from February 15 with a submission deadline of March 16, 2021.

For the Round 1 open call, we invite you to propose grant applications that fall under community development and organizing (offline and online) categories. Project Grant funds are available to support individuals, groups, and organizations to implement new experiments and proven ideas, from organizing a better process on your wiki, coordinating a campaign or editathon series to providing other support for community building. We offer the following resources to help you plan your project and complete a grant proposal:


 * Weekly proposals clinics via Zoom during the Open Call. Join us for #Upcoming_Proposal_Clinics|real-time discussions with Program Officers and select thematic experts and get live feedback about your Project Grants proposal. We’ll answer questions and help you make your proposal better. We also offer these support pages to help you build your proposal:
 * Video tutorials for writing a strong application
 * General planning page for Project Grants
 * Program guidelines and criteria

Program officers are also available to offer individualized proposal support upon request. Contact us if you would like feedback or more information.

We are excited to see your grant ideas that will support our community and make an impact on the future of Wikimedia projects. Put your idea into motion, and submit your proposal by February 10, 2021!

Please feel free to get in touch with questions about getting started with your grant application, or about serving on the Project Grants Committee. Contact us at projectgrantswikimedia.org. Please help us translate this message to your local language. MediaWiki message delivery (discuss • contribs) 08:00, 28 January 2021 (UTC)