Wikibooks:Reading room/Archives/2023/July

Book creation
Hi I want to write my own book. I can't write it here ,so I am asking you guys,how can I write it without problems? Answer ASAP Symbol Mosieleng (discuss • contribs) 17:59, 3 July 2023 (UTC)


 * You want advice on how to write a book that has nothing to do with Wikibooks? I'm not sure that we can help here. —Justin ( koavf ) ❤T☮C☺M☯ 20:27, 3 July 2023 (UTC)

Nazi Leaders wikibook?
is this acceptable for historic reasons? Thank you. YuriSlavec (discuss • contribs) 00:34, 4 July 2023 (UTC)


 * i also have stubbed it due to criteria, thank you. YuriSlavec (discuss • contribs) 00:35, 4 July 2023 (UTC)
 * Probably fine unless it glorifies them. As a historical book it should be OK.--Xania [[Image:Flag_of_Estonia.svg|15px]] [[Image:Flag_of_Ukraine.svg|15px]] talk 01:29, 4 July 2023 (UTC)
 * Thank you very much!!! If glorifications occur, will be not allowed!!!! YuriSlavec (discuss • contribs) 01:32, 4 July 2023 (UTC)
 * Yes, anti-Semitism is not tolerated on Wikimedia. Take care while writing it. SHB2000 (discuss • contribs) 01:34, 4 July 2023 (UTC)
 * Will do! YuriSlavec (discuss • contribs) 01:35, 4 July 2023 (UTC)

Endless changes
Hi, Until yesterday, the preview followed below the source editing viewer. Today I find source editing and preview side by side in columns. =8~/ The narrow preview is unrealistically different from the view that a reader will see. Is this beneficial?

The Wikibooks home page has been rearranged since a few months back. Finding this Reading room page today required a text search. =8~/

Who has authority to make such changes? Are the changes made by paid Wikimedia staff? Are content editors consulted before the changes? If so, where?

Sorry to say, I wonder about endless complexification reducing the value of Wikimedia projects.

Regards,    ... PeterEasthope (discuss • contribs) 13:58, 1 July 2023 (UTC)


 * I don't have this issue. Are you using MonoBook? —Justin ( koavf ) ❤T☮C☺M☯ 14:37, 1 July 2023 (UTC)
 * I also haven't seen this issue—the preview is as usual, and the reading room link is easily accessible in the sidebar. I use the vector legacy skin. —Kittycataclysm (discuss • contribs) 02:24, 2 July 2023 (UTC)
 * A screenshot is at http://easthope.ca/WikibooksReadingRoomProjects.jpg. Haven't checked the skin setting for months; possibly more than a year. If there was a change, it wasn't by me. Will try to fix but this is an unwanted time-waster. Thank for replying, ... PeterEasthope (discuss • contribs) 16:21, 2 July 2023 (UTC)
 * The skin here was "Vector (2022)". Changing to "Vector legacy (2010) (default ..." gave the full edit window again. I don't understand how the two column view surfaced without my intervention. =8~/ Another setting inflicts a new feature automatically? In any case, new features shouldn't be imposed without user acceptance. =8~/


 * I don't recall a change of the interface, in years, having significant benefit. For me, most preferences are unnecessary; mostly I've left original defaults. Frivolous additions and changes waste resources and cause distraction. These concerns parallel the economic problem described by Guy Macon. When troublesome details and aspects are bad enough and a suitable alternative appears, people will begin to apply efforts elsewhere. =8~/


 * Nobody has answered my question about origin of the changes. Who instigates changes to the interface? Who implements? Will be very disappointed if I learn that people are paid to make detrimental changes. I admire the original intentions of Wikimedia but some aspects are going in the wrong direction. Regards, ... PeterEasthope (discuss • contribs) 17:50, 2 July 2023 (UTC)
 * , it's WMF staff members that do this - major changes (like the Vector updates you mentioned) are announced at Reading_room/General. The Vector updates were controversial, so the option to retain the 2010 version was provided. Leaderboard (discuss • contribs) 19:50, 2 July 2023 (UTC)
 * Can the discussion about the updates still be read? A link, please? I'm curious about the controversy. Thanks, ... PeterEasthope (discuss • contribs) 04:23, 4 July 2023 (UTC)
 * , the announcement is at Reading_room/Archives/2022/September.
 * Discussion about the redesign can be seen here (there are over 10 pages of archives) - mw:Talk:Reading/Web/Desktop_Improvements/Archive10 in particular may interest you. Leaderboard (discuss • contribs) 06:19, 4 July 2023 (UTC)

Thanks for the links. I hope changes are approved by the trustees. Not just pushed by paid staff sustaining employment. =8~/

Ten pages. Sigh. Many responses are only complaints against unfamiliar aspects. No point in adding to the racket and thank goodness the two column view is avoidable. Suffice to say, the Wikimedia environment has more than enough complexity; better to simplify than complexify. =8~) Regards, ... PeterEasthope (discuss • contribs) 14:26, 4 July 2023 (UTC)

Textbooks authorship
The authorship of any of the textbooks belongs to its creator, or is it a collective work (similar to Wikipedia)? — Виктор Пинчук (discuss • contribs) 15:52, 4 July 2023 (UTC)


 * It's a collective work. Leaderboard (discuss • contribs) 15:57, 4 July 2023 (UTC)

Yes, it's a collective work but you can find one or some writers with more contribution in each book. It's not comparable with Wikipedia articles. As I said precoiously Authorships policy is one of the biggest problems in all Wikibooks projects. --Doostdar (discuss • contribs) 21:08, 9 July 2023 (UTC)

How do I add TemplateData?
Some of the templates used on Wikibooks (Template:wp and Template:Wikipedia being the two I just ran into) have no TemplateData, which means the Visual Editor displays a really bad user interface. It also says that TemplateData can be added to the template to improve the user interface. How would I go about doing this? SupremeUmanu (discuss • contribs) 18:07, 20 July 2023 (UTC)


 * Have you seen mw:Help:TemplateData? —Justin ( koavf ) ❤T☮C☺M☯ 02:51, 21 July 2023 (UTC)

Template transclusion
Hi, How can a template from Wikipedia be inserted in a wikibook. A simple example which fails is. Thx, ... PeterEasthope (discuss • contribs) 16:11, 26 July 2023 (UTC)


 * There is no way at the moment. Wikifunctions is launching soon and that may fix this problem. Another solution is having an admin import it. A last-ditch solution is to copy and paste it from there (make sure to give attribution!), but that often fails because most templates rely on other modules and templates to work, so you need to copy all of them (which importing can do). —Justin ( koavf ) ❤T☮C☺M☯ 16:35, 26 July 2023 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the explanation. For my interests, heroic means aren't justified.


 * Another possibility might be consolidation of all projects into a single namespace. Parallel to worldwide longitude and latitude rather than coordinates peculiar to countries. Will watch for Wikifunctions. Thx, ... PeterEasthope (discuss • contribs) 16:52, 26 July 2023 (UTC)

Deploying the Phonos in-line audio player to your Wiki
!

Apologies if this message is not in your language, to your language.

This wiki will soon be able to use the inline audio player implemented by the Phonos extension. This is part of fulfilling a wishlist proposal of providing audio links that play on click.

With the inline audio player, you can add text-to-speech audio snippets to wiki pages by simply using a tag: The above tag will show the text next to a speaker icon, and clicking on it will play the audio instantly without taking you to another page. A common example where you can use this feature is in adding pronunciation to words as illustrated on the English Wiktionary below.

Could become:

The inline audio player will be available in your wiki in 2 weeks time; in the meantime, we would like you to read about the features and give us feedback or ask questions about it in this talk page.

Thank you! UOzurumba (WMF), on behalf of the Foundation's Language team

02:26, 27 July 2023 (UTC)

Is this an appropriate approach for a wikibook?
Would the wikibook described below be appropriate, as part of my project in Wikiversity that also anticipates a wikiedu.org project:


 * 1) Wikiversity: Developing a syllabus for COM 216, Digital Media & Information in Society, a for-credit course to be offered at SUNY Polytechnic Institute during the Fall 2023 semester.
 * 2) Wikiedu : Use Wikiversity syllabus to support participation by enrolled students in a wikiedu.org project that provides the background, training and support for students to revise and create Wikipedia pages.
 * 3) Wikibooks: Use Wikiversity syllabus to facilitate creating a Wikibook  class wiki book which will include "lectures" and student responses to the lectures as subpages to the book. The initial book will be the basic framework, and the completed book will include short pages developed by students (about one per week per student x 50 students...)?
 * Hello, have you read What is Wikibooks? please? According to my interpretation of our policies, I'm not sure that students papers, responses to the lectures, constitute an admissible pedagogic book. It would more belong to the Wikiversity's scope. JackPotte (discuss • contribs) 15:37, 15 July 2023 (UTC)

Two-column mode appearing randomly
Hello again, Until recently, preview was always above edit. Two-column mode seems to surface briefly and then disappear at random times. As mentioned a few weeks ago, I have the legacy vector skin. I don't recognize an explanation for two-column mode appearing. As software becomes more complex, behavior can be more difficult to understand. Illustrated by this sporadic two-column phenomenon.

I don't see a significant benefit of two-column mode to an editor. In some circumstances it may be tolerable. In others, detrimental. Why add unnecessary and bothersome features? The net effect is motivation of conscientious editors to seek other projects where efforts can be donated. Regards, ... PeterEasthope (discuss • contribs) 16:39, 26 July 2023 (UTC)