Wikibooks:Requests for permissions/ArchiverBot

(+Bot)
Hi, I would like to operate this bot for automatic archiving of discussion pages. The bot will need to be flagged, otherwise it will have to poke people unnecesarily. User:MiszaBot, the original bot for the task, appears to have been dysfunctional globally since late March. I am willing to take over the task if there is interest in the community. I have been doing the same for Meta since April. The function had been used on pages like Reading room/Projects.

I see that the Reading Room pages and some others use "keys" in their configurations - these will have to be updated and I'm willing to do that once approved. Whym (discuss • contribs) 14:11, 13 June 2014 (UTC)


 * [[Image:Symbol question.svg|15px]] Question:  I understand ArchiverBot uses the Pywikibot framework just like MiszaBot did. What do you mean by "keys" will need to be updated? I think for transparency sakes, the community should know what to expect before approving the bot. --dark lama  15:13, 13 June 2014 (UTC)
 * Darklama, a correct "key" value written in the template will permit the bot to archive when the archive is not a subpage of the discussion page. [//git.wikimedia.org/blob/pywikibot%2Fcore.git/ba530041c847232e39ae8dc457ac67f329bb1c6e/scripts%2Farchivebot.py#L52] It is a hash value calculated from the current page name and a "salt" value specified by the operator; I don't know what was the salt value used by MiszaBot, and will need to use a new value. Alternatively, I could enforce the bot to perform archiving no matter where the archive page is, though. Whym (discuss • contribs) 22:56, 13 June 2014 (UTC)


 * 1) [[Image:Symbol support vote.svg|15px]] Support Since MiszaBot stopped working and this bot can take its place. I also support dropping the bot flag for MiszaBot since it doesn't need it any more. Whym should update keys to allow archives to continue to be placed in their current location after ArchiverBot has received the bot flag. --dark lama  11:42, 14 June 2014 (UTC)
 * 2) [[Image:Symbol support vote.svg|15px]] Support --Pi zero (discuss • contribs) 13:33, 14 June 2014 (UTC)
 * 3) Sure --ЗAНИA [[Image:Flag_of_the_Isle_of_Mann.svg|15px]]talk 14:16, 14 June 2014 (UTC)
 * 4) Would appreciate a more detailed discussion regarding the continual archiving automation process (what pages are included, since it never took place) before granting it the flag. I have standing objections to several Discussion Rooms talk pages being archived without validated conclusions. Not that I have a problem with Whym running a bot for this, it is just a good place to prompt the addressing of the issue before resuming the silent obfuscation.  --Panic (discuss • contribs) 05:34, 15 June 2014 (UTC)
 * Hi Panic, I think the issue you raised is addressed page-by-page. I'd suggest anyone is free to change the settings anytime (with a good reason, of course). Here is the full list of the pages from Special:WhatLinksHere/User:MiszaBot/config (user talk pages excluded):
 * Talk:Wikijunior
 * Talk:Main Page
 * Cookbook talk:Table of Contents
 * Reading room/General
 * Reading room/Projects
 * Reading room/Technical Assistance
 * Reading room/Administrative Assistance
 * Requests for import
 * Reading room/Assistance
 * Reading room/Proposals
 * Requests for renaming
 * For example, you can edit Reading room/General and change "minthreadsleft = 1" to "minthreadsleft = 4", the bot will keep at least 4 newest threads even if they are 3 months old or older. When there is disagreement, a common practice is to use a more conservative setting, and wait and see how the log grows, I'd say. Whym (discuss • contribs) 13:51, 17 June 2014 (UTC)
 * Thanks, can you please copy and extend some of what you wrote above and add it to the bot's page with other pertinent links for the community. I also think that the pages would benefit from a simple visual indication that they are automatically archived. But my main concern is the present configuration, in this case since you will be responsible for the task I would ask you if you are happy with the setting, what would you like to change and are there other pages you see that would benefit from the bot's action ?
 * My opposition concerns any forum where a thread is initiated and requires a conclusion and someone to be responsible for the closing of the issue. From Proposal to any of the Assistance pages I don't think that those should be automated, in fact closing those topics are part of the administrative tasks of the project and most of the time we suffer by the silent automatic achievement that has been occurring. --Panic (discuss • contribs) 22:27, 17 June 2014 (UTC)
 * There has also been no prior consensus or detailed discussion requiring that a conclusion be made/reached, issues be closed, and someone is to be responsible for that for reading room discussions. However people have discussed and as a result extended the length of time required before an inactive discussion is archived. From 7 days to 21 days, and most recently 50 days for the reading rooms. I think the proposals reading room is a better place to debate archiving of the reading rooms. I think RFP is the wrong place to debate what pages should or shouldn't be archived by bots and what settings to use for individual pages. This bot can also be used to archive people's user talk pages as they see fit, and that in itself is sufficient need for the bot flag. --dark lama  13:37, 18 June 2014 (UTC)
 * I can object to running a bot that performs a task I disagree with making this is the proper place to express what I object and see it addressed.
 * I don't know what people participated or how they reached that time extension for the reading rooms (I would have participated if aware). This type of issue should be stated with the one that is to run the archival bot (the one responsible for the task) and so this is a good place to centralize the information about the subject for the rest of the community. --Panic (discuss • contribs) 17:44, 18 June 2014 (UTC)
 * I can also object to objections that I disagree with. I can also suggest alternatives or solutions. I understand the objection to be only relevant to specific pages or specific archive settings of specific pages, rather then as an objection to the bot archiving pages in general. I disagree with your objections, because they are page-specific objections which are not relevant to the bot archiving pages in general. I think page-specific objections to archiving should be discussed where most people that would be effected by any changes in archiving would reasonable expect such a discussion to take place, which for the reading rooms would be the proposals reading room. I object to whether the bot gets the flag or not depending on page-specific objections being addressed first, as it isn't relevant to the bot archiving other pages, and getting the flag to avoid flooding recent changes while it archives other pages. --dark lama  18:33, 18 June 2014 (UTC)
 * No one said you can't disagree with my objections, in fact you are the one pointing that this is not the place to state my objection not the other way around. In any case I fail to see you suggesting any alternatives or solutions besides a reference to some talk (that I, and probably more aren't aware regarding a extension of time for archival, that to me is born from the deeper problem I'm again pointing at) and so in regards to the relevancy you fail to notice that it affects 50% of the pages that would be silently and automatically archived. Your objection to my objections are noticed but I fail to see you addressing them beyond attempting to dismiss them in this discussion...
 * My opposition stands while safeguards or an rational explanation is not provided in regards to why for instance the RfD is excluded from automatic archival but not the Requests for renaming (not to mention graver problems like the silent archival of discussion in the areas of Proposals and administrative action that results in inconclusive outcomes and fosters inaction by the administrative body).  --Panic (discuss • contribs) 19:36, 18 June 2014 (UTC)
 * Each page is configured for auto-archive behavior separately. If you think Requests for renaming shouldn't be automatically archived, that's a topic for discussion &mdash; quite separate from whether it should be impossible for any page on the project to be automatically archived.  --Pi zero (discuss • contribs) 04:34, 19 June 2014 (UTC)
 * I think that Panic is making a very good point. Is there any way that a concluded conversation can be highlighted as having concluded so the bot knows which bits can be archived and which can't?  A simple tick template could be added when a discussion is finished and then only those discussions could be archived?  A few months ago I changed the settings for most of the Reading rooms - the original setting was to archive after 30 days but I increased it to 50 or 60 days.--ЗAНИA [[Image:Flag_of_the_Isle_of_Mann.svg|15px]]talk 21:06, 19 June 2014 (UTC)
 * Fwiw, I recall a time or two seeing a thread blocked from archiving by embedding a future timestamp in it. This tended to happen by accident, but was occasionally deliberate.  Either way, it could be difficult to undo because one had to find the trick timestamp.  And when used deliberately it sometimes got folks rather annoyed.  Of course whether it would even work depends on the algorithm used by the bot.  --Pi zero (discuss • contribs) 02:21, 20 June 2014 (UTC)
 * @ЗAНИA, Panic: Pi zero is correct. Please see mw:Manual:Pywikibot/archivebot.py/setup, which I have linked on the bot's user page, for ways to block the bot from archiving particular sections. You might also want to ask Euku to run c:User:SpBot. It specifically archives sections marked by human as resolved. Whym (discuss • contribs) 04:20, 22 June 2014 (UTC)
 * Yes, in regards to the time stamp "feature", but that does not address my initial concerns that automation will act (resume acting) silently in pages that really do not require or benefit from automatic archival. In any case I don't see it able to work as Xania indicated (it is an exclusion/delay from automation) not as to "specifically archives sections marked by human as resolved" (for example like the RfDs).
 * I have no issue in regards to the bot working under you or its general functioning (that was not the intention here, this is an objection to resuming the silent archival of some pages), in fact I would change my vote to support if you accept to exclude some of the problem pages from the bot's function until we reach a detailed consensus regarding what purpose the automatic archival of those pages serves (mostly those that require communal/administrative agreed/formal resolution or conclusions). --Panic (discuss • contribs) 21:45, 22 June 2014 (UTC)
 * Panic, would you want to edit and remove the template from whatever page as you see necessity? I agree in that on certain pages sections are indefinitely waiting for resolutions.  However, because I don't regularly participate in discussions on English Wikibooks, I cannot confidently identify which pages should be treated as such.  An operator has no special power over it - it's decided on-wiki by the community. Whym (discuss • contribs) 14:08, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
 * Well we seem to be in agreement on the necessity of a communal consensus so even if so far no one made opposition to my objections (only the locale) I agree with the previous view that granting you the flag would result in a substitution of MiszaBot I see no point or necessity to edit MiszaBot's config as to progress forward on this request. We also should start a request for the removal of MiszaBot's flag as the consensus seems to be that only one should be active (haven't noticed anyone opposing that). --Panic (discuss • contribs) 01:03, 26 June 2014 (UTC)
 * 1) Jianhui67 talk ★  contribs 08:47, 15 June 2014 (UTC)
 * 2) Notwithstanding Panic's objections, a replacement for Miszabot would be a good thing IMHO. Especially as this is replacing functionality that used to be present. Chazz (talk) 20:30, 18 June 2014 (UTC)
 * 3) Any remaining issue to solve before the flag can be granted?  FWIW, here is a log that shows what the bot will do in the first run:  (temporary link, I might delete it at some point). As the log shows, Reading rooms wouldn't be archived until I issue new keys.  I wouldn't start working on them at least until confirming it works fine for the other pages.  Whym (discuss • contribs) 13:36, 17 September 2014 (UTC)
 * 1) Any remaining issue to solve before the flag can be granted?  FWIW, here is a log that shows what the bot will do in the first run:  (temporary link, I might delete it at some point). As the log shows, Reading rooms wouldn't be archived until I issue new keys.  I wouldn't start working on them at least until confirming it works fine for the other pages.  Whym (discuss • contribs) 13:36, 17 September 2014 (UTC)