Wikipedia:Did you know/Admin instructions

See also: Template:Did you know/Clear#Posting the new update

See also: Template:DYK Prep Set Instructions

After confirming that the next preparation area is full and meets DYK rules, an administrator may move that preparation area to the next available DYK template queue and then delete the hooks and credits from the just moved DYK template preparation area. DYKUpdateBot will automatically move the next queue to the DYK template during the next update.

This section describes the steps to perform a full update to the "Did you know" section on the Main Page.

Process

The process of moving a prep to queue involves a set of admin checks and the move itself. The admin checks can be accomplished either before or after moving the prep to queue. Many of the admin checks listed below are repeats of checks required at earlier points in the process of review and promotion; these are specified because some workers at DYK may be new or inexperienced here.

If you can't fix a concern yourself, bring it to T:DYKT, providing a link to the nom template, the formatted hook, and pings to creator/nom/reviewer/promoter in your question.

Hooks

Required preparation

1. Satisfy yourself that the hooks are sufficiently interesting.

   While hook interest inevitably has a subjective element, an interesting hook usually highlights a fact that is unusual or unexpected, or something notable about the topic. Hooks which highlight commonplace occurrences or the obvious are by definition uninteresting. However, keep in mind that at minimum three other editors -- the nominator, reviewer, and promoter -- have designated this hook as interesting.

2. Check the talk page for any outstanding hook issues in the preparation area. If in doubt, switch the problematic hook with one from another preparation area.
3. Ensure each hook is compliant with our policy on the biographies of living people and policy on neutrality.
4. Verify that the image for the set is properly referenced in the lead hook with (pictured) immediately after the subject in italics.
5. Check formatting: each hook should start with ... that, end with ?, contain at least one bold link (or bold italic link), and make grammatical sense.
6. Ensure each hook has at least one DYKmake template in the Credits section for each bolded article.
7. When previewing, every credit line except nom credits should have a "View nom subpage" link at the end of it; if not, the DYKmake needs fixing (probably by adding a "subpage" parameter).
8. Remove any extraneous (empty) DYKnom or DYKmake templates left in the Credits section (will contain "|Example|").

Helpful if you have time

1. Assess links in hooks. Are there words that should be linked but aren't? Are there links to words that don't need them?
2. Check prep set for balance. This is primarily the responsibility of promoters as they set a prep, but occasionally after a prep is set, a hook will be swapped and cause imbalance.

Article

Required preparation

1. Check article history for recent instability.
2. Check article for tags that would prevent eligibility.

The remaining required checks are actually the responsibility of every editor at every point along the process, but if the creator/nominator/reviewer/promoter are not experienced DYK regulars, these may be needed; even in the case all editors are experienced DYK regulars, check any recent changes that may have affected these.

1. Ensure image-slot image is in article and carries an appropriate free-use license. Fair-use images are not allowed in DYK.
2. Ensure the image has an alt text useful to those with visual impairments, if necessary, per WP:ALTTEXT.
3. Check all article hook assertions have support within the article, ensure all supporting sentences include a citation at that sentence, check the link to the source, and if possible find the support within the source. This is a check that is especially helpful on a Good Article, as GA does not require this direct a citation and many inexperienced DYK reviewers may assume a GA is automatically ready for DYK.
4. Check article for obvious Living Person Biographies concerns.
5. Check article for obvious copyvio by running Earwig.
6. Check references for bare URLs.
7. Check article for length and newness.

Helpful if you have time

1. Read article and copyedit; this is especially helpful for new (rather than GA) articles.

Actions to take

Image

Make sure the image/media for the hooks to be loaded is either on English Wikipedia, or protected on Commons.

Images on English Wikipedia

No action is required, as the image should automatically be protected through Main Page cascading protection.

Images on Commons

• Must be protected by either a Commons Admin, or by KrinkleBot.

• Current list of Commons Admins

• Click on KrinkleBot, to see if the image is listed there. If you do not see the image there, it has not yet been protected on Commons. Two other bot operators besides KrinkleBot have access to the bot: C:User:Legoktm and C:User:Steinsplitter.

• Usually, KrinkleBot protects the image in the lead Queue, and protects subsequent images as their Queues move up to the lead.
• If the KrinkleBot is running, the protection happens within 30 minutes or so of the lead Queue being filled from Prep.
• If the lead Queue image on Commons is not protected, anyone who has DYKUpdateBot Errors on their watchlist will receive an error message.
• At the top of KrinkleBot's page, it tells you the exact time and date of its last update.
• If the bot has not run for several hours and is not protecting the image, report the bot at User talk:Krinkle.
• Add the unprotected image to Main Page/Commons media protection.

If KrinkleBot is down

(Shubinator's instructions)

1. Double-check the image hasn't already been vandalized.
2. On Commons, download the file to your computer.
3. Back at English Wikipedia, go to Special:Upload and upload the image with the same filename. In the description field add {{c-uploaded}} and the source and license information. After clicking "Upload file", you'll get a warning the image already exists, and will need to confirm by clicking "Ignore warning and save file anyway".
4. Check if cascading protection kicked in: On the English Wikipedia filepage, click on "Edit". If an editnotice appears saying something like "This page is protected so that only users with administrative rights can make edits" or "This page has been protected so that only administrators can edit it" or "This page is currently protected, and can be edited only by administrators", it's protected! If not, please protect the image manually - set protection expiry to after the image is slated to leave the Main Page.
5. Profit!
6. After the image comes off the Main Page, it's best to go back and delete the temporary file.

Replacing main page image

• In the case an image needs to be replaced after DYK is on the main page, add the unprotected image to Main Page/Commons media protection. Wait until it shows up at commons:Commons:Auto-protected files/wikipedia/en before posting to the Main Page.

Move to Queue

Please watchlist User:DYKUpdateBot/Errors, where the bot describes any errors it finds in hook sets.

1. Open the prep for editing, and open the same-numbered queue for editing. (Next prep: Template:Did you know/Queue/3; next queue: Template:Did you know/Queue/3.)
2. You need to remove {{User:DYKUpdateBot/REMOVE THIS LINE}} from the top of the target Queue, and replace it with {{DYKbotdo|~~~}}
3. Copy and paste the entire contents of the prep into the queue. (Hint: Right-click in the Prep edit window, Select All, right-click again, Copy. Then go to the Queue edit window and paste.)
4. Make sure <!--Hooks--> is at the top beneath {{DYKbox}}, and <!--HooksEnd--> is on the line just after the last hook.
5. Preview (!) then save.
6. Go back to the prep template; clear all the text; copy the complete contents of Template:Did you know/Clear into it; save.
7. Edit the prep counter to bump it to the next prep set to be moved to queue.

Manually posting the new update (if the bot is down)

• Note: This is the manual method. When using DYKUpdateBot, the bot should automate all of the following except steps 1 and 11.

1. Make sure the image/media for the hooks to be loaded is on English Wikipedia or protected on Commons:Auto-protected_files/wikipedia/en with the tag "This page is currently protected, and can be edited only by administrators." If the image/file is on Commons and not protected, the bot is probably down, and the operator User:Krinkle should be notified. You may manually protect the image by uploading it to En and tag it with {{c-uploaded}}. You do not need to protect the picture; this is done automatically because of the cascading protection of the Main Page. Alternatively, if you are an admin at Commons you can protect the picture/file at Commons instead of uploading to En.
2. Update T:DYK from the current queue by copying/pasting the hooks code from the top through <noinclude>.
3. Purge the cache of the Main Page to make sure the new entries appear. (Instructions there.)
4. Reset the DYK time. (Instructions there.)
5. Increment the next queue pointer.
6. Copy the previous set of hooks (not the new set just promoted to the front page) to the archive. Be sure to copy the final revision of the set (it should be the last diff on the T:DYK page before your update), and place the timestamp of the DYK update you just made above it. Please include the picture/file.
7. Check if the previous picture/file was temporarily uploaded from Commons for display on the Main Page, and delete it from En if so.
8. On the local description page of the picture/file for the previous set of hooks, add {{DYKfile|10 July|2024|type=image}} (occasionally replacing image with video where appropriate). Note that, like the archives, this will create a one-day misalignment between the date on the file page and the date it actually appeared in DYK.
9. If you have time, please do the credits for the hooks just promoted by opening the version of the queue that the main page was updated from, and using the "give" and "tag" links in the credits section, then following instructions. (These are most easily done with three windows open.)

   NOTE: Mandarax has their own off Wiki tool to handle this task. Ping Mandarax if circumstances necessitate the manual method.

10. Clear the queue you just promoted hooks from with {{User:DYKUpdateBot/REMOVE THIS LINE}}.
11. If you have time, check if there are any full preparation areas. Check the hooks for errors, and promote them to the next empty numbered queue if they're good. Clear the prep you took hooks from to look like this. Tag the numbered queue with {{DYKbotdo|~~~}} once the queue is loaded and ready.

Changing from 1-a-day to 2-a-day and vice versa

After 120 or more approved nominations, we rotate to two sets a day and when we drop below 60, we rotate to one set a day.

After 00:00 UTC, set User:DYKUpdateBot/Time Between Updates to 43200 (to go to 2-a-days) or to 86400 (to go to 1-a-days). Check hook sets for special occasion requests and move affected hooks.

Troubleshooting

Admins are urged to put User:DYKUpdateBot/Errors on their watchlist . If there is an error delaying the update, this bot will have in its edit summary exactly what the problem is. For instance, if {{DYKbotdo|~~~}} has been missed in the promoting from prep to queue, the update bot's edit summary will state the error and say which queue is involved. For instance, if it's a missing botdo template, the edit summary will say "Queue (number) is not tagged with DYKbotdo"

Bots active at DYK

Did you know?
Introduction and rules
Introduction	WP:DYK
General discussion	WT:DYK
Guidelines	WP:DYKCRIT
Reviewer instructions	WP:DYKRI
Nominations
Nominate an article	WP:DYKCNN
Awaiting approval	WP:DYKN
Approved	WP:DYKNA
April 1 hooks	WP:DYKAPRIL
Holding area	WP:SOHA
Preparation
Preps and queues	T:DYK/Q
Prepper instructions	WP:DYKPBI
Admin instructions	WP:DYKAI
Main Page errors	WP:ERRORS
History
Statistics	WP:DYKSTATS
Archived sets	WP:DYKA
Just for fun
Monthly wraps	WP:DYKW
Awards	WP:DYKAWARDS
Userboxes	WP:DYKUBX
Hall of Fame	WP:DYK/HoF
List of users ...
... by nominations	WP:DYKNC
... by promotions	WP:DYKPC
Administrative
Scripts and bots	WP:DYKSB
On the Main Page	T:DYK
Main Page errors	WP:ERRORS
To ping the DYK admins	{{DYK admins}}

The following is a list of user scripts, programs, and bots used in the regular maintenance and updating of DYK. These scripts and bots assist with creating, reviewing, and moving DYK nominations, as well as updating the Main Page and other important tasks.

Scripts and programs

Nominating

• User:SD0001/DYK-helper: a Morebits GUI for making DYK nominations
• Wikipedia:Did you know/Create new nomination, by SD0001: a MediawikiJS page that encompasses the same script, but in a more user-friendly environment. No installation required.

Reviewing

• Wikipedia:Prosesize, by Dr pda: gets the prose length of an article, useful for assessing articles against the length criteria
• Wikipedia:Did you know/DYKcheck, by Shubinator: provides information on the newness and length of an article, including assessing whether it has been expanded fivefold
• User:Mandarax/DYKHookLength: extracts hooks, e.g., from a nomination page, prep, or queue, and displays them with their lengths

Prep and queue work

• user:theleekycauldron/DYK promoter (a.k.a. PSHAW): a Morebits GUI for moving DYK nominations to prep or queue

Bots

DYK currently updates once every 24 hours.

Active

Bot	Maintainer	Interval	Task	BRfA
AAlertBot	Hellknowz Headbomb	1 day	Updates WikiProject article alerts with lists of open DYK nominations	1st
DeadbeefBot	0xDeadbeef	1 day	Merges {{DYK talk}} with {{Article history}} on article talk pages	2nd
DYKHousekeepingBot	Shubinator	30 minutes	Updates DYK hook count	2nd
		1 day	Notifies nominators when their nomination is not transcluded to Template talk:Did you know or Template talk:Did you know/Approved	3rd
DYKToolsBot	RoySmith	1 hour?	Classifies DYK nominations, for example as biographies	1st
DYKUpdateBot	Shubinator	DYK	Updates Template:Did you know, which transcludes to the Main Page. Logs errors at User:DYKUpdateBot/Errors	1st
			Distributes {{UpdatedDYK}} credits to nominators and creators
			Adds {{DYK talk}} to article talk pages
			Archives sets to Wikipedia:Recent additions
FACBot	Hawkeye7	12 hours	Merges {{DYK talk}} with {{Article history}} on article talk pages	6th
GalliumBot	theleekycauldron	3 hours	darn: Logs modifications of promoted hooks on nomination talk pages	1st
		1 day	vandyke: Maintains Wikipedia:Did you know/Statistics and notifies nominators when their hooks "score" above a certain threshold	2nd
		1 hour	proctor: Maintains Wikipedia:List of Wikipedians by number of DYK promotions	3rd
JL-Bot	JLaTondre	1 week	Updates WikiProjects with lists of articles that have appeared at DYK	5th
KrinkleBot	Krinkle Steinsplitter Legoktm	10 minutes	Protects DYK images hosted at Commons before they reach the Main Page	2nd
MajavahBot	Taavi	One-time run?	Fills in missing DYK hooks on article talk tags	4th
MilHistBot	Hawkeye7	1 day	Updates Template:WPMILHIST Announcements with open MILHIST DYK nominations	1st
MusikBot	MusikAnimal	1 day	Adds new date headers at Template talk:Did you know	6th
SDZeroBot	SD0001	When a DYK is nominated	Updates list of users by most DYK nominations	None
WugBot	Wugapodes	2 hours	Moves approved nominations from Template talk:Did you know to Template talk:Did you know/Approved	2nd
		1 day	Transcludes DYK nominations on article talk	3rd

Inactive

Bot	Maintainer	Interval	Task	Final edit	BRfA
DYKBot	Nixeagle	DYK	Companion for DYKadminBot, but did not maintain Template:Did you know	2008-12-31	1st
DYKadminBot	Nixeagle	DYK	Predecessor to DYKUpdateBot	2010-02-15	1st
DYKReviewBot	Intelligentsium	Inconsistent	Reviewed new DYK nominations on a fixed subset of the criteria	2016-10-30	1st
DYKToolsAdminBot	RoySmith	N/A	Companion for DYKToolsBot	Not started	N/A
EnterpriseyBot	Enterprisey	1 day	Notified an editor if an article they had created/expanded was nominated for DYK by someone else	2022-02-22	2nd
GimmeBot	Gimmetrow	Inconsistent	Predecessor to FACBot's DYK task	2013-01-31	1st
WikiStatsBOT	ThaddeusB	30 minutes	Updated DYK hook count	2010-10-14	1st