Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2023 January 19

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January 19

My edits were reverted

I edited my organization's page with information for 2022, but someone reverted it as being "not constructive." All edits were factual data and events with news links. Please advise what could be wrong> CSW-LAPride (talk) 00:12, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

@CSW-LAPride: For one, your username contravenes Wikipedia's username policy, and you must disclose your paid relationship with your organisation. As you have a conflict of interest in this area, you are strongly discouraged from directly editing the article and should use the edit request system instead. —Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 ) 00:45, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

too much whitespace

text no longer fills my screen. there's now a lot of white space on each side. how do I get back to the old Wikipedia layout? 97.113.212.210 (talk) 00:51, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

Are you asking about a sudden change to Wikipedia's appearance? It is because the default skin has changed from the Vector legacy (2010) skin to the new Vector (2022) skin. If you would like to change back to the old one, you can, as a registered user, click on the in the top-right corner and choose Preferences. Once there, go to Preferences → Appearance → Skins → Vector legacy (2010).
If you would like to leave feedback, you can do so at Wikipedia talk:Vector 2022. —Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 ) 00:56, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

New look?

Does Wikipedia look different for anyone? None of the pages seem to fit the screen anymore. 173.62.241.206 (talk) 01:26, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

Are you asking about a sudden change to Wikipedia's appearance? It is because the default skin has changed from the Vector legacy (2010) skin to the new Vector (2022) skin. If you would like to change back to the old one, you can, as a registered user, click on the in the top-right corner and choose Preferences. Once there, go to Preferences → Appearance → Skins → Vector legacy (2010).
If you would like to leave feedback, you can do so at Wikipedia talk:Vector 2022. —Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 ) 01:29, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

did just that, thanks. Don't expect any edits tho i will donate. Vtc2010 (talk) 02:11, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

Please tell me RIGHT NOW how to change back, I'm freaking out here literally! --198.58.171.247 (talk) 02:45, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

IP-editors can't change back to Vector 2010 and have it stick. IP-editors really only get Vector 2022. Shearonink (talk) 08:17, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

Read the response I gave above. You need to create an account to access preferences. —Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 ) 02:46, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

IP editor, you may be able to use one of the workarounds described here. 199.208.172.35 (talk) 17:49, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

Delbert McClinton

Y'all show Delbert as active from 1962 to present . . . I've known parts of the Family since the forties, and went to school with His half-brothers in the fifties. Delbert and His band actually practiced in my livin' room once in the late fifties; I would call that "active". Also, Delbert was pretty well established when He played harmonica behind Bruce Chanell's Hey Baby in 1961. I know all this because Delbert got me my first Night Club managin' job in 1962 . . . then He and Bruce left me for A trip to London; they played A gig where the little known house band was the Beatles. 24.178.5.182 (talk) 01:30, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

Hi IP 24.178.5.182. What you would call "active" is what Wikipedia calls original research, which means it's not something Wikipedia can use. If you know things about Delbert that can be supported by citations to WP:SECONDARY WP:RELIABLESOURCES, then perhaps start a discussion about them at Talk:Delbert McClinton and see if others agree. If they do, it will almost certainly be added to the article. -- Marchjuly (talk) 01:50, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

The Beatles were never a house band in London. It is well known that they worked as a house band in Hamburg and Liverpool. Cullen328 (talk) 02:21, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

Where is search?

FYI

 – Split sections. —Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 ) 02:10, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

Is this a new Wikipedia. where is the search feature, do I need to sign in each time ? I can not access my "alleged" account 98.142.53.3 (talk) 02:08, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

Are you asking about a sudden change to Wikipedia's appearance? It is because the default skin has changed from the Vector legacy (2010) skin to the new Vector (2022) skin. If you would like to change back to the old one, you can, as a registered user, click on the in the top-right corner and choose Preferences. Once there, go to Preferences → Appearance → Skins → Vector legacy (2010).
If you would like to leave feedback, you can do so at Wikipedia talk:Vector 2022. —Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 ) 02:10, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

Hi there! The search bar has moved from the top right to the top left of the page. GoingBatty (talk) 03:03, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

Inaccurate source

https://wiki.riteme.site/wiki/Nissan_180SX

Article lists below link as a source for a paragraph. The source is just rumors and myths claiming 500 of a car were made somewhere between 1988 and 1998 with no pictures of this special car they claim to exist and with out even contacting the company said to have made them.

There has been a myth about the origins of the Nissan Sil80 for as long as I have had my S13, 17 years now, and there has never been any proof and still doesn't appear to be any.

https://web.archive.org/web/20200527122902/https://www.180sx.club/sileighty-sil80/ 49.192.192.125 (talk) 02:11, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

Hello. The best place to discuss this is Talk:Nissan 180SX. Cullen328 (talk) 02:24, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

Table of contents

When I view pages on my phone in the new format, there seems to be no table of contents shown. Will this be attended to? --Jax 0677 (talk) 02:43, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

@Jax 0677 Hi there! I suggest you ask at Wikipedia talk:Vector 2022, and mention whether you're using a Wikipedia app (and state which app) or viewing Wikipedia on your phone's browser (and state which browser). GoingBatty (talk) 03:02, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

@Jax 0677, your question may be answered at Wikipedia talk:Vector 2022#Table of contents. TSventon (talk) 19:01, 21 January 2023 (UTC)

Hi, how do I change the design back please?

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

---

This is an awful design that cuts a lot of my page sides, I know French WP uses it for some time but it's their problem they're snotty and everything. Please put a button to revert to classic view. Thanks, 198.58.171.247 (talk) 02:44, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

Are you asking about a sudden change to Wikipedia's appearance? It is because the default skin has changed from the Vector legacy (2010) skin to the new Vector (2022) skin. If you would like to change back to the old one, you can, as a registered user, click on the in the top-right corner and choose Preferences. Once there, go to Preferences → Appearance → Skins → Vector legacy (2010).
If you would like to leave feedback, you can do so at Wikipedia talk:Vector 2022. —Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 ) 02:47, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

That's not "new", that's old because France uses it and it's awful. I din't complain there because whatever France and ef them. But here, guys... Like, no, please. Don't do that. You're cool. Now I would like Wales to publicly apologize on Twitter because I used to edit and we're a legion here, millions of free editors. Now we will all have problems and trouble finding things. You did that. not cool guys... --198.58.171.247 (talk) 02:55, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

"All"? I don't have problems or trouble finding things. (I also don't get upset over fr:Wikipedia or France.) -- Hoary (talk) 08:16, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

The problem isn't locating things, it's the truncated header lacking information, the desktop experience wasting so much visual space on the screen, the bizarre gap between the sidebar table of contents and the body of the article. This has, overwhelmingly, been a negative change. I worry this may, in fact, cause a snowball of outrage for desktop users. I made an account exclusively to change the UI back. Further, there doesn't seem to be any real avenue to provide actual feedback regarding this change. AtomicFi (talk) 15:51, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

AtomicFi There is a button in the extreme lower right corner that if you click it, expands the text to more of the screen. 331dot (talk) 15:55, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

If you wish to offer feedback(while noting that the new skin was developed over several years with community input to attempt to balance the needs/wants of new and existing users) go to the talk page of WP:VECTOR2022. 331dot (talk) 15:57, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

It seems the registration was the idea behind this change. I will be pursuing the link another user has on this page regarding the establishment of a browser extension. Should I get that working, I will be doing everything I can to delete the account I have created. Thank you for the tip, though I would suggest the UI should be intuitive enough that one does not require assistance to get the webpage to function, as that has never been the case for wikipedia before. AtomicFi (talk) 15:57, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

AtomicFi Accounts cannot be deleted, only abandoned. Making people register was not the goal of the change. 331dot (talk) 15:59, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

Ah, the goal was to drive active users away to another service, I understand now. AtomicFi (talk) 17:35, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

AtomicFi So the site should stay the same for all time and never change? I understand now. Thanks. The changes were developed over years with community input- which is still being solicited. 331dot (talk) 17:50, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

Hilariously, if you go to that vector talk page, you can see all of the "oppose" votes just being explained away by those running the show as "we know better, there isn't really a problem, you're wrong not to like it". Even the data suggesting that the new form was easier or as easy to use was warped in its presentation, with the actual largest number of votes against. You could count the "as easy to use" either way, because it is effectively a side-grade for the site. So many had so many complaints that still haven't been addressed, like the hugely wasteful white space, hard to locate menu options and toggle options, and the lack of a signed-out toggle for the whole site. Instead, you need a browser extension or to sign in.

It's not that it shouldn't change. It's that if there is change, it should be for the better. This change has, instead, rendered larger monitors more frustrating to use. Also, there needs to be an "unhide" button that isn't hidden for the table of contents, that is absolutely poor UI design. AtomicFi (talk) 19:32, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

Why am I logged out because I asked a question here!

Even though I reset my password a few weeks ago, I was logged out after asking a question here. I have edited here several years but I was not informed there was a vote about something so major as a complete redesign of the format. Who were the ones who got to vote? Thanks, Krok6kola (talk) 02:49, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

Dude this design is hell. I'm sure you tried something and presed at the wrong place. This is what happens when you change stuff like that. LEt's see me suddenly put a steering wheel to the right in your car guys. Right? That's why you shouldn't. --198.58.171.247 (talk) 02:57, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

Of course, this should not be a problem for countries with left hand traffic. Another example of divided opinion. I personally found it weird at first but was able to adjust after a week. My editing and reading experience has not been affected much. Sungodtemple (talk • contribs) 03:11, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

This seems to primarily be a problem with IP editors who cannot change their preferences. Club On a Sub 20 (talk) 18:03, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

@Krok6kola There is a lot of information available at Wikipedia:Vector 2022. You can provide feedback at Wikipedia talk:Vector 2022. GoingBatty (talk) 03:00, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

When you reset your password you would have been logged out of all active sessions, meaning any time you open a new browser for the first time after the reset you would have to log in again, and if you did not check "keep me logged in" then you would also be logged out after you closed your browser. The software Wikipedia runs on does not have a way for other users to log you out. Ivanvector (^Talk/_Edits) 19:42, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

Can't fix a typo

Hi - even signed in I can't fix a typo in the article on Jeff Beck, which refers to a Vox 'Superbeetle' amplifier. This is supposed to be a reference to the Vox Super Beatle amplifier. There is no 'Edit' option in the article. A bad mistake in an article about a musical giant whose passing warranted not the slightest passing mention on the Main Page under 'Recent deaths'. Now, Lisa Marie Presley, THERE'S an important person... DeepFakeBlake (talk) 05:39, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

@DeepFakeBlake: fixed, with thanks. You were unable to edit because that page is semi-protected. You'll be able to edit such pages once you've been around for at least four days and made at least ten edits. Until then, if you have any more suggestions, the best place to make them is at the associated article talk pages, like Talk:Jeff Beck. Firefangledfeathers (talk / contribs) 05:52, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

Actually, the protection expired a few hours ago, so you're free to edit away. Firefangledfeathers (talk / contribs) 05:54, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

Hi DeepFakeBlake. Often when a well-known person like Beck dies, the Wikipedia article about them is protected for a short period of time to try and keep the article content stable since lots of people want to edit it and they all seem to want to edit it at the same time. Fans of individual in question might want everyone to know how great the person was, whereas others might want to know how much of a jerk the person was. Since it can be hard to keep track of all the edits and make sure they're in accordance with relevant Wikipedia policies and guidelines, the article is protected for a bit. If you wait until the protection runs out, you'll probably be able to edit the article yourself; if you feel the spelling change is needed asap, you can request the change be made on Talk:Jeff Beck. FWIW, the page protection is scheduled to expire sometime on January 19, but the article could be re-protected if things get out of hand qucikly. This form of page protection is called WP:BLUELOCK and is fairly mild, and WP:AUTOCONFIRMED users are still able to edit the article. -- Marchjuly (talk) 05:54, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

Hello, DeepFakeBlake. There is a common pattern when someone famous dies. The first thing that happens is that inexperienced editors add the death without providing a reference, which is a serious policy violation since false death reports are commonplace on the internet. What follows are inappropriate comments about the death. This is exactly what happened on the Jeff Beck article, and the semi-protection was appropriate and proper. Cullen328 (talk) 06:56, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

• @DeepFakeBlake: @Firefangledfeathers: Vox's own website seems to suggest it's 'beetle'. Eagleash (talk) 15:55, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

  The article is referring to another musician's recollection of Beck's set-up in the 1960s. "Super Beatle" is accurate to the source, and I'm reasonably confident "Super Beatle" is accurate for the 60s. Firefangledfeathers (talk / contribs) 16:43, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

  The amps were always 'Beetle' as far as I recall from my own use; referring to them as 'Beatle' was a rather daft 60s error / plodding pun after Vox supplied amps to a fairly popular beat combo. The source I believe, may or may not, be reliable but is mistaken here. Searching for 'Scott Morgan' (website name) does not reveal much, but there is a guitar teacher of that name. Leave it as it is if you wish. (Any further discussion should be at the article TP). Cheers. Eagleash (talk) 14:11, 22 January 2023 (UTC)

Main page new look

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section. A summary of the conclusions reached follows.

The OPs question appears to have been answered by Cullen328 and the rest of the thread is really something more suited to be discussed at Wikipedia talk:Vector 2022 than here at the Help Desk

---

Hi,

I opened today on my PC the main page of the English Wikipedia and to my surprise the whole page width was reduced to half of the screen width, the content in the middle and on each side a quarter of the screen blank. This is touted as the new improved look. Maybe it is an improvement if I opened the main page on a browser on my cell phone, but on a PC? Definitely not. I don't see why the new look should reduce the width of the displayed content on non-cell phone displays instead of just improving the style or content. I also noticed that the side links disappeared. Sure, they can be displayed by pressing the hamburger on the upper left of the page but even so, some links that were previously there just disappeared (e.g. the link to other languages). Is this a move to unify the look on PCs and cell phones? Why would we want such a unification?

Cheers, Eugen 192.164.15.203 (talk) 07:59, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

Are you asking about a sudden change to Wikipedia's appearance? It is because the default skin has changed from the Vector legacy (2010) skin to the new Vector (2022) skin. If you would like to change back to the old one, you can, as a registered user, click on the in the top-right corner and choose Preferences. Once there, go to Preferences → Appearance → Skins → Vector legacy (2010).
If you would like to leave feedback, you can do so at Wikipedia talk:Vector 2022. Cullen328 (talk) 08:03, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

The new skin produces a ridiculous amount of whitespace on some pages, which is why I went back to the old skin. This can be done if you are a logged in user.--♦IanMacM♦ ^{(talk to me)} 08:04, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

Lucky us. Not-so-lucky IP-editors... Shearonink (talk) 08:26, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

Well, I'm not a registered user, so I don't have any chance of changing it back to how it was? And how is this an improvement if the user (registered or not) cannot willingly choose what he prefers? 192.164.15.203 (talk) 08:40, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

Wikipedia Has Spent Years on a Barely Noticeable Redesign, or so says Slate magazine. I'm not sure how hiding key controls and filling the pages with whitespace is a barely noticeable redesign, but you are stuck with it unless you log in and go back to the old 2010 skin.--♦IanMacM♦ ^{(talk to me)} 08:44, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

Problem with the old skin was that monitors are nowadays usually much bigger than in days of yore: it is annoying to read wall of text which goes from side to side of your 24 inch or something display. However I definitely agree that too much of function was sacrificed to heretical altar of 'visual minimalism' in the new design. Too much of the controls are hidden. I also often switch editions, and it is annoying that the languages are behind the drop down menu. Overuse of drop down menues is the plague of modern UI design. 2001:14BA:AB01:2A33:0:0:0:1 (talk) 10:50, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

I'm going to link to Wikipedia_talk:Vector_2022, which is the central place for complaining about it. I don't see it mentioned on site news, and people are instead complaining on the help desk, the teahouse and the reference desks. The banners about the redesign it link to the correct talk page, but if you dismiss the banner you don't know when you'll see it again.  Card Zero  (talk) 11:19, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

Look up

This morning the home page is different. There seems to be nowhere to enter you seach term. 80.44.190.144 (talk) 09:24, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

See #Where_is_search?, above. -- Hoary (talk) 09:26, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

How to talk with other editors?

How to talk with other editors? How can I share my comment with another editor if the person did wrong edit to correct the person's knowledge and to avoid editing war. Correction may be from opposite side and then how can I reply if I wish. Poorva12303 (talk) 12:03, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

Poorva12303 Every editor has a user talk page, which is for communication with that user. Most every users' signature has a link to it(just as your signature does above); links to it can also be found in the edit history of articles or other pages. You can also use the article talk page for communicating with other editors. 331dot (talk) 12:06, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

@Poorva12303, see also Help:Talk_pages#Getting_started on how to "ping" other editors. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 14:07, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

Request for a help

Hi there,

I am trying to submit a page that I was rejected many times beacuse of the references. I changed them, added new but I was declined again. I took part in an online meeting with administrator, but nothing changed even if I followed the advises that he had given me. Can you please help me with the submission of my page?

Best regards,

Tatevik Tatama89 (talk) 12:46, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

Tatama89 Which administrator did you communicate with? The issue seems to be that you do not have appropriate independent reliable sources that have given this organization significant coverage.

Have you considered writing this on the Armenian Wikipedia? Different Wikipedias have different rules. 331dot (talk) 12:50, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

We already have Armenian page, but as we work with many interanational organizations, I wanted to create a page in English too.

What do you mean with ''significant coverage''? I provided all sources that we have :(

Actually I do not remember the name of administrator, the call was several months ago after 2-3 rejections, he offered a call and we met via Zoom. Tatama89 (talk) 07:26, 20 January 2023 (UTC)

@Tatama89 Your use of "we" in your previous reply implies to me that you are an employee of that organisation. If so, it is mandatory that you declare your {{PAID}} status on your (currently empty) User Page. As to sources, if you have exhausted all those that are available and have not been able to demonstrate the notability of the subject, then you should give up trying. English Wikipedia has to limit what it includes and by long agreement insists that only notable topics have articles. Mike Turnbull (talk) 17:02, 20 January 2023 (UTC)

Tatama89, your words as we work with many interanational organizations, I wanted to create a page in English too sound as if you think that Wikipedia is for telling the world about your organization: that is called promotion, and is forbidden in English Wikipedia.

If at some time there is an article about your organization, it will not belong to your organization, it will not be controlled by your organization, and it will not necessarily say what you want it to say. It should be based almost entirely on what people wholly unconnected with your organization have published about it, not on what you say or want to say. ColinFine (talk) 22:23, 20 January 2023 (UTC)

I liked the old page layout better. Here's why.

When I hid the table of contents I couldn't easily find the button to re-show it because it was in a different part of the page from where the table of contents was and where the button I had clicked to hide it was. This is not intuitive design. The lack of box around the table of contents also leaves it feeling unmoored and unprofessional.

The blank space all around is an all-consuming void and makes the information feel less comprehensive or informative because it no longer fills the page. It emulates the styles of modern social media websites, which is the opposite of the feeling I want to have when I am checking wikipedia for accurate information. 67.241.67.212 (talk)miles 67.241.67.212 (talk) 14:59, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

More information is at Vector 2022. Feel free to leave feedback on the talk page (Wikipedia talk:Vector 2022 - there is also a link to the MediaWiki talk page at the top). 199.208.172.35 (talk) 15:17, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

The blank space issue can be remedied with a button in the lower right corner, at least for accounts(I think IPs too). 331dot (talk) 15:44, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

Yes, it also works for IPs. Just need to widen the browser window enough for it to appear. 199.208.172.35 (talk) 17:18, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

I would note that Wikipedia does not claim to have "accurate information"; see the general disclaimer. You should examine the source provided as well to determine the validity of the information. 331dot (talk) 15:45, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

Loads of people prefer the old version. Wikipedia is making a mistake by forcing this change on everyone even when many of us absolutely hate it.

Be sure to leave feedback on the Wikipedia talk:Vector 2022 page. 75.35.176.54 (talk) 22:32, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

new format

Why has the table of contents been removed from articles? It's on a dropdown link now, which is bothersome and annoying. thanks, Mark Covey Donor Waldrenheimer (talk) 15:37, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

Waldrenheimer The default skin was changed yesterday. As you note, the table of contents was not removed, it is just different. As you have an account, you can set your account preferences to the old skin. The new skin was developed over several years with community input in an attempt to balance the needs of new users and existing users. Please see Wikipedia:Vector 2022 for more information and to offer any comments about it. 331dot (talk) 15:42, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

Oh, please just remove this new 'skin', it is awful. 37.247.31.205 (talk) 19:01, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

I really wish they would one of these days; but none of us down here have the power to change this. The people who are currently reading this talk page do have the power to change it though. Questions, complaints, and complaints are all welcome there. ~GoatLordServant^(Talk) 19:09, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

Some workarounds for IP editors are described here. 199.208.172.35 (talk) 19:10, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

changes.

why wikipedia went from widescreen to 4:3 aspect ratio? its far worse for reading and makes scrolling unbearable 85.253.22.59 (talk) 18:12, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

Are you asking about a sudden change to Wikipedia's appearance? It is because the default skin has changed from the Vector legacy (2010) skin to the new Vector (2022) skin. If you would like to change back to the old one, you can, as a registered user, click on the in the top-right corner and choose Preferences. Once there, go to Preferences → Appearance → Skins → Vector legacy (2010).
If you would like to leave feedback, you can do so at Wikipedia talk:Vector 2022. 199.208.172.35 (talk) 18:16, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

Further note: some workarounds for IP editors are described here. A widescreen version is still available to IPs - just widen the browser window enough and a toggle, which looks like this: , should appear in the bottom right. 199.208.172.35 (talk) 18:18, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

searching wikipedia

There is no search capability that i could find. where is it? Pockets69 (talk) 18:24, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

@Pockets69, in the recently implemented skin, the search bar is at the very top of the page, slightly to the left of middle. 199.208.172.35 (talk) 18:26, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

@Pockets69: Alternatively, the key combination Alt+⇧ Shift+F will open up the search field regardless of which skin you're using. —Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 ) 19:28, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

Where are the language links?

It was very practical to always have the language links to your left in any article. Now they seem to be hidden away at the top so you have to scroll up to go to them. Why? Don't you like people to cross over between language versions anymore? 37.247.31.205 (talk) 18:59, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

It seems you found them. More information is at WP:Vector 2022. Feel free to leave feedback on the talk page (Wikipedia talk:Vector 2022) - none of us here have much power over such changes, but the folks who read that talk page do. 199.208.172.35 (talk) 19:03, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

AWB regex to remove one WikiProject banner

Does anyone know correct regex to remove a single WikiProject banner (WikiProject Apple Inc.) from a given set of articles?

One third of WikiProject Apple Inc's articles are video games, almost all of which are cross-platform, so I'd like to clean them out. Many of them were added to the project by Xenobot. DFlhb (talk) 20:08, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

@DFlhb Xenobot's list of tasks seems to include removing such templates, so I suggest you ask the bot operator at User talk:Xeno. Currently the bot appears inactive but it is still approved for use. Mike Turnbull (talk) 16:49, 20 January 2023 (UTC)

I've since figured it out, it's: (?sm)^\{\{WikiProject Apple Inc\.(?:(?!^0).)*?(?:\}\})\n

Works very well, unless the WikiProject Apple template is the last line on the talk page (if there have been no discussions), but that's very minor and can easily be deleted manually. \n is otherwise needed, to make sure a blank line isn't left behind. DFlhb (talk) 16:53, 20 January 2023 (UTC)

advertisement on main page

what is "justask.com" and why is an ad for it popping up on my Wikipedia page? Waldrenheimer (talk) 20:16, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

It's actually "justanswer.com". But still an ad. Waldrenheimer (talk) 20:17, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

@Waldrenheimer, that isn't coming from Wikipedia. Sounds like you've inadvertently picked up adware. 199.208.172.35 (talk) 20:21, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

(edit conflict) There are no ads on the main page, and we try hard to keep them off other pages too. You may have an extension running in your browser or malware on your phone or computer that's causing ads to be displayed over other website content. If you do a web search for "free malware scan" you should find something that can help. Ivanvector (^Talk/_Edits) 20:22, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

Navbox Template?

Hi I recently built a NAV box and added it directly to a page. I wanted to ask is this the correct way to do this or should I have submitted it as a draft for AFC since it is a template? I was unsure if templates need to be submitted like a new page. Thank you for your time. I was confused by the information I found in the resources section. Thank you. Datsa54 (talk) 21:47, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

Datsa54, you haven't create a new article, so you didn't need to go through AfC. However the information you added is normally presented through an infobox like Template:Infobox company, see Help:Infobox. The advantage is that similar articles get standardised information and editors don't have to build the box from scratch. 23:32, 19 January 2023 (UTC)TSventon (talk)

@Datsa54: I have moved your navbox code from Penn Entertainment#External links to Template:Penn Entertainment. {{Navbox}} is intended for template pages and not direct use in articles. Then it can be maintanied in one place and transcluded on different pages with {{Penn Entertainment}}. PrimeHunter (talk) 13:47, 20 January 2023 (UTC)

Does Wikipedia provide any tool to help Europe-based editors access Web sites which are unavailable to them because of GDPR?

I'm in the UK and am trawling News Web sites in order to add citations to a Wikipedia article. Some of the Web sites, typically US-based ones, respond with pages saying stuff like this:

Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.

I assume that the above relates to GDPR. Does Wikipedia provide any tool to help Europe-based editors access Web sites which are unavailable to them because of GDPR?

Thanks Misha Wolf (talk) 23:10, 19 January 2023 (UTC)

The WP:LIBRARY might help - after all it’s a proxy service. It is a bit cumbersome to use, but I imagine it gets better with habit. Tigraan^{Click here for my talk page ("private" contact)} 09:56, 20 January 2023 (UTC)

Many thanks Misha Wolf (talk) 15:27, 20 January 2023 (UTC)

@Misha Wolf I think your editing history shows you qualify to join the library (at this link). Its many accessible collections include the NewspaperARCHIVE.com. I've never had any problems reaching websites via the library and I'm based in the UK. Mike Turnbull (talk) 11:16, 20 January 2023 (UTC)

• Whilst not a Wikipedia related item, I use textise.net to get around some region locked items previously. Obviously as a non-Wikimedia site, use at your own discression Lee Vilenski ^{(talk • contribs)} 11:27, 20 January 2023 (UTC)

Misha Wolf, you could also look at Wikipedia:WikiProject Resource Exchange, which has information on shared resources and resource requests. TSventon (talk) 11:31, 20 January 2023 (UTC)

Many thanks Misha Wolf (talk) 15:28, 20 January 2023 (UTC)

Many thanks Misha Wolf (talk) 15:28, 20 January 2023 (UTC)

Many thanks Misha Wolf (talk) 15:27, 20 January 2023 (UTC)

Hi @Tigraan and @Michael D. Turnbull, I headed to the Library and accepted the Ts & Cs. I then tried using NewspaperARCHIVE.com but couldn't find the publication I'm looking for which is the New York Daily Times. The article I'd like to get hold of is called "When criticism of Israel is and isn't anti-Semitic" and was published, I believe, on 15 May 2022. Can you help me? Thanks Misha Wolf (talk) 23:37, 20 January 2023 (UTC)

@Misha Wolf Try WP:RX. For a recent article like that, there should be no problem. Mike Turnbull (talk) 10:32, 21 January 2023 (UTC)

Incidentally, I had no problem doing this search and also finding this podcast The NYT website is not one of those blocked to UK IP addresses. Mike Turnbull (talk) 10:50, 21 January 2023 (UTC)

@Michael D. Turnbull, many thanks. I've created a request at WP:RX. Re the resources you mention, it is my guess that US-based Web sites which consider themselves to have only a local readership don't bother with the effort of checking what they would need to do to satisfy GDPR requirements. More prominent Web sites do bother. Ah, I've just searched using the text "why do some american websites not support gdpr?" and came across an interesting Reuters Institute article titled Many EU visitors shut out from US sites as a response to GDPR never came back, published on 19 Jul 2022. Misha Wolf (talk) 13:52, 21 January 2023 (UTC)