Operator: Elliot321 (talk · contribs · SUL · edit count · logs · page moves · block log · rights log · ANI search)

Time filed: 14:46, Saturday, January 23, 2021 (UTC)

Automatic, Supervised, or Manual: automatic

Programming language(s):

Source code available:

Function overview: Automatically apply ((redirect category shell)) templates to redirects with Wikidata, and remove redundant ((Wikidata redirect)) templates.

Links to relevant discussions (where appropriate):

Edit period(s): one time run

Estimated number of pages affected: 50,000-100,000

Exclusion compliant (Yes/No): Yes

Already has a bot flag (Yes/No): No

Function details: I recently modified ((Redirect category shell)) to automatically detect Wikidata links and apply the template ((Wikidata redirect)) if they exist. This was previously already done with protection levels, and there is no reason that ((Wikidata redirect)) should not also be applied.

There are currently 100,000 redirects in the category Category:Redirects connected to a Wikidata item, which is applied by the software. There are currently 30,000 redirects in the category Category:Wikidata redirects. Nearly all of these were put into that category by applying ((Wikidata redirect)) manually, meaning they will need the tag removed (as it will be a duplicate).

Many of the remaining 70,000 pages will need the template ((rcat shell)) added. As the change to ((Redirect category shell)) was recent, many redirects connected to Wikidata items, without ((Wikidata redirect)), but with ((Redirect category shell)), have not been added to Category:Wikidata redirects. The difference in count between Category:Wikidata redirects and Category:Redirects connected to a Wikidata item is the number of pages that will be modified.

The edits will be carried out with AWB running as an automated bot. There is very low risk of disruption in this task, though the number of edits is significant. Using AWB, this bot can also carry out other generic fixes to redirects, though this is not a significant part of its functions.

A somewhat similar failed request was Wikipedia:Bots/Requests for approval/TomBot, but that that request was for a bot that would edit ~30-60x more pages, with less benefit overall. This is a much more narrow and useful request.

Discussion

1. Any prior discussions on doing this that you're aware of, which establish broader consensus for this task?
2. Will this BRFA cause Template:Wikidata redirect to become redundant? If I understand correctly, this task will orphan all of its transclusions? If so, and especially if there's no prior discussion, I suggest sending that template to TfD (and then this bot task can be technically implementing that TfD). That would be one way to test the wider consensus for this task, too.

ProcrastinatingReader (talk) 16:01, 23 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

There are no discussions I know of establishing consensus around this particular task. ((Wikidata redirect)) will not become redundant for two reasons. ((redirect category shell)) transcludes it. However, this usage could be subst, of course. The other usage is in cross-Wiki (such as to Wiktionary) and category redirects, the "soft" usage. The "hard" usage could be deprecated from the template, however (they are implemented slightly differently, with an automatic switch). Elliot321 (talk | contribs) 16:20, 23 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

To begin with, I'd say stylistically this presentation is inferior. See eg here. The one on the top (caused by the edit) doesn't look as good as the manual one & looks slightly out of place with the plaintext.

If the rcat shell has to be manually added by bot, is there really a point to this? Why not have a bot add ((Wikidata redirect)) to pages in Category:Redirects connected to a Wikidata item? ProcrastinatingReader (talk) 00:39, 24 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Sorry - that was due to my changes being misunderstood and reverted. If you check now, you can see the way they were intended to look.

The reason for adding ((redirect category shell)) over ((wikidata redirect)) is for automatic detection. If the link on Wikidata is removed, no update on Wikipedia is necessary (likewise, if a link on Wikidata is added to one using the shell, no update is necessary). Elliot321 (talk | contribs) 07:52, 24 January 2021 (UTC)Reply[reply]