Template talk:Help me

Usage

This template is a self-reference and so is part of the Wikipedia project rather than the encyclopedic content.

It is designed to allow new users to get help from more experiences editors.

Placing {{helpme}} on a page automatically places it in Category:Wikipedians looking for help.

Also, a bot in the Boot Camp IRC channel monitors the category and notifies the IRC channel of any additions.--Commander Keane 08:03, 7 February 2006 (UTC)

What links here?

Problem is, if you check what links here, the use of {{helpme}} is included too. How to tell the difference? The Minister of War ^(Peace) 12:47, 1 February 2006 (UTC)

If the template is included, it says "(inclusion)" after it. Also, the template has a category in it, which is what is being used to find out who needs help. Talrias (t | e | c) 12:56, 1 February 2006 (UTC)

help request

{{helpme}}

I want to write something about Federation of Foreign Education Consultants in India (FFECI) a non profit association of leading education agencies in India. Please see www.ffeci.com

Please read Wikipedia:Your first article then go to Wikipedia:Article wizard 2.0. -- œ^™ 19:33, 20 September 2009 (UTC)

Also be sure to reread the comments already placed on your talk page. -- œ^™ 19:34, 20 September 2009 (UTC)

New layout

I suggest that the layout is slightly changed to be less obtrusive and a reason for the parameter given.

I am looking for help!
why are you delating WebHat CMS while you keep http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitecore ??? Please let me know.

regards

I agree with the guy above me to an extent.

Note to helpers: once you have offered help, please remove this template.

Comments? x42bn6 Talk 07:48, 4 March 2006 (UTC)

A template parameter (I'm assuming that's how this would work) is unnecessarily complicated for newcomers. They can put their question under the template if they like, and many do. The bolding looks ok though.--Commander Keane 08:04, 4 March 2006 (UTC)

I Aggree with Commander Keane. How is a new user supposed to learn how to do this: {{helpme|I am having trouble with something}} Usually new users don't know why they use {{ }} instead of [[ ]], so they just copy & paste {{helpme}} from a welcoming message to their talk pages and don't change it once they've copied it. --GeorgeMoney^{Talk  Contribs} 05:34, 17 April 2006 (UTC)

Requests to be unblocked

Should we add something about not using {{helpme}} for requests to be unblocked? Many of us who respond to helpme don't even have the ability to unblock. Then again, I suppose using {{helpme}} in conjunction with {{unblock}} can help some collateral-damage victims get the attention of an admin more quickly. --TantalumTelluride 00:37, 7 June 2006 (UTC)

Mmm. I just added two instructions, the ones I thought were most critical (then I saw this question, a good one). It will be interesting to see if the instructions are followed. Perhaps we could include "Don't use {helpme} to get unblocked", I have no problem with that.--Commander Keane 21:43, 7 June 2006 (UTC)

Other annoying questions are about signatures and userpages. Ideally {helpme} users should only ask questions about building the encyclopedia, but if we add that the template will be getting long - so I'm not sure.--Commander Keane 22:20, 7 June 2006 (UTC)

Actually, I don't mind questions about custom signatures or userboxes. Of course, we don't have time to actually design signatures and user pages, but we can simply provide links to WP:SIG and WP:UBX, respectively. Also, I doubt that many newcomers read the template talk page before transcluding the template, so we should probably put a brief set of instructions on the actual template. That way, the users would be able to see the instructions after placing the template. What do you think?--TantalumTelluride 03:42, 8 June 2006 (UTC)

Anyone who faces this problem regularly may get some use out of {{helpme-unblock}}. I made a few weeks ago, after some discussion on IRC. It seems like a good start, but if anybody sees a way to improve it, feel free. :) Luna Santin 23:09, 28 October 2006 (UTC)

Wikilawyer help

Is it possible to design a self-referencing template like {{lawhelp}} so that the owner of the talkpage in which this template is added gets added to a page called Category:Wikpedians seeking legal help? If yes, then how? The purpose would be to help newbies who do not know the complex laws of the Wikipedia and are being bullied by old users (including admins). ♔BADMIN♛ (आओ✍) 08:28, 14 September 2006 (UTC)

There are no laws on Wikipedia. If you feel you are being treated unfairly, go to the admins' noticeboard. Dan100 (Talk) 18:05, 21 September 2006 (UTC)

added a warning tag

...I added a warning tag to this template. When putting this template on non user talk pages, a warning tag will appear. Anyone opposes to this idea? AQu01rius (User • Talk) 01:08, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

Mmm, I just removed the warning tag system. I think a note like "Use {{helpme}} on your talk page" in the template is enough to steer people in the right direction (I suppose you could use the namespace detection to enable this warning, it doesn't matter much to me). The problem with the warning is that it is confusing and a little scary (eg "Oh no I have broken something I better stop using the {helpme} thing now"), and the people using {helpme} are sometimes more susceptible to confusion.--Commander Keane 00:19, 15 January 2007 (UTC)

Reason

I've removed the

Ask your question by typing {{helpme|question here}}.

part. Most who use this template don't actually do that. They type heaps and heaps underneath the template. For the ones that only do write a short bit, it makes it easier for the helpers to replace the {{helpme}} with {{subst:tl|helpme}}. If they've got text as a parameter it makes it {{helpme|How do I make text bold?}}, which can't be changed to {{subst:tl|helpme|How do I make text bold?}}, because it only has one parameter, the template name. . Of course we could just copy and paste it below, or just delete it, and leave it in the page history, but it seems the easiest option, not to encourage users to use the parameter, for the sake of ease of use :) — Deon555^talk_desk^{sign here!} 22:29, 27 March 2007 (UTC)

You can just use 'tlp' rather than 'tl' when the use in question's given a parameter. --ais523 15:45, 28 March 2007 (UTC)

Removing the Template

Why did it get changed to say: "Note to helpers: once you have offered help, please replace this template with {{tnull|helpme}}", when it used to say: Note to helpers: once you have offered help, please revove this template"? Nocturnal Wanderer ^{Sign here!} 21:13, 4 August 2007 (UTC)

I don't know, there no special reason why the template should not be removed, and the additional syntax makes the template less straightforward. —Centrx→talk • 23:25, 12 August 2007 (UTC)

One problem with the "tnull" is that if the same helpee adds a 2nd {{helpme}} request, it will not work if there is already a {{tnull|helpme}} on the page.--12 Noon ^2¢ 19:40, 13 December 2007 (UTC)

It should work. Why doesn't it?--Werdan7^{T @} 23:13, 19 December 2007 (UTC)

Strike that, either that was one of the days when things were funky with WP, or the user did not put it on the page properly and I did not look closely. In any case, I cannot locate the specific page that this was on and it works fine when I test it. So...Never mind.--12 Noon ^2¢ 23:44, 19 December 2007 (UTC)

Userbox

I added this here once before, I'm not sure where it went:

Code	Result
|{{User:UBX/helpme}}	This user helps Wikipedians by monitoring the {{helpme}} page.	Usage

Feel free to use —— Ryan ^(t)•(c) 09:11, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Namespace restriction

Why is this restricted to the user talk namespace? Although it's nice when people put it in the right space, it makes more sense to answer helpmes wherever they may be, rather than confuse new users trying to get it right. What's more hassle: removing a helpme from the wrong namespace and asking the question anyway, or cleaning up after a new user who's botched trying to put the helpme in the right place, and simultaneously tracking down what happened to the question? --ais523 18:09, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Absolutely, the namespace restriction is bad, it doesn't even leave the tagged page in the category so it is impossible to find the page.--Commander Keane (talk) 08:09, 20 September 2008 (UTC)

It should probably just check if it is any kind of talk page. The {{talk other}} template can do that for you.

--David Göthberg (talk) 00:37, 1 October 2008 (UTC)

Redesign idea

Feel free to mod. I was thinking of making it switch to use an exclamation point and the Speedy type if its not on a User talk page. ViperSnake151 20:53, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

That's slightly different, and actually uses {{Ombox}}, which has the effect of reducing the padding somewhat. The style/image can easily be changed. :-) Stwalkerster [ talk ] 21:04, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

Or you could linkify the IRC channel so they could request help there? —— RyanLupin • (talk) 21:17, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

I like it. Also I created {{donehelpme}} for completed requests. Gtstricky^{Talk or C} 21:59, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

I don' quite get what that template is supposed to do —— RyanLupin • (talk) 22:38, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

All it does is creates a new section header Help me question. I am being lazy. instead of using tnull and getting {{helpme}} we can just add done to the template and it formats nicely. So if they create a help me tag with: {{helpme|How do I get unblocked?}} and you add done to the begining it will display like this:

Help Me Question

"How do I get unblocked"

Gtstricky^{Talk or C} 14:17, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

Just added a helpers info line. I am not sure if it is needed or not. Gtstricky^{Talk or C} 14:32, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

Change the #wikipedia-en-help link to the IRC client. You can either use mibbit or the one on toolserver. —— nixeagle 16:20, 17 September 2008 (UTC)

Since this is a talk page message box I suggest it should use the talk page message box style standard. That is, I think it should be talk page brown. Perhaps with a yellow border like the suggestions above. And the easiest way to do that is to use the {{tmbox}}. So something like this:

I don't currently have much of a point of view on the text content, I just reused one of the examples above. But I have some thoughts:

• I think that we should recommend that the helpers use {{tl|helpme}} instead of {{tlnull|helpme}} to disable the template, since {{tl}} is simply shorter and nicer to use.
• If we link to instructions it should not be to Template:helpme/doc, but instead to Template:helpme. Linking directly to /doc page can get unwanted effects since /doc pages are coded to look nice on the template page, not on their own /doc page.

--David Göthberg (talk) 00:31, 1 October 2008 (UTC)

I agree with both your thoughts. {{tl}} is much shorter and easier to use. -download | sign! 02:12, 10 March 2009 (UTC)

New design deployed

I have now updated this template based on all the discussions above. Here are the changes and fixes I have done:

1: Made it use the standardised brown talk-page style, by using the {{tmbox}} meta-template. And I used the big yellow question mark image suggested above. The 60px image size is larger than the talk page message box guideline allows, but I think we can allow this template to be an exception.

2: It now uses the new message text and text styles suggested above.

3: I kept the recommendation to use {{tlx|helpme}} to disable the template, since that is what we recommend for other templates such as {{editprotected}}. And we can not use {{tl}} if the user have added the question as a parameter to the template, while {{tlx}} can handle parameters. (You can of course use {{tl}} if there is no parameter. If there is a parameter and you prefer the more compact normal text style then you can use {{tlp}}. Or if you don't want to link the template you can use {{tlnull}} or {{tlf}}, but I think not linking the template is a bit evil. The options are endless... :)

3: It now always categorises into Category:Wikipedians looking for help, no matter on what kind of page, so we can find all usage and answer. Previously it only categorised when on "User talk:" pages.

4: Minor detail: I added standard "category=" suppression, so we can make it not categorise when testing and demonstrating the template. That is, {{helpme|category=}} won't categorise.

5: It now always shows the whole box, even when placed on the wrong kind of pages. And instead of the old big scary red warning message it now shows a softer and nicer warning message that says "This template should only be used on talk pages". You know, don't bite the newcomers etc. This is also a change from before when it only could be used on user talk pages. Now it can be used on any talk page, since I think it can be good to be able to ask a question on the talk page of the page the question concerns. That means the answer is there for future reference for others that work with that page. See also the discussion above about this.

6: For backwards compatibility it still can take the question text as a parameter. (I even saw a user do that today, it must be mentioned on some help page somewhere.) But now this template renders the question text below the brown message box instead of inside it.

And I of course tested it all in this template's /sandbox and /testcases pages before I deployed it.

--David Göthberg (talk) 20:10, 12 March 2009 (UTC)

((adminhelp))

I am planning to rework the code and documentation of {{adminhelp}} so it works like {{helpme}}. I won't do much changes to the text content of it, since I already like the text. But I think it should have a softer error message when used on the "wrong" pages. And it should always categorise, so we can find all cases even when used on the wrong pages. See the list of fixes I did to {{helpme}} in the section above.

--David Göthberg (talk) 16:10, 15 March 2009 (UTC)

I have now updated the {{adminhelp}} template.

1: Before the update it broke down and became a blank box and didn't categorise when used on the wrong kinds of pages, now it instead always categorises and shows a soft warning message below itself when used on the wrong kind of pages.

2: For backwards compatibility it still can take the question text as a parameter. But now this template renders the question text below the brown message box instead of inside it.

3: I changed the "Note to admins" text to recommend using {{tlx}} instead of {{tlnull}}, since {{tlx}} gives a link to the template which means the user can later go there to find links to more help, or learn more about the template.

4: I did a major rework of the documentation. I think the documentation can need a little more work but I am not a native English speaker so I can't get the finer details just right.

5: I didn't change anything else in the template text. But I think the text can need a little work too:

5.1: I think the "If a response is not swiftly forthcoming" part needs quantifying. What is normal, an hour or several hours? We should state that. If I were a beginner I would think after about 5 minutes that the time was up and seek help elsewhere.

5.2: I don't think this template should talk that much about that "if you want to help out", since this template is for those that need help.

Anyway, this template is now technically sound. I'll leave the finer language details to you native English speakers.

--David Göthberg (talk) 00:38, 16 March 2009 (UTC)

IRC or not

{{adminhelp}}

The current wording of the {{adminhelp}} template suggests it pings IRC when placed on user talk pages. Is this, in fact, the case? If so, it should ping the admin channels rather than the regular one. If I recall correctly, the reason Category:Wikipedians looking for help from administrators is not a subcat of Category:Wikipedians looking for help is because that would have caused requests in the former category to ping IRC like the latter, which was deemed problematic. Skomorokh 08:36, 2 April 2009 (UTC)

No worries, the system works fine. Both templates ping the same IRC channel. There are many admins that hang out in #wikipedia-en-help. And we wouldn't want the help request pings in the admin channel, they would be very disturbing there. You are welcome to #wikipedia-en-help to see first hand how it works. (And hey, perhaps you want to try your skills at some non-admin help requests if you are in the mood?)

Technical details: The same bot watches both Category:Wikipedians looking for help and Category:Wikipedians looking for help from administrators. And then it pings the same IRC channel. And it continues to ping the channel once every three minutes as long as the request is up.

But let's do a test run: I added {{adminhelp}} above, can the admin that responds to it leave a short hello here? :))

--David Göthberg (talk) 13:31, 2 April 2009 (UTC)

I came, but then I saw I wasn't cool enough :( — Deon555^talk_{I'm BACK!} 13:35, 2 April 2009 (UTC)

By the way, many of the {{adminhelp}} requests are just advanced questions, and doesn't need admin rights. So even if there is no admin in the IRC channel at that moment then the users in the channel usually anyway can help out.

--David Göthberg (talk) 13:47, 2 April 2009 (UTC)

(non) Administrator Deon here, what be the problem? :) — Deon555^talk_{I'm BACK!} 13:49, 2 April 2009 (UTC)

DESPERATELY NEED HELP

Hi everybody. :) I'm 15 and I thought I'd just try this out for fun. I've made an article on Wikipedia, but it's a pretty bad one, and I don't know what to do now. I'm totally stuck! I don't know anything! I've read all the help pages, but they didn't help much. I don't know how to make words blue and then have them lead to another Wikipedia link or anything like that. I don't even know how to upload pictures. Somebody save me please! HenryShooter (talk) 06:03, 22 May 2009 (UTC)

Here it is by the way:

Posted article draft

Submachine Gun vs Combat Shotgun From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search This article is mainly aimed at listing the pros and cons for the two most common military weapons in the world for room clearance and CQC (close quarter combat). These weapons are the combat shotgun and the submachine gun, and they are both very effective for the line of work that they are generally enrolled in. There is much controversy over which weapon is more effective, and there will never be a definite answer to that. After researching all available resources, one must decide for oneself whether the power and versatility of the combat shotgun or the portability and rapid fire of the submachine gun is the best CQC weapon. [edit] Combat Shotgun The combat shotgun is the older technology of the two; shotguns have been in service with the U.S. military for over a century. They are generally low-maintenance, smooth-bore weapons that traditionally fire a variety of 12-gauge shotgun shells. This type of ammunition comes in many different types, including birdshot, 00 buck, and slugs. These munitions make the combat shotgun one of the most formidable anti-personnel firearms within 100 yards of a target because of the high velocity and power of the multiple projectiles expelled from the gun. Multiple projectiles also mean more lead-on-target, more penetration, and more lethality in anti-personnel situations. Shotgun slugs are generally used for missions such as door breaching, and this is another one of the key functions of a shotgun. Rifle rounds are sometimes unable to penetrate or incapacitate door-locking mechanisms (or enemy personnel), and a shotgun is able to expel the entire device with one shot. Combat shotguns are also ideal for room clearance in areas even the size of a bedroom, due to their relatively compact size and “spread” ability when fired, which creates a better chance of hitting a target in a close quarter combat environment. Shotguns also have a high penetration level, which results in more enemy vulnerability. There are disadvantages with conventional combat shotguns as well, one of them being that they are descended from hunting rifles. This is evident even with standard models in areas such as the tubular magazine, pump-action, and front sight post. Traditional shotguns sport a very low rate of fire, and do not generally hold an extensive amount of ammunition. They also have high recoil, and are associated with an extremely short range when compared to other firearms in terms of lethality and accuracy. However, militaries around the world are beginning to use and standardize semiautomatic and fully automatic shotguns into their weapon arsenal. An example would be the Auto Assault 12 (AA 12) shotgun, which the United States Marine Corps is running through trials. It is a fully automatic, low-recoil, self-cleaning, self-lubricating, ultra-reliable 12-gauge shotgun, capable of 300 rounds a minute. It sports a 20-round drum magazine, and has a range of up to 100 yards with standard munitions. It has the least amount of recoil of any shotgun to date, allowing soldiers who only weigh 100 pounds the ability to use it in combat. The product designers say that it is also lubrication and cleaning free, thanks to the recoil and feeding system it uses. There is also a new shotgun shell called the Frag-12, a stabilized 12 gauge warhead that arms itself after being fired. It has a range of 175 meters with the AA12, and is produced in three different types: armor piercing, high explosive, and fragmentation. Together, these types of weapons may be the future of combat shotguns. [edit] Submachine Gun On the other side of the spectrum, the submachine gun is another widely used CQC weapon. For the sake of this comparison, PDWs will also be categorized as submachine guns as well. These weapons are generally very compact, light and portable, which is ideal for CQC. They also sport a high rate of fire, average ammunition capacity, and small-caliber ammunition. SMGs are standard issue to personnel who don’t generally need the protection an assault rifle brings, such as pilots, tank crewmen and vehicle drivers. They are able to reach out to distances that a pistol can’t, and still remain small enough to be considered a sidearm. Their high rate of fire allows for maximum security when in close quarters, and the expression “spray and pray” refers to the high rate of fire combined with the high recoil of an SMG. Room clearance is what the submachine gun is made for, and it's able to clear out a room in seconds. SMGs generally fire pistol rounds, which are ideal because of their small size and portability. A smaller round also means less recoil and a faster rate of fire for the gun. However, these pistol rounds, including the 9mm and .45 caliber, do not have a high penetration rate, and they also do not sport high lethality when compared to rifle rounds or shotgun shells. They also have a shorter range than larger calibers, partly because they are usually fired from a CQC-length barrel, which is short to ensure maneuverability. PDWs are an exception, such as the P90 or MP7A1, for they fire small rifle rounds instead, but these rifles still have to deal with problems such as recoil and lethality. SMGs have also been known to have a farther range than some shotguns, with an effective range of 50-100 meters and a maximum range of 150 meters. These types of firearms are known to have high recoil, due to the fact that the weapon itself is light and small, offering no resistance and forcing the muzzle to rise upward dramatically. This causes more and more shots to stray off target, and minimizes accuracy and range. SMGs have also been known to not be as reliable as other CQC weapons such as the combat shotgun, because they have a very high rate of fire and have a lot more moving parts than a traditional pump-action mechanism. However, recent developments in technology have allowed small caliber weapons the ability to sport less recoil than conventional weapons. An example of this is the TD KRISS Vector, which is a .45 ACP submachine gun that minimizes recoil better than any other gun in its class. It uses a system which forces recoil down instead back into the shooter’s shoulder, producing 60% less felt recoil and 90% less muzzle climb than conventional weapons, like the MP5 (the MP5 even fires the smaller 9mm round, which has less recoil than the .45 ACP). The KRISS also fires at 1500 rounds per minute, which is extremely high, and is a lighter and therefore more portable weapon than the MP5 as well. It is a huge breakthrough for firearms around the world. It is not totally clear whether the submachine gun or the combat shotgun is the best choice for a CQC mission, but it’s obvious that they are both sufficient for the missions they are generally expected to accomplish. http://world.guns.ru/shotgun/sh29-e.htm http://world.guns.ru/smg/smg96-e.htm

—Preceding unsigned comment added by HenryShooter (talk • contribs) 06:08, 22 May 2009 (UTC) HenryShooter (talk) 06:11, 22 May 2009 (UTC)

This isn't what this page is for. --King ♣ Talk 20:33, 5 August 2009 (UTC)

In addition (in case I sound cold :P), his request has been answered already on his talk page. --King ♣ Talk 21:38, 5 August 2009 (UTC)

adminhelp wording

Currently, the wording of the {{adminhelp}} template header is:

Admin, I am looking for help!

Personally, I think that sounds a little abrupt – what about a change to something like:

I am looking for help from an administrator!

or something similar? haz (talk) 14:31, 7 June 2009 (UTC)

I've made the change – if anyone's unhappy with it, feel free to discuss. haz (talk) 11:28, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Deletion of account?

I would like to formally request my account be deleted; if that is not possible, then please delete my user and talk pages. RaptorR3d (talk) 17:57, 31 August 2009 (UTC)

This isn't the place for requests, but I've placed CSDs on your user and talk pages, per user request. --King Öomie 19:47, 31 August 2009 (UTC)

Linking to IRC

How about put a link to the Wikipedia help channel using webchat freenode? --Tyw7  (Talk • Contributions)   Changing the world one edit at a time! 09:22, 6 January 2010 (UTC)

{{tl}} vs. {{tlp}}

Why must answerers replace the {{helpme}} code with {{tlp|helpme}} instead of {{tl|helpme}}? I know it wouldn't save much time, but is there an actual function between either? (Since I seem to attract "you're-a-noob-answers," I'm looking for the difference between the two, not what either one does.) Thanks. – Kerαunoςcopia^◁_galaxies 02:43, 28 April 2010 (UTC)

The latter can be used to show extra parameters that one needs to include or had been included in a template, which isn't necessary for the helpme template (it doesn't carry any parameters). An example could be {{Unsigned|Killiondude}}. {{Unsigned}} doesn't show the parameter. Killiondude (talk) 04:24, 28 April 2010 (UTC)

Ahhh, that's awesome, okay than you! – Kerαunoςcopia^◁_galaxies 05:22, 28 April 2010 (UTC)

Design Update

Speaking with Chzz and some other users in the IRC, we talked about letting the person requesting help to show how skilled they are with wikipedia and wikicode. this can be useful for beginers because when i ask for help, i sometimes get answers which i do not understand and are far to advanced for me. thats why i made {{User:Sophie/sandbox10}} as a pre design. instructions can be found on user:sophie/sandbox9. the "1", "2", "3"... are taken from the babel idea but after a review from chzz, this could be changed to B (beginer) M (moderate) A (advanced). the default option would be the beginer option as a new commer would not know how to change the options and because not all helpers assume that the person who needs help is a beginner based on how long they have been on Wikipedia. Please let me know what you think

NB: im not sure whats up with the template link above, but the page can be found at User:Sophie/sandbox9.

Sophie ^(Talk) 08:05, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

I think it's a good idea. The only thing I can foresee with this though is that the beginner option would be the only one used. As advanced users are unlikely to need help or are more resourceful than to need to use the helpme template in the first place. -- œ^™ 05:04, 4 June 2010 (UTC)

Firefox and IRC link

{adminhelp}} The current template uses a link "irc://irc.freenode.net/wikipedia-en-help", in Firefox irc://* requests are handled by a site call Mibbit, and Firefox changes the link to "https://www.mibbit.com/?url=irc%3A%2F%2Firc.freenode.net%2Fwikipedia-en-help", Firefox seems to be unsupported as it hangs "Loading..."!

Please change the template link to: "http://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=wikipedia-en-help", to allow more compatibility as some browsers don't use the irc:// protocol well but all browsers are able to understand http:// requests.