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The Signpost: 14 October 2015

The Signpost: 21 October 2015

Metal/grunge

Hey, I started a discussion at Talk:Heavy_metal_music#Grunge_as_derivative_form, reacting to your reversal of my edit and the reason you gave. Feel free to remove this message.--MASHAUNIX 20:07, 27 October 2015 (UTC)

VisualEditor News #5—2015

Read this in another languageSubscription list for this multilingual newsletter

Did you know?
You can use the visual editor on smartphones and tablets.

Screenshot showing the menu for switching from the wikitext editor to VisualEditor

Click the pencil icon to open the editor for a page. Inside that, use the gear menu in the upper right corner to "Switch to visual editing".

The editing button will remember which editing environment you used last time, and give you the same one next time. The desktop site will be switching to a system similar to this one in the coming months.

You can read and help translate the user guide, which has more information about how to use the visual editor.

Since the last newsletter, the VisualEditor Team has fixed many bugs, added new features, and made some small design changes. They post weekly status reports on mediawiki.org. Their workboard is available in Phabricator. Their current priorities are improving support for languages like Japanese and Arabic, making it easier to edit on mobile devices, and providing rich-media tools for formulæ, charts, galleries and uploading.

Recent improvements

Educational features: The first time you use the visual editor, it now draws your attention to the Link and ⧼visualeditor-toolbar-cite-label⧽ tools. When you click on the tools, it explains why you should use them. (T108620) Alongside this, the welcome message for new users has been simplified to make editing more welcoming. (T112354) More in-software educational features are planned.

Links:  It is now easier to understand when you are adding text to a link and when you are typing plain text next to it. (T74108T91285) The editor now fully supports ISBN, PMID or RFC numbers. (T109498, T110347, T63558)  These "magic links" use a custom link editing tool.

Uploads:  Registered editors can now upload images and other media to Commons while editing. Click the new tab in the "Insert Images and media" tool. You will be guided through the process without having to leave your edit. At the end, the image will be inserted. This tool is limited to one file at a time, owned by the user, and licensed under Commons's standard license. For more complex situations, the tool links to more advanced upload tools. You can also drag the image into the editor. This will be available in the wikitext editor later.

Mobile:  Previously, the visual editor was available on the mobile Wikipedia site only on tablets. Now, editors can use the visual editor on any size of device. (T85630)  Edit conflicts were previously broken on the mobile website. Edit conflicts can now be resolved in both wikitext and visual editors. (T111894) Sometimes templates and similar items could not be deleted on the mobile website. Selecting them caused the on-screen keyboard to hide with some browsers. Now there is a new "Delete" button, so that these things can be removed if the keyboard hides. (T62110) You can also edit table cells in mobile now.

Rich editing tools:  You can now add and edit sheet music in the visual editor. (T112925)  There are separate tabs for advanced options, such as MIDI and Ogg audio files. (T114227 and T113354)  When editing formulæ and other blocks, errors are shown as you edit. It is also possible to edit some types of graphs; adding new ones, and support for new types, will be coming.

On the English Wikipedia, the visual editor is now automatically available to anyone who creates an account. The preference switch was moved to the normal location, under Special:Preferences.

Future changes

You will soon be able to switch from the wikitext to the visual editor after you start editing. (T49779) Previously, you could only switch from the visual editor to the wikitext editor. Bi-directional switching will make possible a single edit tab. (T102398) This project will combine the "Edit" and "Edit source" tabs into a single "Edit" tab, similar to the system already used on the mobile website. The "Edit" tab will open whichever editing environment you used last time.

Let's work together

If you can't read this in your favorite language, then please help us with translations! Subscribe to the Translators mailing list or contact us directly, so that we can notify you when the next issue is ready. Thank you!

Whatamidoing (WMF) 04:16, 30 October 2015 (UTC)

Five million articles!

                                                  We've reached five million!!                                                  

The English Wikipedia now has over 5,000,000 articles! Woo-hoo!

Feel free to pass this message on! You can never celebrate too much. 5 000 000

Eman235/talk 17:45, 1 November 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 28 October 2015

life span

Do you have any specific reasons to describe the life span of the Byzantine Empire as "c. 330 –1204" and "1261 –1453"? I don't think the Byzantine Empire as a state discontinued to exist during the period of 1204 and 1261. It simply lost the capital Constantinople and existed as a rump state based in Nicaea during this period. This is similar to the situation of the Republic of China after 1949, and we can't say ROC no longer exists after 1949 in Wikipedia. Most sources such as this, this and this also consider the Byzantine Empire to last from 330 to 1453. --Cartakes (talk) 21:58, 2 November 2015 (UTC)

Because the Empire of Trebizond and Despotate of Epirus were also contenders for rule of the Empire. The only reason that Nicea is considered the legitimate continuation of the Empire is because they managed to re-take Constantinople. Up until that point, there was no one "Byzantine Empire," just three rival states each attempting to restore the Empire. The Byzantium article itself, in the lead, stresses how the 1204 conquest effectively shattered the power of the Byzantine Empire, and I would say that it is presumptuous to say that Nicea somehow was a continuation of the Empire through the next 60-so years of turmoil when the other two rump states weren't. The difference this and the situation with the ROC is that the ROC still exists, it just doesn't hold the territory it used to. Yes, Trebizond continued until even after the fall of Constantinople, but because Nicea re-captured the former capital, it was recognized as the legitimate successor. To use your ROC analogy, currently the article on "China" directs to the PROC. If, somehow, the ROC managed to recapture all or most of mainland, historical China, I am pretty sure that it would become the focus of our main article. This isn't saying that ROC doesn't exist, but that it isn't, right now, considered the legitimate "China." Nicea wasn't the "legitimate" Byzantium until they managed to retake Constantinople.--3family6 (Talk to me | See what I have done) 22:13, 2 November 2015 (UTC)
OK, there are some differences between the Byzantine Empire and the ROC as you pointed out. However, we can simply consider that the Byzantine Empire was divided into the states based in Nicaea, Trebizond, and Epirius during this period. The Mongol Empire was also divided since 1260, but in historiography we don't say the Mongol Empire ceased to exist after 1260. I think we'd better try to base on how sources would say instead, and the sources I mentioned above all consider the Byzantine Empire to last from 330 to 1453. --Cartakes (talk) 22:23, 2 November 2015 (UTC)
I don't have firm stake in this, so I'm open to keeping the article as it was. What sparked this was that I noticed that the article for the Turkic Khaganate had listed the Khaganate as existing from 552-744, when in actuality it completely split apart, the rival factions subjugated by the Tang dynasty, and then later was reformed. This isn't similar to the Byzantine Empire, but it was the change that I implemented there that caused me to consider the Byzantine Empire article. I did look through the article first, and it does seem as though the Empire effectively ceased to exist as a unified entity until the re-capture of Constantinople. You could argue that in the long-term, it was a short interregnum, and that for a timeline you can pass over it, but I felt that the change I implemented is within the scope of both historical consensus and the guidelines for the "life span" parameter. You make a good point about the Mongol Empire - I've thought about initiating a discussion as to whether the time line should stop at 1260 or 1264, but you can make the argument that, though there were rival states, the Yuan dynasty managed to successfully retain the title as a continuation of the Great Mongol Empire. From what I understand, only the Chagatai Khanate ever seriously challenged the Yuan as the "Mongol Empire - the Ilkhanate generally supported the Yuan, and thus did not contest this supremacy, while the Golden Horde didn't make a claim to be the "Great Mongol Empire." And all three, for a few decades, at point accepted the Yuan as supreme. But I wouldn't be opposed to ending the timeline at c. 1260 instead of 1368, and I have commented that the image associated with the Empire, depicting it's expansion, is inaccurate in that it suggests that the fragmentation was later then it actually was. Going back to the Byzantine Empire, again, I'm not trying to make this a hill to die on or anything, I just thought that it was something that was within the scope of the infobox documentation and the historical narrative.--3family6 (Talk to me | See what I have done) 01:13, 3 November 2015 (UTC)
I agree that for the Mughal Empire at least, there was an uncontroversial break between 1540 and 1555 when the empire simply ceased to exist. But for the Byzantine Empire, I think it is at least controversial to say so for the period mentioned. How about keeping it the way it was, but with a note that the empire is sometimes considered to be non-existent between 1204 and 1261? Thanks. --Cartakes (talk) 01:36, 3 November 2015 (UTC)
I'm not opposed to that.--3family6 (Talk to me | See what I have done) 01:38, 3 November 2015 (UTC)

The Metal project welcomes 3family6!

The Metal project welcomes a new member 3family6 to the team! Thank you for your enlistment and with that we shall get this project revived! --Xavier (talk) 15:44, 5 November 2015 (UTC)

Thanks, and you're welcome!--3family6 (Talk to me | See what I have done) 15:46, 5 November 2015 (UTC)

Wikiprojects

Thanks for asking me about the Christain metal wikiprojects! Yes I have just recently (like five seconds ago) joined! --Metalworker14 (Yo) 16:36, 5 November 2015 (UTC)

Page errors

Your page has some scripting errors. Certain elements are not displaying properly. I use the latest version of Chrome on a PC computer. --Xavier (talk) 15:42, 5 November 2015 (UTC)

@Xavier enc:: What kind of errors? Thanks for notifying me.--3family6 (Talk to me | See what I have done) 16:27, 6 November 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 04 November 2015

Precious again

A year ago, you were recipient no. 1024 of
Precious, a prize of QAI!

--Gerda Arendt (talk) 23:43, 8 November 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 11 November 2015

The Signpost: 18 November 2015

Hi,
You appear to be eligible to vote in the current Arbitration Committee election. The Arbitration Committee is the panel of editors responsible for conducting the Wikipedia arbitration process. It has the authority to enact binding solutions for disputes between editors, primarily related to serious behavioural issues that the community has been unable to resolve. This includes the ability to impose site bans, topic bans, editing restrictions, and other measures needed to maintain our editing environment. The arbitration policy describes the Committee's roles and responsibilities in greater detail. If you wish to participate, you are welcome to review the candidates' statements and submit your choices on the voting page. For the Election committee, MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 13:57, 24 November 2015 (UTC)

And now for something

...completely different! ;) Hey Fam, I suspect this is a little outside of your wheelhouse, but would you mind taking a look at my latest FAC? It failed last time, only because no one reviewed it. I'd really like for it to fail again for the same reason, so I'm canvassing (not really) my buddies here to help out. I'd appreciate it. Don't know if you celebrate Thanksgiving, but if so, I hope yours was as nice as mine. If not, best to you anyway. Christine (Figureskatingfan) (talk) 16:58, 27 November 2015 (UTC)

I do celebrate Thanksgiving, and it was great, thank you! Sure, I'll check out your FAC.--3family6 (Talk to me | See what I have done) 17:00, 27 November 2015 (UTC)
Oh good! Thanks so much. Christine (Figureskatingfan) (talk) 19:52, 27 November 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 25 November 2015

Proposed deletion of Helvete (journal)

The article Helvete (journal) has been proposed for deletion because of the following concern:

Non-notable, relatively new journal. Not indexed in any selective databases, no independent sources. Does not meet WP:NJournals or WP:GNG.

While all constructive contributions to Wikipedia are appreciated, content or articles may be deleted for any of several reasons.

You may prevent the proposed deletion by removing the {{proposed deletion/dated}} notice, but please explain why in your edit summary or on the article's talk page.

Please consider improving the article to address the issues raised. Removing {{proposed deletion/dated}} will stop the proposed deletion process, but other deletion processes exist. In particular, the speedy deletion process can result in deletion without discussion, and articles for deletion allows discussion to reach consensus for deletion. Randykitty (talk) 09:45, 6 December 2015 (UTC)

Nomination of Helvete (journal) for deletion

A discussion is taking place as to whether the article Helvete (journal) is suitable for inclusion in Wikipedia according to Wikipedia's policies and guidelines or whether it should be deleted.

The article will be discussed at Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Helvete (journal) until a consensus is reached, and anyone is welcome to contribute to the discussion. The nomination will explain the policies and guidelines which are of concern. The discussion focuses on high-quality evidence and our policies and guidelines.

Users may edit the article during the discussion, including to improve the article to address concerns raised in the discussion. However, do not remove the article-for-deletion notice from the top of the article. Randykitty (talk) 21:51, 6 December 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 02 December 2015

Nominations for the Military history WikiProject historian and newcomer of the year awards now open!

On behalf of the Military history WikiProject's Coordinators, we would like to extend an invitation to nominate deserving editors for the 2015 Military historian of the year and Military history newcomer of the year awards. The nomination period will run from 7 December to 23:59 13 December, with the election phase running from 14 December to 23:59 21 December. MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 05:04, 7 December 2015 (UTC)

Signpost

Hi Kenneth. I'm the Signpost recruiter and I am happy to meet you! I understand you might be interested in joining the Signpost team. I wonder if you have any questions about the Publication area of the paper (the section you mentioned on @Galaliel's page), or anything else Signpost related? I have your talkpage watchlisted, and I hope to hear from you, but if you're busy with other things, no worries. P.S., I brought some coffee and cookies along; hope you like them. --Rosiestep (talk) 05:06, 9 December 2015 (UTC)

I'm definitely interested in helping out a the Signpost. I think I understand the basics of Publication: Put together the front page, check for errors, and then a bot will mass-send the Signpost. Is there anything else that I should now? Thanks for contacting me!--3family6 (Talk to me | See what I have done) 15:41, 9 December 2015 (UTC)

Believe (Cher song) - Cher as songwriter?

Cher is having interview through live chat in December 2000 [1]. She said that she wrote the second verse of the song. However cherworld.com is probably an unofficial online, unless any reliable sources could find per same interview text. You can use ASCAP credits for the song. 123.136.111.63 (talk) 16:17, 7 December 2015 (UTC)

I found another two cites rather than interview transcript that I posted on talk page of the article. (Although I'm the same person with different IP)123.136.111.49 (talk) 03:03, 10 December 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 09 December 2015

The Signpost: 16 December 2015

Season's Greetings!

Use {{subst:Season's Greetings}} to send this message
Thank you!--3family6 (Talk to me | See what I have done) 20:57, 20 December 2015 (UTC)

VisualEditor News #6—2015

Read this in another languageSubscription list

Did you know?

A new, simpler system for editing will offer a single Edit button. Once the page has opened, you can switch back and forth between visual and wikitext editing.

Screenshot showing a pop-up dialog for switching from the wikitext editor to VisualEditor
If you prefer having separate edit buttons, then you can set that option in your preferences, either in a pop-up dialog the next time you open the visual editor, or by going to Special:Preferences and choosing the setting that you want:
Screenshot showing a drop-down menu in Special:Preferences

The current plan is for the default setting to have the Edit button open the editing environment you used most recently.

You can read and help translate the user guide, which has more information about how to use the visual editor.

Since the last newsletter, the VisualEditor Team has fixed many bugs and expanded the mathematics formula tool. Their workboard is available in Phabricator. Their current priorities are improving support for languages such as Japanese and Arabic, and providing rich-media tools for formulæ, charts, galleries and uploading.

Recent improvements

You can switch from the wikitext editor to the visual editor after you start editing.

The LaTeX mathematics formula editor has been significantly expanded. (T118616) You can see the formula as you change the LaTeX code. You can click buttons to insert the correct LaTeX code for many symbols.

Future changes

The single edit tab project will combine the "Edit" and "Edit source" tabs into a single "Edit" tab, like the system already used on the mobile website. (T102398) Initially, the "Edit" tab will open whichever editing environment you used last time. Your last editing choice will be stored as a cookie for logged-out users and as an account preference for logged-in editors. Logged-in editors will be able to set a default editor in the Editing tab of Special:Preferences in the drop-down menu about "Editing mode:".

The visual editor will be offered to all editors at the following Wikipedias in early 2016: Amharic, Buginese, Min Dong, Cree, Manx, Hakka, Armenian, Georgian, Pontic, Serbo-Croatian, Tigrinya, Mingrelian, Zhuang, and Min Nan. (T116523) Please post your comments and the language(s) that you tested at the feedback thread on mediawiki.org. The developers would like to know how well it works. Please tell them what kind of computer, web browser, and keyboard you are using.

In 2016, the feedback pages for the visual editor on many Wikipedias will be redirected to mediawiki.org. (T92661)

Testing opportunities

  • Please try the new system for the single edit tab on test2.wikipedia.org. You can edit while logged out to see how it works for logged-out editors, or you can create a separate account to be able to set your account's preferences. Please share your thoughts about the single edit tab system at the feedback topic on mediawiki.org or sign up for formal user research (type "single edit tab" in the question about other areas you're interested in). The new system has not been finalized, and your feedback can affect the outcome. The team particularly wants your thoughts about the options in Special:Preferences. The current choices in Special:Preferences are:
    • Remember my last editor,
    • Always give me the visual editor if possible, 
    • Always give me the source editor, and 
    • Show me both editor tabs.  (This is the current state for people using the visual editor. None of these options will be visible if you have disabled the visual editor in your preferences at that wiki.)
  • Can you read and type in Korean or Japanese? Language engineer David Chan needs people who know which tools people use to type in some languages. If you speak Japanese or Korean, you can help him test support for these languages. Please see the instructions at mw:VisualEditor/IME Testing#What to test if you can help, and report it on Phabricator (Korean - Japanese) or on Wikipedia (Korean - Japanese).

If you aren't reading this in your favorite language, then please help us with translations! Subscribe to the Translators mailing list or contact us directly, so that we can notify you when the next issue is ready. Thank you!

Whatamidoing (WMF), 00:54, 24 December 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 30 December 2015

Continuous of Believe (Cher song) request

I found another two sources to posted on the article's talk page (Cher has writing input to the song). 123.136.112.59 (talk) 06:36, 2 January 2016 (UTC)

The Signpost: 06 January 2016

Hi. Thank you for your recent edits. Wikipedia appreciates your help. We noticed though that when you edited List of musical supergroups, you added a link pointing to the disambiguation page Alas. Such links are almost always unintended, since a disambiguation page is merely a list of "Did you mean..." article titles. Read the FAQ • Join us at the DPL WikiProject.

It's OK to remove this message. Also, to stop receiving these messages, follow these opt-out instructions. Thanks, DPL bot (talk) 09:17, 15 January 2016 (UTC)

The Signpost: 13 January 2016

The Signpost: 20 January 2016

Hi. Thank you for your recent edits. Wikipedia appreciates your help. We noticed though that when you edited Left Out, you added a link pointing to the disambiguation page Supergroup. Such links are almost always unintended, since a disambiguation page is merely a list of "Did you mean..." article titles. Read the FAQ • Join us at the DPL WikiProject.

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The Signpost: 27 January 2016

Thanks!

Didn't get a chance to thank you on the DYK nomination page for Corruption in Uzbekistan. Thanks for your aid and guidance. Let me know if there's ever anything you need that I can help with. Best. DaltonCastle (talk) 18:33, 29 January 2016 (UTC)

You're welcome!--3family6 (Talk to me | See what I have done) 18:35, 29 January 2016 (UTC)

GA Cup

Hey! I noticed that during last year's GA Cup, the points allocation often took some time. Since I am busy competing in the WikiCup, I will not return to the GA Cup this year as a participant, but if you guys need a hand in the judging procedures, I'd be happy to help. Cheers, Zwerg Nase (talk) 10:28, 1 February 2016 (UTC)

Talk to Figureskatingfan. We'd love to have you as a judge!--3family6 (Talk to me | See what I have done) 15:38, 1 February 2016 (UTC)
@Zwerg Nase: the more the merrier! Thanks, and welcome to the team. Christine (Figureskatingfan) (talk) 18:46, 3 February 2016 (UTC)
@Figureskatingfan: Wonderful, thank you :) Zwerg Nase (talk) 20:30, 3 February 2016 (UTC)

Hi. Thank you for your recent edits. Wikipedia appreciates your help. We noticed though that when you edited Steve Taylor & The Perfect Foil, you added a link pointing to the disambiguation page The National. Such links are almost always unintended, since a disambiguation page is merely a list of "Did you mean..." article titles. Read the FAQ • Join us at the DPL WikiProject.

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DYK for Church Clothes 3

Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 00:02, 7 February 2016 (UTC)

2016 GA Cup

WikiProject Good Articles's 2016 GA Cup

Greetings, all!

We would like to announce the start of the 3rd GA Cup, a competition that seeks to encourage the reviewing of Good article nominations! Thus far, there have been two GA Cups; both were successful in reaching our goals of significantly reducing the traditionally long queue at GAN, so we're doing it again. Currently, there are over 500 nominations listed and about 450 articles waiting to be reviewed. We hope that we can again make an impact this time.

The 3rd GA Cup will begin on March 1, 2016. Four rounds are currently scheduled (which will bring the competition to a close on July 31, 2016), but this may change based on participant numbers. There will be slight changes to the scoring system, based upon feedback we've received in the months since GA Cup #2. The sign-up and submissions process will remain the same. We're also looking to spice up the competition a bit by running parallel competitions. Finally, there's a possibility of assisting a WikiProject Good Articles backlog drive in the last three weeks of February, before our competition. Please stay tuned for more information as we get it.

Sign-ups for the upcoming competition are currently open and will close on February 20, 2015. Everyone is welcome to join; new and old editors, so sign-up now!

If you have any questions, take a look at the FAQ page and/or contact one of the judges.

Cheers from 3family6, Figureskatingfan, Jaguar and MrWooHoo.

To subscribe or unsubscribe to future GA Cup newsletters, please add or remove your name to our mailing list. If you are a participant, you will be on the mailing list no matter what as this is the easiest way to communicate between all participants.

MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 02:31, 8 February 2016 (UTC)

The Signpost: 03 February 2016

Hi. Thank you for your recent edits. Wikipedia appreciates your help. We noticed though that you've added some links pointing to disambiguation pages. Such links are almost always unintended, since a disambiguation page is merely a list of "Did you mean..." article titles. Read the FAQ • Join us at the DPL WikiProject.

List of musical supergroups
added a link pointing to Andy Irvine
Soup the Chemist
added a link pointing to Broken Records

It's OK to remove this message. Also, to stop receiving these messages, follow these opt-out instructions. Thanks, DPL bot (talk) 12:52, 11 February 2016 (UTC)

From the Recruiter's desk at "The Signpost"

Hello, 3family6. Please check your email; you've got mail!
It may take a few minutes from the time the email is sent for it to show up in your inbox. You can remove this notice at any time by removing the {{You've got mail}} or {{ygm}} template.

--Rosiestep (talk) 14:59, 11 February 2016 (UTC)

DYK for Sometime

Hello, 3family6. You have new messages at Template:Did you know nominations/Sometime (Gene Thomas song).
You can remove this notice at any time by removing the {{Talkback}} or {{Tb}} template.

--GDuwenTell me! 19:14, 11 February 2016 (UTC)

Antestor

You may not have used this review from Cornerstone Magazine.The Cross Bearer (talk) 12:01, 14 February 2016 (UTC)

No, I don't think it is used. Thanks!--3family6 (Talk to me | See what I have done) 04:27, 15 February 2016 (UTC)

The Signpost: 10 February 2016

Ratt song and album pages

Would you check any unreliable sources? 123.136.111.174 (talk) 11:01, 15 February 2016 (UTC)

I'll compile a list of what I find tonight when I get off my shift at work.--3family6 (Talk to me | See what I have done) 15:10, 15 February 2016 (UTC)

DYK nomination of Sintax the Terrific

Hello! Your submission of Sintax the Terrific at the Did You Know nominations page has been reviewed, and some issues with it may need to be clarified. Please review the comment(s) underneath your nomination's entry and respond there as soon as possible. Thank you for contributing to Did You Know! Coffee // have a cup // beans // 17:17, 15 February 2016 (UTC)

The Signpost: 17 February 2016

DYK for Sivion

Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 00:03, 23 February 2016 (UTC)

The Signpost: 24 February 2016

FA review

Hey Mick, can you review Ride the Lightning for an FA on its nomination page? The image and source reviews are done so far, but I haven't received a prose review yet. Thanks in advance.--Retrohead (talk) 13:33, 25 February 2016 (UTC)

Yeah, I'll take a look!--3family6 (Talk to me | See what I have done) 14:43, 25 February 2016 (UTC)

VisualEditor News #1—2016

Read this in another languageSubscription list for this multilingual newsletter

Did you know?
Among experienced editors, the visual editor's table editing is one of the most popular features.
Screenshot showing a pop-up menu for column operations in a table
If you select the top of a column or the end of a row, you can quickly insert and remove columns and rows.

Now, you can also rearrange columns and rows. Click "Move before" or "Move after" to swap the column or row with its neighbor.

You can read and help translate the user guide, which has more information about how to use the visual editor.

Since the last newsletter, the VisualEditor Team has fixed many bugs. Their workboard is available in Phabricator. Their current priorities are improving support for Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Indic, and Han scripts, and improving the single edit tab interface.

Recent changes

You can switch from the wikitext editor to the visual editor after you start editing. This function is available to nearly all editors at most wikis except the Wiktionaries and Wikisources.

Many local feedback pages for the visual editor have been redirected to mw:VisualEditor/Feedback.

You can now re-arrange columns and rows in tables, as well as copying a row, column or any other selection of cells and pasting it in a new location.

The formula editor has two options: you can choose "Quick edit" to see and change only the LaTeX code, or "Edit" to use the full tool. The full tool offers immediate preview and an extensive list of symbols.

Future changes

The single edit tab project will combine the "Edit" and "Edit source" tabs into a single "Edit" tab. This is similar to the system already used on the mobile website. (T102398) Initially, the "Edit" tab will open whichever editing environment you used last time. Your last editing choice will be stored as an account preference for logged-in editors, and as a cookie for logged-out users. Logged-in editors will have these options in the Editing tab of Special:Preferences:

  • Remember my last editor,
  • Always give me the visual editor if possible,
  • Always give me the source editor, and
  • Show me both editor tabs.  (This is the state for people using the visual editor now.)

The visual editor uses the same search engine as Special:Search to find links and files. This search will get better at detecting typos and spelling mistakes soon. These improvements to search will appear in the visual editor as well.

The visual editor will be offered to all editors at most "Phase 6" Wikipedias during the next few months. The developers would like to know how well the visual editor works in your language. They particularly want to know whether typing in your language feels natural in the visual editor. Please post your comments and the language(s) that you tested at the feedback thread on mediawiki.org. This will affect the following languages: Japanese, Korean, Urdu, Persian, Arabic, Tamil, Marathi, Malayalam, Hindi, Bengali, Assamese, Thai, Aramaic and others.

Let's work together

If you aren't reading this in your favorite language, then please help us with translations! Subscribe to the Translators mailing list or contact us directly, so that we can notify you when the next issue is ready. Thanks!

Whatamidoing (WMF) 17:46, 25 February 2016 (UTC)