Wikipedia:Bots/Requests for approval/Lightbot 8

The following discussion is an archived debate. Please do not modify it. To request review of this BRFA, please start a new section at WT:BRFA. The result of the discussion was

Approved.

Lightbot 8[edit]

Operator: Lightmouse (talk · contribs)

Automatic or Manually assisted: Automatic supervised

Programming language(s): AWB, monobook, vector, manual

Source code available: Source code for monobook or vector are available. Source code for AWB will vary but versions are often also kept as user pages.

Function overview: Make unit formats consistent: 'kph', 'kphr', 'kmh', 'kmhr', 'kmph', 'kmphr', 'km/hr', etc. (including variations with upper case) to 'km/h'

Links to relevant discussions (where appropriate):
This request duplicates part of the function "Edits may modify the format of units" in Wikipedia:Bots/Requests for approval/Lightbot 3. That BRFA was very similar to the two previous approvals: Wikipedia:Bots/Requests for approval/Lightbot and Wikipedia:Bots/Requests for approval/Lightbot 2.

Edit period(s): Multiple runs. Often by batch based on preprocessed list of selected target articles.

Estimated number of pages affected: Individual runs of tens, or hundreds, or thousands.

Exclusion compliant (Y/N): Yes, will comply with 'nobots'

Already has a bot flag (Y/N): No

Function details:
The format 'km/h' is the symbolic form for 'kilometres per hour'. This bot will replace non-standard formats (e.g. 'kph', 'kphr', 'kmh', 'kmhr', 'kmph', 'kmphr', 'km/hr', etc.) with 'km/h'. wp:mosnum says: When unit symbols are combined by division, use a slash to separate the symbols (e.g., for the metre per second use the symbol m/s, not mps) or use negative exponents (m·s−1).

The bot will do any of the following:

ensure the use of lower case e.g. convert 'Km/h' to 'km/h'
ensure the use of a 'km' as the symbol for kilometre/er
ensure the use of a 'h' as the symbol for hour e.g. 'km/hr' to 'km/h'
ensure the use of a '/' as the separator e.g. 'kmph' to 'km/h'

Constraints:

The bot will only operate where the abbreviation means 'kilometre/ers per hour'. Thus it will avoid non-speed uses intended to mean things like KMPH-TV. See KMPH for examples.

Discussion[edit]

Note. An ongoing Arbitration Request for Amendment is in progress. Gigs (talk) 02:15, 24 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Temporarily archiving request without prejudice as an effort to refocus attention on Lightbot 5. With operator's permission. - Jarry1250 ^{[Who? Discuss.]} 20:40, 18 December 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Resubmitted. Lightmouse (talk) 10:27, 11 February 2011 (UTC)[reply]

•The bot will only operate where the abbreviation means 'kilometre/ers per hour' Details, please, on how you intend to have a bot comprehend English text; that as yet unaccomplished task is too valuable to spend on Wikipedia. Septentrionalis PMAnderson 20:10, 21 February 2011 (UTC)[reply]

To move this BRFA forward, per WP:BOTPOL ("performs only tasks for which there is consensus"; "carefully adheres to relevant policies and guidelines"), please provide link(s) to the relevant policy/guideline/consensus that this task should be both performed and performed by an automated bot. The three BRFAs linked do not provide such links. Thank you. — HELLKNOWZ ▎TALK 13:48, 3 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

A relevant guideline is at:

mosnum - Unit symbols "When unit symbols are combined by division, use a slash to separate the symbols (e.g., for the metre per second use the symbol m/s, not mps) "

The guideline is stable and has existed in various forms for a long time. Other editors and I have done many edits along these lines over a long period. I'm sure I could find examples in contributions list but it would be easier just to demonstrate by new edits.

Please can we move to a 50 edit trial? Lightmouse (talk) 17:32, 13 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

{{BAGAssistanceNeeded}} OK, how about a 20 edit trial then? Lightmouse (talk) 17:39, 13 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Please could you answer Septentrionalis' question above relating to how you will determine which uses mean "kilometre/s per hour" and which don't. Thryduulf (talk) 12:24, 23 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

This is relatively trivial. Units are usually preceded by a space and a digit. The efficiency of unit conversion and unit formatting should be broadly similar because they both use this feature and human oversight to ensure the high level of efficiency demonstrated over the years.

List manipulation also plays a part. It's the rarely mentioned aspect of AWB that allows targeting and whitelisting.

This function is already proven with previous non-bot and bot runs. Lightbots1 to 3 and Lightmouse have formatted units routinely as part of unit gnoming for many years. It would be easier to run a new trial than to dig through the thousands of unit-related contributions.

Please can we move to a trial? Lightmouse (talk) 09:02, 25 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Waiting for clarification on Lightbot 7, which is also relevant here before going further. Headbomb {talk / contribs / physics / books} 15:24, 4 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I've now responded at Lightbot 7. Lightmouse (talk) 16:18, 4 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Approved. since this is essentially a semi-automated task, it can be approved without trial. Headbomb {talk / contribs / physics / books} 09:22, 10 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. To request review of this BRFA, please start a new section at WT:BRFA.