Template talk:Authority file

Usage[edit]

@Gerda Arendt: well, this is the place to start a conversation on the {{Authority file}} box (for clarity: my user talk page is not). You didn't miss anything (thus far). Just an experiment I implemented on a few pages, to see whether it would work: please revert on any page where you don't like it, and that had a visible {{authority control}} template before I replaced it by this new template.

This new template (for which I still have to write the documentation to begin with) is primarily intended for pages where the {{authority control}} template doesn't show up (while no other authority control identifiers except Wikidata's Q number have been defined), or where the {{authority control}} template shows too many items to be practical. If Wikipedia:Village pump (technical)#RfC: should the "Authority control" template continue to include MusicBrainz identifiers? (which is still active) would result in a reduction of items, and further reductions are possible, the second of these proposed uses would not come into play – so also from that perspective it is too early to say anything definitive regarding the use of this template. --Francis Schonken (talk) 10:20, 9 May 2020 (UTC)[reply]

For the record: my question was this:

I probably missed something, regarding the replacement of authority control by AF. I find the new display not easily understood by someone new, and - needing an extra click -- not intuitive for me. I liked to see at a glance in how many libraries and data bases a subject is mentioned, and be able to link directly, without having to search in the sometimes long WD file. Also, who needs the Q number for what? Could you please point me to what I missed? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 10:02, 9 May 2020 (UTC)[reply]

I have no concerns as long as the experiment is restricted to such cases. To me, a large number of articles on my watch list made me think that a general new format was used, in which case I'd object, based on the above: needing an extra click to an often convoluted page, and showing a number of no relevance. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 10:28, 9 May 2020 (UTC)[reply]

I noticed the appearance of this template on a few pages, and I think it's wholly redundant with the link to Wikidata in the left side bar. I agree about the occasional unsuitability of {{Authority control}} (too much, too little), but this template is not the answer. If one finds entries in {{Authority control}} missing, they can manually be added here on Wikipedia. Similarly, if entries are judged to be unsuitable, they can be suppressed. -- Michael Bednarek (talk) 11:10, 9 May 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Re. "if entries [in {{Authority control}}] are judged to be unsuitable, they can be suppressed" – is that so? How? Afaik the developers of that template refused to implement such feature, although an earlier discussion showed a broad interest in it. --Francis Schonken (talk) 11:18, 9 May 2020 (UTC)[reply]

This seemed to work, but gives a red error message before saving, so not what I'd be looking for. --Francis Schonken (talk) 11:29, 9 May 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Was looking for something that would show the authority file (also in the print or PDF versions of a Wikipedia article). As {{sister project}} (which is used in this template) doesn't print, nor shows up on a PDF export, I'm moving on to my next experiment: {{Authority file inline}}. --Francis Schonken (talk) 12:04, 9 May 2020 (UTC)[reply]

I occasionally add an entry for people from VIAF, and then that message also appears. Doesn't bother me. Still, what do your templates do that the left side bar link to Wikidata doesn't? -- Michael Bednarek (talk) 13:22, 9 May 2020 (UTC)[reply]

It mentions the Q number, which, for Wikipedia, is a more important authority control number than a VIAF number (or whatever other authority control number of a non-Wikimedia system). --Francis Schonken (talk) 13:42, 9 May 2020 (UTC)[reply]

The Q number is already provided by the "Wikidata item" link in the left side panel of every Wikipedia article. -- Michael Bednarek (talk) 13:48, 9 May 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Your "... provided by ..." is just a fancy way of saying that it doesn't show it. Well, it does on mouse-over (which doesn't work for touch-screen apparatuses like hand-held devices, nor on printouts, nor on PDFs,... etc.). These new templates show it.

For comparison: the {{authority control}} template *shows* a lot of authority control numbers, except the one that is most important for a Wikipedia article, that is the Q number. --Francis Schonken (talk) 13:56, 9 May 2020 (UTC)[reply]