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{{Short description|Automated programs on Misplaced Pages}}
{{shortcut|WP:B|WP:BOT|WP:BOTS}}
{{Pp-vandalism|small=yes}}{{Pp-move-indef}}
:''"WP:B" redirects here. You might be looking for ], ] or ].''
{{Redirect|WP:B|other uses|WP:B (disambiguation)}}
:''"WP:BOT" redirects here. You might be looking for ].
{{Redirect|WP:BOT|other uses|WP:BOT (disambiguation)}}
{{Misplaced Pages programs}}
{{Botnav}} {{Botnav}}
{{Information page|WP:BOT|WP:BOTS}}


{{nutshell|On Misplaced Pages, ] are computer-controlled user accounts performing various tasks in order to maintain the encyclopedia. Bots are used for many purposes, for instance, removing obvious vandalism and archiving talk pages. All bots must be ] by ] before they are put into use.}}
'''Bots''' are automated or semi-automated tools that carry out repetitive and mundane tasks in order to maintain the ] articles of the English Misplaced Pages. Bots are able to make edits very rapidly and can disrupt Misplaced Pages if they are incorrectly designed or operated. For these reasons a bot policy has been developed.


]
There are currently {{PAGESINCATEGORY:Approved Misplaced Pages bot requests for approval}} ] on the English Misplaced Pages; however, they are not all actively carrying out edits. Bots will leave messages on user talk pages if the action the bot has carried out is of interest to that editor. Some bots can be excluded from leaving these messages by using the {{tl|bots}} tags. Exclusion-compliant bots are listed at ].
A '''bot''' (a common nickname for ]) is an automated tool that carries out repetitive and mundane tasks to maintain the ] pages of the English Misplaced Pages. Bots are able to make edits very rapidly, but can disrupt Misplaced Pages if they are incorrectly designed or operated. For these reasons, a ] has been developed.


There are currently {{PAGESINCATEGORY:Approved Misplaced Pages bot requests for approval}} ] on the English Misplaced Pages; however, not all approved tasks involve actively carrying out edits. Bots will leave messages on user talk pages if the action that the bot has carried out is of interest to that editor. Some bots can be excluded from leaving these messages by using the {{tl|bots}} tags. There are {{PAGESINCATEGORY:Misplaced Pages bots which are exclusion compliant}} exclusion-compliant bots, which are listed in ]. There are ] bots flagged with the "bot" flag right now (and over 400 ]). There is also a range of ] that allow semi-automated editing of large numbers of articles.
There are exactly {{NUMBERINGROUP:bot}} bots flagged with the "bot" flag right now.


==History==
There is also a range of ] that allow for semi-automated editing of large numbers of articles.
]
==History of Misplaced Pages bots==
{{main|Misplaced Pages:History of Misplaced Pages bots}} {{main|Misplaced Pages:History of Misplaced Pages bots}}
Bots have been used in the past to create large numbers of articles that were uploaded to Misplaced Pages within a short timeframe. Some technical problems were experienced and this led to the formulation of a bot policy. Bots have been used in the past to create large numbers of articles that were uploaded to Misplaced Pages within a short timeframe. Some technical problems were experienced and this led to the formulation of a bot policy, as well as a ] on the automated, large-scale, creation of articles.


==Bot policy== ==Bot policy==
{{shortcut|WP:BOTPOL}}
{{main|Misplaced Pages:Bot policy}} {{main|Misplaced Pages:Bot policy}}
Misplaced Pages policy requires that bots be harmless and useful, have approval, use separate user accounts, and be operated responsibly.
Misplaced Pages policy states the bots must DESTROY WIKIPEDIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


==Bot Approvals Group== ==Bot Approvals Group==
{{main|Misplaced Pages:Bot Approvals Group}} {{main|Misplaced Pages:Bot Approvals Group}}
The Bot Approvals Group (BAG) supervises and approves all bot-related activity from a technical and quality-control perspective on behalf of the English Misplaced Pages community. Only ] are ] capable of ] bots. The Bot Approvals Group (BAG) supervises and approves all bot-related activity from a technical and quality-control perspective on behalf of the English Misplaced Pages community. On the English Misplaced Pages, the right to ] a bot is limited to ].


Running an automated bot on a separate account requires approval, which may be requested at ]. Running an automated bot on a separate account requires approval, which may be requested at ].


==How to create a bot== ==How to create a bot==
{{main|Help:Creating a bot}}
{{shortcut|WP:CREATEBOT|WP:MAKEBOT|WP:MKBOT}}
Some programming experience generally is needed to create a bot, and knowledge of ]s is useful for many editing tasks. However, some of the more user-friendly tools, such as ] or ], can be used for some tasks.
{{main|Misplaced Pages:Creating a bot}}
In order to create a bot, some programming experience is needed, and knowledge of ]s is useful for many editing tasks.


The Perl, PHP, Python, Microsoft .NET, Java, Ruby and Chicken Scheme programming languages all have libraries available for creating bots. ] (Python Wikipediabot Framework) is a collection of tools developed specifically for creating bots. ], Common Lisp, Haskell, Java, Microsoft .NET, Perl, PHP, Python, and Ruby programming languages all have libraries available for creating bots. ] is a commonly used Python package developed specifically for creating MediaWiki bots.


== Examples == == Dealing with bot issues ==
{{Main|Misplaced Pages:Bot policy#Dealing with issues}}


{{trim|{{#section-h:Misplaced Pages:Bot policy|Minor malfunctions, complaints, and improvements}}}}
Some examples of bots are:


{{trim|{{#section-h:Misplaced Pages:Bot policy|Major malfunctions and complaints}}}}
* ] - corrects ] numbering, adds a date parameter to maintenance tags, adds missing reference sections and a variety of other tasks

* ] - generally carries out tasks associated with deletion
==How to hide a specific bot from your watchlist==
* ] - works with the ]
{{Shortcut|WP:HIDEBOT|WP:HIDEBOTS}}
* ] - removes a particular set of images from articles
While it is easy to ], there is no way of hiding specific bots through user preferences or default watchlist settings. However, it is possible with a ] by following these steps.
* ] - signs comments left on talk pages

* ] - reverts ]
'''Main steps'''
* ] - checks for copyright violations on new pages
# Go to your ] page (or your ]), and add the following line (]):
* ] - variety of tasks
#:<syntaxhighlight lang=JS inline>importScript('User:UncleDouggie/smart_watchlist.js'); // Backlink: ]</syntaxhighlight>
* ] - often removes protection templates from recently unprotected pages
# Go to ], check both the 'Group changes by page in recent changes and watchlist' and 'Use non-JavaScript interface' boxes, and click 'Save'.
* ] - usually searches for ] links or broken section links
# Remember to ].
* ] - will patrol ] and the edit filters
# Go to your watchlist. There should be a box with several options. Tick the 'Enable hide user buttons' box. This will let you hide specific bots (and users) from your watchlist.
#: '''Note:''' You might want to untick the 'Enable hide user buttons' box after you ignore a bot to ensure that you don't accidentally click 'hide user' when browsing your watchlist.
'''Optional steps'''
# If you find the 'Enable hide user buttons' box annoying, go to your ] page (or ]) and add the following line (]):
#:<syntaxhighlight lang=CSS inline>#SmartWatchlistOptions {display:none !important;}</syntaxhighlight>
# Remember to ].
# If you want to show the box again, for example to reset your ignore list, go to your ] page and remove the line you added in optional step #1 (remembering to again ]). Redoing optional steps #1 and #2 will hide the box again.

While you are completely free to ignore any bots (or users) you want, it is a good idea to only ignore bots with well-defined tasks, which you trust to not make any mistakes.

==How to hide AWB edits from your watchlist==
{{Shortcut|WP:HIDEAWB}}
There is no way of hiding ] (AWB) edits through user preferences or default watchlist settings. However, it is possible with a ] by following these steps:

'''Steps'''
# Go to your ] page (or your ]), and add the following two lines (]):
#: <syntaxhighlight lang=JS>importScript( 'User:Evad37/Watchlist-hideAWB.js' ); // Backlink: ]
var awbHiddenByDefault = true;</syntaxhighlight>
# ].
Any edit with "AWB" in its edit summary will now default to hidden for you. You may reveal them by clicking on the "show AWB" tab at the top of your watchlist (next to "Special page" for Monobook skin, or in the "More" dropdown for Vector skin).

'''Notes:'''
*If you leave out <syntaxhighlight lang=JS inline>var awbHiddenByDefault = true;</syntaxhighlight>, AWB edits will be shown by default, but you will have the option of hiding AWB edits by clicking on the "hide AWB" tab at the top of your watchlist.
*While you are completely free to ignore AWB edits, remember that many of them will contain substantial changes from human editors, not just ] from bots or ].
*When hiding edits with a script, earlier edits can be forced to appear. Using the <code>Expand watchlist to show all changes, not just the most recent</code> ] option is necessary to see other non-hidden watchlist hits for a page.

==How to stop specific bots from editing the article==
{{Main|Template:Bots}}
It's rare that a mainspace article needs to not be edited by a specific bot. No article needs to stop all bots from editing, since antivandal bots such as ] need to be able to edit all mainspace articles. The template {{tl|bots}} can stop a bot from editing an article under the rare circumstance it's needed.

== Examples ==
<!-- New links in alphabetical order please -->
Some examples of bots are:
* ] – delivering ] to WikiProjects about ongoing discussions.
* ] – large variety of tasks, most well known for adding dates to amboxes.
* ] – reverts possible ].
* ] – Adds PMIDs, ISBNs, etc. to pages.
* ] – removes links to files deleted at ] due to policy infractions.
* ] – patrols the edit filters and resizes non-free images.
* ] – often removes protection templates from recently unprotected pages.
* ] – retrieves archived copies of dead links.
* ] – Experimental bot by ]. It generates and updates lists on Misplaced Pages.
* ] – archives talk pages.
* ] – automatically blocks proxies due to the local policy against ].
* ] – signs comments left on talk pages.
* ] – works with the ].


==See also== ==See also==

'''Articles'''
* ] * ]
* ]


'''Categories'''
;Misplaced Pages space
* ]
* ] (this page will need updating)
* ]
* ] (historical only)
* ]
* ]


'''Meta'''
;Help
* ]

;Meta
* ] * ]
* ] * ]
* ] * ]


'''Barnstar'''
]
* {{tlx|The Bot Creator Barnstar|put your message here. <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>}} – Awarded to an editor for creating a bot.
]
* {{tlx|Bot operator's barnstar|put your message here. <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>}} – Bot operator's barnstar, Coders need love too.


'''Userbox and top icon'''
]
* {{tl|User bot owner|Botname}} – a ] template to indicate you own and run a bot.
]
* {{tl|Bot topicon}} – a ] template to indicate you have own and run a bot – adds a category to page automatically.
]

]
{{Automated editing}}
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Latest revision as of 07:27, 14 August 2024

Automated programs on Misplaced Pages

"WP:B" redirects here. For other uses, see WP:B (disambiguation). "WP:BOT" redirects here. For other uses, see WP:BOT (disambiguation).
Misplaced Pages information page
This is an information page.
It is not an encyclopedic article, nor one of Misplaced Pages's policies or guidelines; rather, its purpose is to explain certain aspects of Misplaced Pages's norms, customs, technicalities, or practices. It may reflect differing levels of consensus and vetting.		Shortcuts
This page in a nutshell: On Misplaced Pages, bots are computer-controlled user accounts performing various tasks in order to maintain the encyclopedia. Bots are used for many purposes, for instance, removing obvious vandalism and archiving talk pages. All bots must be approved by a special group before they are put into use.
A man is shaking hands with a small humanoid robot
A physical robot (right)

A bot (a common nickname for software robot) is an automated tool that carries out repetitive and mundane tasks to maintain the 62,163,170 pages of the English Misplaced Pages. Bots are able to make edits very rapidly, but can disrupt Misplaced Pages if they are incorrectly designed or operated. For these reasons, a bot policy has been developed.

There are currently 2,729 bot tasks approved for use on the English Misplaced Pages; however, not all approved tasks involve actively carrying out edits. Bots will leave messages on user talk pages if the action that the bot has carried out is of interest to that editor. Some bots can be excluded from leaving these messages by using the {{bots}} tags. There are 214 exclusion-compliant bots, which are listed in this category. There are 299 bots flagged with the "bot" flag right now (and over 400 former bots). There is also a range of tools that allow semi-automated editing of large numbers of articles.

History

Main page: Misplaced Pages:History of Misplaced Pages bots

Bots have been used in the past to create large numbers of articles that were uploaded to Misplaced Pages within a short timeframe. Some technical problems were experienced and this led to the formulation of a bot policy, as well as a restriction on the automated, large-scale, creation of articles.

Bot policy

Main page: Misplaced Pages:Bot policy

Misplaced Pages policy requires that bots be harmless and useful, have approval, use separate user accounts, and be operated responsibly.

Bot Approvals Group

Main page: Misplaced Pages:Bot Approvals Group

The Bot Approvals Group (BAG) supervises and approves all bot-related activity from a technical and quality-control perspective on behalf of the English Misplaced Pages community. On the English Misplaced Pages, the right to flag a bot is limited to bureaucrats.

Running an automated bot on a separate account requires approval, which may be requested at Misplaced Pages:Bots/Requests for approval.

How to create a bot

Main page: Help:Creating a bot

Some programming experience generally is needed to create a bot, and knowledge of regular expressions is useful for many editing tasks. However, some of the more user-friendly tools, such as AutoWikiBrowser or JavaScript Wiki Browser, can be used for some tasks.

The Chicken Scheme, Common Lisp, Haskell, Java, Microsoft .NET, Perl, PHP, Python, and Ruby programming languages all have libraries available for creating bots. Pywikibot is a commonly used Python package developed specifically for creating MediaWiki bots.

Dealing with bot issues

Main page: Misplaced Pages:Bot policy § Dealing with issues

If you have noticed a problem with a bot, have a complaint, or have a suggestion to make, you should contact the bot operator directly via their user talk page (or via the bot account's talk page). Bot operators are expected to be responsive to the community's concerns and suggestions, but please assume good faith and don't panic. Bugs and mistakes happen, and we're all here to build an encyclopedia.

If the bot is causing a significant problem, or the bot operator has not responded and the bot is still causing issues, several mechanisms are available to prevent further disruption. Many bots provide a stop button or means to disable the problematic task on their bot user page. This should be tried first, followed by a discussion of the issue with the bot operator. If no such mechanism is available (or if urgent action is needed), leave a message at the administrators' noticeboard requesting a block for a malfunctioning bot. Per the noticeboard's guideline, you are required to notify the bot operator of the discussion taking place at the noticeboard.

If you are concerned that a bot is operating outside the established consensus for its task, discuss the issue with the bot operator first, or try other forms of dispute resolution (BAG members can act as neutral mediators on such matters). If you are concerned that a bot no longer has consensus for its task, you may formally appeal or ask for re-examination of a bot's approval.

How to hide a specific bot from your watchlist

Shortcuts

While it is easy to hide all bots from your watchlist, there is no way of hiding specific bots through user preferences or default watchlist settings. However, it is possible with a user script by following these steps.

Main steps

  1. Go to your Special:MyPage/common.js page (or your Special:MyPage/skin.js), and add the following line (diff):
    importScript('User:UncleDouggie/smart_watchlist.js'); // Backlink: ]
  2. Go to Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-rc, check both the 'Group changes by page in recent changes and watchlist' and 'Use non-JavaScript interface' boxes, and click 'Save'.
  3. Remember to bypass your browser's cache.
  4. Go to your watchlist. There should be a box with several options. Tick the 'Enable hide user buttons' box. This will let you hide specific bots (and users) from your watchlist.
    Note: You might want to untick the 'Enable hide user buttons' box after you ignore a bot to ensure that you don't accidentally click 'hide user' when browsing your watchlist.

Optional steps

  1. If you find the 'Enable hide user buttons' box annoying, go to your Special:MyPage/common.css page (or Special:MyPage/skin.css) and add the following line (diff):
    #SmartWatchlistOptions {display:none !important;}
  2. Remember to bypass your browser's cache.
  3. If you want to show the box again, for example to reset your ignore list, go to your Special:MyPage/common.css page and remove the line you added in optional step #1 (remembering to again bypass your browser's cache). Redoing optional steps #1 and #2 will hide the box again.

While you are completely free to ignore any bots (or users) you want, it is a good idea to only ignore bots with well-defined tasks, which you trust to not make any mistakes.

How to hide AWB edits from your watchlist

Shortcut

There is no way of hiding AutoWikiBrowser (AWB) edits through user preferences or default watchlist settings. However, it is possible with a user script by following these steps:

Steps

  1. Go to your Special:MyPage/common.js page (or your Special:MyPage/skin.js), and add the following two lines (diff): 
    importScript( 'User:Evad37/Watchlist-hideAWB.js' ); // Backlink: ]
var awbHiddenByDefault = true;
  2. Bypass your browser's cache.

Any edit with "AWB" in its edit summary will now default to hidden for you. You may reveal them by clicking on the "show AWB" tab at the top of your watchlist (next to "Special page" for Monobook skin, or in the "More" dropdown for Vector skin).

Notes:

  • If you leave out var awbHiddenByDefault = true;, AWB edits will be shown by default, but you will have the option of hiding AWB edits by clicking on the "hide AWB" tab at the top of your watchlist.
  • While you are completely free to ignore AWB edits, remember that many of them will contain substantial changes from human editors, not just minor edits from bots or meatbots.
  • When hiding edits with a script, earlier edits can be forced to appear. Using the Expand watchlist to show all changes, not just the most recent preference option is necessary to see other non-hidden watchlist hits for a page.

How to stop specific bots from editing the article

Main page: Template:Bots

It's rare that a mainspace article needs to not be edited by a specific bot. No article needs to stop all bots from editing, since antivandal bots such as ClueBot NG need to be able to edit all mainspace articles. The template {{bots}} can stop a bot from editing an article under the rare circumstance it's needed.

Examples

Some examples of bots are:

See also

Articles

Categories

Meta

Barnstar

Userbox and top icon

Automated and semi-automated editing tools
Misplaced Pages technical help
Get personal technical help at the Teahouse, help desk, village pump (technical), talk pages or IRC.
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