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Revision as of 10:43, 22 May 2011

Lightbot 10

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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: Janitorial edits to units

Links to relevant discussions (where appropriate):
This request duplicates the 'units of measure' section of Misplaced Pages:Bots/Requests for approval/Lightbot 3. That BRFA was very similar to the two previous approvals: Misplaced Pages:Bots/Requests for approval/Lightbot and Misplaced Pages: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:
Edits will add conversions to the following metric or non-metric units: inch, foot, mile, mm, cm, m, km, plus their squares and cubes.

Discussion

So if the bot comes across "38 kilometres long", it will add "{{convert|38|km|mi}} long" or something similar, correct? —MJCdetroit 04:18, 19 February 2011 (UTC)

An example of a Lightbot edit shows that it changed:

• "25 miles long" to "{{convert|25|mi|km}} long"

As many people know, my primary focus is on improving accessibility for metric readers with a secondary focus on non-metric readers. Thus the editing scope includes all units. The example of "38 kilometres long", as in Altafjord, is theoretically in scope but is unlikely to be touched. I leave that to editors such as yourself who focus on non-metric units. You and I have cooperated and shared code in the past and I think our work is compatible. I hope that helps. Lightmouse (talk) 18:05, 19 February 2011 (UTC)

I try to convert for everyone when I encounter something. I'd like to see the AWB code if you could post it somewhere. BAG folks: I don't have any objection to this bot. —MJCdetroit 22:51, 20 February 2011 (UTC)

{{BAG assistance needed}}

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)

A relevant guideline is at:

• mosnum - Unit symbols "Where English-speaking countries use different units for the same measurement, follow the "primary" unit with a conversion in parentheses."

The guideline is stable and has existed in various forms for a long time. The three previous successful approvals (Misplaced Pages:Bots/Requests_for_approval/Lightbot_2, Misplaced Pages:Bots/Requests_for_approval/Lightbot_3, Misplaced Pages:Bots/Requests_for_approval/Lightbot_4) have successfully done many thousands of edits along these lines. There is also the recent approval (Misplaced Pages:Bots/Requests_for_approval/Lightbot_5) that converts feet but not inches, this request merely seeks to add inches to the scope. Other editors and I have done many edits along these lines over a long period. I'm sure I could find examples of inch conversions in contributions list but it would be easier just to demonstrate with new edits.

Please can we move to a 50 edit trial? Lightmouse (talk) 17:59, 13 March 2011 (UTC)

• I support approving this under the arbcom restriction that allows a "single task", since this merely expands the single, already approved, task very slightly. Gigs (talk) 23:23, 5 April 2011 (UTC)

OK, how about a 20 edit trial then? Lightmouse (talk) 17:39, 13 April 2011 (UTC)

Approved for trial (50). Please provide a link to the relevant contributions and/or diffs when the trial is complete. Task is a suitable expansion of Lightbot 5. Note that a successful trial will not necessarily result in however, since I still have some reading to do with the ARBCOM mess, and I'm also wondering if Lightbot 5 should have been approved at all... But let's trial it for now. Headbomb {talk / contribs / physics / books} 15:34, 4 May 2011 (UTC)

Thanks. Acknowledging this now but it may be a few days before I run the trial. Lightmouse (talk) 16:21, 4 May 2011 (UTC)

Trial complete. Lightmouse (talk) 23:30, 5 May 2011 (UTC)

Links to trial result? Headbomb {talk / contribs / physics / books} 09:16, 10 May 2011 (UTC)

Yes. See Trial edits. Edit summary is 'L10. inch, foot, mile, mm, cm, m, km, plus their squares and cubes' Lightmouse (talk) 09:28, 10 May 2011 (UTC)

• Inches should be converted to cm, not mm. Headbomb {talk / contribs / physics / books} 19:43, 20 May 2011 (UTC)

That is a very easy rule to implement although it isn't mentioned in wp:mosnum. Is it for all articles or just sword articles? Lightmouse (talk) 20:50, 20 May 2011 (UTC)

Usually one tries converts to the units closest to the original units. Kilometre/mile, metre/foot, inch/cm, etc... Some discretion is of course involved (yard to meter conversion is usually fine, but meter to yard usually isn't), but it's a good guideline in most cases. Headbomb {talk / contribs / physics / books} 04:30, 21 May 2011 (UTC)

The 'nearest-unit' rule means mm would never be used. With a difficult binary choice we need to be right more than 51% of the time. Where the choice was 'wrong' for the individual conversion, the reader is still much better off than without any conversion present. Amendment is much easier than making the initial conversion: you only need to change one or two characters. The convert template defaults to mm and I made the same judgement call, but if you want cm then I'll make it so. Lightmouse (talk) 11:02, 21 May 2011 (UTC)

Yes well, it's pretty rare that someone converts from inch to mm in the world too. No idea why the templates automatically convert to mm, but that should probably be tweaked. Headbomb {talk / contribs / physics / books} 13:09, 21 May 2011 (UTC)

Headbomb, this appears to assume that people silently convert SI into imperial and back into SI. Sure, inches and cm are around the size of human fingernails, but the ISO won't even recognise cm as a legitimate unit (× 1,000 for each gradation, they say). I see no reason to be swaying towards cm by default. Tony (talk) 08:00, 22 May 2011 (UTC)

Tony, I agree with you that the general rule "Inches should be converted into cm, not mm" is not true. However, your statement that cm is not an SI unit is not correct either, as centi is a SI_prefix. It is a matter of choice whether to use cm or mm, both are correct. However, I agree with your argument that gradation of 1'000 is preferable and therefore personally I would also use mm or m and not cm. I would definitely convert fractional inches (< 1 inch) to mm, larger distances (> 100 inch) into meters. Kehrli (talk) 10:43, 22 May 2011 (UTC)

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