https://bugzilla.wikimedia.org/show_bug.cgi?id=16453
Summary: My editing deletes numbers in links in pages that I am
editing, even though I am not touching those links. This
has happened recurrently and has messed up many
(English) Wikipedia pages.
Product: MediaWiki
Version: 1.14-svn
Platform: PC
OS/Version: Windows XP
Status: NEW
Severity: critical
Priority: Normal
Component: User interface
AssignedTo: [email protected]
ReportedBy: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
I have a problem, apparently a bug, which has brought my Wikipedia editing to a
near halt. Intermittantly, but recurrently, when I edit, there is an uwanted
and unobservable (at the time) stripping away of dates and numbers thoughout a
Wikipedia article. As an example is woth 1K words, see what happened on Nov 7
when I edited Ann Dunham (Barack Obama's mother, fwiw). Fortunately, User:Tvoz
was also watching this article and re-inserted the deleted dates. It also
happened again at Ann Dunham on 23 Nov. But it is not happened only on Dunham,
but on other articles I have edited.
This has happened several times before, over a month+. Please also see two
sections above:
==Missing numbers==
Here is some discussion from my Talk page (Bellagio99), earlier in November:
Hello. I must point out that in many of your recent edits long strings of
numerals have been deleted, for some reason.
As a result, many web addresses have been broken and become useless. For
instance, in this edit (diff), the original (valid) weblink
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/01/AR2008100103169.html
became a broken link
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/01/AR.html because
the string of numerals in AR2008100103169.html was deleted.
Additionally, in that same edit, the string "accessdate=2008-10-09" was also
changed to "accessdate=" (that is, the date was deleted). Access dates are
essential information and should be preserved especially when websites are used
as sources of reference, because the same website accessed in different dates
may yield different information.
Here are some other of your recent edits that truncated strings of numerals:
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] --many of which I have already fixed.
Since I don't think such changes were intentional (since they don't make
sense), I'll leave it to you to figure out what kind of (software?) glitch have
caused those problems. Until then, I'd suggest you double check your edits
after they are done. Thanks for your attention on this matter. --76.202.61.72
(talk) 11:33, 1 November 2008 (UTC)
Thanks. I had thought the problem was fixed. I may have to get another
username/account.Bellagio99 (talk) 14:50, 1 November 2008 (UTC)
Yours is a very unusual bug, but I don't think that using another
account would solve the problem if it originates in your browser setting or
add-ons (or even malware?). It has just happened again in one of your latest
edits today,[9] which I already fixed again.
I would suggest you to do some tests to identify where the problems
come from by editing this paragraph and see if the following numbers would
disappear: like id=1142862090121 or date 2008-11-01 and Pi=3.1415926 etc.
May I suggest you test with (1) different browsers (Firefox, Safari,
Opera, or Google Chrome, to see whether the problem resides in your browser, or
(2) logging in and out of your Wikipedia account, to eliminate the possibility
that it is the setting of your account, or (3) use some other computer, to see
if it is caused by your Operating system. Hope this may help you zero in your
problem. --76.202.61.72 (talk) 20:44, 1 November 2008 (UTC)
Thanks for your help and tips. It's strange because I checked the
Giulani edit after I did it, and I didn't see any problem. I've used Firefox
with XP for years, now at 3.0, but will try with another browser. It might be
the computer. I have run Spybot and Zonealarm for Malwear, but didn't find
anything. This has happened once before, and I assumed it was a OTO gremlin.
Obviously not. Bellagio99 (talk) 21:09, 1 November 2008 (UTC)
I am restoring the missing numbers caused by your last edit on
this section. In any case, the test was "successful" in that it showed that
your edit did truncate all the long numbers three paragraphs above (except for
the number "3" before the dot). It also showed that the paragraph is an
adequate model to duplicate and test your bug.
I also wonder if you can write and post long numbers such as
those, to create similar tests for yourself. But if not, you can always restore
your own edits as you did here -- in which the long numbers came back after you
reverted yourself. A sandbox page could be of help if you don't want to clog
your history with too many tests, though. Good luck. --76.202.61.72 (talk)
23:09, 1 November 2008 (UTC)
* Perhaps you should put this question to developer User:Brion VIBBER. He
knows all there is to know about the wiki code and he may have an idea what
causes it. Be sure to mention the test above. - Mgm|(talk) 01:01, 2 November
2008 (UTC)
You could also try clearing User:Bellagio99/monobook.js and posting to
Wikipedia:Village pump (technical). PrimeHunter (talk) 02:48, 2 November 2008
(UTC)
It apparently affected my talk page too after you edited there - makes no
sense. Thanks to the IP for fixing. Tvoz/talk 08:34, 2 November 2008 (UTC)
Happened again on your last two edits to Ann Dunham, Bellagio - I reinstated
the stripped dates from the references but can you figure out why this is
happening? Something seems very wrong with your settings or software. Thanks
Tvoz/talk 18:30, 8 November 2008 (UTC)
/End of pasted discussion/
When I preview, I don't see the problem.
You are welcome to go prowling on my Preferences page, including Gadgets and
Monobook page. I deleted HotCat on 8 November 2008 -- the only gadget that I
have added in a long time, but it didn't help. I posted a while back on Village
Pump:Technical, and no one answered. I also, on advice, asked, VIBBER, and
didn't get a reply.
Should I abandon my User name, and re-log in? Would this be specific to one of
the two computers I edit from?
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