Wikisource:Scriptorium/Help

Memoirs of Celebrated Women of All Countries/Maria Letizia Ramolini Bonaparte

Any idea why it gives Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs as an error? Nighfidelity (talk) 21:17, 13 August 2026 (UTC)

There is no text in the references on the pages, so it errors. The Authority Control template was designed for Wikipedia, rather than Wikisource, so functionality won't always work as expected. I would follow the Help page and move the endnotes from the end of the Chapters to ordinary footnotes on the pages. Beeswaxcandle (talk) 06:05, 14 August 2026 (UTC)

Nevermind, it was a stray }} that was the problem. Nighfidelity (talk) 12:16, 14 August 2026 (UTC)

The reference list is doubled at the end now (the transcluded endnotes page and the smallrefs template). Would it be better to not transclude page 21?—Tcr25 (talk) 12:19, 14 August 2026 (UTC)

Now fixed. Nighfidelity (talk) 12:22, 14 August 2026 (UTC)

Is a bot account required for an offline editor?

I am interested in tools that allow local editing of mathematical equations for pages like this Page:The principles of mechanics presented in a new form (Hertz, 1894).pdf/106. I notice that tools like this one exist https://wikicodeeditor.wordpress.com/ and https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=jasew.mediawiki

do they need a bot account to edit locally and push back? Tolland (talk) 03:51, 18 August 2026 (UTC)

Edits here are expected to be by a human or by a bot that is directly under the control of a human who has a verified account here. Beeswaxcandle (talk) 08:46, 18 August 2026 (UTC)

Creating a Portal namespace at la:ws

Hi there, we're discussing creating Portal pages at la:Vicifons:Scriptorium#Portal_pages and the question came up whether we need to bother creating a separate namespace for them. Can I check why this is done?

Also, and probably relatedly, the portal pages here seem quite technically sophisticated and whether this is worth copying, or likely to be overkill? JimKillock (talk) 10:27, 24 August 2026 (UTC)

@JimKillock we tend to leave mainspace for actual works, and use other namespaces for content created by wikisource editors. Since a Portal is a curated list of works compiled by a wikisource editor, it goes in a separate namespace.

As to your second question: our most sophisticated portals are the ones that keep everything organized. In my opinion, if you want to create hundreds of portals and keep them structured by subject, you'll want to use some technical tools to help you. But if you just want to have a handful of portals for specific purposes, then perhaps that is overkill. You can always expand them at a later date as well. —Beleg Tâl (talk) 14:22, 24 August 2026 (UTC)

I would definitely recommend having an explicit namespace instead of making a pseudo-namespace by just appending "Portal:" before every page name. Having a distinct namespace is useful for making templates act certain ways or having bots identify and index different content or allowing you to modify CSS, etc. It's a pretty simple thing to do and in case I'm reading this correctly, you have the "Auxilium" namespace already. My rusty Latin could be wrong, tho, so if you need to make the namespace, you will have to make a request at phab:. ―Justin (koavf)❤T☮C☺M☯ 16:27, 24 August 2026 (UTC)

Help with pagelist

I can't figure out why the plate numbers (in uppercase roman numerals) aren't working in Index:Bulletinamerica42amer.pdf, could someone give me an extra pair of eyes? —Beleg Tâl (talk) 02:20, 25 August 2026 (UTC)

I'm confused. The index renders upper-case Roman numerals for several pages. E.g. Page:Bulletinamerica42amer.pdf/471 is listed as "CCCLXXI" on the index page and is surrounded by two pages that are listed as dashes. ―Justin (koavf)❤T☮C☺M☯ 06:43, 25 August 2026 (UTC)

Yes, I was confused too. The page should be listed as "XXXI", and the pagelist said 471="31" 471="highroman" which I expected to work. Instead, it was listed as "31" (arabic numerals) in the pagelist preview, and as "CCCLXXI" (wrong number) on the Index page itself. Regardless, @Beeswaxcandle got it working :) —Beleg Tâl (talk) 13:35, 25 August 2026 (UTC)

The magic words highroman and roman need to cover a page range rather than a single page. So, 311to311=highroman will resolve the problem. Beeswaxcandle (talk) 07:37, 25 August 2026 (UTC)

Thank you! —Beleg Tâl (talk) 13:32, 25 August 2026 (UTC)

Export Function not working?

I am stuck at a security screen and it doesn't progress from there: wsexport.wmcloud.org Vivian Alexander L Nonglait (talk) 00:32, 26 August 2026 (UTC)

I think that is the same problem that has been reported in recent weeks. (See the item at 29 July above, for example.) I don't know what can be done about this. -- Beardo (talk) 01:45, 26 August 2026 (UTC)

Damn. This sucks. Anyways a user on reddit gave me some information about this issue. The relevant bug is: https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T431640 Vivian Alexander L Nonglait (talk) 02:25, 27 August 2026 (UTC)

The .pdf export is working again. -- Beardo (talk) 19:54, 10 September 2026 (UTC)

New timeline template

Hello,

I've been working on a template (Template:timeline/sandbox, which uses Template:timeline/sandbox/styles.css, Module:timeline/sandbox, Template:timeline/e/sandbox, and Template:timeline row/sandbox) that could be used to duplicate the diagram on this page, and a few others in the same work.

Could I please have someone that has a little more technical knowledge look over the code and make sure everything is working the way it should before it gets transferred out of the sandbox, and then do that for me? I also figure I'd change Template:timeline/sandbox to Template:timeline/s.

I currently have the timeline as I will copy it on that page on User:Erblanchard57/Sandbox.

Thanks, Erblanchard57 (talk) 16:58, 26 August 2026 (UTC)

Also, on the topic of copying it to that page once this is done, would it be possible for someone who knows how to duplicate Page:The Historical Record, Volume 6 (Andrew Jenson).pdf/94, Page:The Historical Record, Volume 6 (Andrew Jenson).pdf/95, and Page:The Historical Record, Volume 6 (Andrew Jenson).pdf/168, so there are two copies of them in the index? That way I can edit the timeline chart on one page and the text from the articles on the other, since I intend to transclude them on separate mainspace pages. Or, if it would be easier, can anyone let me know of a way to make it so that <pages> tags don't split into a new paragraph? Maybe a template I can wrap them in, or something?

Thanks, Erblanchard57 (talk) 15:25, 27 August 2026 (UTC)

@Erblanchard57 Not sure I have the expertise to answer the "make sure everything is working the way it should" part of the question. But that aside, I don't believe pages in an index should be duplicated. To avoid paragraph breaks, you could use noinclude and includeonly tags (copying text in the index between pages), if it was necessary. However, I am not sure why you would be planning to transclude the timelines on separate pages, so it may not be the best suggestion. Is there something wrong with them being mid-text? Regards, TeysaKarlov (talk) 20:44, 27 August 2026 (UTC)

Hi @TeysaKarlov! Thanks for reaching out. I was hoping to transclude them in separate pages because for the most part, the graphs are completely unrelated to the surrounding text. In the case of the one I linked, it’s a timeline of the service of one of the leading roles (Seven Presidents of Seventies) in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, just stuffed into the middle of a biography of someone who never held that role. I think the noinclude/includeonly tags will probably be the best way to go about it then; I’ll do that.

Regards, Erblanchard57 (talk) 00:13, 28 August 2026 (UTC)

Haven't taken a look at the details yet, but I will say that this is a pretty specific kind of timeline for a certain work and that it probably shouldn't be taking the generic template name "timeline". — Alien  3
3 3 23:26, 27 August 2026 (UTC)

I can agree with that. What about something like Template:tenure graph/s etc.? Erblanchard57 (talk) 00:06, 28 August 2026 (UTC)

Preserving ordered list ordering across pages

Hello, I am transcribing a series of pages that have a large list of items across pages, for example page one starts with items 1,2,3 and page two has items 4,5,6. At this moment to achieve this and keep the numbering I use Template:Numbered_list, where on each page I adjust the |start=N parameter. Is there a better way to achieve this, like how we do multi-page tables? I couldn't find any other example of this - that has ordered lists. In addition, should I add a nop tag at the end of each page's numbered list? GalaxyGamingBoy (talk) 10:25, 31 August 2026 (UTC)

Not sure if it's that much better, but in Page:The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803 (Volume 13).djvu/322, you can use #<li value=num> for the first entry in a list and it'll work for the rest. Nighfidelity (talk) 13:56, 1 September 2026 (UTC)

Hmm, didn't know that, thank you so much! GalaxyGamingBoy (talk) 16:41, 3 September 2026 (UTC)

I use {{*!/s}}, {{*!/i}}, {{*!/e}} and {{*!/c}}. Those have worked well for me so far. You can indicate the number for each in the template (such as {{*!/s|6}} if you want the list to begin at 6, etc.), and then after the start template, the item template just counts up from the last one on the page. Erblanchard57 (talk) 15:02, 2 September 2026 (UTC)

To continue on the next page, as in your example, just put {{*!/e}} in the footer on the first page, {{*!/c|3}} in the header on the second page, and then continue with the item template in the body of the second page. Erblanchard57 (talk) 15:05, 2 September 2026 (UTC)

Hm, thank you!, that seems to work. Do you know how can I set the ordering to lower-alpha too with that? GalaxyGamingBoy (talk) 11:17, 3 September 2026 (UTC)

You'll need to include the call for lower-alpha as a parameter, such as {{*!/s|style=list-style-type: lower-alpha;}}

Erblanchard57 (talk) 15:07, 3 September 2026 (UTC)

You can do the same thing with "upper-alpha" and "upper-roman" and "lower-roman"

Erblanchard57 (talk) 15:10, 3 September 2026 (UTC)

Alright, thank you so much! GalaxyGamingBoy (talk) 16:40, 3 September 2026 (UTC)

{{Parentheses list}}

I created a template for parentheses lists, like those at Page:UK Infected Blood Scandal, Inquiry Report, volume 1.pdf/14, but it doesn't seem to work. Nighfidelity (talk) 16:09, 1 September 2026 (UTC)

I can't find wst-parentheses anywhere in the MediaWiki namespace. Do you know if this is an actual class in any of this site's CSS? ―Justin (koavf)❤T☮C☺M☯ 19:51, 1 September 2026 (UTC)

I wanted to create another one, but it seems looks it didn't work. Let me see if it'll work if I alter it. Nighfidelity (talk) 20:31, 1 September 2026 (UTC)

Moving sub pages on account of user page change to meta-wiki

I am changing to a global home page on Meta-wiki. This means that my sub-pages must be moved for preservation and future access. I created a local sub-folder named Contributions. It is already implemented on the French Wikisource and French Wiktionary.

It is here where most of my contributions have been made since 2008, and understandably I want to preserve everything... The good, the bad and the ugly.

How can I move whatever is directed to the local User:Ineuw to be redirected to User:Ineuw/Contributions, There are 12 years of Talk archives I want to preserve, and the moving of my .css and .js sub-pages. — ineuw (talk) 10:09, 9 September 2026 (UTC)

How do I ask for help?

Hi, I am a new user. I am a bit worn down today. I appreciate everyone's help. I am missing something important however. I am trying to figure out how to ask for help. I tried Template:Helpme , but somehow the description of the issue did not appear. Only the title appeared. This was consistent with Preview, but I had never used Help Me before. Here is a test question. In a transcription project, in edit mode, Page namespace, is there a way to make the page wider. I can make the screen wider, and I can zoom. Widening the screen widens the borders only. I have tried many, many suggestions fron Google Gemini / documentation on how to ask for help. I will work on my morale next.

It is ok to delete this appeal. I keep posting in the wrong place. Thanks. DavidMDay (talk) 20:10, 10 September 2026 (UTC)

@DavidMDay In terms of asking for help, this is the place, so all good there! As an aside, Template:Helpme confused me too when I started out. But if you post a comment on Wikisource:Scriptorium/Help, you don't need it, as enough other users pass by to see questions without the help me ping really mattering.

As to your question, does "make the page wider" just refer to the scan that appears on the right hand side in ProofreadPage mode, or something else?

At any rate, if it is an issue with the whole window, and you haven't already, I would suggest playing around in Preferences (top right of the screen, a few words to the left of log out) -- Appearance tab -- Skin. Try "Vector Legacy 2010" if it isn't already selected

It is is a more specific issue with just the page scan size, then (in Google Chrome at least) I can vary the width of the editing window vs the page scan by hovering over the centreline between them. It brings up a double headed arrow symbol (<-->), which lets me increase the width of the page preview (at the expense of the width of the editing window). But then when I widen the whole screen, it doesn't just widen the borders for me, so maybe this is not what you were after.

If you think it will help, maybe explain further, or you could try uploading some screenshots of what you mean (for me, if I take a screenshot, I can just copy and paste it directly into this textbox, but if that doesn't work, words are fine).

Regards, TeysaKarlov (talk) 20:49, 10 September 2026 (UTC)

@TeysaKarlov. It's a relief to make contact. I appreciate the rich options in Preferences. The puzzle that I want to escalate relates to the fact that the counter for Help:Footnotes and endnotes bibliographies within the Help:ProofreadPage extension resets to 1 for each page in the Index and Page namespaces. Here is my question. Does the footnote counter reset in a completed project? Ideally the counter would not reset. My compromise before proofreading is to manually begin each reference with its original unique number. Do I expand the ref name as explain in several places, or is there an alternative that relates to the main namespace and parts of the process that come after proofing? Thanks to everyone for wikisource, and thanks to you for your quick reply, @DavidMDay DavidMDay (talk) 15:03, 11 September 2026 (UTC)

@DavidMDay The footnote counter resets to 1 for each page in Page namespace, and to 1 for each transcluded section/chapter of a work in Mainspace (e.g. if there were 10 references in chapter 1, and 8 in chapter 2, and these were 1-18 in the source material, they will be 1-10 for chapter 1 once transcluded, 1-8 for chapter 2, etc.). This is intentional. The references will still link to/from the correct locations, even if they appear with different numbers. Just let whatever goes on behind the scenes do its magic. Ever so occasionally, this is annoying, e.g. if the source refers to, say, "reference 38", but the transcluded work has reset the numbering. In that case, you can manually add an extra anchor to point to what was "reference 38". If that comes up, feel free to ask about how to, else just do everything following the default/simplest approach in Help:Footnotes and endnotes that works for each reference. Regards, TeysaKarlov (talk) 05:19, 12 September 2026 (UTC)