MarioWiki:Redirects: Difference between revisions

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'''Redirects''' are used to forward the user from one page on the wiki to another page.
'''Redirects''' are used to forward the user from one page on the wiki to another page.


== Main Redirects ==
== Main redirects ==
We use redirects to connect logical search phrases to helpful places. They don't cost us anything. There are a few exceptions, but unless one redirects to a place to where someone ''wouldn't'' want to go, there's no downside to having them. In such a case where a phrase could have multiple meanings, a disambiguation page is used.
We use redirects to connect logical search phrases to helpful places. They don't cost us anything, so they're highly-encouraged. There are a few exceptions, but unless one redirects to a place to where someone ''wouldn't'' want to go, there's no downside to having them. In such a case where a phrase could have multiple meanings, a disambiguation page is used.


For example, let's take a look at the search phrase "luigis mansion 2". Without a proper redirect, users are taken to [http://www.mariowiki.com/index.php?title=Special:Search&search=luigis%20mansion%202&fulltext=Search&profile=default this results page]. MediaWiki's built-in search is not great, and redirects allow us to make up for that by applying a human touch to point users in the right direction. If there's even a small chance that a redirect will help someone, it's not useless.
For example, let's take a look at the search phrase "luigis mansion 2". Without a [[Luigis Mansion 2|proper redirect]], users are taken to [https://www.mariowiki.com/index.php?title=Special:Search&search=luigis%20mansion%202&fulltext=Search&profile=default this results page]. MediaWiki's built-in search is not great, and redirects allow us to make up for that by applying a human touch to point users in the right direction. If there's even a small chance that a redirect will help someone, it's not useless.


=== Unnecessary redirects ===
=== Unnecessary redirects ===
Redirects are only unnecessary when (1) they are completely nonsensical, (2) they are too general, (3) they overlap each other, and (4) the search function takes the user to the correct page '''without''' said redirect. This generally means that pure capitalization redirects are unnecessary, but cases should be tested using an all-lowercase search for the page title. '''Paper mario 3ds''' may seem unnecessary because the search function ''should'' pick up on the '''Paper Mario 3DS''' redirect when the user searches "paper mario 3ds", but "words" starting with numbers may need a matching redirect featuring an all-lowercase version of said "word" to be redirected properly. This is why we test by searching!
Due to MediaWiki's search irregularities, a proper-capitalization redirect and all-lowercase redirect may exist for each topic (for example, [[Afoot in the Foothills]] and [[afoot in the foothills]]). Deleting redirects provides no real benefit, so they should only be tagged for deletion in the rare cases where (1) they are completely nonsensical or (2) they are too general. '''There is no need to delete alternate-name, conjectural, or spelling-mistake redirects unless they are specifically too silly or too general.''' When articles and galleries are moved, redirects play an important role so that links from search engines and external websites continue to work.


==== Examples ====
==== Examples ====
(1) We don't need the redirect '''Game with luigi and ghosts 2''' because it's too silly.
(1) We don't need the redirect '''Game with luigi and ghosts 2''' because it's too silly.


(2) We don't want the redirect '''First mario game''' because we're not positive what page the user is looking for (you might say [[Donkey Kong (game)]], but maybe they're actually trying to find [[Super Mario Bros.]]), so the search page is the best place for them to be.
(2) We don't want the redirect '''First mario game''' because we're not positive what page the user is looking for (you might say [[Donkey Kong (game)]], but maybe they're actually trying to find [[Super Mario Bros.]]), so the search page is the best place for them to be.


(3) We don't require the redirect '''Mario Galaxy''' because the redirect '''Mario galaxy''' already takes care of users searching for the phrase "mario galaxy". As a general rule, all-lowercase redirects are used. There are some weird cases where uppercase redirects don't work, so we use lowercase just to be safe. In addition to this, most searches are all-lowercase.
== Other types of redirects ==
 
=== Non-mainspace redirects ===
(4) We don't require the redirect '''Super mario galaxy''' or '''Super Mario galaxy''' because entering "super mario galaxy" in the search field takes the user to [[Super Mario Galaxy]] without any redirects.
Template, Category, and File redirects are discouraged. If one of these types of pages is moved, it is necessary to update all links to the new name and delete the redirect page. Forgoing template redirects keeps our "templates used on this page" lists tidier.


=== Spelling Mistake Redirects ===
=== Smart apostrophe/quote redirects ===
Spelling mistake redirects are a grey area. The general rule is: don't think about them too much. Don't worry about tagging them for deletion unless they break another rule because there's really no point, and don't go off creating as many spelling mistake redirects that you can think of. We suggest reasonable mistakes aimed at more-popular subjects, which is subjective but not 100% subjective. {{user|Porplemontage}} creates them based on our top search phrases, but everyone else has to either make some guesses or just not worry about them.
Due to certain devices using smart quotes and apostrophes by default (“...” and ‘...’), searching a title that uses regular quotes and apostrophes won't direct those users to that page unless they use the correct type, so creation of smart apostrophe/quote redirects (for example, [[Bowser’s Castle|Bowser'''’'''s Castle]] for [[Bowser's Castle|Bowser<b>'</b>s Castle]]) is encouraged.


== Other Types of Redirects ==
== Linking to redirects ==
Template, Category, and File redirects are discouraged. In the rare case that one of these types of pages is moved, it's recommended to update all links to the new name and delete the redirect page.
Linking to redirect pages is discouraged, so always try to link to the actual page name and use the piped link formatting to correct the name if necessary. This method is more efficient than using redirects when it comes to page caching.


== Linking to Redirects ==
== External links ==
Linking to redirect pages is discouraged, so always try to link to the actual page name and use the piped-formatting to correct the name if necessary.
*[[mw:Help:Redirects|MediaWiki's help page on redirects]]


== External Links ==
{{MarioWiki}}
*[[MediaWiki.org:Help:Redirects|MediaWiki's help page on redirects]]
{{Shortcut|SMW:REDIRECT|SMW:REDIRECTS}}
{{BoxTop}}
[[Category:Writing guidelines]]
{{Wikipolicy}}
[[Category:Writing Guidelines|{{PAGENAME}}]]
{{shortcut|MW:REDIRECT|MW:REDIRECTS}}

Revision as of 12:45, April 5, 2024

Redirects are used to forward the user from one page on the wiki to another page.

Main redirects

We use redirects to connect logical search phrases to helpful places. They don't cost us anything, so they're highly-encouraged. There are a few exceptions, but unless one redirects to a place to where someone wouldn't want to go, there's no downside to having them. In such a case where a phrase could have multiple meanings, a disambiguation page is used.

For example, let's take a look at the search phrase "luigis mansion 2". Without a proper redirect, users are taken to this results page. MediaWiki's built-in search is not great, and redirects allow us to make up for that by applying a human touch to point users in the right direction. If there's even a small chance that a redirect will help someone, it's not useless.

Unnecessary redirects

Due to MediaWiki's search irregularities, a proper-capitalization redirect and all-lowercase redirect may exist for each topic (for example, Afoot in the Foothills and afoot in the foothills). Deleting redirects provides no real benefit, so they should only be tagged for deletion in the rare cases where (1) they are completely nonsensical or (2) they are too general. There is no need to delete alternate-name, conjectural, or spelling-mistake redirects unless they are specifically too silly or too general. When articles and galleries are moved, redirects play an important role so that links from search engines and external websites continue to work.

Examples

(1) We don't need the redirect Game with luigi and ghosts 2 because it's too silly.

(2) We don't want the redirect First mario game because we're not positive what page the user is looking for (you might say Donkey Kong (game), but maybe they're actually trying to find Super Mario Bros.), so the search page is the best place for them to be.

Other types of redirects

Non-mainspace redirects

Template, Category, and File redirects are discouraged. If one of these types of pages is moved, it is necessary to update all links to the new name and delete the redirect page. Forgoing template redirects keeps our "templates used on this page" lists tidier.

Smart apostrophe/quote redirects

Due to certain devices using smart quotes and apostrophes by default (“...” and ‘...’), searching a title that uses regular quotes and apostrophes won't direct those users to that page unless they use the correct type, so creation of smart apostrophe/quote redirects (for example, Bowsers Castle for Bowser's Castle) is encouraged.

Linking to redirects

Linking to redirect pages is discouraged, so always try to link to the actual page name and use the piped link formatting to correct the name if necessary. This method is more efficient than using redirects when it comes to page caching.

External links