MarioWiki:Article size
Articles which become too long should either be trimmed or split into multiple, smaller articles. The reasoning behind this is to increase the readability and reduce the load time for any given article.
When to split
The page size for our longest articles is given on Special:LongPages. Articles over 150,000 bytes can be considered for a split by placing the {{split}} template on the page and using the talk page to determine whether or not there is community consensus to proceed.
Some splits are more straightforward than others. Factors such as the logistics of the split and the size of the resulting articles should be considered and discussed. In some cases, having a longer article may be preferred over splitting.
How to split
Lists
List pages tend to be relatively straightforward to split and it usually involves subdividing a list alphabetically or splitting off specific character(s), franchise(s), etc. The original list page is kept and serves as more of a directory for the partitioned pages.
For alphabetical splits, the split point(s) and number of splits must be determined:
- Find the split point(s) which get as close as possible to equal bytes per partition and results in the largest page having the smallest possible number of bytes.
- Each partition should be under 150,000 bytes. If it's not possible to find a halfway point which keeps both pages under 150,000 bytes, add another partition.
In addition, all letters should be represented in the partition page titles whether those letters have entries or not. Unused letter(s) at the split point should be included in the smaller-sized partition. For example, if an A–P split is determined to produce the smallest possible large partition, then the smaller partition should be Q–Z to complete the alphabet even if there aren't any Q or Z entries specifically. This ensures that the titles are comprehensive and any future additions of those letters theoretically have a place to go.
Articles
Splitting an article usually involves taking a lengthy or overly-detailed section and creating a new article for that topic. The section then remains on the original article, the {{main}} template is used to link to the new article, and a much more top-level summary is given in that section of the original article. For example, summarizing the "History" section of Mario to give a much more top-level overview and using {{main}} to link to a new page entitled History of Mario.
