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Forums: Index → User Rights →  Bot flag
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Hello all,

I get the feeling that I'm flooding the recent changes list with bot edits, although I set it up to work at a very limited pace. I think I'm not the only one that's bothered.

The solution is to flag the bot. Its edits would be marked with a "b" (just as minor edits are marked "m"); this way, people could hide them and watch only the human-made edits. (Of course it is possible to show them as well!)

To obtain a flag, an admin here must contact the Wikia Community Team using this form, providing "a link to a public discussion showing that the community approves of the use and flagging of the bot". There is not much detail, and I don't really know how to do it, so let's just try it that way:

A bot is a program that acts as a normal user (i.e. connects, make edits, explore lists etc.), but is able to do repetitive tasks without any effort.[1]. For example, to rename a category, it retrieves all of its elements, and for each one, replaces [[Category:Foo]] by [[Category:Bar]] in the text. This task is very simple and repetitive for a human, and therefore tedious; it is thus a task typically fitting for a bot.

  • Pros of using a bot: relieves editors of long and boring tasks and allows them to concentrate on important and interesting ones.
  • Cons of using a bot: if it messes things up, it can be on a wider scale than usual vandals. However:
    • It is unlikely. Every function is properly tested before being processed.
    • There is an emergency button, accessible to all editors, that stops the bot in case he drives crazy.
    • Anyway, it is easy for a bot to make massive reverts, so this is not even a real concern.
  • Pros of flagging a bot: frees the recent changes list from massive, similar bot edits. It can thus run much faster without bothering anyone.
  • Cons of flagging a bot: there is probably less editors that check from time to time whether it runs correctly.


Details about the bot concerned here:

  • Bot: PX-Bot
  • Role: Various wide-scale little changes
  • Current Operations: Setting up the new color scheme template system imagined by Ruxax (creation of ~150 color scheme template pages, and modification of all articles using a box template)
  • Successfully Achieved Operations: Renaming the seven "... Villains" categories into "... Antagonists"
  • Contrib List: Special:Contributions/PX-Bot
  • Emergency Stop: on the user page

Please state whether you approve the use of the bot, and if yes, whether you approve its flagging!

sff9 (talk) 22:57, February 21, 2011 (UTC)

Discussion

Could you explain (in a few words) what a bot precisely does and what the pro's and con's are? Jinbe 01:33, February 22, 2011 (UTC)

You're right, sorry, I added a little detail above. sff9 (talk) 02:23, February 22, 2011 (UTC)

I think the bot's great. I'm not 100% sure about the color scheme one? I don't really know how it works. Well, whatever, as long as it doesn't mess with anything I guess? I actually like seeing the progression of the bot, so I don't mind it showing up. If it bothers a bunch of people though I don't mind flagging.  YazzyDream  Talk  Admin    01:39,2/22/2011 

As for the color schemes, maybe you'll get the idea by looking at Ruxax's and my talk pages. I'll try to explain it better later!
As for the flag, anyway you could choose to show bot edits by default, there would be no difference for you. sff9 (talk) 02:23, February 22, 2011 (UTC)

Flagging sounds like a pretty good idea. Also, seeing the success of PX-bot, I guess another bot is fine. I don't really know how it goes, but just make sure all the programming goes correctly and all will be fine. JapaneseOPfan :: Talk 01:49, February 22, 2011 (UTC)

Not sure I got what you meant by "another bot"? sff9 (talk) 02:23, February 22, 2011 (UTC)
-
Typo. Meant same bot different purpose. JapaneseOPfan :: Talk 03:15, February 22, 2011 (UTC)

The bot seems good, but only one is enough. I also edit on another wiki with a bot, and he also warns users when they do something wrong (like double-editing the same page/section). And yes, it would be really good to mark an edit for bot. GMTails 02:08, February 22, 2011 (UTC)

Alright, I've sent a message to Wikia staff to flag it. :)  YazzyDream  Talk  Admin    02:33,2/22/2011 

Yeah, thanks, let's flag it. Yatanogarasu 03:04, February 22, 2011 (UTC)


E-mail confirmation, and finished. It's now flagged and done. :)  YazzyDream  Talk  Admin    10:13,2/22/2011 

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