WMDE Technical Wishes/Sub-referencing/sv

Vår plan är att lägga till funktionen med under-referenser till Wikimedias wikier under slutet av 2024.

• » Vanliga frågor
• » Nyligen genomförda förändringar, och kommande steg

Underreferenser
Status	Pågående
Origin	Undersökningar om Tekniska önskemål 2013, 2015, 2022 och andra
Focus area	Underlätta att återanvända referenser
Phabricator	Projektkommitté
Responsible	Tekniska önskemål-teamet
Berätta vad du tycker Vi inbjuder dig att testa vår prototyp, som vi uppdaterar kontinuerligt. Titta på den här sidan eller registrera dig på den här massmeddelandelistan för att lära dig om nya saker du kan testa Läs mer om testning och feedback

Currently, it is not possible to easily re-use the same reference with different details in an article. Community members have repeatedly requested a MediaWiki solution that works without templates and is based on the existing way references work, for both wikitext and Visual Editor. » Learn more about the problem

As part of the focus area "Make re-using references easier", Wikimedia Deutschland’s Technical Wishes team is introducing sub-referencing – an optional feature that allows you to easily attach different details to an existing reference, without having to duplicate it.

Underreferenser i ett nötskal

För att citera en källa mer än en gång med olika detaljer behöver man en huvudreferens och en underreferens.

• The main reference contains the main bibliographic information.
• The sub-reference contains the details: page numbers, or any kind of additional information which are different for each citation, e.g. chapters, verses or notes.

• In the references section, readers see all sub-references grouped together underneath their main reference. This makes it easier to grasp how often a single source has been cited in that article.
• For wikitext, you use a new attribute for sub-referencing. The current name of that attribute is extends, but the name might change before the feature is deployed. We’ll collect more feedback on the name.
• In Visual Editor, we are changing the existing citation dialog so that it supports sub-references.

Huvudsakliga fördelar

• Underreferensering baseras på det befintliga sättet som referenserna fungerar.
• Det fungerar för både Visual Editor och wikitext – vilket för oss närmare funktionsparitet mellan Visual Editor och wikitext.
• Lösningen kommer att integreras i MediaWiki, vilket gör den tillgänglig för alla Wikimedia-wikier och användbar utan lösningar baserade på mallar.
• Sub-references will be properly displayed in Reference Previews and mobile reference pop-ups.
• Det är frivilligt: Du kan fortfarande använda andra metoder för att lägga till referenser. Men du kan komma att stöta på underreferenser i artiklar skrivna av andra användare.

Please tell us what you think. It is important that this new feature does not interrupt user workflows, is intuitive and works well for wikitext and Visual Editor users regardless of their experience level or knowledge about wikitext and templates. To make sure of that, we need your feedback:

• Test the prototype! Read more about how to test.
• Give general feedback on the talk page.
• Watch this page or sign-up to this massmessage list to learn about new things you can test.

Hur det fungerar

I wikitext

The wikitext solution for sub-referencing is nearly done. However, the name of the attribute might change. The solution has not been deployed yet mostly because we want to avoid that Visual Editor users have a vastly different experience than wikitext users. The Visual Editor support is still in development.

Du kan fortfarande testa prototypen och berätta för oss hur det fungerar för dig.

Fördelar specifika för wikitext

• Lösningen bygger på det befintliga och kända konceptet för namngivna referenser.
• Det kräver ingen kunskap om hur mallar fungerar.
• Referenser som nästan är dubbletter av varandra kan tas bort i wikitexten, vilket gör den texten renare, informationen mindre redundant, och lättare att läsa.

 

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Steg för steg

1) You need a reference with the main bibliographic information, the main reference. This reference needs a name:

<ref name="Miller">E. Miller, ''The Sun''. New York: Academic Press, 2005.</ref>

This main reference should be placed in the references section, or else you will have a reference in the article that does not show any details like page numbers. In the references section, use the syntax <references> … </references>. If the article is already using <references />, remove it.

2) You create a sub-reference, using the name of the main reference with the attribute extends. You add the details between the <ref> tags:

<ref extends="Miller">Page 23.</ref>

Så här ser det ut:

According to scientists, the Sun is pretty big.<ref extends="Miller">Page 23.</ref> In fact, it is very big. Take their word for it.<ref extends="Miller">Page 48.</ref> Don't look directly at the sun!<ref extends="Miller">Page 23.</ref> ==References== <references> <ref name="Miller">E. Miller, ''The Sun''. New York: Academic Press, 2005.</ref> </references>

Tänk på detta

If you want to reference a new source using sub-references in wikitext, you only need to make sure to create the main reference in the references section.

Men i många fall vill du troligen använda underreferenser med en referens som redan finns i artikeln. I dessa fall

1. Ändra den ursprungliga referensen till en huvudreferens med hjälp av <ref name>.
2. Flytta huvudreferensen till sektionen för referenser.
3. Skapa en underreferens på den plats där den ursprungliga referensen tidigare fanns i artikeln.
4. Flytta detaljerna i huvudreferensen (sidnummer etc.) till underreferensen. Se till att de inte längre finns kvar i huvudreferensen, annars kommer de att visas två gånger.
5. Skapa fler underreferenser i artikeln på de platser du vill citera källan, men med olika detaljer.

Du kan också återanvända en underreferens genom att ge den ett namn:

According to scientists, the Sun is pretty big.<ref extends="Miller" name="Miller, 23">Page 23.</ref> In fact, it is very big. Take their word for it.<ref extends="Miller">Page 48.</ref> Don't look directly at the sun!<ref name="Miller, 23" /> ==References== <references> <ref name="Miller">E. Miller, ''The Sun''. New York: Academic Press, 2005.</ref> </references>

Vänligen notera

• Converting references to main and sub-references requires some clean-up; and the main reference typically needs to be in the references section (as described above).
• Du kan använda underreferenser med citationsmallar. Vi har testat de vanligaste, men din favoritmall kanske behöver uppdateringar för att fungera med vår lösning.
• Vissa gadgets/skript som är relaterade till referenser kan också behöva uppdateras för att fungera korrekt med den nya lösningen för underreferenser.
• Det är inte möjligt att göra en underreferens till en annan underreferens.
• Om <ref group> används måste huvudreferensen och underreferensen tillhöra samma grupp.

I Visual Editor (under utveckling)

Vi vet inte ännu exakt hur funktionen kommer att se ut i Visual Editor. Än så länge har vi en mycket minimal lösning som inte är klar att användas. Under de kommande veckorna kommer denna lösning sannolikt att förändras. Du kan också testa prototypen med den nuvarande lösningen för Visual Editor. Kom ihåg att den troligen kommer att ändras. Vi kommer att uppdatera den här sidan när nya delar kan testas.

Fördelar specifika för Visual Editor

• To cite the same source with different details, you no longer have to create a new reference from scratch.
• Sub-references are fully compatible with Visual Editor (as opposed to template-based workarounds): You can create them via the citation dialog and you can edit them from within the references section.

 

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Arbetsflöde med nuvarande prototyp (kommer troligen att ändras)

Att skapa en underreferens

• Creating a sub-reference currently works via the the existing citation dialog.
• In the tab "extends", select the reference you want to reuse. This tab will likely be improved after our current user testing sessions.
  
• Skriv in uppgifterna för den underreferensen och klicka på Lägg till.
  
• The reference popup in Visual Editor shows you that this reference is a sub-reference, and how often it is re-used.
  

Redigera en befintlig referens

• Click on the footnote marker in the article text to edit a sub-reference.
• Du kan nu ändra detaljerna i underreferensen. Du blir också informerad om att det är en underreferens.
  
• You cannot edit a sub-reference from the reference list yet.
• Om du vill redigera huvudreferensen, klicka på den i avsnittet Referenser.

Återanvänd en underreferens

• You can re-use a sub-reference using the "re-use" tab in the citation dialog.
  

Vänligen notera

• The existing problem with auto-names for references in Visual Editor also occurs with sub-referencing.
• In Visual Editor, it is currently possible to make a sub-reference of a sub-reference. This is an error and causes an error upon saving. It is not supposed to work later in the actual solution, and does not work in wikitext, either.
• We have yet to work on what happens when you delete a reference that is being re-used.
• The workflow on turning an existing reference in a main and sub-reference has yet to be defined.
• When you create a re-use of a sub-reference in Visual Editor and then switch to wikitext, you will find that the statement in wikitext is <ref extends="main-reference" name="sub-reference" />. This is a bug and will be fixed as part of T367749.
• <ref name="sub-reference name"/> currently does not show the Reference Preview for the sub-reference properly in Visual Editor editing mode. You will only see the sub-reference's details in the pop-up and not the information from the main reference. To see the main reference's information in the pop-up as well, you should currently use the syntax <ref extends="main" name="sub-reference name" />.
  
  

 Test the prototype

We need your feedback to make sure we build the right things. Feedback or questions are always welcome on this project’s talk page.

The prototype is available on beta wiki. Currently, we primarily invite you to test the wikitext solution:

https://en.wikipedia.beta.wmflabs.org/wiki/Sub-referencing Talk:WMDE Technical Wishes/Sub-referencing

Please note that beta wikis are a bit different from your regular wiki:

• They might look different (e.g. not use your preferred skin).
• They might offer some new features that are still being tested.
• They only contain some test pages and templates, not your entire wiki’s content, and not all the templates, modules, gadgets etc. you are used to.
• Your regular Wikimedia login doesn’t work on beta wikis. You can either register an account – make sure to use a different password than your regular Wikimedia account – or test the feature without an account, which will lead to the creation of a temporary account (on de-betawiki) – or display your IP address (on en-betawiki).

The problem we are solving

In Wikipedia articles, it is common to reference a source multiple times. But while you can re-use a reference exactly as it is, you currently cannot re-use the same reference with different details (e.g. different page numbers). Your only option is to create a whole new reference or to use workarounds.

Status quo: Re-using references in wikitext and Visual Editor

If you want to re-use a reference in wikitext, you can turn it into a named reference and refer to that name at another point in the article. The named reference can be placed in the article text or in the references section. In Visual Editor you can use the option "re-use" in the citation dialog. In the references section, references with the same name are grouped together.

• 
  Wikitext: <ref name> in the article text
• 
  Wikitext: <ref name> in the references section
• 
  Visual Editor: citation dialog
• 
  Reader's view

Status quo: Re-using references with different details in wikitext

If you want to re-use an existing reference with different details in wikitext, you currently need to copy and paste the existing reference and change the details of the duplicate or create a new (almost identical) reference from scratch. Some projects use workarounds like short citations or template-based solutions like shortened footnotes. In the references section, the original reference and the new one you created are not grouped together.

• 
  Two almost identical references in the wikitext.
• 
  Reader's view: Almost identical references are not grouped together
• 
  Workaround with short citations in wikitext
• 
  Reader's view: workaround with short citations
• 
  Workaround with {{sfn}} in wikitext
• 
  Reader's view: workaround with {{sfn}}

Status quo: Re-using references with different details in Visual Editor

If you want to re-use an existing reference with different details in Visual Editor, neither the option "re-use" in the citation dialog nor the copy-and-paste method will work, because both lead to identical re-uses, and changing details of the re-used/copied reference changes both instances of that reference. Instead you’ll need to create a new (almost identical) reference from scratch. In the references section, the original reference and the new one you created are not grouped together.

References created by template-based workarounds like {{sfn}} cannot be edited from within the references section and don’t appear in the citation re-use tab; but it is possible to edit them manually when locating them in the article text.

workaround with {{sfn}}:

• 
  Reader's view
• 
  The references disappear from the references section when clicking "edit".
• 
  It is not possible to use {{sfn}} references via the "re-use"-dialog.
• 
  References can only be edited when locating the reference in the article text

Problems for readers

Template-based workarounds are not properly displayed in Reference Previews, Reference Tooltips and mobile reference pop-ups.

{{sfn}} workaround with previews for references:

• 
  Reference Previews: The main information is not included in the pop-up.
• 
  Reference Tooltips: The main information is not included in the initial pop-up.
• 
  Reference Tooltips: The main information is shown in another pop-up.
• 
  mobile reference pop-ups: The main information is not included.

Main problems with the status quo

• The experience of Visual Editor and wikitext users is very different.
• Most workarounds for reusing references with different details don’t work properly in Visual Editor.
• Creating lots of almost identical references with different details makes the wikitext longer and potentially harder to read.
• Template-based workarounds are not equally accepted by all communities and thus not globally available.
• Some users try to avoid this issue by putting sources in the bibliography section without using them as references at all, which makes it harder to verify sections of the article.

Recent changes and next steps

Our team has worked on this problem on and off for some time now. Here is an overview of this project’s history, including our research.
Thank you to everyone who participated in tests and interviews and who showed interest, as well as everyone who took the time to comment on our talk pages over the years. It is deeply appreciated. If you have further feedback, please share it on the talk page.

• Y A prototype is available on beta wiki. It covers the wikitext solution and some of the basic features of the Visual Editor solution. You can continuously test the prototype and give feedback.
• YWe have sent out announcements across all wikis to let communities know about this upcoming feature, and have invited them to test and give feedback.
• YOur team presented sub-referencing at Wikimania 2024 and discussed with participants. (YouTube)
• Moderated users tests are taking place across different projects.
• We are reaching out to potential pilot wikis and are planning to deploy the sub-referencing feature on those wikis in October.
• We are planning to deploy the sub-referencing feature to other Wikimedia wikis by the end of 2024.
• We will continue to collect feedback to improve the solution after deployment.

We are aware of other problems in the focus area "reusing references", and we will try to address them along the way. Our focus, however, remains on creating a solution for sub-referencing.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I find articles that use sub-referencing?

A tracking category called Category:Pages that use extended references is added to any page where sub-referencing is used, allowing you to explore or fix pages using the new feature. The name of this category might change.

Can I use this feature with citation templates/tools?

Yes, you can use sub-referencing with citation templates. We’ve tested the most common citation templates (e.g. cite book or cite web) and don’t expect any issues. But your favorite template might need some updates in order to work with our solution. Some gadgets/scripts related to references might also need an update in order to properly work with the new sub-referencing solution. Because templates, gadgets and scripts are in the hands of the wiki communities, we are unable to adapt them.

Please let us know, on the talk page, if you discover any problems or need some help updating citation templates to make them work with the new feature.

What will the name of the sub-reference attribute be?

We don’t know yet. Currently, the attribute name for creating sub-references in wikitext is extends. We decided on this name some years ago after discussing with communities and stakeholders at the Wikimedia Foundation. However, we have received some feedback that this name might not be the best option. Before we will deploy this feature to the wikis, we want to get more feedback on the attribute name and are planning to put some alternatives up for discussion. We’ll let you know when that happens.

Why did you choose this wikitext syntax?

When we first started working on the wikitext implementation of this feature, we discussed different options. Adding a new tag (e.g. <subref>) was discussed carefully, but we wanted to stick to the existing <ref> approach, to minimize the amount of new syntax users have to learn. Besides, introducing a new tag would require many updates to existing community software (tools, gadgets, bots etc.) for referencing.

One proposal (from 2008) was to specify the subreference’s details within the <ref> tag: <ref page="page 2" name="Miller"> or later <ref detail="page 2" name="Miller"> using the name attribute to refer to the main reference. This is similar to what users know from working with templates like {{cite book}}.

The main issue with this approach is, however, that it causes problems with templates and is very likely to cause errors. Another problem with this syntax is that it does not allow to re-use a sub-reference, because the name attribute has already been used to refer to the main reference and cannot be used a second time.

A way to avoid both these issues is to create a new reference attribute and put the sub-reference’s details in the area between the opening and closing <ref> tags, the same way it is already done for the content of references. This is what our approach does.

Why did it take so long to find a solution?

The Technical Wishes team has worked on this feature on and off for many years. If you want to know more, here’s an overview of the history and complexity of this problem.