- Template:Catdesc (talk|edit|history|logs|links|watch) (XfD|restore)
Far too few people commented (3, with a 2-1 majority to delete) for any conclusions to be drawn about what the community thinks about the long-term usefulness of this template. Also no reasons of any merit were given as to why it should be deleted (we have many complex templates, so complexity is clearly not a ground for deletion, and the user who claimed that the information produced by the template was "not useful" failed to respond when asked to be specific, and clearly some of the information produced is useful, so this comment can hardly be considered fully thought-out). Please relist so that more can comment and so that we can be sure that there are genuine grounds to delete it, and that we know what we want instead. (Closing admin has been requested to change decision but declined.)--Kotniski (talk) 19:18, 18 June 2009 (UTC) Kotniski (talk) 19:18, 18 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]
- Note: in particular the discussion was closed without an answer being reached to the important question now raised here - if it is to be deleted, then how much of the information in it is to be retained when it gets converted?--Kotniski (talk) 13:52, 19 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]
- Endorse. Without trying to turn this into TFD2, I agree about the usefulness of this template, in that it makes categorizing and describing categories more difficult. Not only for use, but also when it comes to automated recategorization. Bots aren't set up to deal with this, nor is AWB that I'm aware of. The only positive I can see is that it gives categories a consistent look and feel. --Kbdank71 14:12, 19 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]
- I've begun the process of extracting the categories, by adding a pseudo-category for each parameter. As the category names state, do not create! I'll let this propagate for a few hours until the site isn't so busy, and then use the pseudo-categories to build the real things on the actual pages.
--William Allen Simpson (talk) 18:01, 23 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]
- Can you explain exactly what it is you plan to do? We've already had one botched attempt to clear this up - let's make sure we know what we're doing this time. (In particular I don't think a few hours is necessarily enough time for categories to propagate via a template.)--Kotniski (talk) 18:08, 23 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]
- This is how we used to do it in years past, but the jobs queue is really slow today. It's still working on "Cities and towns in", 10+ hours later, and doesn't seem to have touched the counties and villages. Hmmm, I'll have to wait a lot longer, or think of something else. Brute force will do it, removing one {.}par[.] at each pass, but that would take 18 passes over 700+ articles. I'll think on it some more, as the categories propagate.... No rush, as long as it's finished before this review is over, and before the template is deleted.
--William Allen Simpson (talk) 06:36, 24 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]
- Looking at what you tried to do at Category:Villages in Poland, I think you may be on the right track, but please take note of the .key. parameters (sort keys) that correspond to the .par. ones. Anyway, I hope you'll wait until discussion concludes before doing any mass edits. As I say, if you can wait till July 4, I can do them all very quickly with a script and save anyone else the bother.--Kotniski (talk) 06:51, 24 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]
- Overturn This template is potentially important and additional discussion is needed. It was unreasonable to close it until the use of a template such as this can be discussed. I don't know my own view on that -- I would like to here further view from people who work on categorization in a proper discussion. DGG (talk) 19:31, 19 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]
- Overturn (no consensus). That discussion was far from concluded, with so few particpants, and User:Kotniski's reasonable points unanswered. --SmokeyJoe (talk) 01:55, 20 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]
- Endorse as TfD nominator.
- Although a small sample, it was 4:1 (including closer and original request on its Talk by Piotrus).
- The only person wanting Keep was its author.
- There was posting at (2 or more) other related Talk pages.
- It was closed late, after 12 days (more than the usual 7 days).
- Therefore, had plenty of opportunity for discussion.
- I see no reasonable points by Kotniski: "until someone comes up with something better." – not an intelligible argument for keeping.
- We already had/have something better, already used on tens of thousands of categories.
- Specific templates, simple syntax.
- Undoing will usually restore the original information that Kotniski deleted.
- Also, speaking as relatively expert on categories, this seriously impedes CfD, finding, merging, and renaming categories.
- Embedding categories inside templates is a good thing for single purpose templates.
- Multi-purpose, multi-parameter, multi-category, monstrous templates are another thing entirely.
- --William Allen Simpson (talk) 17:50, 21 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]
- Keep – clearly a useful template; and why is the apparent Polishness of the creator relevant? I do agree with WAS that parent categories should not be added by template as bots, AWB and hotcat cannot cope with this, but this is just a matter of editing the template. (I was not aware that comments not made in a tfd could be counted as part of the tfd.) Occuli (talk) 23:56, 21 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]
- I can only assume it's because m:poles are evil. Stifle (talk) 08:27, 23 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]
- Editing the template will only remove categorization from the categories the template is used on. In order to replace the categorization, someone will need to edit each templated category manually. That needs to happen now, regardless of the outcome of this DRV, becasue if it's kept, and it looks like it's going to be, the use of this template as it currently stands is going to cause major problems at CFD. --Kbdank71 12:47, 23 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]
- I'm not sure the problems will be as major as you think (it's not like this is the first template to transclude categories), but as I've already said somewhere else, once a decision is taken, I can convert all these template instances into normal wikitext (i.e. with the category declarations explicit, and preserving whatever other information we decide to keep). I'll be away for a bit, but when I come back around July 4 (assuming there's an actionable decision by then) I'll get onto it.--Kotniski (talk) 13:15, 23 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]
- Occuli,
- What exactly is "useful"? We've already established that its main text is already covered by other templates, and its inclusion of categories is undesirable. Can you point to some examples of actual usefulness?
- Why are you referring to Polishness? I see no such comments here.
- You agree that the template has to remove the categories, and Kotinski claims this will have to be done by hand.
- (Yes, persons that ask for a template to be removed – but we have to help with the process – are certainly counted as supporting deletion. Do you deny they were supporting deletion?)
--William Allen Simpson (talk) 13:37, 23 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]
- The tfd nom (by WAS) explicitly brings in Polishness; I was merely being diligent and informing myself on the topic. Opinions expressed outside a cfd (even in previous cfds) have never been counted as far as I know; perhaps tfds are different and we have to scour wikipedia for related opinions. I am not aware of templates which cover the same area and none has been cited. I agree that the categories will have to be replaced - this could be done by bot just as easily as deletion (1. undo addition of catdesc; 2. add catdesc2). Occuli (talk) 13:37, 24 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]
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