Record of the process of creating the Archive search facility:
Background edit
I really couldn't understand why there was no search facility in the archives and decided I should make one. I fiddled around and created one in my sandbox on the 18th January 2009 (history of that event sadly lost due to deletion after I blanked it [1]).
Jza84, Nev1, and Mr Stephen joined in and we fiddled with it until we got it right and Mr Stephen linked it to the little input box. I first added it to my page for further experimentation [2]. We tried to get a standardised format although there was a litle problem that nearly gave me a heart attack when I edited the wrong page and ended up deleting the GTR Manchester archive and it ended up being transcluded through my talk page and was fixed by JamesonTai. Once we had it working properly Mr Stephen's miraculous and magnificent template surprise came into play!
The rest is history and our template is used all over Wikipedia now along with other variants. Everytime I see a searchbox on an article or user talk page I feel damned proud of the work we put in :¬) (from Gtr Manchester archive 24)
Hi all ! edit
Thanks for my welcome to the project page !
Anyone know how to search through the archived discussion pages ?
I am currently updating the Dukinfield page and as such have put on a "refimprove" box at the top to encourage ppl to cite more references (as well as having added a few myself)
I am glad to help in any way i can
Chaosdruid (talk) 01:59, 18 January 2009 (UTC)
- Once again, welcome! It depends what archives you want to search, but google allows you to search this project's archives if you give it the site. For example, Dukinfield is only mentioned in one of our archives [3]. I've got some books on Tameside (somewhere) and used them to expand Ashton-under-Lyne (which you might like to take a look at for ideas), and I'll see if I can help. Nev1 (talk) 02:05, 18 January 2009 (UTC)
- (edit conflict)Hello there! And welcome! Nice to have you onboard!
- It would be great if the Dukinfield article was to expand/improve a little - it looks like it's been neglected for quite some time really. It's neighbour Ashton-under-Lyne is an official good article which you might want to borrow ideas from?
- Do you mean our archived talk here, at WP:GM? You may have to go through them manually. Was there something in particular you wanted to know about - I might be able to recall? --Jza84 | Talk 02:07, 18 January 2009 (UTC)
- WOW !! so many replies in such a short time, thanks guys !
- Dukinfield:-
- Im currently looking at the more recent history first, 1750 to present day.
- Next will be people involved, with new pages for Astley etc
- Then ill move on to ancient history
- (I have some photos which I can use for things like the old mine shafts and stuff from 1950 to today (old family stuff), as well as various pamphlets & old maps etc. which I have collected over the years but any help is always useful - thanks for the offers!!
- Seems strange there is no facility to search through the archives (these discussion ones) but as you said i will trawl through them individually.
- I have an old postcard from Ashton, from the mid seventies I believe, ill try and dig it out - its a pic of the bus-station with Greetings from Ashton-Under-Lyne !! lol
- Thanks again guys, I'll keep you all updated Chaosdruid (talk) 02:16, 18 January 2009 (UTC)
- I've just created a way to search the archives (externally): Search the archives. Any idea where to put the link anyone? (The archive box would be ideal, but I don't think it's possible) Nev1 (talk) 02:28, 18 January 2009 (UTC)
- I just created this one : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Chaosdruid/sandbox so it's def. possible ! (just edited to centre )
- Chaosdruid (talk) 03:14, 18 January 2009 (UTC)
- Like this. Mr Stephen (talk) 11:21, 18 January 2009 (UTC)
- If you click the link in my previous comment, it takes you to my sand box page and in the top right corner you should be able to see the archives, as well as the link to the search i put in
- I think what we need is for someone to be able to type into a white box the "subject" they are searching for and then to click that link I put in to my sandbox to do the search.
- I'll put it as per your present one cause that looks better and keeps it within wiki
- Any ideas how we could do that ? Chaosdruid (talk) 11:32, 18 January 2009 (UTC)
- Off the top of my head, no. You could look for clues at WP:ANI, the archives there are searchable. Mr Stephen (talk) 12:16, 18 January 2009 (UTC)
Followup. Mr Stephen (talk) 12:27, 18 January 2009 (UTC)
LOL !! PERFECT !!
thats the best ive seen so far lol - ill sandbox it right now
Chaosdruid (talk) 17:38, 18 January 2009 (UTC)
- Something like that would be useful as a permanent feature on this page Pit-yacker (talk) 22:40, 20 January 2009 (UTC)
- Bad new and good news - If we put the search onto the archive box it gives bad results (see post below !)
- But - I have seen some pages with a search included so am going to research in few days and report back !--Chaosdruid (talk) 22:06, 21 January 2009 (UTC)
Was looking like we had it until I tried to tweak it a little - small changes do not always result in small changes lol !! :¬)
(from Gtr Manchester archive 25)
DOH DOH DOH DOH - SORRY !! edit
Hi all
I have been stupid, I was editing my sandbox and trying to get the archive box to display correctly like it did when I first copied the page over to my sandbox.
Problem was that after I pasted the search code into the sandbox/archivelist page everything looked the same, with the search code added, but when I saved it, the nice little listing of the archives disappeared and I was just left with one archive, the first, and the search box.
Whilst I was trying to fix it, I had lots of pages open in my browser and I inadvertently pasted the code into the wrong box, clicked save then wondered why it said Project Greater Manchester at the top - at least it works on my talk page tho - if you put a word into the search box it will search the Gtr Man Talk archives
As you can see, it seems I have destroyed the archivelist - I am so sorry :¬(
I have spent a couple of hours now trawling through just about every page i can find on archives, miszabot and other things and have ended up with the conclusion that this one is beyond me !!
Chaosdruid (talk) 02:43, 20 January 2009 (UTC)
- Fixed. It seems that the archive box automatically looks for a page at Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Greater Manchester/archivelist; if it finds it, it uses that, otherwise it generates the contents automatically. You created that talk page last night; I've just deleted it. Let me (or Jza, or any other admin) know if you want it undeleting, or any of its contents moving elsewhere. Also, don't worry so much. :-) Mike Peel (talk) 07:36, 20 January 2009 (UTC)
- Well it's not like I made a good impression with that one !
- Thanks for putting me out of my misery - couldn't sleep cause thought I really did it harm, but at least I learned a lot about making archives and archive boxes lol
- Did you look at the one on my chat ? We were discussing getting that search box there but after we talked about it, no-one seems to want to follow up
- Feel free to mess around with my chat page to see how I scripted it
- And thanks again for fixing that - i didn't realise till quite late on that when i clicked the "edit this box" (in the archive box) that it went to a page that didn't exist, so I must have created it in mine and then here but wasn't sure whether I was just going to make it worse !
- Chaosdruid (talk) 08:47, 20 January 2009 (UTC)
- Don't feel so bad Chaosdruid, I've just done exactly the same thing! Another page to be deleted by the first passing admin, please. :-) --Malleus Fatuorum 23:11, 21 January 2009 (UTC)
Let's try this. I've created a template at template:Archive GM searchable. It should work for other project talk pages. Mr Stephen (talk) 00:17, 22 January 2009 (UTC)
Woohoo ! got there in the end lol ---Chaosdruid (talk) 18:51, 25 January 2009 (UTC)