Commons talk:File renaming

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Obvious typo[edit]

"To correct obvious errors in filenames, including misspelled proper nouns, incorrect dates, and misidentified objects or organisms."

What about File:A view of the evening cloudy sky from thr ground in Kotadi.jpg? Seems like policy doesn't allow renaming to the ground? - Alexis Jazz ^{ping plz} 17:02, 24 November 2019 (UTC)

It looks to be eligible for renaming per criterion 3 IMHO. "thr" seems pretty obvious error to me. Masum Reza^📞 17:19, 24 November 2019 (UTC)

But it goes on to specify misspelled proper nouns. So I'm not sure. - Alexis Jazz ^{ping plz} 05:10, 25 November 2019 (UTC)

"Including" != "Only those errors" Agathoclea (talk) 10:26, 26 November 2019 (UTC)

So the typical phrase "including, but not limited to," could well replace "including" in this instance?? Consider this a Proposal S a g a C i t y (talk) 13:53, 18 May 2020 (UTC)

Which files should not be renamed #2[edit]

CHANGE APPLIED:

4 supports, no oppose/neutral; has been open for 8 days. Closed as successful; I applied the change here. Ahmad^talk 18:11, 24 January 2020 (UTC)

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

#2 in this section states:

"Files should NOT be renamed only because the filename is not English..."

Does this only apply if someone requests a file to be moved from another language to English? I recently ran into an example of a user requesting a file to be moved from English to Russian, which I declined (feel free to revert if I was wrong). - ZLEA _T\^C 14:33, 16 January 2020 (UTC)

I think it applies to other similar cases as well. This criterion aims to prevent translate-only renames, so I think it's a good idea to change it so that it can literally include all translation-only renames, not just x-to-en renames. Ahmad^talk 15:12, 16 January 2020 (UTC)

I agree. As Commons is a multi-language project, files can be named in any language, no matter what the file depicts/contains. So a file depicting something in Ukraine is fine to be named in English (as would be a file depicting something in the US being named in Ukrainian). Sebari – aka Srittau (talk) 18:12, 16 January 2020 (UTC)

Ahmad252 Srittau I propose that the wording be changed to:

"Files should NOT be renamed only because the filename is not in your language and/or is not correctly capitalized. Remember, Commons is a multilingual project, so there's no reason to favor one language over another."

to avoid confusion. - ZLEA _T\^C 19:51, 16 January 2020 (UTC)

Support Sebari – aka Srittau (talk) 20:19, 16 January 2020 (UTC)

General support, but I think it's better to change the first part to something like "Files should NOT be renamed only to translate the filename to another language and/or because the filename is not correctly capitalized." This way, we'll make it less personal (it isn't necessarily the file mover/admin's language, it can be a request made by someone else). The rest is fine with me and I support it. Ahmad^talk 20:55, 16 January 2020 (UTC)

Support, as per Ahmad. Lotje (talk) 13:17, 17 January 2020 (UTC)

@Srittau, ZLEA: I have made a change to ZLEA's proposal above. Do you {{Support}} my suggestion? Ahmad^talk 17:20, 23 January 2020 (UTC)

Sounds good to me. Sebari – aka Srittau (talk) 11:31, 24 January 2020 (UTC)

I support the change. - ZLEA _T\^C 17:45, 24 January 2020 (UTC)

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

Obvious typo II[edit]

It should be added that changes from one plausible spelling variant to another do not fall under criterion 3, even if the spelling used in a filename is considered obsolete or incorrect by some authorities. --Abderitestatos (talk) 17:12, 19 May 2020 (UTC)

Exception to harmonize the names of a set of images so that only one part of all names differs[edit]

Would someone please add under "To harmonize the names of a set of images so that only one part of all names differs" an exception? Proposed addition is to read: "Exceptionally, if any file is heavily used elsewhere, especially if transcribed on Wikisource, then adding a redirect without very impacting renaming still indirectly harmonize the names, such as redirecting File:UN Treaty Series - vol 1.pdf to File:UNTS 1.pdf and File:UN Treaty Series - vol 221.pdf to File:United Nations Treaties and international agreements registered - Volume 221 (13 November 1955 - 30 November 1955).pdf, to grandfather still heavily used "non-standard names".--Jusjih (talk) 02:37, 26 May 2020 (UTC)

Filemover helper table[edit]

I made a table for inclusion on each maintenance cat special:permalink/419833030, so that filemovers can move between different rationales thru one click. What do you think?--Roy17 (talk) 15:39, 30 May 2020 (UTC)

@Roy17: I think we are using Category:Rename to get same info--Estopedist1 (talk) 11:34, 19 June 2020 (UTC)

File:502 0.svg[edit]

502 0.svg

This road sign is used on hundreds of pages in many languages. I declined the renaming request because of this. Can some experienced renamers such as @~riley: please comment whether renaming this file into File:Norwegian-road-sign-502.svg would be acceptable. Thanks, Elly (talk) 21:17, 5 June 2020 (UTC)

Elly: This is a tricky situation. I'm not worried about it's high use on Wikimedia projects, the bot will update the links on all pages in all languages. It is important to recognize that renaming would break any hard link (hard links can't be redirected iirc) and if this image is highly used on Wikimedia, it is probable that it is well linked elsewhere offwiki. However, the name meets Criteria #2 as an ambiguous name. Aside from size, is there any difference from this file to File:Norwegian-road-sign-502.0.svg? Seems like an exact match. I wouldn't rename it considering the same sign is available under the designated name and both come up in search. ~riley (talk) 14:48, 9 June 2020 (UTC)
- Thanks, I will keep it like it is. The name of the other file has an additional .0. The requester listed a lot of signboards for renaming to "norwegian", I executed it all exept this one.Elly (talk) 18:57, 9 June 2020 (UTC)

jpeg to jpg[edit]

I'd like to request the renaming File:Dervla_Murphy_Iran_1963_A.jpeg from jpeg to jpg, for consistency with other images in the collection. But the existing tools don't consider this a new name. Is there another way of requesting the move? U+003F^? 19:34, 12 June 2020 (UTC)

OK user:Bjh21 solved this problem--Estopedist1 (talk) 21:17, 18 June 2020 (UTC)

Please could you do the same with renaming File:Richard_Askwith_2014.jpeg from jpeg to jpg for consistency with others in the collection? And how should I go about requesting a change in the tools, to recognise this as a name change? U+003F^? 07:49, 29 July 2020 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by U003F (talk • contribs) 07:49, 29 July 2020 (UTC)

@U003F: Done under criterion 1 (uploader's request). I think the place to make requests regarding the RenameLink gadget is MediaWiki talk:Gadget-RenameLink.js, though this code might come from MediaWiki:Gadget-AjaxQuickDelete.js. --bjh21 (talk) 09:47, 29 July 2020 (UTC)

Category:Files with bad file names (needing expert attention)‎[edit]

When working with Category:Files with bad file names, I created Category:Files with bad file names (needing expert attention) for files which renaming is tricky or needs long-time experiences. This new category helps to avoid cluttering parent category--Estopedist1 (talk) 12:08, 18 June 2020 (UTC)

Estopedist1 Who says that the names in Category:Files with bad file names are bad and needs to be renamed? For example File:Ged mæhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.jpg. What is wrong with that name?

Does it break the system or is there just someone who think that it looks strange? (It is nominated for deletion but never mind that). --MGA73 (talk) 12:18, 18 June 2020 (UTC)

And what about File:Alise3.jpg and the other ones with similar names? Does they break something or why do they need a new name?

Will it break something if we just let them keep the name? --MGA73 (talk) 12:20, 18 June 2020 (UTC)

@MGA73: you are right, it is tricky topic. Eg name "Ged mæhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" seems very suspicious. Name "Alise3" maybe acceptable, despite of the fact, that quite certainly this name implies to feminine name--Estopedist1 (talk) 12:42, 18 June 2020 (UTC)

@Estopedist1: "Ged" is the Danish word for "Goat" and I think the picture shows a goat. And "mæh" is the Danish way of describing the sound a goat says (bah)?. So if you want to say it is saying "baaaaaah" you could write "mæææææh". I think the correct is to repeat the vocal when you write but some repeats the last letter or all letters. But I think that all Danish users would understand "mæhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh", "mææææææææææææææææææææææææææææh" and "mmmmmmmææææææææææææhhhhhhhhhhh".

As for "Alise" it was just the first part of "Alise-Sainte-Reine". Why is that wrong? Do we have a rule that we must use full names? Would anyone demand that photos like "Clinton and Reagan talking" should be renamed to "William Jefferson Clinton and Ronald Wilson Reagan talking"? --MGA73 (talk) 12:51, 18 June 2020 (UTC)

I do not understand why file names may not sound feminine. Personally I have no problems with females. So I do not see them as a problem that we should try to eliminate. --MGA73 (talk) 12:55, 18 June 2020 (UTC)

Stop meaningless renaming of files[edit]

I just noticed that there are 101 k files in Category:Files with bad file names. And if you check the CommonsDelinker log there are rename dones non stop.

To me it looks like there is a lot of renaming done because the new name looks more pretty. In my opinion it is a waste of time to move files around. I think renaming should be kept at an absolute minimum.

I think most of the meaningless renames are done in #2 so I suggest to remove that as a valid reason to rename.

And for #4 it should only be used if the rename is needed to make it usable in templates. --MGA73 (talk) 12:40, 18 June 2020 (UTC)

@MGA73:, the name was confusing. As a matter of fact, also this file should idealiter be renamed: File:Site d'Alésia.jpg because of #2

@Lotje: It is only confusing if you think of file names as something that should describe the photo en details. I'm pretty sure that if you put the file in an article the software will not be confused and break down or show the wrong photo.

There are many names on Commons that means absolutely nothing to me. For example all files with Chinese or Arabian names. I think that they are confusing. So I could easily argue that they should be renamed. And many do not understand English so they would argue that names should be written in their language.

We have a description field that can be used to describe the photo. We have categories that can be used to categorize the photo. We can add notes to the photo to describe elements of the photo. And we also have structured data. So I really doubt that someone is really lost and have to give up because the file name was "Alise2".

I really do not understand the comment in the post before about the name was too feminine. Commons is not a dating site so if someone search for ladies/women/females and are disappointed because they get a photo that is not "a hot babe" it is not our problem.

If someone is actually is confused and report the file name we could perhaps rename it. But why look for problems if they are not actually a problem?

Example: We have Category:Women. To most people it is pretty clear what a woman is. But recently "people who menstruate" have been introduced and that have led to a lot od discussion. I find the discussion confusing and other finds it discriminating or whatever. Should we mass rename all categores and files that have terms like "man" and "woman" because someone might find it offending or confusing?

We can't make everyone happy and I do not think it helps our goal to rename files. --MGA73 (talk) 14:44, 18 June 2020 (UTC)

@MGA73: I had not read the post about the name being too feminine. And yes, you are probably right We can't make everyone happy...

Lotje (talk) 14:52, 18 June 2020 (UTC)

@Lotje: Lol I thought it was the "You can't make everyone happy... you are not Nutella" :-) My point is that if we have a file and 10 or 1000 users look at it... It only takes one to rename it. --MGA73 (talk) 16:12, 18 June 2020 (UTC)

Please move back to original name[edit]

This have been bugging me for a while, but I don't know if it's possible to move a file back to its original name. That has been a problem with route icons for Manila rapid transit line route boxes for WV use, and the files in question are:

Can someone follow those up?--TagaSanPedroAko (Talk) 19:22, 13 July 2020 (UTC)

@TagaSanPedroAko: How many files are used in total in the templates. Is it just those 3? --MGA73 (talk) 13:17, 15 July 2020 (UTC)

Just those three. TagaSanPedroAko (Talk) 08:41, 16 July 2020 (UTC)

@TagaSanPedroAko: I checked and it should work. I picked a random page and it worked fine with both the old and the new name. Can you give us an example on where it is not working? --MGA73 (talk) 09:12, 16 July 2020 (UTC)

1500+ files from ja.wiki are renamed so template won't work - how to fix?[edit]

Hi!

Japanese Wikipedia have more than 1500 files like ja:ファイル:Demography01100.svg that is used via templates. But when they were moved to Commons someone changed the names to names like File:Population_distribution_of_Sapporo,_Hokkaido,_Japan.svg and that means the templates won't work. So if the local files are deleted hundreds of pages on Japanese Wikipedia will fail to show the file.

Any ideas how to fix that? Rename all the files on Commons so the template works (rename criteria # 4)? Create 1500 redirects on Commons? Have someone fix the template on Japanese Wikipedia? --MGA73 (talk) 13:15, 15 July 2020 (UTC)

Same with a lot of files like ja:ファイル:基礎自治体位置図 40381.svg vs File:Ashiya in Fukuoka Prefecture Ja.svg. Is English names better than Japanese? And what about criteria 4? --MGA73 (talk) 21:34, 20 July 2020 (UTC)

@MGA73: I think any of these approaches would work. Personally, I'd go for putting a redirect at the template-generated name, either here or on jawiki (assuming the latter works). That way, you replace upload or renaming wars with edit wars on the redirect, which are rather less disruptive. --bjh21 (talk) 22:33, 20 July 2020 (UTC)

File redirects to do seem like the solution. If the original names were well-chosen filenames in Japanese, I'd say they should be left alone, but from the example given, it looks like they weren't. "ファイル", for anyone wondering, is just Katakana for "File". "Demography01100.svg" is a poor filename, barely better than "DSC 1342.jpg", the first example at Commons:File renaming of the sort of name that merits changing. - Jmabel ! talk 00:30, 21 July 2020 (UTC)

@Bjh21, Jmabel: Thank you both! Poor name or not. The templates worked with the old names and it does not work with the "good" new names. I think it is like the "File:BSicon BHF.svg"-names. They make no sense for anyone who are not really into the template :-) I think the numbers represent an official number of that particular region or what ever they are called in Japan.

Should redirects just be created as regular redirects or should they be categorized in some way? Any thoughts on that? --MGA73 (talk) 07:03, 21 July 2020 (UTC)

Okay I'm creating redirects now. That should work and make sure noone else upload a files with those names. --MGA73 (talk) 15:49, 22 July 2020 (UTC)

Renaming a file to have a shorter name?[edit]

File:A pronouncing and defining dictionary of the Swatow dialect, arranged according to syllables and tones.djvu causes me displeasure on Wikisource due to its length.

(This is mainly when copy-and-pasting URLs. Also note that s:Page:A pronouncing and defining dictionary of the Swatow dialect, arranged according to syllables and tones.djvu/5 has a page number tacked on at the end.)

This is the full title as used on the title page of the book, but the header in the main content is "Dictionary of the Swatow dialect".

Is it apppropriate for me to request a rename to File:Dictionary of the Swatow dialect.djvu?

Or, is mw:Extension:Proofread Page capable of handling redirects?

Suzukaze-c (talk) 02:35, 18 August 2020 (UTC)

@Suzakaze-c: You might ask Assassas77

Lotje (talk) 08:42, 18 August 2020 (UTC)

@Lotje: I agree with this change. Assassas77 (talk) 08:57, 18 August 2020 (UTC)

@Assassas77: wanted to make the rename (mention #1 as reason) and this is what I copy-pasted from the message I got:

Error while moving the page.
A detailed description of the error is shown below:
API request failed (articleexists): A page already exists at File:Dictionary of the Swatow dialect.djvu, or the page name you have chosen is not valid. Please choose another name. at Tue, 18 Aug 2020 09:01:53 GMT served by mw1297

Manually report the error here or click on Report automatically to send an automatic error-report.

Wish I could have done better. :-) Lotje (talk) 09:05, 18 August 2020 (UTC)

Mass renaming[edit]

I am missing information on whether it is possible to request a renaming of a whole bunch of files with the same typo in their name in one go. Or would I have to tag them for renaming manually one by one? -- H005 17:21, 24 August 2020 (UTC)

@H005: ~~User:Perhelion/massrename.js is probably what you're looking for. On a side note, I think we should consider adding it as a gadget for file movers; it's quite useful.~~ Ahmad^talk 05:18, 25 August 2020 (UTC)

Sorry, I misunderstood. I thought you wanted to move them. You can use Help:VisualFileChange.js, and prepend the following on all the pages you want a rename:

{{Rename|1={{subst:#invoke:string|replace|source={{subst:PAGENAME}}|pattern=what that's wrong|replace=what that's right}}|2=Criterion|3=|user={{subst:REVISIONUSER}}}}

You should change the Criterion to the criterion you want to request a rename under (1-6). "what that's wrong" is the string in the old name that is in error. "what that's right" is what you want to insert instead (in the new name). For example, if I want to request a rename for everything in Category:Test images with "Test" in their name to a new name with "Example" instead of "Test" in the name under criterion 3, the code should be:

{{Rename|1={{subst:#invoke:string|replace|source={{subst:PAGENAME}}|pattern=Test|replace=Example}}|2=3|3=|user={{subst:REVISIONUSER}}}}

Ahmad^talk 05:46, 25 August 2020 (UTC)

Many thanks, worked like a charm! Any concerns if I add this to the help page? -- H005 06:43, 25 August 2020 (UTC)

Don't mention it. Now that it can be of use, I've created {{BatchRename}}. It's practically the same thing, but since the code is a bit complicated, I personally prefer the template (the documentation may need improvements, and the template must be substituted). The example above would be:

{{subst:BatchRename|Test|Example|3}}

In my opinion, it's probably a good idea to wait some more before adding it (I don't really think it's controversial enough for a formal proposal, a waiting period should suffice). Ahmad^talk 13:21, 25 August 2020 (UTC)

Move and replace script stalled[edit]

I renamed File:BSicon ueWHARFq.svg → File:BSicon ueWHRFq.svg as part of a set of renamings of BSicons, but the script stalled out and my browser killed it before all the uses were replaced. How do I go about finishing the renames? Van Isaac (en.wiki) 21:41, 31 August 2020 (UTC)

Vanisaac, To do so, add a {{Universal replace}} command to User:CommonsDelinker/commands (admins only) or User:CommonsDelinker/commands/filemovers (filemovers). I've done so here. The exact command I added was {{universal replace|BSicon ueWHARFq.svg|BSicon ueWHRFq.svg|reason=moving water icons to 4-letter roots per discussion at BSicon renaming/canals}}. Cheers, —‍Mdaniels5757 (talk • contribs) 21:29, 1 September 2020 (UTC)