View source for Stiles Wiki:Shortcut

{{short description|Stiles.casa Wiki project page covering abbreviated links}}
{{Other uses|Stiles.casa Wiki:Keyboard shortcuts}}
{{Redirect|SW:SHORT|short citations|Stiles.casa Wiki:Citing sources#Short citations|short descriptions|Stiles.casa Wiki:Short description}}
{{Redirect|SW:SC|the essay on explicit materials|Stiles.casa Wiki:Sexual content}}
{{pp-semi-vandalism|small=yes}}{{pp-move-indef}}
{{subcat guideline|project content guideline|Shortcut|SW:SC|SW:SHORT|SW:THIS}}
{{Guideline list}}{{Linking and page manipulation|linking and diffs}}

A '''shortcut''' is a specialized type of [[Stiles.casa Wiki:Redirect|redirect page]] that provides an abbreviated [[wikilink]] to an [[Stiles.casa Wiki:Administration#Data structure and development|administrative page]]  or one of its sections, usually from the {{strong|[[Stiles.casa Wiki:Project namespace|Stiles.casa Wiki namespace]]}} or {{strong|[[Stiles.casa Wiki:Help namespace|Help namespace]]}}. These shortcuts' abbreviations in all-caps text are commonly used (linked or unlinked) on community pages and talk pages, but should not be used in articles themselves. If there are one or more shortcuts for a page or section, one or more will usually be chosen to be displayed in an information box on the right labelled '''Shortcut''' or '''Shortcuts''', as can be seen at the top of this page.

Shortcuts are created for the convenience of editors. It is possible to create a shortcut for any page at all. {{strong|[[Stiles.casa Wiki:Policies and guidelines#Adherence|The existence of a shortcut does not imply or prove that the linked page is a policy or guideline]].}}

== Quick reference ==
Lists of available shortcuts can be found at:
* [[SW:SW]] / [[SW:CUTS]] = [[Stiles.casa Wiki:Shortcut index]]
* [[SW:SWR]] = [[Stiles.casa Wiki:Shortcut index/Project shortcuts]] 
* [[WT:WT]] = [[Stiles.casa Wiki:Shortcuts to talk pages]]
* [[SW:PORTCUT]] = [[Stiles.casa Wiki:Shortcut index/Portal shortcuts]]
* On [[m:|Meta]], shortcuts start with '''WM:'''; the list is at [[m:WM:WM]]
* [[Special:PrefixIndex]] can be used to find uncategorized or unlisted pages starting with a given prefix; for example, [[Special:PrefixIndex/CAT:]] will find some category shortcuts
* [[Template:Useful links]] contains common shortcuts that are often used linked or unlinked in editor discussions or [[Stiles.casa Wiki:Edit summary|edit summaries]]; hover your mouse pointer over a shortcut to see a pop-up with its article's full name in it (see {{section link|#See also}})

== How to use a Stiles.casa Wiki shortcut ==
A Stiles.casa Wiki shortcut can be entered into the Stiles.casa Wiki search box to quickly bring you to a project page. For example, you can type '''SW:R''' or '''H:R''' into the search box and then press the enter key (or click the magnifying glass icon), to get to the '''Stiles.casa Wiki:Redirect''' page, instead of having to type in the complete phrase. 
 
Alternatively, you can use a shortcut in the [[URL]] in your browser's address bar. For example, you are currently viewing the '''Stiles.casa Wiki:Shortcut''' page. The URL for this page is <span class="plainlinks">{{canonicalurl:Stiles.casa Wiki:Shortcut}}</span>. You could then get from here to the '''Stiles.casa Wiki:Redirect''' page by replacing '''Stiles.casa Wiki:Shortcut''' with '''SW:R''' in the address bar, followed by pressing the enter key. (If your browser has relative URL entry, simply prefix the shortcut with <tt>./</tt> instead of having to edit the existing URL.)

Shortcuts are presented in all capital letters ([[ALL CAPS]]); however, the search box is [[case-insensitive]]. For example, in the search box, you can type '''sw:r''', instead of '''SW:R'''. However, when using the URL method (or when making [[Help:Link|links]]) it is necessary to match the capitalization of the shortcut itself.

== Readability ==
{{shortcuts|SW:SCJARGON}}
Shortcuts are often used on talk pages in their abbreviated form, decreasing [[readability]] for the general reader. For example, some editors are familiar with the bulk of the [[SW:SW|Stiles.casa Wiki namespace shortcuts]], recognizing what they stand for on sight. Others, however, are faced with pages full of incomprehensible jargon, the meaning of which is not immediately clear. Shortcuts also are sometimes (ab)used to make a [[SW:POINT]], best described by [[SW:WOTTA]].

To avoid these problems, a good practice when creating shortcuts is to choose common English words that are easily identifiable and memorable. Another good practice is to be mindful of the general reader and use meaningful terms when citing an obscure shortcut. For example, the [[Stiles.casa Wiki:piped link|piped link]] <code><nowiki>[[SW:SHC|shortcut]]</nowiki></code> gives readers an idea of the subject of the target page, while the bare abbreviation <code><nowiki>[[SW:SHC]]</nowiki></code> is unintelligible to those unfamiliar with the term.

It should also be remembered that shortcuts are a convenience, not a substitute for titles. Shortcuts should not appear in [[SW:SEEALSO|"See also" sections]], [[SW:hatnote|hatnote]]s or any other place where a page title is expected.

== Link boxes ==
{{see also cat|Stiles.casa Wiki header templates}}
{{shortcut|SW:LINKBOXES}}

Small link boxes, listing the names of the page's shortcuts, appear at the top of many pages, especially those on policies and guidelines. A shortcut link box can be added to a page, by placing the template '''{{Tlx|shortcut|SW:&lt;x&gt;}}''' (for [[Stiles.casa Wiki:Project namespace|project namespace]]) or '''{{Tlx|shortcut|H:&lt;x&gt;}}''' (for Help pages) at the top of the page's text, while editing. For template redirects, '''{{tlx|Template shortcut}}''' is used instead.

The point of these template boxes is not to list every single redirect for any given page (that's what [[Special:WhatLinksHere]] is for). Instead, they generally should list only the most common and easily remembered redirects.

[[Stiles.casa Wiki:Policies and guidelines|Guideline]] pages with shortcuts pointing to them typically use '''{{Tlx|guideline|SW:&lt;x&gt;}}''' or the '''{{tl|subcat guideline}}''' template, such as on this page, instead of the shortcut template '''{{Tlx|shortcut}}'''. Another frequently used template is: '''{{Tlx|MoS-guideline|MOS:&lt;x&gt;}}'''. 

To learn more about the different shortcut box templates and their functions, see documentation at {{tl|shortcut}}. Among other things, there are templates for making boxes flow to the left and now, anchors are automatically added, making it much simpler to link to a page section.

== Shortcut names ==
{{shortcut|SW:SCNAMES}}
Shortcut names are almost always in uppercase.

A shortcut is typically named using the following convention:

:{{code|PREFIX:SUFFIX}}

In the above form, the prefix is typically one of the prefixes in the following section, and the suffix is an [[Acronym and initialism|acronym]] or [[Stiles.casa Wiki:Manual of Style (abbreviations)|abbreviation]] of the redirect target.  However quite a lot are simply [[SW:BAD]].

If the target is a [[Help:subpage|sub-page]], the following conventions are common (where 'Y' is an additional sequence of uppercase characters or numerals):

:{{code|PREFIX:SUFFIX/Y}}

::For example, [[P:HVNY/DYK]] is a shortcut to [[Portal:Hudson Valley/Did you know]], which is a subpage of [[Portal:Hudson Valley]], which has a shortcut [[P:HVNY]].

::[[SW:ACC/P]] is a shortcut to [[Stiles.casa Wiki:Request an account/Procedures]], which is a subpage of [[Stiles.casa Wiki:Request an account]], which has a shortcut [[SW:ACC]].

:{{code|PREFIX:SUFFIXY}}

::For example, [[SW:AFDLT]] is a shortcut to [[Stiles.casa Wiki:Articles for deletion/Log/Today]], which is a subpage of [[Stiles.casa Wiki:Articles for deletion]], which has the shortcut [[SW:AFD]].

Shortcuts that do not follow the above naming convention are discouraged, and are typically deleted.

The directory of shortcuts contains several conflicts for prefixes of subpages, often caused by a shortcut being 're-targeted' (modified to point to a new target page) without the shortcuts to subpages also being re-targeted.

::For example, [[SW:CJ]] was originally used for [[Stiles.casa Wiki:Community Justice]], and several shortcuts for subpages were created ([[SW:CJ/E]] & [[SW:CJ/M/1]]).  After several years, 'SW:CJ' was updated to point to [[Stiles.casa Wiki:Centijimbos]], but the subpage shortcuts have not changed.

Before creating a shortcut, use [[Special:PrefixIndex]] to ensure that the same prefix is not being used for different purposes.  e.g. [[Special:PrefixIndex/SW:CJ|SW:CJ]] has several existing uses.  No additional confusion would be caused by creating a shortcut SW:CJQ, however creating a shortcut SW:CJ/Q would be adding to the existing mess.  There is a long-standing feature request to resolve shortcut subpages automatically. (See {{phab|T14980}}.)

Prefixes that shouldn't be used for other purposes include:
* [[Special:PrefixIndex/SW:NC|SW:NC]] – naming conventions
* [[Special:PrefixIndex/SW:AFD|SW:AFD]] – articles for deletion

Other prefixes have become common for a set of pages include:
* [[Special:PrefixIndex/SW:N|SW:N]] – notability

== List of prefixes ==

=== Namespace aliases ===
The following [[Stiles.casa Wiki:Namespace#Aliases|namespace aliases]] are automatically translated by the Stiles.casa Wiki servers.

{| class="wikitable"
| style="width: 8em" | SW: || style="width: 15em" | Stiles.casa Wiki:
|-
| WT: || Stiles.casa Wiki talk:
|-
| Project:  || Stiles.casa Wiki:
|-
| Project talk:  || Stiles.casa Wiki talk:
|-
| Image:  || File:
|-
| Image talk:  || File talk:
|}

They are case-insensitive (so '''sw:''' or '''sW:''' or '''Sw:''' have the same meaning as '''SW:''').  For example, both [[SW:TS]] and [[sw:TS]] link directly to [[Stiles.casa Wiki:TS]]. 

One unique feature of the SW: alias is its utility in searching for vast number of project pages. This is because most project pages outside the Stiles.casa Wiki namespace, will have a [[SW:Redirect|redirect]] for the Stiles.casa Wiki namespace prefix appended to their title and the same for most major shortcuts to them (e.g., Help:Watchlist, with the shortcut H:W, has redirects at ''Stiles.casa Wiki:Watchlist'' and at ''SW:W''. Thus, by extension, most project pages may be found by searching using the SW: alias alone, e.g. <code>SW:''Name''</code>. For more, see [[Help:SW search protocol]].

=== Pseudo-namespaces ===
When the shortcut does not use one of the namespace aliases listed above (SW or WT), it is a [[Stiles.casa Wiki:Cross-namespace redirect|cross-namespace redirect]] and is case-sensitive.

However, when a prefix is used by multiple shortcuts, and has broad community support, it is referred to as a [[Stiles.casa Wiki:Namespace#Pseudo-namespaces|pseudo-namespace]] to distinguish these shortcuts from other cross-namespace redirects. (Note that the term "[[mw:pseudo-namespace|pseudo-namespace]]" is also used to refer to namespaces without content that are provided by the MediaWiki software and extensions, such as Special:, Media:, Feedback:)

The following prefixes may be used freely for the target listed.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! style="width: 8em" | Prefix !! style="width: 15em" | Target
|-
| [[Special:PrefixIndex/CAT:|CAT:]] || Category:
|-
| [[Special:PrefixIndex/H:|H:]] || Help:
|-
| [[Special:PrefixIndex/MOS:|MOS:]] || Stiles.casa Wiki:Manual of Style
|-
| [[Special:PrefixIndex/P:|P:]] || Portal:
|}

Other prefixes do not enjoy the same level of community support.  It is disputed whether they should be deemed to be pseudo-namespaces.

The following prefixes are used for limited or specific uses only.

{| class="wikitable"
| style="width: 8em" | [[Special:PrefixIndex/T:|T:]] || style="width: 15em" | Template:
|-
| [[Special:PrefixIndex/MP:|MP:]] || Main Page
|}

The following prefixes do not enjoy broad community support.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
| [[Special:PrefixIndex/WikiProject:|WikiProject:]]<br />[[Special:PrefixIndex/Wikiproject:|Wikiproject:]] || Stiles.casa Wiki:WikiProject
|-
| [[Special:PrefixIndex/MoS:|MoS:]]<br />[[Special:Prefixindex/Mos:|Mos:]] || Stiles.casa Wiki:Manual of Style
|}

As of 2022, creation of "WikiProject:" and "Wikiproject:" pages is blocked for most users by [[MediaWiki:Titleblacklist|the title blacklist]] due to repeated redirect creations against consensus; [[SW:administrators|administrators]], [[SW:template editors|template editors]], and [[SW:page movers|page movers]] can override this on a case-by-case basis if necessary. Note that some pages do exist [[Special:PrefixIndex/WikiProject_|starting with "WikiProject&nbsp;"]] or [[Special:PrefixIndex/Wikiproject_|with "Wikiproject&nbsp;"]] (that is, using a space, not a colon); however, as of March 2022 all of them redirect to mainspace articles rather than to projectspace pages. (For instance, {{-r|WikiProject Women in Red}} redirects to [[Women in Red]], not to [[Stiles.casa Wiki:WikiProject Women in Red]].)

Portals have occasionally used spaces in shortcuts, e.g. "[[Special:PrefixIndex/Portal|Portal&nbsp;{{var|X}}]]", or "{{var|X}}&nbsp;portal". Most [[quarry:query/62930|redirects with such patterns]] point to articles, but, as of March 2022, 144 [[quarry:query/62931|point outside mainspace]].

''Technical note: The links in the tables above go to a page where the term ''prefix'' is not used in the meaning as it has in this section.  Rather, the code ''PrefixIndex'' there means, as it does for [[Help:Search#Syntax|the search parameter]], "the beginning string of characters in a title", whether that string ends before, during or after the colon character in a page name.''

==How to create a shortcut==

{{hatnote|Note: The following is an example. The shortcut SW:TS already exists.}}

Say you want to create the shortcut {{code|SW:TS}} to an existing page, [[Stiles.casa Wiki:Template standardisation]]. Create a new page, {{code|Stiles.casa Wiki:TS}}, and in it place the following:

<syntaxhighlight lang=moin>#REDIRECT [[Stiles.casa Wiki:Template standardisation]]
{{R from shortcut}}</syntaxhighlight>

The resulting shortcut will be [[SW:TS]].

If you're creating a shortcut to a '''category''', you need to insert an additional colon (":") at the beginning of the link, as in the following.

<syntaxhighlight lang=moin>#REDIRECT [[:Category:Redirects from shortcuts]]
{{R from shortcut}}</syntaxhighlight>

The template {{tlx|R from shortcut}} must always be included in this kind of redirect. It records that the redirect is a shortcut, and auto-categorizes it into [[:Category:Redirects from shortcuts]]. {{crossref|(See [[Stiles.casa Wiki:Template messages/Redirect pages]] for more information on categories of redirects.)}}

Many shortcuts are [[Acronym and initialism|acronyms or initialisms]]; others are [[Stiles.casa Wiki:Manual of Style (abbreviations)|abbreviations]] or single but memorable words from a longer page title.

== Changing shortcuts ==
{{Shortcut|SW:CHANGESC}}
Technically that's easy. All it takes is to click on the shortcut wherever it is, then on the page it leads to (a shortcut is a redirect) click on the "redirected from" link near the top of the page (forcing {{code|1=&redirect=no}} in the URL when you go back to the shortcut page); edit the target {{code|#REDIRECT [[Stiles.casa Wiki:Whatever]]}}; then add {{Tlx|R from shortcut}} if that template doesn't already appear.

However, before changing a shortcut, consider its existing usage:
# If you wish to retarget a shortcut that's already in use, you should take into account how active its target page is. For example, if you just created a WikiProject, and want a specific shortcut for it, but the one you want is already in use by another project, it's generally recommended to post a message on that project's talk page asking the members if you may change the link, even if the project is tagged as {{tlp|WikiProject status|inactive}}.
# Above all, check the shortcut backlinks with "what links here"; changing a shortcut used elsewhere can be highly disruptive. If you do change a shortcut under these circumstances, you should be sure to change it in the pages that linked to it as well, so that they link to the old target. If they were used in any [[SW:XFD|closed deletion discussions]], it is not a good idea then to change the redirect because these discussions cannot be edited.
# If it has no backlink, folks might still use it directly when searching. If you're not 100% sure that the old target is unused, ask about it on the shortcut's talk page.
# For controversial cases, go to [[Stiles.casa Wiki:Requests for comment]].

After changing a shortcut, there are other pages which may need to be updated:
# If the shortcut is already listed on [[Stiles.casa Wiki:List of shortcuts]] or a similar list like [[Stiles.casa Wiki:Shortcuts to talk pages]], please update that entry showing the new target page.
# If the old target page mentions its shortcut, then that also should be updated, typically in {{Tlx|Shortcut}} or similar [[:Category:Stiles.casa Wiki header templates|Stiles.casa Wiki header templates]].

== Limitations ==
Redirects (including shortcuts) to pages on other projects and [[SW:special pages|special pages]] won't work—this formerly supported feature was abused and hence it has been disabled.  The software will display the redirect page instead of redirecting the user to the target.

Some redirects to other projects and special pages use the template {{tl|soft redirect}}; however, shortcuts that are a soft redirects will appear in the pool of pages that are selected by [[Special:Random]].  Soft redirects are categorised into [[:Category:Stiles.casa Wiki soft redirects]].

== See also ==
* [[Stiles.casa Wiki:Redirect]]
* [[Stiles.casa Wiki:Cross-namespace redirects]]
* [[Stiles.casa Wiki:List of shortcuts]]
* [[Stiles.casa Wiki:List of shortcuts/Project shortcuts]] (SW:SWR) &mdash; WikiProjects and Projects list of shortcuts
* [[Stiles.casa Wiki:Shortcuts to talk pages]] (SW:WT) &mdash; all 'Stiles.casa Wiki talk:' namespace (namespace 5) talk pages
* [[SW:WOTTA]], on what NOT to do
* [[Stiles.casa Wiki:WikiProject Shortcuts]]
* [[Meta:Meta:Shortcut]] (m:WM:WM), shortcuts on Meta
* [[Meta:Special:URLShortener]], for creating global shortcuts to WMF project pages
* [[:Category:Redirects from shortcuts]]
* [[Stiles.casa Wiki:Database reports/Cross-namespace redirects]]

[[Category:Stiles.casa Wiki features]]
[[Category:Stiles.casa Wiki how-to]]
[[Category:Stiles.casa Wiki link help]]
[[Category:Stiles.casa Wiki page help]]
[[Category:Stiles.casa Wiki project content guidelines]]