Changes: Help:File description pages

Revision as of 00:00, 4 February 2021

When you upload a file, it is placed on the server and a file description page is created. It is intended to provide information such as:

The description of the file and any other information relevant to the file, such as transcripts of its contents, intended usage, etc.
The origin of the file (author and source)
Licensing
Categorization
Additional technical information, such as other versions of the file

Note that files aren't limited to just images: Sound clips, videos, fonts, PDF documents and other file types that can be uploaded to the wiki all have description pages associated with them.

All files are placed in the File: namespace. Other terms include namespace 6 page or the deprecated image description page.

How do file description pages work?

The description page consists of four parts:

The file itself (if it can be previewed, like image files) or a link to it (for eg. PDF documents)
- When the file is an image, the description page will display it in its base resolution (if smaller than 1024px) or as a thumbnail 1024px wide (larger images). In the latter case, links to other sizes and the full resolution will be displayed below.
- If a thumbnail is generated, the image might be subtly different, as thumbnails are generated by MediaWiki and optimized for the web.
An "About" tab that contains:
- An editable description of the file (see below for details)
- A list of pages on which the file appears. This list only includes pages where the image is displayed. It does not include links to the file description page, or direct links to the file from CSS, JavaScript, or Special:ThemeDesigner.
A "File History" tab that contains:
- The history of uploads for that file, which also allows for reverting to earlier versions
- A link to upload a new version of that file
A "Metadata" tab, if additonal metadata of the file is available.

How do you link to a file without displaying it?

File description pages have another useful purpose beyond information: You can use a leading colon in the link to the description page to create a link instead of displaying the image.

For example: [[:File:Flower.png]] or [[:File:Rainbow.jpg]].

If you want to pipe trick the namespace name away, you can just do this: [[:File:Flower.png|]], which results in Flower.png. Pipe tricking can be very useful in discussions about a file, in case your community is divided about which file to use in a certain situation.

How to replace a file?

The image itself can be updated by uploading a new image with the same name via upload tools, or by using the "Upload a new version of this file" link at the bottom of the "File history" tab.

How to edit a file description?

The description visible through the "About" tab can be edited like normal article text by clicking the "Edit" button.

This area allows normal article wikitext. The initial description is updated with the contents of the upload summary supplied by the user when uploading the first version. This text also shows up in the "File history" section in the "Comment" column.

Description of the image

You may wish to describe the image, providing a short summary of its contents or intended use. This is useful for users who do not have direct access to the image or use screen readers.

For example, "Image of a goldfish in a small tank".

Author and source information

FileAboutTab — An example of reasonable sourcing and licensing information in an "About" section

Wikis are a community effort and crediting creators of files uploaded to wikis is a big part of that. It's good practice to provide general information about the author and source when uploading, both to keep track of sources used on the wiki and to allow verification and updating of files when possible.

If the image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (CC-BY) or similar, attributing the copyright holder is mandatory to avoid violating the terms of the license and causing a copyright violation.

Note that even if the image is public domain or under a license that doesn't require attribution, including sources is simply good practice: Your wiki might be around for ten, twenty, or a hundred years, and subsequent readers or editors may find this information useful to verify, expand, or improve upon the wiki.

Licensing information

All files should be provided with a file copyright tag to establish its license.

You can do this by:

Adding the correct template (such as {{Fairuse}} by hand.
Choosing from a license selector dropdown at the time you upload the file.

If applicable, provide a link to documentation of the licensing terms (i.e. a "Terms of use" or "About" page for the website where you got the file).

Categorization

By adding a category tag on the file page, files can be in the same category as other pages, but they are not included in the count of articles in the category, and are displayed in a separate section, with a thumbnail and the name for each.

The upload form starts with a blank field blank for introducing an "upload summary", you can place categories here, and thereby apply a category to an image without editing the file description page later. You can also add categorization code to your file copyright tags, allowing you to automatically apply categories just because you've used a certain copyright tag.

Remember: Categorization works the same way for articles and file description pages.

Other versions

If other versions (especially a larger version) of the same image exists, it can be helpful to link to them. For example:

[[File:Goldfish-in-tank-large.jpg|larger version]] ([[:File:Goldfish-in-tank-large.jpg|info]])
[[File:Goldfish-in-tank2.jpg|different camera angle]] ([[:File:Goldfish-in-tank2.jpg|info]])
[[File:Goldfish-in-tank-textfree.jpg|text-free version]] ([[:File:Goldfish-in-tank-textfree.jpg|info]])

Text-free versions may be useful when using the same image in different languages.

Is it possible to prevent editing a file?

Administrators and content moderators can protect a file description page, which automatically protects the file itself, preventing users without specified rights from re-uploading that file or uploading an file of the same name.

Use this ability sparingly. In general, files should only be protected if they're the subject of an edit war (for instance, multiple different versions are uploaded in a short span of time) or used widely across the wiki and uploading new versions without due consideration might adversely affect the wiki's functionality. Locking every file on a wiki should never be done.

Further help and feedback

Browse and search other help pages at Help:Contents
Check Fandom Community Central for sources of further help and support
Check Contacting Fandom for how to report any errors or unclear steps in this article

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+[[File:FileDescriptionPage.png|thumb|right|300px|A file description page.]]
-{{tocright}}
+When you [[help:Uploading files|upload a file]], it is placed on the server and a '''file description page''' is created. It is intended to provide information such as:
-Each [[Help:Uploading files|uploaded image]] has an associated '''image description page''' which gives information about the source, licensing and technical details of the image.   (This page also exists for sound, video and other non-image files, and so might be called a '''file description page'''.)
+* The description of the file and any other information relevant to the file, such as transcripts of its contents, intended usage, etc.
-==What are the parts of the page?==
+* The origin of the file (author and source)
-The description page consists of four parts:
+* [[Help:Licensing|Licensing]]
-# the image itself, or a link to a non-image file
+* [[Help:Category|Categorization]]
-#* The description page shows either the full-size image, or a reduced-size version with a link to the full version labeled "Download high resolution version (..x.., .. KB)".
+* Additional technical information, such as other versions of the file
-# a description of the image/sound, which you can add or edit by editing the image page
-#"Image history" or "File history": see [[Help:Page history|page history]]
-#"Image links" or "File links": a list of pages that embed the image, or of pages linking to the file
-#*it does not list links to the image ''description page''
-#*for an image in a template, it lists only the template, not the pages in which the template occurs (for that see "[[Help:What links here|What links here]]" of the template).
+Note that files aren't limited to just images: Sound clips, videos, fonts, PDF documents and other file types that can be uploaded to the wiki all have description pages associated with them.
-==How do I link to an image page without displaying the image?==
-To make a link to the image description page of an image without including the actual image, use a leading colon in the link, like: <code><nowiki>[[:Image:a_sound.ogg]]</nowiki></code> or <code><nowiki>[[:Image:an_image.jpg]]</nowiki></code>. The colon prevents the image being embedded in the article, and instead makes an ordinary internal link.
+:''All files are placed in the '''''File:''''' [[Help:Namespace|namespace]]. Other terms include '''''namespace 6 page''''' or the deprecated '''''image description page'''''.''
-You can also use "Media:" instead of "Image:", as in <code><nowiki>[[:Media:a_sound.ogg]]</nowiki></code>.
-==How do I edit the page?==
+== How do file description pages work? ==
+{{TOCright}}The description page consists of four parts:
-The image page has its own edit history, which is in general the edit history of the editable contents of the page; it is labeled, somewhat confusingly, "Image:xxx Revision history". It should not be confused with the Image history.
+# The file itself (if it can be previewed, like image files) or a link to it (for eg. PDF documents)
+#* When the file is an '''image''', the description page will display it in its base resolution (if smaller than 1024px) or as a thumbnail 1024px wide (larger images). In the latter case, links to other sizes and the full resolution will be displayed below.
+#* If a thumbnail is generated, the image might be subtly different, as thumbnails are generated by MediaWiki and optimized for the web.
+# An "About" tab that contains:
+#* An editable description of the file (see below for details)
+#* A list of pages on which the file '''appears'''. This list only includes pages where the image is displayed. It does not include ''links'' to the file description page, or direct links to the file from CSS, JavaScript, or [[Special:ThemeDesigner]].
+# A "File History" tab that contains:
+#* The history of uploads for that file, which also allows for reverting to earlier versions
+#* A link to upload a new version of that file
+# A "Metadata" tab, if additonal metadata of the file is available.
+== How do you link to a file without displaying it? ==
-The preview of the [[help:editing|edit]] page of an image page only shows the editable part, not the image itself, the image history or the image links.
+File description pages have another useful purpose beyond information: You can use a leading colon in the link to the description page to create a link instead of displaying the image.
+:''For example: <code><nowiki>[[:File:Flower.png]]</nowiki></code> or <code><nowiki>[[:File:Rainbow.jpg]]</nowiki></code>.''
+If you want to [[Help:Links|pipe trick]] the namespace name away, you can just do this: <code><nowiki>[[:File:Flower.png|]]</nowiki></code>, which results in [[:file:Flower.png|Flower.png]]. Pipe tricking can be very useful in discussions about a file, in case your community is divided about which file to use in a certain situation.
-The image file itself cannot be edited through the wiki: revising an image file requires a new upload.
+==How to replace a file?==
+{{Main Article|Help:Uploading files}}
+The image itself can be updated by uploading a new image with the same name via upload tools, or by using the "Upload a new version of this file" link at the bottom of the "File history" tab.
+== How to edit a file description? ==
-==What information should be placed on the page?==
+The description visible through the "About" tab can be edited like normal article text by clicking the "Edit" button.
-In the description part of the page you can put text. Initially the description automatically contains the [[Help:Edit_summary|upload summary]] supplied by the user when uploading the first version (this text also shows up in the Image history section at the first upload line).
+This area allows normal article [[Help:Wikitext|wikitext]]. The initial description is updated with the contents of the  [[Help:Edit summary|upload summary]] supplied by the user when uploading the first version. This text also shows up in the "File history" section in the "Comment" column.
 === Description of the image ===
-Eg: "Image of a goldfish in a small tank". This is useful for users who do not have direct access to the image, and is a temporary substitute for a proper <code>longdesc</code> tag.
+You may wish to describe the image, providing a short summary of its contents or intended use. This is useful for  users who do not have direct access to the image or use screen readers.
+:''For example, "Image of a goldfish in a small tank".''
-You could also include the proportions of the image, in pixels.
 === Author and source information ===
+[[File:FileAboutTab.png|thumb|right|300px|An example of reasonable sourcing and licensing information in an "About" section]]
-Always provide as much information as you can about the creator of the image, and where you got the image (i.e., a website, scanned from a book, took a photo yourself).
+Wikis are a community effort and crediting creators of files uploaded to wikis is a big part of that. It's good practice to provide general information about the author and source when uploading, both to keep track of sources used on the wiki and to allow verification and updating of files when possible.
+If the image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (CC-BY) or similar, attributing the copyright holder is mandatory to avoid violating the terms of the license and causing a copyright violation.
-Even if the image is public domain or is under a license that doesn't require attribution, please provide source  information anyway to make verification easy.  Remember that your wiki might be around for ten, twenty, or a hundred years, and later readers or editors may have different needs for verifying the source of an image.
+Note that even if the image is public domain or under a license that doesn't require attribution, including sources is simply good practice: Your wiki might be around for ten, twenty, or a hundred years, and subsequent readers or editors may find this information useful to verify, expand, or improve upon the wiki.
 === Licensing information ===
-Please include an [[Help:Image copyright tags|image copyright tag]], either by typing the correct template (such as <code><nowiki>{{GFDL}}</nowiki></code> by hand, or choosing from a [[Help:License selector|license selector]] dropdown, if available on your wiki.
+All files should be provided with a [[Help:Image copyright tags|file copyright tag]] to establish its license.
+You can do this by:
-If applicable, provide a link to documentation of the licensing terms (i.e. a "Terms of use" or "About" page for the website where you got the image).
+* Adding the correct template (such as <code><nowiki>{{Fairuse}}</nowiki></code> by hand.
+* Choosing from a license selector dropdown at the time you upload the file.
+If applicable, provide a link to documentation of the licensing terms (i.e. a "Terms of use" or "About" page for the website where you got the file).
-=== Other versions ===
-If other versions (especially a larger version) of the same image exists, link to them. For example:
+===Categorization===
-* ''<nowiki>[[Media:Goldfish-in-tank-large.jpg|larger version]] ([[:Image:Goldfish-in-tank-large.jpg|info]])</nowiki>''
+By adding a [[Help:Category|category]] tag on the file page, files can be in the same category as other pages, but they are not included in the count of articles in the category, and are displayed in a separate section, with a thumbnail and the name for each.
-* ''<nowiki>[[Media:Goldfish-in-tank2.jpg|different camera angle]] ([[:Image:Goldfish-in-tank2.jpg|info]])</nowiki>''
-* ''<nowiki>[[Media:Goldfish-in-tank-textfree.jpg|textfree version]] ([[:Image:Goldfish-in-tank-textfree.jpg|info]])</nowiki>''
+The [[Special:Upload|upload form]] starts with a blank field  blank for introducing an "upload summary", you can place categories here, and thereby apply a category to an image without editing the file description page later. You can also add categorization code to your [[Help:Image copyright tags|file copyright tags]], allowing you to automatically apply categories just because you've used a certain copyright tag.
-Textfree versions may be useful for using across language versions.
+:''Remember: Categorization works the same way for articles and file description pages.''
+=== Other versions ===
+If other versions (especially a larger version) of the same image exists, it can be helpful to link to them. For example:
+* ''<nowiki>[[File:Goldfish-in-tank-large.jpg|larger version]] ([[:File:Goldfish-in-tank-large.jpg|info]])</nowiki>''
+* ''<nowiki>[[File:Goldfish-in-tank2.jpg|different camera angle]] ([[:File:Goldfish-in-tank2.jpg|info]])</nowiki>''
+* ''<nowiki>[[File:Goldfish-in-tank-textfree.jpg|text-free version]] ([[:File:Goldfish-in-tank-textfree.jpg|info]])</nowiki>''
+Text-free versions may be useful when using the same image in different languages.
+== Is it possible to prevent editing a file? ==
-==Can I categorize images?==
+[[Help:User rights#Administrators|Administrators]] and [[Help:User rights#Content Moderators|content moderators]] can [[Help:Page protection|protect]] a file description page, which automatically protects the file itself, preventing users without specified rights from re-uploading that file or uploading an file of the same name.
-By adding a category tag on the image page, images can be in the same category as other pages, but are treated separately: on the category page they are not included in the count of articles in the category, and they are displayed in a separate section, with a thumbnail and the name for each; see [[Help:Category|category page]].
+Use this ability sparingly. In general, files should only be protected if they're the subject of an edit war (for instance, multiple different versions are uploaded in a short span of time) or used widely across the wiki and uploading new versions without due consideration might adversely affect the wiki's functionality. Locking ''every'' file on a wiki should never be done.
-A category can either mix articles and images about a subject, or you can create separate image categories. An image category is typically a subcategory of the general category about the same subject, and a subcategory of a wider image category.
+== See also ==
-For categorizing a new image, the image page does not even have to be edited: the category tag can simply be put in the [[Help:Edit summary#File_upload_summary|upload summary]].
+* [[Help:Uploading files|Uploading files]]
+* [[Help:Image copyright tags|Image copyright tags]]
+== Further help and feedback ==
-==Can images be protected?==
+{{Help and feedback section}}
-[[Help:Page protection|Protection]] of an image page automatically also protects of the image itself: i.e. a new image under the name of the existing image can only be uploaded by a sysop.
+[[de:Hilfe:Dateibeschreibungsseite]]
-==See also==
+[[es:Ayuda:Página de descripción de imagen]]
-* [http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Help:Image_page Meta Help:Image page], on which this was based
+[[fi:Ohje:Tiedoston kuvaussivu]]
+[[fr:Aide:Page de description d'un fichier]]
+[[it:Aiuto:Pagina di descrizione di un'immagine]]
+[[ja:Help:画像記述ページ]]
+[[pl:Pomoc:Opis pliku]]
+[[pt:Ajuda:Página de descrição de imagem]]
+[[ru:Справка:Описание изображения]]
+[[tr:Yardım:Dosya açıklama sayfası]]
+[[vi:Trợ giúp:Trang mô tả ảnh]]
+[[zh:Help:圖像描述頁]]
-[[Category:Help|Image description page]]
+[[Category:Help]]
-[[Category:Image help|{{PAGENAME}}]]
+[[Category:Image help]]