User talk:Cordelya/branch categories

Intro

TL;DR: I'm updating the branch category schema. It will take some time. It will require minor member page updates. No action is needed from regular users.

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At present (mid-February, 2022), the categories for branches are mixed in format. Some are just the branch's base name, while others include the branch's type. Pages about branches appear to all be of the base-name-only format.

I made the decision (with buy-in from other members of the wiki workgroup) to reorganize branch categories so that they follow the naming standard the branch pages use, and to then organize them by branch type by creating branch type categories and making all branches of each type subcategories of each matching branch-type category.

Currently, when you browse the category list, you might see a group of 'Barony of...' categories in the 'B' section. What you will see after I'm done is one category, 'Baronies', that can be expanded (click on the arrow to toggle) to show all of the branches that are baronies. All of the branches will themselves appear in the main category list wherever they appear in the alphabetical order by the first letter of the branch's base name.

Further Details

Any branch that currently uses the branch type in the category name, that changes type in the future (ie a Shire becomes a Barony), will need to have this process done anyway. I am/we are doing the painful & tedious change process upfront so it doesn't have to be done later.

Example

The category name for the Barony of An Dubhaigeainn before reorganization was 'Barony of An Dubhaigeainn', a subcategory of the 'Populace' category. The category name after reorganization is 'An Dubhaigeainn', a subcategory of both the 'Populace' category and the 'Baronies' category.

Expected Duration

This project is going to take some time - which could be as much as a few months.

More Technical Info

When you change a category name that is already in use, it is smart to leave a redirect behind (the old name points to the new name, and category links from pages will still work). But - those pages in that category still actually point to the old category name, and they all must be updated to reflect the change before they will appear on the new category page. Once all updates have been made, the old category page can be marked for deletion.

This will mean that while a branch category is in the middle of this transition, some member pages will show up on the old category page and some will show up on the new category page. You can tell that a page hasn't been updated yet if the category link (at the bottom) is in italic text. While I'm in the process of transitioning a specific branch's category, I will leave an admin note in the category's intro section (at the top).

This will also require administrative corrections to be applied to member pages. We're not changing the content of your page - these are technical structural corrections. When I make a change to any page, I try to make sure I include a change summary, which tells you what change was made. If you're watching a page I change (ie, you're the owner), you will be notified of this.

How Can I Help

• Update your member page so that the category name(s) for any branches only have the branch's base name, spelled and capitalized exactly like the matching branch Page. I then shouldn't need to update your page when I do the category name change for that branch / those branches.
• Talk to friends and other members of your branch and help them update their own pages.

Questions?

If, after reading this document, you still have questions, you can ask by editing User_talk:Cordelya and adding your question to the end, or by clicking on 'Email this user' in the left-hand column of this page (you must be logged in to see the link).

If you don't have an account, you can find my contact information at the bottom of the front page.