Help talk:Style manual

Assuming style guide should be corrected ASAP if linking to outdated or incorrect wiki pages:

Possibly quite high-priority edit I can't correct. Highly likely that, regardless of terminology, Silvanus' Grove should not be linked in Locations. Been looking into it, don't think it was written with a release version of game as reference. [[Emerald Enclave], corrected due to previous wording, *does* now work with the new rewording, and is a good example.

Seemed important to draw attention for correction. Apologies if talk page use here unorthodox. Llamageddon (talk) 18:26, 23 August 2023 (CEST)

Update to say. *Emerald Grove*/*Emerald Enclave*/*Druid's Grove* references should just be excised as examples IMO. Wasn't aware before, but I think the whole page(s) were moved/renamed. May be me who is incorrect, but wanted to be sure to clarify concerns, after previous comment. Llamageddon (talk) 18:41, 23 August 2023 (CEST)

Linking Guidance

Hi everyone. I was wondering if I could get a bit clearer guidance on the frequency of linking to the same pages on an article?

My general sense has been to link only the first instance of a page referenced in an article, unless the link is very important, and the references are spread out within a dense article. But then, I've seen people link many instances of the same page, sometimes in quick succession, such as this example I've created:

"Astarion is an Elf Rogue. In Act One, Astarion can be recruited. Astarion is from Baldur's Gate. Players can romance Astarion in the game by increasing his approval rating. There is a companion quest in Act One for Astarion that can be completed in Act Three."

This feels like it interferes with readability. My understanding is this would be considered overlinking (at least by Wikipedia's standards) and would make more sense like this:

"Astarion is an Elf Rogue. In Act One, Astarion can be recruited. Astarion is from Baldur's Gate. Players can romance Astarion in the game by increasing his approval rating. There is a companion quest in Act One for Astarion that can be completed in Act Three."

Can I get some guidance on which we're meant to be doing? Thanks for any help y'all can give. - Reve (talk) 02:59, 10 September 2023 (CEST)

The latter is correct. You can link more than once, if you think it would be helpful to a reader, but it would almost never be helpful, or desired in the same section, let alone the same paragraph.

If you feel like the subject still warrants highlighting, I often Bold some select keywords for the topic. I.e. Astarion. Although in the above example, that word is mentioned so often, it would also make the page look a bit too 'busy'.

All things in moderation. Keep readability and presentation in mind, but otherwise just use your best judgement, basically. Llamageddon (talk) 07:02, 10 September 2023 (CEST)Llamageddon

Recommending Alt Text inserting images

Image alt text would be good both for people who're navigating with screenreaders, and it would help improve our SEO. In most cases it is as easy as adding |alt= and a basic image caption when using the file template. Annie (talk) 16:10, 20 September 2023 (CEST)

I second this. There is really no downside to adding alt text and encouraging its use. Llamageddon (talk) 13:41, 27 September 2023 (CEST)

Image Naming

At the time this help page was put on hold, this section was still a WIP, partly due to lack of consensus on key details. After the recent update to image naming for icons and tooltip images, the current image naming guidelines offer contradictory advice. It also uses specific technical terms in the context of wiki editing, which are used differently elsewhere in the guide and on the wiki.

To avoid confusion or unintentional edit wars, it was suggested a while ago that I write an updated section blurb, which can be found on Willow's sandbox page here. A moderator may of course chose to edit this in their own words, though any significant changes I made are lexicographical rather than substantive (meaning/guidance has not been changed). Having a look at the suggested changes there should at least indicate what parts are confusing or contradictory, and how this section might be improved. Llamageddon (talk) 14:20, 27 September 2023 (CEST)

The image section of the style guide has been updated now. It should accurately reflect the current naming policy on the wiki. What's next is including a section on when to use redirects, what to name images used by multiple items, and how images should be categorised. However, I need to get feedback on this from as many as possible first. Willowisp (talk) 03:39, 28 September 2023 (CEST)

Thanks, this should help reduce unintentionally conflicting upload practices. Regarding categories; I noticed some conflicting practices there too, so I took the liberty of writing an overview of the current image categorisation methodology on the "master" supercategory 'Images' Category Talk Page. Purely an explanation of the intended usage of the current system, but may be helpful for a future update to this help page, or discussion of changes to the current system.

Coincidentally, I also noticed some oddities with image naming and uploads for shared images. I added a personal recommendation regarding the use of redirects for image pages on the same talk page linked above. That would count as my current input/opinion on the use of file page redirects, I suppose. Llamageddon (talk) 14:03, 28 September 2023 (CEST)

Excellent! I will add a recommendation about image redirects, and I will suggest that users do not tag redirects (files or articles) as "Suggested for Deletion". As for the categories, I'll have a look later! Willowisp (talk) 14:24, 28 September 2023 (CEST)