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Today's motto...
There ain't no such thing as a free encyclopedia. Oh, yes there is!


Nominate one today!

The Motto of the Day (MOTD) is a project dedicated to creating and displaying a daily unofficial Wikipedia motto included on various user pages. It is an effort to laugh a bit at ourselves, celebrate our achievements, and foster a sense of community. Mottos can be humourous or serious, but must reflect the community or purpose of Wikipedia. Nominate new mottos here.

This page is for discussion of the project itself, not the mottos.



Today's motto - error

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Shouldn't the 'L' in WikiLeaks be capitalized? -download ׀ talk 01:49, 7 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Indeed, thankyou! I have corrected it :) benzband (talk) 15:03, 7 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Where is everybody?

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My question stands. Simply south...... fighting ovens for just 7 years 15:01, 2 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Right here! I haven't been very active on Wikipedia lately because I'm otherwise occupied, but I check up on it regularly. benzband (talk) 17:50, 2 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Here! –pjoef (talk • contribs) 16:29, 31 December 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Category:Wikipedia motd templates

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I have proposed to rename this. Please see Wikipedia:Categories_for_discussion/Log/2013_October_18#Category:Wikipedia motd templates. Simply south...... cooking letters for just 7 years 18:50, 18 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]

This motto is empty!

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@Pjoef:: I feel it would be sensible to select a motto from the archive if no new mottos were forthcoming. How do you feel about this? --Mrjulesd (talk) 13:30, 22 December 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Mrjulesd, I'm sorry for the delay with this, but I wasn't notified about it. I think that about all the template used to show the motto of the day have this option, but I took the liberty of adding that phrase to empty mottos in the hope that new and old users will be attracted to MOTD. –pjoef (talk • contribs) 08:57, 6 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
pjoef yes ping doesn't always worik for me either for some reason. Anyway I wrote this before seeing maybe the best thing was for me to help out a bit really, which I was pleased to do. You'd already done most of the work. And it is a good thing to encourage people to get involved. All the best --Mrjulesd (talk) 09:18, 6 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

¡¡¡¡¡Proposed Merging!!!!!

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This project has gone very far south and is pretty much inactive. I am noticing the Tip of the Day is also starting to go down this path. I believe that this project and the tip of the day can both be saved if we merge the two and basically put a quote at the bottom of the tip of the day and mark this project as defunct. Then, I would redesign the tip of the day page to be more user friendly and work for quotes as well. I believe that with one project covering both these topics, we can combine the little interest left and bring these projects back. With no opposition, I will probably go a head with this in a week as long as the reamaining tip of the day people are cool with it. If you leave a message here, please ping me as I will not be monitoring the page. To ping me just copy and paste this somewhere in your comment: {{ping|User:Tortle}} Thanks Tortle (talk) 02:13, 9 September 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The Tip of the day project is alive and well. Note that it has never been run by more than one to three people at a time, though a few more than that pop in from time to time with the odd comment or contribution.
@JoeHebda:@Tortle: The goals of these two projects are radically different, and we shouldn't burden the current leadership over at totd with this project. Totd is an operational help project, intended to assist people in learning and using Wikipedia better. It is involved with the nuts and bolts of how Wikipedia works, as an encyclopedia and as a community. The Transhumanist 21:52, 22 September 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Proposal: automate Motto of the day

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@Benzband:@Pjoef:@Andrew Davidson:@Simply south:@JoeHebda:@Tortle:

One difference between tips and mottos is that mottos don't generally go out of date.

The motto department has gathered 1299 mottos. Enough to display a motto per day for 3.5 years.

I suggest a template be created to display the same set of mottos over and over again.

Such a system could easily be added to (with new mottos), with some simple code adjustments.

Automating this project in that way would minimize maintenance.

The current templates in use are already semi-automated, to display a random motto when there isn't one for the current date. But when that happens, it's not a daily motto. Going one step further would eliminate this problem.

1299 is a lot of mottos. We should take advantage of this resource and reuse them. It is just a matter of designing or redesigning some templates.

The project would become almost maintenance free, while providing a distinct motto each day.

I look forward to your thoughts on the matter. The Transhumanist 21:51, 22 September 2015 (UTC)[reply]

  • Please be more specific. What TAFI template or process are you referring to? My proposal is to set up the collection in such a way that the current collection of mottos is displayed one motto per day, over and over again, without human intervention, and without the automated system having to rename pages once it has been activated. WP:TOTD does this using a yearless year, but the tips are limited to 365 tip pages (one year's worth). The Transhumanist 15:23, 9 May 2016 (UTC)[reply]
I'm very tired and fresh on the scene; my first thoughts are to use the current date to act as the controlling argument in the call to an ordered list of mottos. The result would be a re-cycling of the list ad infinitum. The devil's in the details. I'll apply thought after sleeping. Fred Gandt (talk|contribs) 16:20, 9 May 2016 (UTC)[reply]
{{#switch: {{{date}}}<!-- month * day = 1 to 365/6 then something with modulus or bit-shifting using the year - \o/ maths -->
 |number1={{/mottos/1|{{{date}}}}}<!-- sublists FTW -->
 |number2={{/mottos/2|{{{date}}}}}
 |number3={{/mottos/3|{{{date}}}}}
 |etc.
 }} Fred Gandt (talk|contribs) 16:34, 9 May 2016 (UTC)[reply]
{{#expr: floor( {{#time:U}} / 86400 ) mod 1299}}

#time:U is seconds since Jan 1, 1970, 86400 seconds is a day; this give days since 1970. We do a modulo (remainder) so it loops around at 1299. Then it down to implementation detail of how to pick MotD. — Dispenser 17:06, 9 May 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Yep! Like that ^
So we'd have {{daily motto}} (with that math code) calling {{daily motto/core}} with the result (so we only need to calculate it once), and /core returning the selection or calling for it from any sensible number of sublists. Personally, I wouldn't make a single 1299 (and potentially rising) list for the template to access; a neat group of 13 subpages with 100 mottos each would be a lot more manageable/expandable IMO.
I'll happily put it together in a while (dog needs a walk first) if it's liked. Fred Gandt (talk|contribs) 02:30, 10 May 2016 (UTC)[reply]
Ah, each motto is on its own dated subpage. That changes my mind/approach. Thinking... Fred Gandt (talk|contribs) 03:00, 10 May 2016 (UTC)[reply]
What a mess. Needs reboot. Fred Gandt (talk|contribs) 09:57, 10 May 2016 (UTC)[reply]
@The Transhumanist: @Fred Gandt: @Checkingfax: @Nettrom: – Cutting throught the complexity: is there any tool to copy all of archive 2012 scheduled Mottos into (creating new) 2016 Schedule in order to jumpstart for this year?
OMFG, I can't believe there's a separate page for every motto! I'm thinking use a Lua script to process the index page into a data file, manually save the data file in Lua format, then have a Lua script pick one entry out of the file for a given day. Wnt (talk) 14:36, 10 May 2016 (UTC)[reply]
What does OMFG mean? (Oh My Fat Gut?)...just kidding. Seriously, Wnt – it's difficult for me to understand what you described above. Would the end result still allow each Motto to be individually Editable? Cheers. — JoeHebda • (talk) 15:47, 10 May 2016 (UTC)[reply]
@JoeHebda: Well, I just got the first part of the process working, under title Module:Motd. Here's the data file: Module:Motd/data/2012. Wnt (talk) 17:38, 10 May 2016 (UTC)[reply]
@Fred Gandt: Your help would still be appreciated, if you're interested. I've gotten the module up to the point where it'll spit out a 2012 motto for the day. But ... I still haven't really decided on how to set up the master table so that people can add to it etc. → Nisi paria non pugnant.
("It takes two men to fight.") should work minimally, but your finishing touches would be most welcome! Wnt (talk) 18:12, 10 May 2016 (UTC)[reply]
Like you (apparently), I prefer doing than explaining, but here goes:
I'd like to be able to access the mottos by index (as you have), but by the use of multiple lists be also able to:
  1. pull them out by various forms of date from day through day of month to full with year
  2. get them randomly
  3. by text (get the wiki markup for the text)
  4. be able to define related groups to be called as a group or select members from groups
  5. …
The way I'd have gone about this would have one full array of wikitext mottos with (matched by index) other arrays listing the various ways to call the mottos. These together would act in effect as a single lookup object resulting in all mottos being obtainable by referencing any related value.
To maintain the lists, I had in mind a gadget utilising the MW API that would do all the editing required to add new entries.
The process for submitting, reviewing and accepting or declining would start with a search of the archive for the motto being submitted, and if it's not already there, the submission is a neatly templated clicky button, fill out details, save affair. Other editors discuss and tweak until the decision is made, then if declined it gets added to a "declined" archive for reference during later pre-submission searches, and if accepted, (with the gadget enabled) an editor clicks a button to update the arrays.
Templates can be created to format the Lua output, and the Lua functions to access the arrays can be extended as desired. i.e. {{#invoke:motd|random}}, {{#invoke:motd|group|humour}} or {{#invoke:motd|date|25 January|2}} (returning up to 2 mottos for that date counting backwards from this year) etc.
However, I was going to do all the getting, formatting and stuff with JavaScript via the API, then build the Lua after. I'm also near mah bed time, have a cold and don't work half as fast as you Fred Gandt (talk|contribs) 18:45, 10 May 2016 (UTC)[reply]
Well, for what it's worth I now have data files Module:Motd/data/2006 to Module:Motd/data/2014. The first and last are definitely not synched with the dates. Looking at the mottos, it was not clear how important that is. I figured that if worst came to worst the data files could be padded with dummy entries. Optimally entry N should correspond to day N of the year (if anyone really cares, you can program in leap year code).
Honestly I don't understand much of what you're saying above about discussing, declining, etc. the mottos; I thought they were already accepted. Anyway, with the rudimentary picker and the data files I've gone nearly as far as I can with Module:motd, and now it's more for the people who have been here before today to figure out if they have a use for it. Wnt (talk) 20:32, 10 May 2016 (UTC)[reply]
@Wnt: @Fred Gandt: and @The Transhumanist: – Greetings, wondering what is status of this and what would be the next step? Regards, — JoeHebda • (talk) 20:42, 17 May 2016 (UTC)[reply]
I'm actually slowly working on it right now, but others may streak ahead. Fred Gandt · talk · contribs 20:58, 17 May 2016 (UTC)[reply]
@JoeHebda: Well, to seal the deal I basically need someone to say put it on this page and do this with it. The module seems to work in simple cases (see the quote above, which is generated by it), but I don't have specifications so I can't really say that. My notion of what to do with it wasn't as elaborate as Gandt's, however. Wnt (talk) 23:39, 17 May 2016 (UTC)[reply]
An idea of where I'm heading can be seen at one of my sandbox pages where all but the partial date call (last example) are working. It's using a pseudo database structure of tables to allow us to run queries for more than just the motto of a particular date; we can ask for all the mottos from a particular month of a specific year, or find if a particular motto has been used, or when etc. There's still a little work to do, and then a code review (not until I've done my little best though).
Once that's working, I'll make some templates utilising it, and work on templating the submission process for new mottos. Like I said, I'm not fast, but I get there in the end. Fred Gandt · talk · contribs 02:12, 18 May 2016 (UTC)[reply]
Well, just for fun, I've edited Template:random motto to fall back to Module:motd random function. Currently Template:Today's motto falls through to that, so upward of 100 users might see signs of life from the output on their user pages. It isn't really properly integrated, but at least it's a sort of new beginning. Wnt (talk) 22:21, 18 May 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Was this meant to have ever happened

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@Benzband:@Pjoef:@Andrew Davidson:@Simply south:@JoeHebda:@Tortle: As far as I can see, {{today's motto}} just displays a random motto. Just like it did in the opening comment of this section. There's no daily element to the randomness. If this is supposed to be like that, can we archive this project completely, because all that happens now is {{random motto}}, which doesn't need an explanation page (beyond its doc) and certainly doesn't need a pseudo-WikiProject. – WT79 (speak to me | editing patterns | what I been doing) 13:16, 3 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]

  • As explained below, the mottoes have been automated, as discussed above. I'm still fine with that as the current selection is ample and appropriate. We do not require activity or busy work for its own sake so the project should be considered to be on standby – waiting until an hour of need, like a sleeping hero such as Holger Danske. It may be that some mottoes will need maintenance as our features, links and language evolve. The project provides a convenient place for people to raise such issues. If there are few such problems then this is a good thing and we should leave well alone. Andrew🐉(talk) 13:44, 3 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]
No, what I was meaning is that there is no daily nature to {{today's motto}}, which just acts as a wrapper displaying {{random motto}}. It was like that at the start of this section. If we're fine with that, that's ok but we shouldn't try and make things look like they are daily when they are just random. If we archive all the WP:MOTD subpages this would probably be suffice; it doesn't stop people raising issues on talk pages. – WT79 (speak to me | editing patterns | what I been doing) 14:54, 4 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Is Motto of the day dead/historical

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Has this WP been officially declared dead, or historical, or is it just inactive? Iazyges Consermonor Opus meum 01:14, 5 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]

  • The mottoes have been automated, as discussed above. I'm fine with that as the current selection is ample. We do not require activity or busy work for its own sake so the project should be considered to be on standby – waiting until an hour of need, like a sleeping hero such as Holger Danske. Andrew🐉(talk) 22:04, 22 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]

A new newsletter directory is out!

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A new Newsletter directory has been created to replace the old, out-of-date one. If your WikiProject and its taskforces have newsletters (even inactive ones), or if you know of a missing newsletter (including from sister projects like WikiSpecies), please include it in the directory! The template can be a bit tricky, so if you need help, just post the newsletter on the template's talk page and someone will add it for you.

– Sent on behalf of Headbomb. 03:11, 11 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Today's motto: 13/01

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The first wikilink relies on WP:T2T, which was a redirect to WP:Time to think, which, in turn, was deleted. After that, WP:T2T got hit by G8, and it's gone too. How can we fix this? Thanks for your time. Opal|zukor(discuss) 07:48, 13 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

checkY It's not clear which motto is meant but it seems to have been fixed as there is no such link to WP:Time to think now. Andrew🐉(talk) 13:47, 3 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Conflict with templates

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There seems to be a conflict with the template at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Media of the day. There is a discussion related to this there. Huggums537 (talk) 14:16, 8 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Answered at commons:Commons talk:Media of the day#Conflict with en Wikipedia motd templates. All templates only work at the wiki where their code is saved. PrimeHunter (talk) 02:37, 21 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]

MOTD status

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I just nominated a motto, however digging further I see that the process has stalled and mottos are random. If you are not accepting new mottos, can I ask that an inactive banner be placed on Nominations/In review and the duplicate Nominations? There's no point wasting anyone else's time, and "on standby" is clearly a euphemism for inactive. The amount of unaddressed nominations is building up. (Roundish ⋆t) 00:03, 24 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]

On top of this, the code pulling the random motto is the code from Template:Random motto - and because of that, the template Template:Random Motto, which is different, now just shows the same text twice. It is a sad state of affairs one🍪cookie 19:45, 25 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Huh? Why? Someone should delete that. Well, I've since slapped "inactive" on most pages, since it took 8 months for a reply. (Roundish ✡t) 21:18, 25 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
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