Ensure the main talk page has an archive box template
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	whym
	Oct 29 2016, 10:46 AM

Description

Archivebot moves old comments from the main talk page to subpages. In doing so, the bot should ensure the subpages are linked from the main talk page so that readers will not miss moved comments.

This task is based on @Elvey's comment: https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?diff=15978644&oldid=15801003

In T148013#2746273, @Elvey wrote
Assertions:
Every language/wiki should have an archive box template.
One more variable pointing to a language-specific template ({{archive box auto}} for each language) is trivial compared to the alternative of not having this feature and maintaining links to archives manually. (And perhaps the variable already exists?)
I can't think of a case where we would want to allow auto archiving if the archive page to be created would have no incoming link from the original page. So I think having an option/setting is inappropriate.

Propose logic (sorry - not python!):
When archivebot active:
if the archive page to be created would have no incoming link from the original page
  if the variable pointing to a language-specific template is set for this language
    Add the template and perform archiving.
  else
    do neither
else 
  perform archiving

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Mentioned In: T148013: Provide an option to prevent archiving if the archive page to be created would have no incoming link from the original page
Mentioned Here: T148013: Provide an option to prevent archiving if the archive page to be created would have no incoming link from the original page

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whym created this task.Oct 29 2016, 10:46 AM

Restricted Application added subscribers: pywikibot-bugs-list, Aklapper. · View Herald TranscriptOct 29 2016, 10:46 AM

See also T148013.

whym mentioned this in T148013: Provide an option to prevent archiving if the archive page to be created would have no incoming link from the original page.Oct 29 2016, 10:48 AM

An ideal implementation would have to resolve issues such as:

How can we automatically decide the location {{archive box auto}} in the wiki text of the talk page? Under which templates, or can it always be at the very top? Should it be specified via a template parameter as well?
In this bot, we provide a variety of possible (non-default) naming schema of subpages for the user to choose, including "Talk:Page/Archive 2016", "Talk:Page/Archive/2016/January" and "Talk:Page/Archive 2016-01". In fact, it can be an arbitrary Python-style formatting string, given as a template parameter. I don't know if {{archive box auto}} can support everything. If not, the addition of {{archive box auto}} doesn't always help. It can even be more confusing than nothing, because it might incorrectly tell editors that there is no subpage as opposed to giving no information.
There are several variants of {{archive box auto}}, such as {{archive box non-auto}} of Meta, among which only one should present in one page - preventing from the bot to place duplicated boxes is another difficulty (and again, the set of the relevant templates differ between wikis).

Thanks for your handling of this!
My 2¢:

Putting it at the very top sounds fine and easy. (Leave it to perfectionists to move if they don't want it there.) (If being perfectionist, I'd skip all templates at the top and then insert. A perfectionist implementation could do that.) Having a parameter seems baroque.
{{archive box auto}} can support a variety of schema. Better yet, I think {{:Special:PrefixIndex/{{PAGENAME}}/Archives/}} should work on a wide variety of subpage schema?
Does your "no incoming link from the original page" test not handle this difficulty?

Better yet, I think {{:Special:PrefixIndex/{{PAGENAME}}/Archives/}} should work on a wide variety of subpage schema?

Speaking about that, there may be a simpler solution. You could simply modify the content of [[User:MiszaBot/config]] to include such a link to or transclusion of the list of subpages. The config template might have been historically an empty template, but it does not have to be.

Pages with both the new {{User:MiszaBot/config}} (with the new message) and an archive box might be looking somewhat redundant, though.

This should be optional and only enforced if explicitly requested in the page.

Xqt added a project: Pywikibot.Jul 5 2017, 11:41 AM

Xqt moved this task from Backlog to Feature Request on the Pywikibot-archivebot.py board.Fri, Aug 5, 7:04 PM

Aklapper changed the subtype of this task from "Task" to "Feature Request".Mon, Aug 8, 10:19 AM

Aklapper moved this task from Feature Request to Backlog on the Pywikibot-archivebot.py board.Mon, Aug 8, 10:21 AM

Ensure the main talk page has an archive box templateOpen, Needs TriagePublicFeatureActions

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Ensure the main talk page has an archive box template
Open, Needs TriagePublicFeature
Actions