DDO wiki:Red link

This page in a nutshell: Red links for subjects that should have articles but do not, are not only acceptable, but needed in the articles. They serve as a clear indication of which articles are in need of creation, and encourage it. Do not remove red links unless you are certain that DDOwiki should not have an article on that subject.

A red link, like this one, signifies that the linked-to page does not exist—it either never existed, or existed at some point but has been deleted. It is useful while editing articles to add a red link to indicate that a page will be created soon or that an article should be created for the topic because the subject exists.

Articles should not contain red links to files, to templates, or to topics that do not warrant an article.

In general, a red link should be allowed to remain in an article if it links to a title that could plausibly sustain an article, but for which there is no existing article, or article section, under any name. Do not remove red links unless you are certain that DDOwiki should not have an article on the subject, or if the red link could be replaced with a link to an article section where the subject is covered as part of a broader topic.

Good red links help DDOwiki—they encourage new contributors in useful directions, and remind us that DDOwiki is far from finished.

Creating red links

A red link appears whenever double brackets [[ ]] are placed around a word or phrase for which DDOwiki does not have an article, disambiguation page or redirect.

When to create red links

Create red links everywhere they are relevant to the context for terms that should exist.

The topic of the red link could actually exist, but under a different page name. The topic may well be covered in a section of another article; it could even be buried in several paragraphs nearby. So it is the responsibility of the person who creates a red link to scan for the topic's coverage. The category links at the bottom of that page will link to virtually all related articles and the search engine provides features for advanced queries that can pinpoint matching text anywhere on DDOwiki. Both search methods employ MediaWiki features crafted to find information on DDOwiki. They can help us build DDOwiki, red link by red link.

Creating a red link also carries the responsibility to first ascertain that the red link is a valid title of a page.

When creating an article, it is best practice to: (a) check whether there are existing red links that will be turned blue by the creation of the article and (b) check whether those incoming links are pointing to the right place and to correct them where needed.

Avoiding creation of certain types of red links

Do not create red links to articles that are not likely to be created and retained on DDOwiki, including articles that do not comply with DDOwiki's naming conventions. The illustrative link shown in red positioned at the beginning of this page is an example of this type of normally unwanted red link.

Red links generally are not included in See also sections. Red links may be used on navigation templates with links to existing articles, but they cannot be excessive. Editors who add excessive red links to navboxes are expected to actively work on building those articles, or they may be removed from the template.

A page in any DDOwiki namespace should never be left in a red-linked category. Either the category should be created, or else the non-existent category link should be removed or changed to one that exists.

Links should not be created to templates unless and until the templates have been created. Do not create red links to files.

Do not create redirect pages to pages that do not exist.

Disambiguation pages

Use of red links on disambiguation pages should be limited. The whole point of a disambiguation page is to help the reader arrive at the correct existing article from a choice of articles with similar titles. Since a red link is a link to a non-existent article, using red links in disambiguation pages is usually discouraged. Red links can be used in disambiguation pages if existing encyclopedic articles (i.e. not disambiguation pages because disambiguation pages are not considered encyclopedic) have such red links.

Dealing with existing red links

In general, a red link should be allowed to remain in an article if it links to a term that could plausibly sustain an article, but for which there is no existing candidate article, or article section, under any name.

An existing red link can indicate one or more of the following things:

• A new article is needed. When a wiki editor writes an article, it is common practice to link key topics pertinent to an understanding of the subject, even if those topics don't have an article on Wikipedia yet. Do not remove these red links. This has several applications:
  • From within an article, such a link prepares the article to be fully supported (not orphaned upon creation). At any time, a wiki editor may independently write an article on the linked-to subject, and when this happens, there's already a link ready and waiting for it. The red link also gives readers the opportunity to click on it to create the needed article on the spot.
  • The red link may identify a need to create a redirect to another article, but only if that article comprehensively deals with the topic.
• The link is broken and no longer leads to an article (perhaps because the underlying article was deleted). In such a case, the link usually needs to be removed or renamed to point to an existing article.
• The link may have been made by someone who wasn't aware of what should and shouldn't be linked to within articles. Always evaluate whether or not a red link is pointing at a title that actually needs creation.
• The red link may be a typo—e.g., someone wanted to link to The Pit, but instead typed "The pit". In this case, try to figure out the intended article and fix the link. If it looks like a common misspelling, you may want to create a redirect from that misspelling to the correct one, but you should still correct the misspelling even though it would no longer appear red.