Template:Edit protected

Template documentation

"Template:Editrequest" redirects here. For editing a page when you have a conflict of interest, see Template:Request edit.

Description

This template is placed on a talk page to request an edit of the corresponding fully protected page. The template should be accompanied by a clear and specific description of the requested change, and consensus should be obtained before the template is added. Providing the new sentences or code in your request, if possible, will expedite the process.

Usage

The general procedure for using this template is:

1. Propose a specific change on the talk page, and get consensus for it. Don't add the editprotected template yet.
2. Once it is clear there is consensus for the change, and any final details have been worked out, put "{{edit protected}}" on the talk page along with a short, clear explanation.
3. An administrator will notice the editprotected template has been added, and will respond to the request.

For more guidance, see the section General considerations below.

Errors on the main page

To report an error you have noticed on the current main page or tomorrow's main page, please add it to the appropriate section on Wikipedia:Main Page/Errors instead of using this template.

Optional unnamed parameters

1. Actual page. The actual page you want edited, such as when the talk page of the protected page is redirected. E.g. {{Edit protected|Template:uw-vandalism}}
2. Category sort. E.g. {{Edit protected|Template:Template Sandbox|Sandbox}}

General considerations

Before asking an administrator to make an edit to a protected page, please consider the following points:

1. Is administrator intervention necessary? Please do not use this template to request edits to pages which are only semi-protected. Edit suggestions from anonymous and new editors should be made on the talk page as normal, but any autoconfirmed user may make the change if it is sensible; administrator intervention is not required (the {{edit semi-protected}} template can be used to flag these requests). If the full protection on a page is of short duration or is about to expire, consider waiting a few extra hours for the opportunity to make the edit yourself. However, administrators will not usually deny editprotected requests purely on this basis.
2. Is the request controversial? Administrators can only respond to requests which are either uncontroversial improvements (correcting typos or grammar, formatting references, etc in articles; or improving reliability or efficiency of template code) or are already supported by a consensus of editors, usually on the protected page's talkpage. Please do not add the {{edit protected}} template merely to attract attention to the change, as it clutters up this category with unactionable requests. If consensus is required for the change and you would like the request to be actioned on sooner, please indicate a clear consensus rather than requiring the admin to read pages of discussion.
3. Is the request specific? Any editprotected request must be accompanied by a detailed and specific description of what changes need to be made. For edits to protected templates, clearly indicate which lines of code need to be changed, or (ideally) provide a link or diff to a sandbox which contains the entire code of the template, with the required changes. The admin can then simply replace the code in the live template with the code from the sandbox. For articles, clearly indicate which sections or phrases should be replaced, and what they should be replaced with.
4. Is the request sensible? Edits to protected templates, except when they are trivial, must be tested in a sandbox first to make sure that they do not cause problems or corrupted output. For edits to articles, it is sensible to perform basic tidying such as ensuring all references are properly formatted using citation templates, and that the section still flows correctly after the text is changed.

Administrators may decline to make any edit, and are especially likely to reject edits that are controversial, violate Wikipedia policy, or do not have evidence of consensus. There is a forum at Wikipedia:Requests for page protection to discuss significant or controversial edits to protected pages.

Effects

This template adds a page to Category:Wikipedia protected edit requests. Administrators routinely check this category for protected edit requests to process. In the three months of September through November 2007, the average time for a request to be handled was approximately 23 hours, and 75% of requests were resolved within 26 hours.

Edits affecting several pages

Sometimes the same or similar edits are needed on several pages, such as adding the same category to many pages. In this case, add {{edit protected}} to only one talk page, with a list all of the pages that needs updating and a clear description of what needs to be done. This saves work both for the editor making the request and for the admin responding to the request. Requests for large-scale edits that require administrative abilities can also be made at the administrator's noticeboard.

Requests for templates

If you are requesting a complex change to a template it is a good idea to place the required code on the template's sandbox copy. This gives the opportunity to test the code before changing the live template. Instead of pasting the code on the talk page, which can affect its readability, just place a link to the /sandbox along with the request and rationale.

Recommended action upon resolution

Once a request is handled, it's best to leave the {{Edit protected}} tag as an un-transcluded tag by changing it to, for example, {{Tld|editprotected}}. This removes the message box from the talk page and removes the talk page from the category, while still leaving a record of the request. {{EP}} may be used as a templated reply after responding to a request.

Note

MediaWiki:Protectedpagetext has a "Submit an edit request" link which for fully protected pages uses

• Template:Edit protected/preload
• Template:Edit protected/editintro

to preload text into the edit request's editbox, and to show instructions.

See also

• {{Edit semi-protected}} - Use this template instead to request that other editors update a page, if you are not logged in or are too new to edit a semi-protected page.
• Category:Wikipedia protected edit requests - The category this template adds pages to.
• Wikipedia:Requested moves for move-protected pages