Wiki organisation
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This page details how this wiki is generally organised and structured. It was created in attempt to bring some clarity to the wiki structures.
Pages naming convention
Please follow Wikipedia capitalising naming conventions: For multiword page titles, leave the second and subsequent words in lowercase unless the title phrase is a proper noun that would always occur capitalized, even in the middle of a sentence. Do not use CamelCasePageTitles in which words are jammed together with no spaces – MediaWiki allows us to use spaces as in natural language. The exception to this would be where the page title is the name of something which does typically have its words jammed together e.g. "OpenLayers".
Prefixes in page titles have been used heavily in the past (e.g. the 'WikiProject' prefix). This is mostly a cumbersome legacy, but not one we can easily rectify at this stage. Moving all such pages would be too big a task. However creating new page title prefixing schemes is strongly discouraged. Use natural language page titles, and cross-link a set of pages to create linking structures in the content of the pages themselves.
| Page type | Current Naming convention | Suggestions | Infobox template | Categories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Places | Mostly just the place name like London, sometimes prefixed with WikiProject, sometimes in Country:City format (e.g. Canada:{location} or France:{location}) | Unify ALL names. Suggest Place as page name, using Place (Location) as needed. | Template:Country Template:Place | Sometimes 'Cities in X', sometimes area name. |
| Features | Name of feature (either plural or singular). Often a redirect to the appropriate tag/key. | Template:Feature | Category:Features Category:Feature | |
| Features in a place | <Place_Name>_<feature> (e.g. United Kingdom trams) | Simplify naming using Feature (Place) | Template:PlaceFeature | Category:Feature Category:Project in place |
| Tags | (namespace: or pseudonamespace: (ommited for EN:})Tag:key={value} | we need Extension:Translate as air | Template:ValueDescription | Tags, Category:Tag descriptions by status |
| Keys | (namespace: or pseudonamespace: (ommited for EN:})Key:{key} | we need Extension:Translate as air | Template:KeyDescription | Keys, Category:Key descriptions by status |
| Relations | (namespace: or pseudonamespace: (ommited for EN:})Relation:{name} | we need Extension:Translate as air | Template:RelationDescription | Relations |
| Proposals | Proposal:{name}/{language} |  (suggestion, implementation)
|
Template:Proposal page | Category:Proposed features |
| Events (e.g. mapping parties) | <Place> Mapping Party <Year>, <Event name> <Year> | <Name> <Month> <Year> | Category:Events | |
| Technical guides, manuals | <tool>/<goal> <environment>, <software name> (more general content) | <tool>/<goal> <environment>, <software name> (more general content) | Template:Software | Category:Technical guide, Category:Software |
| Project-meta pages (e.g. about the Foundation) | <Name> | <Name> | ||
| Wiki organisation pages | Wiki <something>, Wiki: <something> | use the Wiki namespace | Category:Wiki |
Categories naming convention
| Category type | Naming convention | Sub-categories | Parent categories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Continent | <continent name> | Countries | Continents |
| Country | <country name> | Places | Countries, {parent-continent} |
| Features | (namespace or pseudonamespace (ommited for EN:))<feature name> | (namespace or pseudonamespace (ommited for EN:))<feature name> | Category:Features and language-variants |
| Place | <Place name> | <place> in <parent country>, <parent country> |
Link Templates
(See most linked to templates!)
| Template | Code | Example output | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Map | {{map|latitude|longitude|zoom_level}} | 63°00′00.00″ N, 16°30′00.00″ E | Include a reference to a map co-ordinate. |
| Node | {{node|ID}} | 123456 123456
|
Include a reference to a node |
| Way | {{way|ID}} | 12345 12345
|
Include a reference to a way |
| Area | {{area|ID}} | 12345 12345
|
Include a reference to an area |
| Relation | {{relation|ID|tools=no}} | 12345 12345
|
Include a reference to a relation |
| Tag | {{tag|key}} | amenity=*
|
Include a reference to a key page |
| {{tag|key|value}} | amenity=parking
|
Include a reference to a key page and a tag page | |
| {{tag|key||value}} | name=OpenStreetMap
|
Only includes reference to a key page | |
| {{tagValue|key|value}} | parking
|
Only includes reference to a tag page, displays only the value | |
| Role | {{role|name}} | |
Include a reference to a role page |
Labels
A number of Wiki labels are available for marking pages for attention by WikiProject Cleanup. Labels are usually placed at the top of the page or section (i.e. below the language bar, the feature template or the section heading but above the text). The colors often indicate the relevance to the average reader:
| Style | relevance to average reader | related cleanup tasks |
|---|---|---|
| green background | important notes to be taken into consideration to avoid damage or unnecessary conflicts | none, mainly irrelevant for cleanup |
| thick blue border | content issues: please double check what is written here | update information or translations, add missing information |
| thick red border | deletion requests: please speak up now if you want to keep this page | same as for reader |
| thin green border | potentially relevant information, for your interest | research additional material, discussing changes in case of edit requests |
| thin purple border | structural changes have been proposed, you might want to take part in the discussion | Discussing propositions, merging, moving, splitting articles, finding file replacements |
A lot of other templates (including those not relating to cleanup efforts) can be found in Category:Templates by function.
General
General labels can be placed on almost any page. They provide some information for cleanup without requesting a specific action.
| Template markup | Explanation of usage and meaning | Display |
|---|---|---|
| {{Notice|Example text}} | A general notice about the subject. |
Example text |
| {{Stub|ref= Reference article }} | A stub is an article which is too short to provide enough information on its subject. This should be the start of a more extensive documentation. Pages bearing the label are added to Category:Stubs. |
This article is a stub. You can help OpenStreetMap by expanding it. Similar pages for structural reference
Reference article
|
| {{Out of date|some additional information}} | This marks the page as outdated. Pages are added to Category:Out of date or a translation thereof. |
This article or section may contain out-of-date information: some additional information If you know about the current state of affairs, please help keep everyone informed by updating this information. (Discussion) |
| {{Cleanup|some additional information}} | The template suggests to do some cleanup. Pages are categorised into Category:Cleaning Request. Note: Without additional information it is not possible to find out the actual issue. You should consider using a more specific template instead. |
|
| {{WIP}} | The template indicates that the page is not complete yet. It adds Category:Cleaning underway. Often pages have become stale and this label should be replaced with another one depending on the progress. |
This page is a work in progress! The content is likely incomplete, inaccurate or empty. |
| {{Questioned|some additional information}} | The page's content is questioned and should not be considered as a neutral source of information. The page is added to Category:Questioned content. |
This article or section contains questionable, contentious or controversial information. See the talk page for more information. some additional information |
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Tagging documentation
Tagging documentation labels refer specifically to problems with the tagging documentation.
| Template markup | Explanation of usage and meaning | Display |
|---|---|---|
| {{Key stub}} | more precise template than Template:Stub, adds category Category:Key stubs |
This key page is a stub. You can help OpenStreetMap by expanding it. Similar pages for structural reference: Key:religion, Key:waterway. |
| {{Tag stub}} | more precise template than Template:Stub, adds category Category:Tag stubs |
This tag page is a stub. You can help OpenStreetMap by expanding it. Similar pages for structural reference: Tag:railway=tram, Tag:waterway=dock. |
| {{Undocumented tag}} | The label is placed on tag documentation pages that were created because the tag has a high usage. The information was potentially inferred from the current use, adds Category:Undocumented Tags. |
Undocumented Tag This page was created because the tag is in use but not documented. You can help OpenStreetMap by expanding it! Please keep in mind that there could be similar tags and / or that this tag might be deprecated. Always be careful when using undocumented tags! |
| {{Verifiability|what= example |date= 2025-05-02 }} | The key or tag does not fulfill the concept of verifiability, adds Category:Tags with verifiability issues. |
The verifiability of this example is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved. (2025-05-02) |
Files
Cleanup labels for files mainly focus on either licensing issues with the file or the question whether the file should be located at Wikimedia Commons instead. MediaWiki:Uploadtext provides exact information about the best storage location for files. These templates are usually placed on the file description pages (the ones starting with File:) right above the description so they appear directly below the image.
| Template markup | Explanation of usage and meaning | Display |
|---|---|---|
| {{No licence}} | The label indicates that the license information is missing. It adds Category:Media without a license. It can be also edited to include marking that uploader was notified. |
This media file does not have sufficient information on its copyright status. If you have created this file yourself, or the file is available under some open licence allowing its use on OSM Wiki or the file is in the public domain, you can edit the file description page to license it under one of the allowed licences. If you did not create it and it is not in the public domain, you must ask the copyright holder for permission to release it under one of the allowed licenses. Wiki:Media file license chart may be helpful to find a suitable licence.
• Files without licences marked with this template are listed in Category:Media without a license or one of its subcategories. • If the file is without a known open licence: Ask its uploader to clarify situation or find a replacement and replace its uses. In case of a replacement from Wikimedia Commons, mark file with {{Superseded by Commons}}. • If uploader was notified this month: Use {{No licence|subcategory=uploader notified 2025, May}} – to put media into Category:Media without a license - uploader notified 2025, May and mark image as one where uploader was notified.• If no action taken helped or the file is a known copyright violation then you should remove its uses and mark the file with {{Delete}}. ↑ This template should only be used on file pages. |
| {{Delete}} | licensing or other issues, file is not in use, problems are severe and/or author was notified but failed to respond |
This page has been labelled for deletion. The given reason is: specify reason. This normally means the page title is a bad one, and the content has been moved somewhere better. If a page title is vaguely meaningful, the page should perhaps be a redirect, or hold a small summary for historical interest instead. If you disagree with its deletion, please explain why on its talk page. The page should now be empty apart from this message (as per procedure). The page history shows what used to be on this page, and allows people to rescue an old revision. We may decide to do this, but otherwise a wiki sysop user can delete this page more permanently at some point. In the meantime we should fix any pages linking to here. |
| {{Delete proposal}} | licensing issues, file is in use and needs to be delinked/deleted first |
It has been proposed that this page be deleted or replaced by a redirect. See the discussion page for further information. |
| {{Vector version available| new file name}} |
Should be placed on file description pages of raster images when a vectorised version exists. |
This template is intended to use on "File:" pages.
For more information about vector graphics, read about Commons transition to SVG. There is also information about MediaWiki's support of SVG images. |
| {{Superseded image| better image file name| reason for replacement}} |
Indicates that one image should be replaced with another one, adds Category:Image superseded by another image |
This file has been superseded by File:Example.svg . It is recommended that the other file be used. Reason: reason for replacement Adds image to Category:Image superseded by another image |
| {{Superseded by Commons| file name on Wikimedia Commons}} |
Indicates that a mostly identical image exists on Wikimedia Commons, which can be used instead. Adds Category:Image superseded by Wikimedia Commons |
A mostly identical image exists on Wikimedia Commons:  The version on Wikimedia Commons is of higher quality and/or contains additional metadata (or better-formatted metadata). You can use images from Wikimedia Commons directly in the OpenStreetMap wiki, and it is recommended to use it instead of this image. If this file has the same name as Wikimedia Commons file and shadows it: add also {{Delete|Superseded by Commons file [[:c:File:Example.svg]]}}This template puts files in Category:Image superseded by Wikimedia Commons. |
| {{Move to Commons| additional information}} |
suggest to move the file to Wikimedia Commons |
|
| {{Upload to Commons}} | The label is placed on a category page to indicate that all files within are potential candidates to be moved to Wikimedia Commons. |  Files in this category are generally better located at Wikimedia Commons. Please upload new files there. |
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Requests
Request labels specifically propose or request an action before it is carried out. Sometimes it is desired to achieve community consensus and sometimes an administrator needs to review and carry out the action. The label typically also adds a category so one can find all pages with requests on them.
| Template markup | Explanation of usage and meaning | Display |
|---|---|---|
| {{Image requested}} | You ask for an illustrating image. The label adds Category:Image request. |
This page could do with an image/photo/diagram to help illustrate the concept |
| {{Move| move target| name of discussion page}} |
useful before moving a page, adds Category:Suggested moves |
It has been proposed that this page be moved to "move target". (Discuss) |
| {{Merge| merge target| name of discussion page}} |
useful before merging pages, adds Category:Suggested merges |
It has been proposed that this page or section be merged with move target. (Discuss) |
| {{Split section| additional information| name of discussion page}} |
useful before splitting a section, adds Category:Suggested splits |
It has been suggested that this section be split into a new page: additional information. See more about this on the talk page. |
| {{Edit request}} | used to mark an edit request (usually to protected pages or the interwiki list), adds the page to Category:Edit requests Note that the addition of the template does not by itself trigger a notification to the administrators |
This is a pending edit request for Wiki organisation. Please use the template in case of a consensus or an uncontroversial edit only and write a specific description of the proposed edit below. An administrator will then handle this request. |
| {{Delete proposal|some reasoning}} | The label is added to propose the deletion of a page, category, file, data item, or template. The exact procedure and its implications are documented at Wiki:Deletion procedure. |
It has been proposed that this page be deleted or replaced by a redirect. See the discussion page for further information. The given reason is: some reasoning. |
| {{Delete|some reasoning}} | The label is added to request the deletion of a page, category, file, data item, or template. The exact procedure and its implications are documented at Wiki:Deletion procedure. |
This page has been labelled for deletion. The given reason is: some reasoning. This normally means the page title is a bad one, and the content has been moved somewhere better. If a page title is vaguely meaningful, the page should perhaps be a redirect, or hold a small summary for historical interest instead. If you disagree with its deletion, please explain why on its talk page. The page should now be empty apart from this message (as per procedure). The page history shows what used to be on this page, and allows people to rescue an old revision. We may decide to do this, but otherwise a wiki sysop user can delete this page more permanently at some point. In the meantime we should fix any pages linking to here. |
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Translation
See also: Wiki Translation
Translation labels refer specifically to problems with the translation.
| Template markup | Explanation of usage and meaning | Display |
|---|---|---|
| {{Translation out of sync| src=name the source of translation}} |
The label is usually added after the source of the translated page was updated and the translation does not match the source anymore. Pages bearing this label are added to Category:Translations out of sync. |
This English article is a translated version, but the content appears to be out of sync with the reference text in name the source of translation. Please update this translation if possible. |
| {{Translation not complete| status=some| art=Name of the source page}} |
The label marks an incomplete translation. The pages are added to Category:Translation not complete |
This article is an incomplete translation of Name of the source page: it contains omissions, uncorrected mistakes, or some parts that are not translated yet. If you understand the original in English, please help completing this English translation. Read the instructions about how to translate this wiki. No one seems to be working on it for now, you can take this task.
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