Dead Link
Template documentation | This template is used on 269,000+ pages, or roughly 2840% of all pages. To avoid major disruption and server load, any changes should be tested in the template's /sandbox or /testcases subpages, or in your own user subpage. The tested changes can be added to this page in a single edit. Consider discussing changes on the talk page before implementing them. |
- {{404}}
- {{dl}}
- {{dead}}
- {{Broken link}}
- {{deadlink}}
Usage
Editors occasionally encounter dead links either within a paragraph or a reference citation.
Before considering whether to use the {{dead link}} template it is often useful to make a search for an archive copy of the dead link and thereby avoid using the tag altogether. All {{cite}} templates have the facility for adding |archivedate= and |archiveurl= parameters for linking to an archive copy.
Using {{Dead link}} will place a note by the URL and add the article to one of the Category:Articles with dead external links categories.
Append this template directly after the link or template, leaving the original link intact. Not doing so will prevent detection from automated tools. If the citation contains multiple URLs (e.g. chapterurl and url) in a template, and only one is broken, you can use to explain which one is broken.
If the article uses clickable footnotes, then this tag should be placed just before the that contains the dead link. The notice will then correctly appear in the reference section (instead of in the body of the text, which is not recommended).
Avoid using this template when the reference is fully adequate without the link. In this case, simply remove the link. For example, if a {{cite journal}} template is used with a DOI, remove the |url= parameter.
Avoid using this template to identify dead external links that are not used as references for article content. Instead, dead external links should usually be removed. See the guideline for external links.
- Common form (with current date)
{{Dead link|date=एप्रील 2024}}
Optional parameters
url- Provides a history of the linked page via the Wayback Machine. Set only if history actually exists, as otherwise it is misleading to users and editors.
date- The date parameter consists of the full English name of the current month with initial capital, a space, and the year, not full dates; e.g., "January 2013", but not "jan13". Any deviation from these two rules will result in an "invalid date parameter" error. For the current date use
date={{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}}. bot- Bot accounts specify the
|bot=parameter as a sign that the tag was added by an automated process. Set asbot=.
Notes:
- The date-substitution template may be used to automatically generate the date, e.g.,
{{Dead link|{{subst:DATE}}}}. See Help:Substitution for more information. - The
date=parameter need not be added by the editor: if not entered, a bot will soon add it.
Examples
{{cite web |url=http://www.example.org |title=Web page title |accessdate=22 September 2012}} {{Dead link |date=September 2012}}
→{{cite news |title=Sorrell accuses Murdoch of panic buying |author=Plunkett, John |url=http://media.guardian.co.uk/site/story/0,14173,1601858,00.html |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=27 October 2005 |accessdate=22 September 2012}} {{Dead link}}
→
Caveats
- Avoid using free links (e.g.
http://www.example.org/{{Dead link}}) as software unable to handle templates may read an incorrect link. Add brackets if necessary. - Avoid complicated formatting. Nesting inside a template is generally not supported well.
- Avoid using [ ] { | } < > characters between the end of the external link and {{Dead link}}, as they are often used to format text.
TemplateData
TemplateData for Dead link
A template to indicate that the preceding URL is dead
| Parameter | Description | Type | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | date | The month and year the URL was found to be dead, like "June 2013" | String | optional |
| Bot name | bot | The name of the bot used to identify the dead link (not used by regular editors) | User | optional |
| Wayback URL | url | The dead URL, used only if there is a Wayback Machine archive | String | optional |
See also
- {{Citation broken}} (inline) to be used when a reference suffers from a more severe problem than a mere broken link
- {{Citations broken}}
- {{Cleanup-bare URLs}} header
- {{NRIS dead link}}
- {{Registration required}} citation flag
- {{Subscription or libraries}} citation flag for when a subscription or library access may be required
- {{Subscription required}} citation flag
- {{Wayback}}
- {{WebCite}}
- What to do when a reference link goes dead
Dead link tools
- Checklinks
- DeadLinkBOT
- WebCiteBOT
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