User:MisterPepe/Sandbox

Note: This is a work-in-progress meta-documentation effort to help sysops become acquainted with their tools and cultural issues surrounding their use. Feel free to pitch in!

Blocking

A sample blocking form

Blocks are applied via the form at the special page Special:Blockip. There are several steps to applying a block:

1. Specify the IP address or user to be blocked. Enter the IP address to be blocked, or the name of the registered user account to be blocked, in the "User" field of the form. Note that nonexistent usernames can also be blocked, so be certain you have the correct username. You can also block a range of IP addresses; see range blocks (below) for more information.

   Usually, you'll be blocking people from the "Block this user" link in the sidebar or the "Block" link next to the username/IP address in the Special:Recentchanges listing.

2. Specify a duration for the block. You can select a predefined duration from the drop down box labelled "Expiry", or you can enter a custom value, using the GNU standard format, in the "Other time" field. If the duration given is "indefinite", then the block will not expire, although the IP address or user account may still be unblocked by a sysop.

   Fortnights is the coolest option in there. Just so you know. A specific date can be set as well, so using "20071225" will give them back their access as a Christmas present. "Next Thursday," as strange as it sounds, will also work.

   Oh yeah, all those boring ones like "months, days, weeks, minutes, hours, and years" work too. Ugh.

   You can use decimals. Hence, "8.725 Fortnights" is a valid (if strange) block duration.

3. Specify a reason for the block (optional). This reason will be displayed to the blocked user if they attempt to edit a page.

   The more descriptive, the better (especially when using some of the blocking options below). If possible, consider linking to evidence.

Click "block this user" to apply the block. All blocks are recorded in the block log, and all currently active blocks are listed at the list of active blocks.

Blocking options

The blocking page has three important options associated with the block:

1. Block anonymous users only: When blocking an IP user, selecting this option will allow any registered users to continue editing from that address. This option has no effect on a block of a registered user, but it does modify any autoblocks (see below) caused by that block.

   Generally speaking, this isn't a very useful option. Many of the IP users that are blocked are from spammers or spam bots - if they create an account, they'll still be able to access from that location. This option is really only for use when considering a block of a proxy, tor exit node, or dynamic IP address (such as AOL), as it minimizes the likelihood of restricting actual contributors.

2. Prevent account creation: Duh. Anyone that tries to access from the blocked IP address will not be able to create an account.

   This option should generally be turned on when dealing with an IP spammer, since they've been known to create usernames such as "Ki3H5x" to evade blocks. This also works when blocking a registered user - even though we can't see the IP address, the MediaWiki software takes care of it in the background

3. Automatically block the last IP address used by this user, and any subsequent addresses they try to edit from: (Autoblock, for short) This option only applies to blocks of registered user accounts. When enabled, this option will cause the block to also apply to the most recent IP address, and any other addresses that they try to log in from.

   This is the mack daddy of blocking. This is the block for that l33t h4x0r d00d who thinks that he can get around a block by having his mother drive him to the library so that he can vandalize Izzy's page again. This option should usually be set when blocking a registered spammer/spambot, as it has a decent chance of blocking another address or two before they figure it out.

   Autoblocks are taken care of in the background by the MediaWiki software, and last for 24 hours. These blocks only appear on the Special:Ipblocklist page (not in the regular block log) because they are added automatically.

   Be careful when using the autoblock function, especially in the case of dynamic IPs (AOL being the prime example - note to self, add AOL IP checking to AVT) as it can result in temporarily blocking large numbers of innocent users.

Range blocking

Range blocking is a way to block all IP addresses in a certain range. Hence the name.

An IP range takes the form of 69.208.0.0/24 (for reference, that's the range between 69.208.0.0 and 69.208.0.255) - it shows the IP address at the low end of the block (more or less) and the number after the "/" shows the number of significant bits (it makes more sense in binary, take a look at MW:range blocks). In other words, the "69.208.0.0/24" range actually blocks all IP addresses of the form 69.208.0.XXX. Since an IP address consists of 32 bits, a block of "69.208.0.0/32" is exactly the same as blocking "69.208.0.0."

Make sure to check the IP range multiple times before range blocking, due to the massive possibility of error. One useful site is the netmask calculator, which will automatically compute the necessary values to block all addresses between the two you provide.

Please note that individual IP addresses cannot be unblocked from a range block. Any attempts to unblock that IP will not take effect unless the entire range is unblocked.

Effects of a block

Blocked users may still read pages, but they cannot create, edit, or move pages, nor can they upload files. In general, all additional user rights (deletion, protecting, assign user rights) will be disabled for the duration of the block, but this does not apply to block/unblocking abilities. Any user that has blocking and unblocking abilities will be able to use them during their block (which allows them to unblock themselves).

Unblocking

An IP address or registered user account can be unblocked via the list of active blocks. Find the IP address or registered user account you wish to unblock in the list (you can enter the address or name in the "search" field to help you find the entry), and click the "Unblock" link displayed to the right of the block's expiry time.

This will lead you to a confirmation page. Enter the reason for unblocking (optional) in the "reason" field, and click "unblock this address" to remove the block. All unblockings are recorded in the block log.

Deleting

• Don't delete an image you're not sure about. While it's possible to undelete a page, any attempts to bring back an image will only recover the text on the page (usually, a deletion tag =P).

Other useful notes

• The Guild Wars Wiki uses "nofollow" tags on all external links. This means that search engine rankings are not boosted at all by finding a link on this site. Sucks to be you, spammers.