Help:Protecting pages

Overview
Protected, and semi-protected, pages, can not be edited by all logged-in editors.


 * Protected pages can only be edited by "Admins", also known as "Sysops". On the ISFDB wiki, all moderators are also Admins, and normally no one else is. (Although it has happened that an editor with wiki skills who was considered trustworthy but not experienced enough on the database side to be a moderator was made an admin to allow edits to protected pages. In that case the user late became a moderator.)


 * Semi-Protected pages can only be edited by a user whose ID has existed for more than a minimum period of time, and has made more than a minimal number of edits. (By default, 4 days and 25 edits)

Reasons for protection

 * 1) A page that has been targed by spammers, particularly auto-matted spammers.
 * 2) A Page, usually a template, that affects many other pages, or is particularly important to the ISFDB, and should not be changed casually.
 * 3) A page that uses tricky conditional logic, or other tricky coding, and also should not be changed casually.

Protecting and unprotected a page
This can only be done by an Admin, logged in from an admin account.


 * To protect a page, click the protect tab. In the monobook skin, the shortcut alt+= can alternatively be used. This will lead to a confirmation screen with two menus and a checkbox. In the menu, the administrator can choose to protect the page from editing by unregistered users or all users. Similarly, the page can be protected from moves by either unregistered users (although this seems standard anyway) or all users (the system automatically adds the same level of protection to moves as it does to edits, but the protection level can be changed by checking the "Unlock move permissions" checkbox). Cascading protection is enabled by checking a separate checkbox. Enter the reason for page protection in the box and press "confirm." This will be logged.
 * To unprotect a protected page, click the unprotect tab. This will bring up the exact page as above, only this time the two menus will already be selected. Unprotection only involves selecting "(default)" under the "Edits" menu and pressing confirm. A reason for unprotection should be given as well. This action will likewise be logged.

Cascading protection
In combination with full protection: protecting a page against editing by a non-admin, but also protecting images embedded on the page, provided that they are on the same site, and also applying the same protection to transcluded (template) pages for as long as they remain transcluded in the page (thus it works recursively).

Cascading protection in combination with semi-protection does not make sense and should be avoided.

The ISFDB, unlike larger wikis, has so far had little need for cascading protection.

Marking protected pages
The reason why a page is protected should generally be indicated on its talk page. There are two standard templates for this purpose:


 * Protected for spam targets;
 * HighRisk for widely-used templates;

If a page is protected for reasons that don't fit an existing template, a simple notice of the reason should be added to the talk page.

On other wikis
On and other large wikis, protection is often used to temporarily stop edit wars, and similar disputes. So far this has not been needed on the ISFDB wiki.

Editing a protected page
Any admin is permitted by the software to edit a protected page, but should carefully consider whether it is a good idea. (If the protection was merely against spammers, there should be no problem.)

If a non-admin wants to edit a protected page, s/he should post the proposed edit, or a description of it, on the page's talk page, or on the Community Portal. The edit will be considered, and if it is approved, an admin will make it on behalf of the requesting editor, or will remove the protection, or downgrade it to semi-protection, if that seems reasonable.