Wikipedia talk:Manual of Style/Infoboxes/Archive 22

This is an archive of past discussions on Wikipedia talk:Manual of Style/Infoboxes. Do not edit the contents of this page. If you wish to start a new discussion or revive an old one, please do so on the current talk page.

Has there been discussion before of how (or whether) to include sign languages in infoboxes? There has been a request at Talk:New Zealand#New Zealand Sign language video request, but once adequate media has been found or generated, I’m concerned that simply pasting a graphic or video into the infobox title section isn’t going to flow the best. There are only a handful of countries with official sign languages, but the potential here is quite a bit broader. — HTGS (talk) 06:14, 25 June 2024 (UTC)

I'd suggest an icon/link to accompany the pronunciation (which is either in the lead or in a footnote) instead. Nikkimaria (talk) 03:51, 26 June 2024 (UTC)

Hi, I have found inconsistencies between the cities across the globe on Wikipedia relating to the images format on the infobox. Refer to the articles New York City, London, Liverpool and Chicago vs Newcastle upon Tyne, Prayagraj and Hyderabad. Which is the accepted image format? Is there a particular norm or rule dictating the format of the images to be placed in? My recent edit on Hyderabad got [1] reverted saying that it is not accepted format. What is the accepted format? Since I find lot of cities in the united states and many cities in India itself like New Delhi and Mumbai have a different format. Also refer to the talk page:[2] 456legendtalk 00:58, 2 March 2024 (UTC)

Please participate in this discussion to come to a common interpretation about the infobox image format for the city related articles. It would be of a great help. 456legendtalk 01:06, 2 March 2024 (UTC)

Alternative 1	Alternative 2
Hyderabad Metropolis Clockwise from top: Charminar during Ramzan night bazaar, Qutb Shahi tombs, Buddha Statue at Hussain Sagar, Falaknuma Palace, skyline at Gachibowli and Birla Mandir.	Hyderabad Metropolis Charminar during the Ramzan night bazaar Birla Mandir Qutb Shahi tombs Skyline at Gachibowli Buddha Statue at Hussain Sagar Falaknuma Palace

Please kindly put in your views and opinions 456legendtalk 15:48, 6 March 2024 (UTC)

This issue was previously considered at this (incredibly annoying to link to because someone had the bright idea to put brackets in a section heading) discussion: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Village_pump_(proposals)/Archive_203#Putting_captions_in_{{multiple_image}}_galleries_in_infobox. There wasn't any formal consensus, but the status quo had previously been to have one caption at the bottom, and that discussion didn't exactly find agreement to move away from that. The main issue is space, which is at a huge premium in city infoboxes given how crowded they already are. Your alternatives aren't the same size, but you can still see how much more room alternative 2 takes up. Sdkb ^talk 03:55, 8 March 2024 (UTC)

@Sdkb I'm sorry I didn't see your comment earlier. That said, shouldn't we actually reach a consensus for the purpose of maintaining consistency? 456legendtalk 04:36, 12 March 2024 (UTC)

Consistency is good where it helps us enforce best practices and reduce the maintenance burden in situations with functionally identical circumstances. In this case, there's possibly a best practice (in my view alternative 1), but not a big maintenance burden from inconsistency (the biggest part of it is the confusion/uncertainty it creates over which format to use), nor functionally identical circumstances (e.g. some cities have much more recognizable landmarks in their galleries and therefore need the captions to be nearby less). Sdkb ^talk 04:53, 12 March 2024 (UTC)

Thank you for highlighting these aspects. Also considering the points raised by the user Huggums537 in the archived discussion, it seems reasonable to conclude that flexibility should be allowed for editors, as hinted in your statement to necessarily help address the varying circumstances and potential confusion, ensuring a more practical and adaptable approach. (Since your example does makes sense and is practical in nature) 456legendtalk 05:35, 12 March 2024 (UTC)

I prefer Alternative 1 for several reasons. Firstly, it occupies less space, which is advantageous. Additionally, it presents a cleaner appearance overall. In terms of viewing information, it's essential that info boxes remain as compact as possible while still conveying all necessary details. Therefore, opting for Alternative 1 aligns with this principle. RWILD✉ 13:29, 1 May 2024 (UTC)

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Hyderabad
Metropolis
Charminar during the Ramzan night bazaar

• WP:COLLAGE tels us: Collages and montages are single images that illustrate multiple closely related concepts, where overlapping or similar careful placement of component images is necessary to illustrate a point in an encyclopedic way [emphasis added]. I would say that these types of collages are more decorative and do not rise to the standard of being necessary. A good single representative image readily associated with the subject (see MOS:LEADIMAGE) is way better than multiple images particularly if they are small (placed abreast) and/or there is insufficient contrast between them. Too much eye-candy can be a distraction and not a benefit. Furthermore, WP:INFOBOXPURPOSE tells us that an economical infobox is more effective and large infoboxes can have accessibility issues. The article would state that the Charminar has become an icon of the city. On that basis, that image in the infobox would qualify as a good single representative image. Cinderella157 (talk) 00:30, 2 May 2024 (UTC)

  I feel like an entire city needs a few different pictures to be represented. ꧁Zanahary꧂ 06:39, 3 July 2024 (UTC)

• I admit to finding this discussion not entirely necessary. While I'm personally inclined to the concision and space economy of "alternative 1", "alternative 2" isn't misrepresenting or disinforming our readers. Coming up with something formal for the sake of consistency on a matter of comparatively minor variation falls pretty low in terms of my sense of what really needs a more formal, wiki-wide, enforced consensus/rule. I'm just not sure what we have to gain from consistency for its own sake. Hydrangeans (she/her | talk | edits) 00:41, 2 May 2024 (UTC)
• Alternative 1 does not in fact present in clockwise order on mobile resolutions (which is >60% of our viewership). Perhaps something to consider. :) Izno (talk) 02:48, 2 May 2024 (UTC)