PZwiki:Bots
A bot is a non-human user that performs automated tasks that are repetitive and mundane, to help maintain the 18,667 pages on the PZwiki. Bots are able to make edits very rapidly, in which can disrupt the PZwiki if incorrectly designed/operated. For these reasons, a list of guidelines has been put in place.
Tools
While not required to be used, the two most popular bots used on PZwiki are AWB and Pywikibot.
AWB is an easy to set up, and user-friendly wiki editing bot, designed for semi-automatic editing. It has a GUI for editing, and just requires the user to log in with their bot's credentials. AWB can be a powerful tool for editing, with a strong search function and rules creation. Currently, AWB does not work, due to the protection the site has.
Alternatively, Pywikibot is much less user-friendly, and requires knowledge of python to run. Users make their own python scripts, which interact directly with the API to make changes. Due to the modularity of python, Pywikibot is extremely powerful, with almost any alteration possible.
Currently, Pywikibot does not natively work on the wiki due to recent security changes. It is, however, possible by agreement to allow a Pywikibot bot to access the wiki.
Guidelines
These guidelines cover the operation of all bots and automated scripts used to provide automation on the PZwiki.
Community members that are interested in creating a wiki bot should read creating a bot on Wikipedia, as it provides useful information that applies here.
- A bot must be run using a separate account from the operator, as it is important to distinguish between automatic and manual edits.
- Although not required, the bot name should clearly contain the word "bot" in its user name in order to easily distinguish it from human editors. The most common forms are derived from the operator's username, such as VaileasysBot.
- Upon creating a bot account, the
{{User bot}}user box must be added to the user page of the bot, and the account details added to the bots list. - In most cases, the bot account will have a bot flag, so that its edits are hidden from recent changes. Additionally, the bot flag shows that the bot has been approved by members of the bureaucrat user group.
- Prior to using a bot, administrators must be notified via their talk page, or on the official Discord server (#pzwiki_editing). An administrator will need to acknowledge your notification prior to running your bot.
- Whilst running a bot, the operator must remain available, checking for messages regularly, and be ready to shut down the bot if it does not perform as desired or if complaints are received. If the operator is not available, the bot will be blocked until any issues are resolved.
- It is requested, but not required, that bot creators publicly release, or provide a copy of the bot source code. The code should be released under an open license, such as GPL.
Edit throttle and peak hours
Bots should avoid running during peak periods, as they rapidly use server resources that should be reserved for human readers and editors.
Bots running without a bot flag should be limited to edit intervals of:
- 1 minute between edits (1 edit per minute) for peak periods.
- 30 seconds between edits (2 edits per minute) for non-peak periods.
Bots running with a bot flag should be limited to edit intervals of:
- 2 seconds between edits (30 edits per minute) for non-peak periods.
- 10 seconds between edits (6 edits per minute) for peak periods.
Unacceptable usage
- Wiki rules: Bots must not be used to break any of the wiki rules. If any of the rules are found to be broken intentionally, any punishments will be applied to both the bot and the operator.
- Spellchecking: No bot may automatically correct spelling mistakes without explicit approval, particularly in the main content namespace. It is not technically possible in most languages to automatically correct spelling mistakes without a significant margin of error.
Bot approvals
The PZwiki isn't overly strict with the usage of bots, so long as the guidelines are adhered to. However, prior to using any bot, you are required to register your bot by adding it to the list of bots with the "unapproved" status. The "unapproved" status will notify the community that your bot has not been extensively discussed with an administrator.
Bot statuses:
- Unapproved: Bot has not been extensively discussed with or approved by an administrator. No restrictions outside the standard guidelines are currently in place.
- Approved: Bot has been approved by an administrator (based on the discussed intentions).
- Retired: Bot has previously been approved by an administrator, but is no longer editing.
The "retired" status will be added to a bot if the most recent user contribution is over 6 months. If your bot has been given this status by an administrator, prior to using it, you must notify an administrator, of whom will adjust the status accordingly.
List of bots
To register a new bot, please add it to the below table with the "Unapproved" status, along with adding the {{User bot}} userbox to the user page of your bot. Once an adminstrator has reviewed and approved your bot, they will change the status to "Approved".
To discuss the status of your approval, please ask one of the administrators on the official Discord server or via their talk page.
| Name | Operator | Status |
|---|---|---|
| FaalagornBot (contribs) | Faalagorn (talk) | Approved |
| VaileasysBot (contribs) | Vaileasys (talk) | Approved |
| Cobot (contribs) | Co (talk) | Approved |
| JabBot (contribs) | Jab (talk) | Approved |
| VibranceBot (contribs) | Vibrance (talk) | Approved |
| CalvyBot (contribs) | Calvy (talk) | Approved |
| TestBot (contribs) | Connall (talk) | Retired |
| ConnallTheCoble (contribs) | Connall (talk) | Retired |