Help talk:Cite errors

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To help centralize discussions and keep related topics together, the talk pages for all help pages, categories, MediaWiki messages and templates related to cite errors redirect here. Centralized discussions Category talk:Pages with broken reference names Category talk:Pages with incorrect ref formatting Category talk:Pages with missing references list Help talk:Cite errors/Cite error empty references define Help talk:Cite errors/Cite error group refs without references Help talk:Cite errors/Cite error included ref Help talk:Cite errors/Cite error no link label group Help talk:Cite errors/Cite error ref no input Help talk:Cite errors/Cite error ref no key Help talk:Cite errors/Cite error ref numeric key Help talk:Cite errors/Cite error ref too many keys Help talk:Cite errors/Cite error references group mismatch Help talk:Cite errors/Cite error references invalid parameters group Help talk:Cite errors/Cite error references invalid parameters Help talk:Cite errors/Cite error references missing group Help talk:Cite errors/Cite error references missing key Help talk:Cite errors/Cite error references no backlink label Help talk:Cite errors/Cite error references no key Help talk:Cite errors/Cite error references no text Help talk:Cite errors/Cite error refs without references Help talk:Cite errors/Cite error MediaWiki talk:Cite error empty references define MediaWiki talk:Cite error group refs without references MediaWiki talk:Cite error included ref MediaWiki talk:Cite error no link label group MediaWiki talk:Cite error ref no input MediaWiki talk:Cite error ref no key MediaWiki talk:Cite error ref numeric key MediaWiki talk:Cite error ref too many keys MediaWiki talk:Cite error references group mismatch MediaWiki talk:Cite error references invalid parameters group MediaWiki talk:Cite error references invalid parameters MediaWiki talk:Cite error references missing group MediaWiki talk:Cite error references missing key MediaWiki talk:Cite error references no backlink label MediaWiki talk:Cite error references no key MediaWiki talk:Cite error references no text MediaWiki talk:Cite error refs without references MediaWiki talk:Cite error refs without references category MediaWiki talk:Cite error MediaWiki talk:Cite link label group-decimal MediaWiki talk:Cite link label group-error-test MediaWiki talk:Cite link label group-lower-alpha MediaWiki talk:Cite link label group-lower-greek MediaWiki talk:Cite link label group-lower-roman MediaWiki talk:Cite references link many format backlink labels Template talk:Broken ref Template talk:Template reference list

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Hi, I was editing Gabrielle Carteris to add birth date and when I did, I got the Cite error: The named reference btva was invoked but never defined error. What's this error? Kartagis (talk) 16:22, 15 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

You broke the page's formatting by removing the code -->, which signals the end of an HTML comment. As a result, most of the page was processed as a comment, including the definition of that reference. See MOS:COMMENT for more information. —Mx. Granger (talk · contribs) 02:14, 16 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I was very careful to remove that part and that part only but it seems I wasn't that careful. Thanks. Kartagis (talk) 06:10, 16 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

This edit request to MediaWiki:Cite error ref too many keys has been answered. Set the |answered= parameter to no to reactivate your request.

Please update the system message so that it resembles the updated default message more by using the new parameters $1 and $2. The new message should be updated to look something like this:

{{broken ref
|msg=Unknown parameter "$1" in <code><ref></code> tag; supported parameters are $2
|lang=en
|help=Cite error ref too many keys
|nocat={{{nocat|}}}
}}

Documentation for the message can be found at translatewiki.net here. Eyesnore ^talk💬 20:39, 30 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I don't know how localization here works exactly, but there are five subpages for different languages: Special:PrefixIndex/MediaWiki:Cite error ref too many keys, including en-ca and en-gb for two varieties of English. —⁠andrybak (talk) 21:18, 30 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

They will have to be updated manually. This is the English-language Wikipedia by the way, so having foreign-language localizations of Cite error messages is pointless. Eyesnore ^talk💬 21:42, 30 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I am just trying to understand how "unknown parameter ?? in ref tag; supported parameters are ??" could be an equivalent to The ref tag has too many names — Martin (MSGJ · talk) 07:11, 2 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The default message has changed since then; it currently appears as:

Invalid parameter "$1" in <code><ref></code> tag. The supported parameters are: $2.

This is because this error is also shown if unknown parameters are passed to the ref tag. Eyesnore ^talk💬 17:54, 2 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

 Done — Martin (MSGJ · talk) 20:58, 2 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

This edit request to MediaWiki:Cite error references no backlink label has been answered. Set the |answered= parameter to no to reactivate your request.

Message was dropped from the Cite extension (gerrit:1088295) and should be deleted; exhausting custom backlink labels will now fall back to the numeric backlink labels instead of showing an error. Also delete all pages in Special:PrefixIndex/MediaWiki:Cite error references no backlink label/. Eyesnore ^talk💬 21:16, 30 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

 Done Sohom (talk) 03:52, 2 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

this edit triggered an error, but i have no idea where. the notes all look okay. — kwami (talk) 04:07, 10 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Did you follow the links in the error message? --Redrose64 🌹 (talk) 21:01, 11 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

i did. it brought me here. — kwami (talk) 22:01, 11 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

They shouldn't have done. THe first link is:

• list-defined reference

and the second is:

• help page

Neither one reaches this page. --Redrose64 🌹 (talk) 16:55, 12 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

the 'help page' link has this page as its talk page. it also instructs me to discuss problems here.

the first link describes how the refs should be used; afaict that's the way we use them.

the error says, 'A list-defined reference has no name,' but i can't find such a ref. they all have names, and they're all used. — kwami (talk) 21:46, 12 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

It's the <ref>...</ref> inside the {{efn-lg|name=lessrounded|These are relative to the cardinal value ...}} --Redrose64 🌹 (talk) 22:43, 12 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

ah, thanks. i thought one of the main points of those templates was that you could embed refs in them. — kwami (talk) 22:56, 12 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

You can, provided that you don't use WP:LDR as well. --Redrose64 🌹 (talk) 07:05, 13 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

okay, thanks — kwami (talk) 08:45, 13 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Location: Kanchanaburi province, Wildlife sanctuaries, Salak Phra wildlife sanctuary.
Even though I've already removed the so-called <ref> with its bad name, the "currently not relevant" message still appears.
Perhaps someone is willing and able to remove this annoying message. SietsL (talk) 12:45, 14 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I have fixed it for you. – Jonesey95 (talk) 14:14, 14 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]