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If you want to take default options and just get archives up and running on your page, just place this at the top of the talk page you want archived:{{subst:User:ClueBot III/JustArchiveThis}}.
If you want to configure it more, read on for how to use the full ArchiveThis template.You can use {{subst:Setup cluebot archiving}} to automatically add a talk header, an archiving notice, and/or a list of archives.
ClueBot III can be used to automatically archive sections/threads from a given page. Usually the page you are archiving from will be a talk page. Your archive pages can be organized by date, or numbered. Combinations of dates and numbering are also possible. This is configured by the arguments used for theformat andarchiveprefix parameters. Please see theparameter descriptions andexamples for a few of the many ways to do this.
ClueBot III works based on therevision history of the page in question, andnot on the timestamps associated with signatures. This means that the practice of manually adding a timestamp way in the future will not work to prevent ClueBot III from archiving a thread. Furthermore, on one archival sweep, ClueBot III will select an archive target and will archive all eligible threads to that archive. This means that when you initially set up a page to invoke ClueBot III, if you have untidy archives at that time, Cluebot III will sweep all of the old conversations into whatever archive it deems to be the current one. It also means that pages with massively long discussion threads will have the entire thread archived into the current archive, which can cause slight overstuffing of size-based archives.
Cluebot III runs every 6 hours, on theWikimedia Toolforge infrastructure. After you initially set up a page with the appropriate templates to invoke Cluebot III, it may take 24 or 48 hours for Cluebot III to execute archiving on that page for the first time.
Once a series of threads is archived, ClueBot III looks for all pages that linked to the moved parts, and updates the links to point to the archives, ensuring that no links are broken.
ClueBot III can correctly handle most talk pages, but may not be able to handle pages with a largewhat links here list, as the link updating process will take a lot of time and may prevent other pages from being archived (seeUser talk:Jimbo Wales/Archive_202#Conspiracy Unveiled). Consider usinglowercase sigmabot III to archive pages that are linked to from many places (seea comparison of the two bots).
In addition to archiving your page, ClueBot III can also generate an index (example) of all your archive pages. Assuming that you are archiving the pageTalk:YourPage, the archive index generated by ClueBot III is located at:
User:ClueBot III/Master Detailed Indices/Talk:YourPage
You can make use of this either directly or by transcluding it onto yourTalk:YourPage/Archive index page. One way to use this directly would be to include it as the archive index page in your archive box. For example:{{Archives |auto= short |index= User:ClueBot III/Master Detailed Indices/{{FULLPAGENAME}} |search= yes |bot= ClueBot III |age= 90}}
will produce an archive box with an appropriate link to your index.
The{{talk header}} template automatically detects the existence of this index and will link it accordingly.
The general format for the archive template:
{{User:ClueBot III/ArchiveThis|archiveprefix=|format=|age=}}age
Type: unsigned integer
Default: 0
Description: This parameter must be set to the number ofhours a thread can go without a reply before it should be archived. If you do not set it,all threads will qualify to be archived. For 30 days, enter 720, and for one year, enter 8760.
archiveprefix
Type: string
Description: This parameter must be set to a fully qualified page name under the page you wish to archive. For example, ifUser talk:NaomiAmethyst was being archived using dated archives, thenarchiveprefix=User talk:NaomiAmethyst/Archives/ would be appropriate. For the same page being archived with numbered archives,archiveprefix=User talk:NaomiAmethyst/Archive would be appropriate. Not setting this parameter correctly can have some strange results. The{{FULLPAGENAME}} variable can not actually be passed to ClueBot III. The fully qualified page name must be hard coded. The easiest way to do this is to use immediatesubstitution as follows:
For archives organized by date enter:|archiveprefix={{subst:#titleparts:{{subst:FULLPAGENAME}}}}/Archives/
For numbered archives enter (note/Archive instead of/Archives/):|archiveprefix={{subst:#titleparts:{{subst:FULLPAGENAME}}}}/Archive
Warning: system variables such as {{SUBST:FULLPAGENAME}} are replaced by the page name to be archived when the system variable is saved to the page to be archived. However some punctuation characters that can appear in a page name ("&') are replaced by HTML character codes that are not recognised by the bot (seePAGENAMEE encoding for details about these and other characters). For example' is replaced with' (so if the bot is to work then' must be replaced with'. This can be circumvented by using{{SUBST:#titleparts:{{SUBST:FULLPAGENAME}}}} to automatically sort the encoding.
format
Type: string
Default: ""
Description: This parameter must be set to a valid argument toPHP'sdate() function. You may also include an%%i value.%%i is for numbered archives instead of dated archives, and is replaced with the archive number. Once variable substitution has occurred it will be concatenated onto the end of the value ofarchiveprefix. The result of the concatenation will be the name of the archive page(s). See examples. Most commonly, for archives organized by date use:|format=Y/F. This gives "Archives/2016/January". In order to obtain "Archives/2016/01 (January)", use|format=Y/m (F).
For numbered archives use (note the single space after the equals sign):|format= %%i
Note for date-based archives: Cluebot III stores files into asingle archive page each time it runs. With date-based archives, the page name is whateverarchiveprefix concatenated withformat is for the date that is NOW-age (where age is in hours). For example, if you are starting up YYYY/Month archiving from scratch with many old threads in the page being archived, ClueBot III will putall of the threads into a single file, not multiple files. If you want a single archiving run to be split into multiple files based on the last date in each thread you will need to uselowercase sigmabot III.
Note:format= %%i is better in most cases.format=Y/F can end up as many tiny archives that can take forever to look through manually when a user is not sure what search term to look for with the archive search tool.
These parameters control the behavior of the archiver.
archivenow
Type: comma delimited array of strings
Default: ""
Description: This optional parameter should contain a comma separated list of strings for which ClueBot III will search within the threads on the page. If any of these strings are found in a thread, the bot will archive the thread immediately. The bot will also convert{{templates}} in this list to{{tl|escaped templates}} upon archival. This could be useful for pages where{{resolved}} or such is used. The {{User:ClueBot III/ArchiveNow}} blank template is available for this use. However, it has no special properties. It is only just another string that happens to be a template for which ClueBot III can be told to search. In addition to the following typical usage, an example of its use isshown below.
Typical usage:|archivenow=<nowiki>{{User:ClueBot III/ArchiveNow}}</nowiki>
header
Type: string
Default: "{{Archive}}"
Description: When creating a new archive page, the bot will put this at the top of the new page.
headerlevel
Type: unsigned integer, between 1 and 7 inclusive
Default: 2
Description: This is the header level for the threads the bot will archive. Anything on the page before the first header of this level will not be archived. A level 1 header is= Header =, a default thread (level 2) header is== Header ==, and the highest level header is a level 7:======= Header =======.
key
Type: string
Default: ""
Description: The value of this parameter must match an internally generated key in order for the archives to be stored anywhere other than as subpages of the page being archived.
maxarchsize
Type: unsigned integer, greater than 10000
Default: 0
Description: The target maximum size of the archive in bytes before%%i (seeformat) is incremented. If 0, this is disabled. In general, this parameter is used for numbered archives, but not for archives organized by date. This is not a hard limit. Resulting archive page sizes will almost always exceed this number, perhaps by a great amount. Each time ClueBot III runs on a page it archives all threads that are old enough to qualify for archiving into asingle file. If you havemaxarchsize=100000 with a current archive file size of 90k and it ends up that there are 60 threads to archive with a total size of 250k, then the current archive will be extended to 340k despite the 100k limit.
maxkeepbytes
Type: unsigned integer
Default: 0
Description: If greater than 0, this is the maximum number of thread content bytes to keep on the talk page. Older threads are forcibly archived if there are more than this number of thread content bytes on the page. If 0, this option is disabled.
maxkeepthreads
Type: unsigned integer
Default: 0
Description: If greater than 0, this is the maximum number of threads to keep on the talk page. Older threads are forcibly archived if there are more than this number of threads on the page. If 0, this option is disabled.
minarchthreads
Type: unsigned integer
Default: 0
Description: The bot will not archive unless this many or more sections need archival.
minkeepthreads
Type: unsigned integer
Default: 0
Description: The bot will not archive if there will be this many or less sections left on the page. 4 is a good choice becauseVector 2010 will not show a table of contents with less than 4 sections.
nogenerateindex
Type: unsigned integer (boolean)
Default: 0
Description: If this is set to 1, the bot will not generate an index underUser:ClueBot III/Indices/. There arevery few times this option should be used. If this option is used, theindex option will no longer work right.
numberstart
Type: unsigned integer
Default: 1
Description: Default value for%%i informat.
transformheaderWarning! An invalid option here can screw up your archives!
Type: string,search===replace pairs delimited by&&&
Default: ""
Description: Convert archived thread headers. For each pair,search must be a valid regular expression andreplace is a replacement string. Seethis for more information,search corresponds to$pattern,replace corresponds to$replacement, and the thread header corresponds to$subject. If you do not understand what this does, don't try to use it. Instead, ask for help fromNaomiAmethyst.
These parameters are shaping the archive box displayed on the page where archiving is active.
 Archives |
No archives yet. |
This page is archived byClueBot III. |
archivebox
Type: string ("yes" or "no")
Default: "no"
Description: Causes an archive box to be displayed similar to{{archives}}
The example archive box is with non-default value ofarchivebox=yes.
box-widthType: string
Default: "238px"
Description: The width of the archive box. This parameter is only valid ifarchivebox=yes.
Archives |
No archives yet. |
This page is archived byClueBot III. |
box-advert
Type: string ("yes" or "no")
Default: "no"
Description: Displays the string "This page is archived byClueBot III." at the bottom of the archive box. This parameter is only valid ifarchivebox=yes.
The example archive box is with non-default value ofbox-advert=yes. Compare this example to the example next to thearchivebox parameter.
Archives |
No archives yet. |
This page is archived byClueBot III. |
box-separatorType: string ("yes" or "no")
Default: "yes"
Description: Display separator lines in the archive box. This parameter is only valid ifarchivebox=yes.
The example archive box is with non-default value ofbox-separator=no. Compare this example to the example next to thearchivebox parameter.
 Archives |
No archives yet. |
This page is archived byClueBot III. |
image
Type: string
Default: "[[File:Crystal Clear app file-manager.png]]"
Description: If set this is an alternate image file to use as the archive icon in the archive box. This parameter is only valid ifarchivebox=yes.
The example archive box is with non-default value ofimage=[[File:Exquisite-folder font.png|40px]]. Note that the image size must be specified as part of the argument to this parameter, not with theimage-width parameter. Compare this example to the example next to thearchivebox parameter.
image-widthType: string
Default: "40px"
Description: The width of the image in the archive box. This parameter is only valid ifarchivebox=yesand you are using the default image.
Archives |
No archives yet. |
This page is archived byClueBot III. |
searchType: string ("yes" or "no")
Default: "yes"
Description: Display a search field in the archive box. This parameter is only valid ifarchivebox=yes.The example archive box is with non-default value ofsearch=no. Compare this example to the example next to thearchivebox parameter.
talkcolor /talkcolourType: string
Default: ""
Description: This parameter is only valid ifarchivebox=yes and the page on which the archive box is displayed is in theUser talk namespace. If not set, or set to anything other thanyes, the color scheme of the archive box on aUser talk page will not be the standard talk page color scheme. In such a case, the archive box will use the same color scheme as is used for archive boxes on non-talk pages. If this parameter is set toyes and the page on which the archive box is displayed is in theUser talk namespace, the archive box will use the standard talk page color scheme.
The two parameters are equivalent, and are only provided to avoid an attrition war in the MOS-style.
index
Type: string
Default: ""
Description: All values of this parameter are equivalent exceptyes. This parameter should not be set toyes unless you have wrapped the ClueBot III template with{{archives}}.Usingindex=yes results in the ClueBot III automatically generated index contained on the pageUser:ClueBot III/Indices/Talk:YourPage beingtranscluded ontoTalk:YourPage in place of the {{User:ClueBot III/ArchiveThis}} template onTalk:YourPage.
This parameter is only valid ifarchivebox=no. Ifarchivebox=yes this parameter has no effect on the index being included in the archive box and does not cause a copy ofUser:ClueBot III/Indices/Talk:YourPage to betranscluded ontoTalk:YourPage.
like in{{archives|{{User:ClueBot III/ArchiveThis}}}}
Archives |
The following examples can be cut and pasted into the top portion of the page you desire to archive. {{subst:FULLPAGENAME}} will be substituted by the name of the page you are editing when you save the page.
The text explaining the following examples assumes that {{subst:FULLPAGENAME}} evaluates toTalk:YourPage. In other words, thatTalk:YourPage is the page you are archiving.
The age in all of these examples is set to 2160 hours, which is 90 days. If you want a different amount of time, then change the age argument.
{{User:ClueBot III/ArchiveThis|archiveprefix={{subst:#titleparts:{{subst:FULLPAGENAME}}}}/Archives/|format=Y/F|age=2160}}The archive subpages produced by this example will be in the format of:
Talk:YourPage/Archives/2013/June
Talk:YourPage/Archives/2013/July
...
{{User:ClueBot III/ArchiveThis|archiveprefix={{subst:#titleparts:{{subst:FULLPAGENAME}}}}/Archives/|format=Y/F|age=2160|archivebox=yes|box-advert=yes}}The subpages created, as needed, for your archives by this example will be named similar to:
Talk:YourPage/Archives/2013/June
Talk:YourPage/Archives/2013/July
...
{{User:ClueBot III/ArchiveThis|archiveprefix={{subst:#titleparts:{{subst:FULLPAGENAME}}}}/Archive|format= %%i|age=2160|maxarchsize=150000|numberstart=1}}The subpages created, as needed, for your archives by this example will be named similar to:
Talk:YourPage/Archive 1
Talk:YourPage/Archive 2
...
{{User:ClueBot III/ArchiveThis|archiveprefix={{subst:#titleparts:{{subst:FULLPAGENAME}}}}/Archive|format= %%i|age=2160|maxarchsize=150000|numberstart=1|archivebox=yes|box-advert=yes}}The subpages created, as needed, for your archives by this example will be named similar to:
Talk:YourPage/Archive 1
Talk:YourPage/Archive 2
...
{{User:ClueBot III/ArchiveThis|archiveprefix={{subst:#titleparts:{{subst:FULLPAGENAME}}}}/Archives/|format=Y %%i|age=2160|minarchthreads=0|minkeepthreads=0|archivenow=<nowiki>{{User:ClueBot III/ArchiveNow}},{{resolved|,{{Resolved|,{{done}},{{Done}}</nowiki>|header=<nowiki>{{Automatic archive navigator}}</nowiki>|headerlevel=2|nogenerateindex=0|maxkeepthreads=0|maxkeepbytes=0|maxarchsize=150000|numberstart=1|archivebox=yes|box-advert=yes}}The subpages created, as needed, for your archives by this example will be named similar to:
Talk:YourPage/Archives/2012 1
Talk:YourPage/Archives/2012 2
...
Talk:YourPage/Archives/2013 1
Talk:YourPage/Archives/2013 2
...
| MiszaBot | ClueBot III |
|---|---|
{{User:MiszaBot/config |archive = {{subst:#titleparts:{{subst:FULLPAGENAME}}}}/Archive %(counter)d|algo = old(90d)|archiveheader = {{aan}}|maxarchivesize = 100K|minthreadsleft = 4|counter = 20}} | {{User:ClueBot III/ArchiveThis|archiveprefix={{subst:#titleparts:{{subst:FULLPAGENAME}}}}/Archive|age=2160 |header={{aan}}|maxarchsize=100000 |minkeepthreads=4|numberstart=21|format= %%i }} |
After pasting the above ClueBot wikitext (as is) on a talk page you will not see anything unless there is an archive template.{{Talk header}} has one built in. If you are using the{{Archives}} template, or other template that shows which archiving bot you are using, don't forget to change:{{Archives |auto= short |index= /Archive index |search= yes |bot=MiszaBot I |age= 90}}
to:{{Archives |auto= short |index= /Archive index |search= yes |bot=ClueBot III |age= 90}}
The subpages created, as needed, for your archives by this example will be named similar to:
Talk:YourPage/Archive 21
Talk:YourPage/Archive 22
...
The numberstart is one more than the last used by MiszaBot because the first time ClueBot III is run it may be archiving a large number of sections. Increasing this by one will prevent the current archive from being appended. In the case from which this example is taken a 90k archive page was appended by an additional 100k leaving a 190k page for which the max was supposed to be 100k. This has been reported as a bug.
Age is in hours, not days. 90 days is 2,160 hours.