Template:Dead link

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Note to editors: Please don't categorize this template by editing it directly. Instead, place the category in its documentation page, in its "includeonly" section.

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Usage

This template is used to mark dead links, either within a paragraph or within a reference citation. Marking dead links signals to editors and to WP:Link rot bots that this link needs to be replaced with an archive link.

Before considering whether to use the {{dead link}} template it is often useful to make a search for an archive copy of the dead link and thereby avoid using the tag altogether. All {{ cite xxx}} templates have the facility for adding |archive-date = and |archive-url = parameters for linking to an archive copy. Non- {{ cite xxx}} citations can use {{webarchive}}.

Using {{Dead link}} will place a note by the URL and add the article to one of the Category:Articles with dead external links categories.

Append this template directly after the link (after the link code's terminating ] if you are using wikitext), or, if you are using a {{ cite xxx}} template, directly after the {{ cite xxx}} transclusion (not inside it), but inside the reference, if any, i.e. before the </ref>, in all cases leaving the original link intact:

<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.example.org|title=The Example Website|access-date=22 September 2012}}{{Dead link|date=April 2024}}</ref>

Not doing so might hinder detection by automated tools. If the citation contains multiple URLs (e.g. chapterurl and url) in a template, and only one is broken, you can use  to explain which one is broken.

If the article uses clickable footnotes, then this template should be placed just before the </ref> that contains the dead link. The notice will then correctly appear in the reference section instead of in the body of the text, and so WP:Link rot bots can properly find and fix the link.

If you are placing this template inside a <ref> </ref> reference, do not leave any substitution template such as {{subst:CURRENTMONTHNAME}} or {{subst:CURRENTYEAR}}, because substitutions fail inside ref tags.

Avoid using this template when the reference is fully adequate without the link. In this case, simply remove the link. For example, if a {{cite journal}} template is used with a DOI, remove the |url = parameter.

Common form (with current date)

{{Dead link|date=April 2024}}

Optional parameters

url: Provides a history of the linked page via the Wayback Machine. Set only if history actually exists, as otherwise it is misleading to users and editors.
date: The date parameter consists of the full English name of the current month with initial capital, a space, and the year, not full dates; e.g., "January 2013", but not "jan13". Any deviation from these two rules will result in an "invalid date parameter" error.
bot: Bot accounts specify the |bot= parameter as a sign that the tag was added by an automated process. Set as bot=<bot name>.
fix-attempted: Set this to "yes" if you have tried unsuccessfully to find an archived copy, or a copy with a different URL. This will put the page in Category:Articles with permanently dead external links, and the annotation will be rendered as "^{[dead link]}" instead of just "^{[dead link]}". Note that this currently will occur for any value supplied, including "no", so if a fix was not attempted, simply leave this parameter off, or set it to be blank. Also note that if a page cannot be found in the Internet Archive (Wayback Machine), often a live copy can be found via a web search for the full title, in quotes, on the original website, or on the Internet at large.

Notes:

The date-substitution template may be used to automatically generate the date, e.g., {{Dead link|{{subst:DATE}}}}. See Help:Substitution for more information.
The date= parameter need not be added by the editor: if not entered, a bot will soon add it.

Examples

<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.example.org |title=Web page title |website=Example.com |access-date=22 September 2012}} {{Dead link |date=September 2012}}</ref>
→ ^[1]
<ref>{{cite news |title=Sorrell accuses Murdoch of panic buying |author=Plunkett, John |url=http://media.guardian.co.uk/site/story/0,14173,1601858,00.html |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=27 October 2005 |access-date=22 September 2012}} {{Dead link}}</ref>
→ ^[2]

↑ Web page title. ^{[dead link]}
↑ Plunkett, John (27 October 2005). "Sorrell accuses Murdoch of panic buying". The Guardian. http://media.guardian.co.uk/site/story/0,14173,1601858,00.html. ^{[dead link]}

Caveats

Avoid using free links (e.g. http://www.example.org/{{Dead link}}), as software that is unable to handle templates may read an incorrect link. Add brackets if necessary.
Avoid complicated formatting. Nesting inside a template is generally not supported well.
Avoid using [ ] { | } < > characters between the end of the external link and {{Dead link}}, as they are often used to format text.

TemplateData

This is the

TemplateData for this template used by TemplateWizard,

VisualEditor and other tools. Click here to see a monthly parameter usage report for this template based on this TemplateData.

TemplateData for Dead link

{
	"description": "A template to indicate that the preceding URL is dead",
	"params": {
		"date": {
			"label": "Month and year",
			"description": "The month and year the URL was found to be dead, like \"June 2013\"",
			"type": "string",
			"autovalue": "{{subst:CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{subst:CURRENTYEAR}}",
			"suggested": true
		},
		"bot": {
			"label": "Bot name",
			"description": "The name of the bot used to identify the dead link (not used by regular editors)",
			"type": "wiki-user-name"
		},
		"url": {
			"label": "Wayback URL",
			"description": "The dead URL, used only if there is a Wayback Machine archive",
			"type": "url"
		},
		"fix-attempted": {
			"label": "Fix attempted",
			"description": "Setting to 'yes' (or any non-blank value) indicates that no archive copy is available",
			"type": "boolean",
			"example": "yes"
		}
	},
	"format": "inline"
}

Template:Dead link

Contents

Usage

Optional parameters

Examples

Caveats

TemplateData

See also

Dead link tools

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