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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=August 2024}}</ref>
For bare links, leave a space after the end of the URL and the template:
* http://www.example.org {{Dead link|date=August 2024}}
Otherwise automated tools can have trouble determining where the URL ends, because it will ambiguously contain url-encoding and wiki-encoding mixed together.
Not following these syntax rules might hinder detection by automated tools. If the citation contains multiple URLs (e.g. chapter-url and url) in a template, and only one is broken, you can use wiki comments like <!-- <your hidden explanation here> -->
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.
{{Dead link|date=August 2024}}
url
date
bot
|bot=
parameter as a sign that the tag was added by an automated process. Set as bot=<bot name>
.fix-attempted
Notes:
{{Dead link|{{subst:DATE}}}}
. See Help:Substitution for more information.date=
parameter need not be added by the editor: if not entered, a bot will soon add it.<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>
<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>
http://www.example.org/{{Dead link}}
), as software that is unable to handle templates may read an incorrect link. Add brackets if necessary.TemplateData for Dead link
A template to indicate that the preceding URL is dead
Parameter | Description | Type | Status | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Month and year | date | The month and year the URL was found to be dead, like "June 2013"
| String | suggested |
Bot name | bot | The name of the bot used to identify the dead link (not used by regular editors) | User | optional |
Wayback URL | url | The dead URL, used only if there is a Wayback Machine archive | URL | optional |
Fix attempted | fix-attempted | Setting to 'yes' (or any non-blank value) indicates that no archive copy is available
| Boolean | optional |
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