Template:The Great War categorization conflict [closed]

Question

Looking at the category Germany, World War I, I noticed that despite the instruction "This is a roll up level category and should not have individual profiles", it contains several individual profiles, e.g. Wilhelm Wosikowski. However, the category isn't manually tagged to his profile but results from the template The Great War. Should this conflict be resolved by changing the category instructions or by changing the template coding?

Comments

It should be resolved by changing the template coding so that it does not put the profile in a category.  A sticker is used instead of a category. In this case there is no genealogical benefit in adding the profile to an enormous category, and WikiTree instructions state:

"Categories should not be used primarily as a recognition tool when there is little other genealogical benefit to placing the profile in a group. For this purpose, see Profile Stickers."

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Thanks Joe for this comment.

You have clarified to me the difference between 'Profile Stickers' and 'Categories'.

* for recognition use 'Sticker'
* for genealogy use 'Category'

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If that is so, don't stickers that automatically assign categories then mess up this nice distinction? Does that then mean that Joe proposes the removal of any category assignment from sticker coding?

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The problem first arose on this profile because the person who originally put the great war sticker template on the profile did not use the parameters properly. This sticker template as well as many others if they do not have the correct parameters entered often default to a broader category that fits anything entered in the parameters.

I would love for Stickers and Templates to give a warning if it is generating a uncreated category or adding a profile to a mid or high level category. As it is there is no warnings whatsoever and thus people do not realize there may be a problem.

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Darren: What would have to happen for your proposed warning to become a reality? A policy change proposal? Or is a tech wiz programming the warning into the stickers‘ and templates‘ coding sufficient?

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It would be a technical issue as it already shows a warning message (that can be clicked save anyway already) when people manually add a category that is not already created. 

Answer 1

Mid level category means that individuals may be tagged with the category if their unit isn't known or specified in records attached to the profile. I read his wife's wikipedia entry and his unit isn't given. It's fine to have him tagged in [[Category:Germany, World War I]]

Comments

Thanks, Natalie, for your perspective. As Wilhelm was killed in action, he is actually listed in the German "Verlustlisten" (see the other source apart from his wife's Wikipedia article), and his unit is given there as "Landwehr-Infanterie-Regiment 76". But apart from the unit, he should be placed in the category Killed in Action, and that category isn't coded within the Great War template (unless I overlooked that parameter). Now, if I tag it manually, then both the general category (from the template) and the more specific category would show, which afaik is to be avoided. Any solution for that conundrum?

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The Killed in Action categories are usually associated with the Roll of Honor sticker. I have updated the parameters for the Great war Sticker and added the Roll of Honor Sticker.

Please have a look at the profile and see if my changes meet what you wanted.

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Thanks, Darren, for clarifying the category assignment differences between the two templates. The corresponding changes which you made to Wilhelm's profile are exactly what I was looking for.

Answer 2

The category Germany, World War I is not explicitely declared as a category of military servants. And it is not forbidden to add profiles directly, if it is the narrowest applicable category.

Comments

Mir ging es auch nicht darum, dass die Kategorisierung verboten wäre, sondern um die zu vermeidende doppelte Kategorisierung mit einer allgemeinen und einer spezifischeren Kategorie. Joe Farler (erster direkter Kommentar) hat auf den Unterschied Kategorie/Sticker hingewiesen. Darren Kellett (zweiter Kommentar auf Natalies Antwort) hat das Problem gelöst.