PESWiki:Redirect

From PESWiki

A redirect is a page with no other content than something of the form

#REDIRECT link in internal link style

If the link is to an existing page in the same project, going to the redirect (by means of a link, the URL, or the Go button) results in the new page, just like following the link, except that the browser shows the original URL, and the new page shows a redirection message below the title. (To get the canonical URL in your browser's address bar, click the article tab.)

For example, if somebody goes to: Help:Redirection, then they will end up at this page instead.

If the link is to a non-existing page in the same project, or to a page in another project, one simply arrives at the redirect page. As a simple way to avoid problems with infinite recursion, if the redirect target is another redirect page, the second redirect is not applied. When a page called for inclusion is a redirect page, the redirect target is included instead, with the same parameters, without any redirect message. Again, a double redirect does not work.

How to make a redirect

To redirect a page (1) to a different page (2), enter the following on the top of page 1.

#REDIRECT [[NAME OF PAGE 2]]

For example, to redirect the Testatika page to the Testatika machine page, edit the Testatika machine page and enter:

#REDIRECT [[Testatika]]

Purposes of a redirect

The purposes of a redirect include:

1. Finding a page
2. Conveniently going to a page
3. Conveniently linking indirectly to a page, without the need for a Piped link. For this purpose, making the stem (the common first part) of a collection of strongly related terms a redirect reduces the need for having many redirects. E.g. categor can be used for category, categories, categorical. Note that having the other redirects anyway is even better; also a piped link is in some respects even better than relying on a redirect, see Comparison with piped link.
4. Allowing a link title independent of the final link target; one creates a page whose name is the desired link title, and which redirects to the desired target page.

Due to redirects, after renamings and merges, old URLs in links, bookmarks, search engines, etc., still lead to the appropriate page.

Other notes

Don't make double redirects (a redirect that points to another redirect); they don't work, create slow, unpleasant experiences for the reader, waste server resources, and make the navigational structure of the site confusing. Double redirects are usually created after a move when old redirects are left unchanged and pointing towards an old name.

Editors upon finding links using a legitimate redirect target, somtimer feel the need to edit the page to "fix" the link so that it points "straight" at the "correct" page. Unless the link displays incorrectly — for instance, if the link is to a misspelling, or other unprintworthy redirects, or if the hint that appears when you hover over the link is misleading — there is no real need to edit the link. The link may be deliberate, consolidate related information in one place, or indicate possible future articles. You don't have to replace [[redirect]] with [[direct|redirect]].