Template:Dead link/doc

Usage
Editors occasionally encounter dead links either within a paragraph or a reference citation.

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 templates have the facility for adding archivedate and archiveurl parameters for linking to an archive copy. Non-cite 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's ], or after the cite template (but not inside a cite template), leaving the original link intact. 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 tag should be placed just before the  that contains the dead link. The notice will then correctly appear in the reference section (instead of in the body of the text, which is not recommended).

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


 * Common form (with current date)

Optional parameters

 * : 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.
 * : 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. For the current date use.
 * : Bot accounts specify the  parameter as a sign that the tag was added by an automated process. Set as.
 * : 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. Note that a link that is not in the Internet Archive (Wayback machine) can very often be found, e.g. by a search for the full title, in quotes, if the Wayback machine fails.

Notes:
 * The date-substitution template may be used to automatically generate the date, e.g., . See Help:Substitution for more information.
 * The  parameter need not be added by the editor: if not entered, a bot will soon add it.

Examples
→ →

) as software 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, as they are often used to format text.

TemplateData
{       "description": "A template to indicate that the preceding URL is dead", "params": { "date": { "label": "Date", "description": "The month and year the URL was found to be dead, like \"June 2013\"", "type": "string", "required": false },               "bot": { "label": "Bot name", "description": "The name of the bot used to identify the dead link (not used by regular editors)", "type": "string/wiki-user-name", "required": false },               "url": { "label": "Wayback URL", "description": "The dead URL, used only if there is a Wayback Machine archive", "type": "string", "required": false },               "fix-attempted": { "label": "Fix attempted", "description": "Used to indicate that no archive copy is available", "type": "string", "example": "yes", "required": false },       } }

Dead link tools

 * Checklinks
 * DeadLinkBOT
 * WebCiteBOT