Template talk:Annotated biography link

Shouldn't this template be substituted instead of directly used? I've started to notice some short surname indexes (under 256 bytes) showing up in ShortPages that directly use this template, and would otherwise not appear in the first 50 of the Special page if this template were substituted instead. Jalen Folf (Bark[s]) 21:41, 5 April 2024 (UTC)Reply

@JalenFolf, thank you for bringing this up. I wonder, is it really a problem if pages show up in Special:ShortPages? Sometimes, such as for some set list index articles, the proper length of the article is just short.

As for the benefits of not substing, I think it is helpful because usually a person is listed on at least two set index articles, one for their given name and one for their surname. If their short description ever changes (i.e. if they die or become notable for something else), then that means we would only have to update it in one place rather than three places. --Habst (talk) 23:49, 5 April 2024 (UTC)Reply

Please also see the purpose of {{Long comment}}. The problem here is that directly using the template significantly reduces the size of the set index in bytes, therefore, the set index appears within the first 50 articles of ShortPages. In short, the purpose if the Long comment is to remove legitimate articles, including surname and given name set indexes, from appearing first on the Special page. Substituting the template will remove this problem for those that monitor the Special page. Jalen Folf (Bark[s]) 06:02, 6 April 2024 (UTC)Reply

@JalenFolf, OK, thanks for that template link. Why not add {{Long comment}} to these short articles then, so we have the best of both worlds (only one place to edit the short descriptions, and the articles won't show up on Special:ShortPages)? --Habst (talk) 12:47, 6 April 2024 (UTC)Reply