Fanverse:Length
This is a Fanverse Wiki policy. It is a widely accepted standard that all editors should normally follow. Significant changes to this page should reflect community consensus.
Notice: This page outlines general guidance on managing content length and structure across Fanverse Wiki articles.
There are three primary ways to measure article size on the Fanverse Wiki:
- Readable prose: The visible, narrative-driven text in the main body—excluding infoboxes, tables, navboxes, or reference sections.
- Wiki markup size: The full code of the page when in edit mode, including all wikitext and templates.
- Browser page size: The total size of a page when loaded in a browser, including images and scripts.
Overly long articles can harm readability and editor usability. Short or fragmented pages can dilute essential context. This page offers best practices for trimming, merging, and splitting content appropriately.
Readability[edit | edit source]
While there are no hard size limits on Fanverse Wiki, articles that become excessively long are harder to read, edit, and maintain. Articles longer than 2–3 printed pages (about 10,000 words) should be split or summarized, with main details moved into subarticles. Sections should be clearly divided, especially for mobile users.
Readability should always come before exhaustiveness. An article should:
- Stick to a clearly defined scope.
- Be logically organized with consistent formatting.
- Flow well without redundancy.
Readable prose[edit | edit source]
Readable prose excludes navboxes, infoboxes, references, and list-heavy material. Articles that rely heavily on tables or stats may show less prose but still carry significant data weight.
Use tools like XTools Article Info or the {{Prosesize}} gadget to check readable word count.
Lists, tables, and summary content[edit | edit source]
Standalone lists, episode tables, cast breakdowns, or production timelines can become unwieldy. If a list grows beyond its scope, consider splitting it into a dedicated subpage, provided it still serves in-universe or encyclopedic purpose.
Avoid stuffing articles with raw statistics. Excessive data violates {{FV:NOTSTATS}} and reduces the cinematic or fictional focus of this wiki.
Maintenance concerns[edit | edit source]
Massive articles become a burden to update. As projects evolve, production timelines, cast confirmations, or canon events may require regular adjustments. Keeping articles concise helps avoid errors, duplicate references, and inconsistent tone across pages.
Technical limits[edit | edit source]
While MediaWiki allows up to 2 MiB of markup per page, articles approaching that size cause issues for users on mobile or slow connections. Whenever possible:
- Keep total markup size below 500 KB.
- Use section editing to reduce backend strain.
- Split overly dense articles into focused subpages.
Article length guidance[edit | edit source]
Here are rough size benchmarks:
| Word count | Action |
|---|---|
| > 15,000 | Must be trimmed or split. |
| 9,000 – 15,000 | Likely needs trimming or spinouts. |
| 6,000 – 9,000 | Use judgment; may still be acceptable. |
| < 6,000 | No action needed due to length alone. |
| < 150 | Consider merging or expanding. |
Use User:Shubinator/DYKcheck or Prosesize gadget to measure readable prose.
Splitting articles[edit | edit source]
When an article is too long, split sections off into new pages using the summary style format. Always leave a short summary behind in the parent article with a hatnote or {{Main}} template.
Follow these rules when spinning off content:
- Preserve attribution in edit summaries.
- Use logical titles consistent with Fanverse Wiki’s naming conventions.
- Ensure neutrality and coherence across both parent and child articles.
Trimming and cleanup[edit | edit source]
Cut redundant or outdated content without losing key context. Good trimming avoids fluff, collapses bloated phrasing, and improves flow.
Only remove sourced or structured content with community consensus or a merge/split proposal. Don’t remove information just to hit a word count.
Wiki markup size[edit | edit source]
The total markup includes prose, templates, references, and images. Check page history for size in bytes. If size exceeds 200–300 KB of markup, consider modularizing parts using transclusion or separate pages.
See Special:LongPages for large articles.
Browser page size[edit | edit source]
The rendered HTML page can vary by device or browser. Pages overloaded with high-res images, infobox stacks, or navbox clutter may lag or fail to load.
If users report issues editing or loading a page, use safemode by appending ?safemode=1 to the URL. Use browser dev tools to analyze load time and compression size.
Troubleshooting long pages[edit | edit source]
If you can't edit an article due to size:
- Edit by section instead of the full page.
- Use
§ion=0to edit the lead. - Ask for help on Fanverse Wiki:Help desk or propose a split.