Category talk:Element

I agree. Please merge the "Element" and "Elements" categories together. Niandra^talk 06:20, 14 May 2007 (EDT)

I also agree, but please use the title 'Element' (singular) if it is done. --TomT 12:45, 18 May 2007 (EDT)

I agree, but tend to agree with the plural. TomT, why the singular? HG_HeartOfGold ^talk 13:41, 22 May 2007 (EDT)

While articles should be in the singular form, the standard wiki style is for categories to be in the plural form. Whatever the case, all categories should have the same count - either singular or plural. It would be much less work to make the standard plural than singular. --Mtur 14:31, 22 May 2007 (EDT)

Whichever is done (I guess I agree with plural), there is an added wrinkle: there is a template "{Element|name=sodium, etc. etc}" in these pages. That template automatically puts it into the singular category "element". Many of these pages also have the explicit "[Category:Elements]" thing. They therefore appear in both categories. So, assuming that plural is decided upon, the template needs to be changed. Then all the explicit "[Category:Elements]" things can be taken out. In any case, someone with the authority to do so: please merge these. Then we can start filling out the periodic table in a way that would make Mendeleyev proud. (BTW, those are actually meant to be double brackets and curly braces, but I don't know how to quote them. Please bear with me.) CScience 19:20, 22 May 2007 (EDT)

It appears to me that you've settled on it being the plural. That being the case, what do you need "someone in authority" for? The {{element}} template is not currently protected, so any editor can change that, and anybody can change the individual articles (assuming they're not protected). My advice is, go ahead.

Incidentally, to quote double brackets and the like, surround the relevant parts with <nowiki> codes, like this: <nowiki>[[Category:elements]]</nowiki>. The button on the editing toolbar of a red "banned" circle over a black "W" does this for you.

Philip J. Rayment 09:58, 28 May 2007 (EDT)

P.S. I guess this page should be moved to Category:Elements. I suggest that you make the other changes first, then I (or another sysop) can move this for you. Philip J. Rayment 10:04, 28 May 2007 (EDT)

OK. Done. I'm off and running :-) The thing that was mystifying me (and making me think sysop intervention was required) was how inclusion of the "element" template automatically put the page in the category. I see it now. Thanks.

I have taken out the "number of electrons" line (it's always the atomic number, and including it separately might confuse people into thinking there are circumstances under which it might be different.) And I have added the "normal state" line, for solid/liquid/gas. CScience 13:02, 30 May 2007 (EDT)

Well done!

I didn't realise that there was already a category:elements page, so I won't move this one to that after all. Philip J. Rayment 22:09, 30 May 2007 (EDT)