User:DeprecatedFixerBot

This bot runs on Wikimedia Toolforge. Administrators: If this bot needs to be blocked due to a malfunction, please remember to disable autoblocks so that other Toolforge bots are not affected.

There are shutdown links below, avoid blocking at all costs.

This user account is a bot operated by TheSandDoctor (talk). It is used to make repetitive automated or semi-automated edits that would be extremely tedious to do manually, in accordance with the bot policy. The bot is currently inactive but retains the approval of the community. Administrators: if this bot is malfunctioning or causing harm, please block it.

DeprecatedFixerBot (DFB) is a bot account which is primarily focused around the maintenance and updating of specific templates. So far, it has made over 186,000 edits across 5 various tasks. DFB is scripted and operated by TheSandDoctor (TSD). DFB used to run exclusively off of a repurposed server maintained by TSD, but now typically runs locally only during testing and BRFAs, running on the Tools server once approved. Shutdown instructions for DFB can be found down below. In order for a user to be able to shut it down themselves, they must either be extended-confirmed or an administrator on the English Wikipedia.

If you notice that the bot has made an error in removing the deprecated template parameters, please let TheSandDoctor know and either revert it or fix it. TheSandDoctor does occasionally spot check edits (check random edits) that the bot makes in each run to double check its accuracy, but cannot realistically check all the edits due to the speed and number in which they occur. If the bad has broken badly and is incorrectly removing deprecated parameters repeatedly, please see the shutdown instructions down below.

TheSandDoctor selects edits at random in order to double check their accuracy. TSD is more likely to check edits that the bot makes in which the change had a significant (negative) edit size, as he is suspicious of large negative edit sizes (partly due to a (long resolved) TweetCiteBot trial issue, and partly due to fears it somehow is misbehaving. If you notice an issue PLEASE leave TSD a message with either a diff or article WikiLink.

Shutdown instructions in a nutshell: Please note that the old instructions for disabling the bot will no longer work (new instructions below will though). In a nutshell: keep content on User:DeprecatedFixerBot/status JSON legal/safe and only change true/false values (corresponding to tasks to disable) and note the values are case-sensitive. Contact TheSandDoctor by email or poking if you shut down a task or have any questions.

Administrators (or extended-confirmed editors), please see User:DeprecatedFixerBot/status if you wish to shut down the bot. In the event that the bot runs wild on a task (which it shouldn't) or otherwise needs to be shut down, change the text on the page's corresponding key value pair from "true" to "false" (is case sensitive; only one value can exist in the pair at a given time). Other than the true/false values, please do not change any other values, insert/remove commas etc (all the page content must stay JSON safe/legal in order for the bot to understand it). Once changed to false, that will stop the bot when it attempts to save the edit as it checks/"calls home" to that page before saving. In the event that the corresponding key/value pair contains the text "false", the script will show an error in my console and terminate. This will necessitate a restart by TSD (poke TheSandDoctor for that or send them an email), even if set back to "true".

In the event that you do shut down the bot, please send a message to TheSandDoctor (either through talk page or email) notifying them of this and the reason for shutting the bot down. Thank you!