Hearthstone Wiki:Editor's Handbook/Data imports

This article overviews the current wiki procedure for handling data imports.

The first part covers background information on the process, while the second part provides a guide to handling imports.


 * For procedures on the creation of new content in general, see Editor's Handbook#How to.

Overview
While most content on the wiki is created by the editors, periodically data will be imported from Hearthpwn.com. However, this only happens every few months, and the majority of the card data imported has usually already been constructed by editors on the wiki by the time the import is made. The imports still serve some important functions: they serve to correct certain errors and typos by editors; they import correctly formatted normal and golden card images; and they add substantial amounts of 'hidden' content such as uncollectible cards, enchantments, heroes and Hero Powers, as well as most boss and Tavern Brawl data of all kinds.

Note that with the exception of images, imports do not overwrite existing data; they only import it where it is missing. This is necessary because the data imported from Hearthpwn is not perfect for the wiki. As well as occasional errors, it also employs a far simpler system for abilities, and does not include many of those listed on the wiki (such as "draw cards", "restore Health", "discard" or "shuffle into deck"), or any of the tags used here ("triggered effect", "Beast-related"). For example, The Black Knight was for a long time listed as having the Taunt ability, simply because the word is included in the card's text. If the imports overwrote existing data, it would be necessary to reproduce these fixes for both new and existing cards every time data was imported.

Different rules exist for imports depending on the type of content:
 * Data pages will only be imported if no such data page currently exists on the wiki. Note that all data pages are numbered, and the import will check for the precise data page title ("Data:Cards/NAME(NUMBER)").
 * Images will be imported whenever the importer determines the images are missing or have been updated (although the exact processes behind the latter determination are unclear). Note that all images are numbered, and the importer will check for the precise image titles ("File:NAME(NUMBER).png" and "File:NAME(NUMBER) Gold.png").
 * If either the regular or golden image is missing, the missing images will be uploaded.
 * If either the regular or golden image is determined to have been updated, the new version/s will be uploaded.
 * Content pages will never be imported (since Hearthpwn does not have any comparable pages) but a new content page stub will be created if no article exists on the wiki for the card's title. Note that import-created content pages do not use numbers or other subtitles - if a card named "Chains of Frost" is added with the associated patch, the import will attempt to create a new page titled "Chains of Frost", even if the wiki already has pages titled "Chains of Frost (Normal)", "Chains of Frost (Heroic)" and "Chains of Frost (disambiguation)".

Some simple formatting rules can be found on Hearthstone Wiki:Data imports. These should be followed by the importer, although this is not always the case.

In theory an import is a simple matter of the wiki being gifted data and images with minimal effort. In practice, the import process requires a fair amount of work to integrate into the site, including creating new content pages, redirects and disambiguation pages, determining the nature and purpose of multiple versions, and moving and deleting duplicates.

Aside from the content itself, one major benefit of the import process is that it highlights cards, heroes, Hero Powers and enchantments currently missing from the wiki. This is mostly useful in terms of boss and Tavern Brawl cards, but also for 'hidden' content such as uncollectible cards and all enchantments. Checking the import user's contributions (or simply the recent changes following the import) can highlight what pages need to be created.

Schedule
The schedule for data imports is somewhat erratic, and does not take place every time new data is added to the game. As of early 2017, imports are expected to take place at some point following the release of each new expansion. Cards and data added in non-release patches will therefore not be imported to the wiki, meaning they will have to be manually constructed by editors.

If an import is late, you can request it manually on Hearthstone Wiki:Data import requests.

Manually creating content
Data imports generally do not take place until several days, or more often weeks, after cards have first been revealed to players. For this reason, the wiki endeavours to manually create higher priority card content without waiting for data to be imported.

Because the import will, when it arrives, attempt to import all new content, it is important that the correct numbers are used for all data pages and images. Data pages should always be created at "Data:Cards/NAME(NUMBER)", and card images at "File:NAME(NUMBER).png" or "File:NAME(NUMBER) Gold.png" (image titles will be set automatically provided the data page is set up correctly).
 * In the case of data pages this ensure duplicate data pages are not created, and therefore minimises errors in this area. However, note that numbers do occasionally change in the time between reveal and import (especially if the card's title on Hearthpwn also changes), in which case editors will have to determine the correct number/s and move and delete pages accordingly.
 * In the case of images this ensures that updated, correct and high quality images are imported to the correct location. Images used during the reveal process are often low-quality, and frequently contain errors, as well as the occasional last-minute wording change by Blizzard itself. Final release images are generally free from all of these problems.

The upside of this model is that the wiki is up to date, and features new cards as soon as they are revealed. The downside of this model is a bit of extra work. The alternative would involve having key cards missing from the wiki for weeks, then creating content pages for every new card all at once. In the case of cards revealed in advance of new content, the cards would be absent during the time at which they are being mostly keenly discussed and focused upon.

It should be noted that because of the use of numbers, any images not using numbers will not be updated by future imports.

Procedure
The following sections detail the general procedure for the various efforts required around data imports. Bear in mind that these are only guidelines, and conventions may change over time.

Each data import comprises a long series of edits by a special importer account. As of 2017 this account is User:GamepediaImports [ contributions ].

The schedule for imports is erratic, and as such the start of the import will generally be announced through a sudden influx of edits, as visible on Special:RecentChanges. Note that imports do not always happen all in one go, and may sometimes omit content - see Missing content.

Once the import has started, someone must check through the edits and take appropriate actions depending on what they find. This can be done most comprehensively by viewing the contributions for the import account. However, because Special:RecentChanges omits updates to files, and since these comprise the bulk of any import’s contributions, and are of little if any consequence to this process, it can save a lot of time (and squinting) to simply browse the recent changes list. Note though that the recent changes page has a limit to how many previous edits it will display, and will not show edits made prior to this. As a result the recent changes page is usually the preferred choice immediately after the import takes place; but shortly thereafter it will only be possible to view the import through the contributions page.

New pages
Since imports only add new content and do not update old content (images aside), as a rule the only thing of note is the creation of new pages. These are marked in edit lists with an ' N ' symbol.

As a rule, each new page should prompt certain actions from the editor handling the import.

The various pages for each new card are usually imported together: typically the data page, followed by the content page, followed by images (regular then gold). However, not all of these are always present.
 * Order

The main imports of significance are not content pages, but data pages, since these indicate (in theory) unique cards, each of which should be documented on the wiki. In contrast, new content pages are only created by imports if a content page of that name (ignoring card numbers) does not already exist. Since the presence of absence of a content page determines to some degree the steps necessary to integrate the new data into the wiki, it is a good idea to first check for the presence of a new content page. However, note that different versions of new cards are often placed far apart from each other on the import list, meaning the new content page may not be shown next to the new data pages and images.

When a new content page is created, it will be a simple stub. The creation of a new content page generally indicates that the page should exist as a wiki article, and all content pages deserve full creation.
 * Content pages

New content pages are only imported when one does not already exist. If one is created, this means one of a few things:


 * The card is new, and has not yet been added to the wiki
 * In this case there should also be matching data pages and (usually) images.
 * This happens mostly with uncollectible, choice, boss and Tavern Brawl cards, as well as enchantments, which are not announced or revealed in advance.
 * Create a content page for the new card. See Adding new cards; or for enchantments, see Enchantments.
 * The card has been added in multiple forms (such as "(Normal)" and "(Heroic)"), but the main page has not been created
 * In this case there should not be any matching data page imports, since these will already exist.
 * This happens mostly with boss cards, but should not happen if the card creation process has been followed properly.
 * Create a disambiguation page, replacing the stub page. See Disambiguation pages.
 * The imported title has a spelling difference to the manually created one
 * The best way to check the correct spelling is by searching on Hearthpwn.com. Post-release errors are very rare, but always check that the title matches the images shown.
 * If both card spellings exist, then they are simply separate cards, and the new card/s should be created as usual, noting any connection between them.
 * If the old spelling has been deleted, and the new spelling exists, the wiki should be changed to reflect the correct form. In this case the content page should be corrected, and either: the imported page/s should be deleted, and the data pages and images corrected and moved to the correct name; or the imported page/s should be left in place, and the manually created pages deleted. The choice depends on judgement, and possible errors and omissions in each.

If an imported data page has an accompanying content page, this is dealt with in the above section. However, if a data page is imported without a content page, this means a content page of that name has already been created.
 * Data pages

This mostly happens when multiple data pages of the same name are imported together. In this case, they are likely simply different versions of the same card. See Adding new cards; or for enchantments, see Enchantments. Note that different card versions are often placed far apart from each other on the import list.

However, if the name matches pages that existed prior to the import, this means one of two things: either the data page is for a new card, or new version of another card; or the card's number has been changed (mostly the case with newly added cards).


 * Check the existing card page/s.
 * If the new and old images/data differ, this is likely a new version of the existing card (or a different card with the same name).
 * In this case a new content page will need to be created; see Adding new cards and Duplicate names.
 * If the main page for that name is not a disambiguation page, it will be necessary to set  for the main page. It may also be desirable to add a note or link to the content page. See Editor's Handbook#Duplicate names.
 * Note that the 'old' version may have been manually added previously, or imported earlier by the same import. For regular, recently added cards, it is worth checking the Hearthpwn page linked from the original content page to make sure it is not simply the same card, which has been changed or corrected since being revealed (see below).
 * If the new and old images/data match, the new data page may be the correct number for an already documented card/version.
 * This can be confirmed by checking on Hearthpwn.com for the previous number/all versions: if the previous version's number is missing, it has likely been moved to the new number; if not, the new number is simply a new version (even if it appears to be identical).
 * If the number has been changed, either the manually created data page and images should be deleted, or the imported ones should be deleted and the manually created ones moved.
 * Very occasionally, multiple identical versions of a boss or Tavern Brawl card will be imported. In this case, it is sometimes preferable to set aside the data and images for all versions but one, and create a single content page to represent them all. In this case, the unused datapages should be mentioned in comment tags after Card infobox on the content page, for future reference.
 * This is an exceptional solution, and does not come without risks. The justification is that there is little point in creating several identical versions of a boss card, which may represent internal variants used for technical reasons, with no gameplay significance, or even previous iterations that have since been overwritten and removed from the game. The downside is that there is no way to know which version is used for what, potentially leading to future confusion, and editor error could lead to cards going missing.

While new images are not of importance (since they will always either be missing gold images, which should be displayed automatically, or be accompanied by new data pages, which will be spotted in their own right), new versions of existing images are potentially significant. This is because image are updated whenever the importer detects differences, meaning image updates may catch changes such as change of rarity or card wording, which are usually not mentioned in patch notes (although they may be noted in "undocumented changes" on third-party sites).
 * Images

Unfortunately, due to the processes involved, images are frequently updated for formatting reasons or for no apparent reason, without any actual change to card details. As a result, it can be hard to sift out the meaningful updates from the rather less meaningful. If desired, new image versions can be compared to the previous versions to check for significant changes.

Adding new cards
When dealing with the addition of numerous new cards to the wiki, it is usually a good idea to establish an efficient creation process for the content to be added. In many cases, by using the same template or sources for each page, a significant amount of time can be saved. Preparing for the creation process along the lines of a factory line can produce good results.

For a basic guide to adding new cards to the wiki, see Editor's Handbook/Adding new cards. Enchantments are exceptions, and are handled a little differently: see Enchantments for a guide.

Correcting errors
Imported data should include correct content for most properties. However, errors are sometimes observed, and should be corrected.

Card set is the main field that needs correction.
 * Card set

The main anomaly is the "UnkNew2" set. This essentially indicates that the importer does not know the correct set for the new card. However, as of 2017 in practice it has been reliably shown to correspond to Tavern Brawl cards. Cards imported with this set can (and should) be confidently set to "Tavern Brawl", and  set to the appropriate Tavern Brawl category.

The other non-standard set is "Cheat". This corresponds to debug cards. The card set can be left with this value, and  set to.

On occasion Hearthpwn may choose to use a name for a new set that does not match the name used on the wiki. In this case either the previously created cards (and lists) on the wiki will need to be changed to match the new name, or the imported data will need to be changed to match the name currently used on the wiki. The latter is usually more convenient, but the important thing is that all cards use the exact same phrasing in the card set field.

Not necessarily an error,  is often set to   even when a golden image is available, preventing the golden image from displaying.
 * Has_gold

This is most common with uncollectible cards, and should be corrected to. Note that setting this to  without a golden image will add the card to Category:Cards with missing images, but will not affect the infobox display.

For technical reasons, imported files and data pages convert certain special characters (chiefly  and  ) into. This does not need to be corrected: both data pages and images are by default linked based on the content page name, which takes this into account. However, if specifying the data page using  be sure to use the modified form.
 * Name


 * Other details
 * New abilities are sometimes missing from imported cards. However, these should be added through the content page, rather than the data page.
 * Incorrect abilities are occasionally listed, due to their presence in card text. These should be removed.
 * Abilities may sometimes contain errors, as in "Death Rattle" instead of "Deathrattle".
 * Description can contain line breaks without using . Line breaks that do not use these tags may not be displayed properly.
 * Data for special cards such as heroes sometimes contain odd content, such as rarity for bosses, which has no gameplay significance, but can be misleading when displayed in infoboxes. The data is presumed to match the game files themselves, but even then is likely of only academic interest, and in such cases it may be preferable to remove the odd content.

Duplicate names
If additional or multiple cards with the same name (but different numbers) are imported, the editor must determine the nature and purpose of each version. This mostly happens with boss and Tavern Brawl cards, as well as enchantments, but can sometimes happen with regular uncollectible cards.

The first thing to do is to check for the card title on Hearthpwn.com. All known versions of the card should come up in a search there, each with the matching number.
 * If an imported card has the same name but a different number to an already known card from the new set, editors should check to see if the previous numbered version has simply been moved to a new number. Simply clicking the Hearthpwn link on the card content page is a good start - if the card was moved, the old page will either be deleted, or redirect the editor to the new number. If the old page still exists, the new card is simply a different version.
 * In the case of multiple versions, it is up to the editor's instincts to determine the role of each version. In terms of regular cards, it is usually fairly clear if there is both a spell and a minion, or a collectible and uncollectible version. However, for boss cards, there is frequently a Normal and Heroic version, as well sometimes as a Tavern Brawl version, and possibly a Hero Power, or an identically named minion generated by the card. It is not possible to predict the role of each version with perfect accuracy, but it is usually possible to guess which is which, and each should be subtitled appropriately, and if necessary moved later if proven incorrect.

Once the purpose of each card has been determined, subtitles should be used on content pages to delineate the versions, and disambiguation may need to be put in place. For a guide, see Editor's Handbook#Duplicate names.

Missing content
Imports are not always complete; they may fail or stop without completing the process, or they may simply miss some relevant content.

If the import has not restarted after several hours, and content is definitely missing, make a note on Hearthstone Wiki:Data import requests, as instructed there. Note that missing content can be due to pages already existing on the wiki, or being deleted from the Hearthpwn servers prior to import (such as due to changes following reveals), neither of which is the fault of the import process.

Enchantments
Enchantments do not count as cards for game purposes, but because they are cards according to the game's data system, they are imported, and are frequently to be found in the importer's contributions. Because they are 'hidden', and not normally discussed or 'revealed', enchantments are almost exclusively added to the wiki through imports.

Enchantments are of very small importance to the wiki, and as a result are a very low priority. However, if desired, the below process can be followed to integrate them fully into the wiki.

The procedure for adding new enchantments to the wiki is different than for other 'cards', and is usually strongly dependent on imports. As a result they are usually handled all in one go as part of the import process:


 * 1) If it does not yet exist, create an enchantment list page for the set (2017 example: Mean Streets of Gadgetzan enchantment list).
 * 2) The best way to do this is to use a recent enchantment list page as a template - see Enchantment list for an index. Note that different pages sometimes have different sections/table types.
 * 3) Then add that page to Enchantment list as a new section, matching the current style.
 * 4) For each enchantment, fill out the stub content page, matching the style for a recent enchantment (2017 example: Visions of Hypnos).
 * 5) Enchantment pages are very simple, with one critical point: use   to associate the enchantment with the parent card.
 * 6) Note that this can involve a fair degree of detective work, and should be undertaken with great care, since mislabeling can lead to compound errors in the future. Where necessary, mark guesswork and assumptions.
 * 7) Enchantments often share names with multiple other enchantments, in which the usual process for addition of subtitles and creation of disambiguation pages applies - see Adding new cards.
 * 8) Note that the "Enchantment" card type itself ensures enchantments do not show up in most lists; other factors such as card set and card categories can therefore be set normally for enchantments without concern.
 * 9) Enchantments will then be listed automatically on the corresponding enchantment list page.

Enchantments do not use images, and any images uploaded are not displayed in their infoboxes. However, on occasion images for enchantments are imported to the wiki - these do not appear to correspond to any in-game content, and should be ignored.