Template:Bots

Template documentation

Uses Lua:

Module:String

The Bots and Nobots templates tell bots and other automated editing tools and scripts that they either should or should not edit a page that has the template. The templates can be used to block most bots (all bots that have implemented this functionality) or specific bots by name or function. For example, this can be used to opt-in or opt-out from user talk bot messages or to cause maintenance bots to avoid certain pages. These templates should be used carefully outside userspace to avoid blocking useful bot edits.

Explicitly opting-in has the advantage of receiving useful changes or targeted posts a bot might otherwise skip by following "opt-out" behavior by default. Users should be aware that by opting-out of bot posts, they will not be notified of matters relating to material they have edited or uploaded, which are tagged or scanned by bots per policy.

In particular:

Avoid using the template as a blunt instrument
Address the root problem with the bot owner or bot community
Remove the template tag once the underlying problem has been resolved.

Important notes

Most bots will NOT understand these templates when they are indirectly transcluded.

Most bots will not disregard the template if it is inside of <nowiki> ... </nowiki> tags. For example, if you are discussing the templates with another editor, please use the {{Tl }} template, e.g. {{tl|nobots}}, which will show {{Nobots }}, rather than <nowiki>{{nobots}}</nowiki>, which will possibly be parsed as intending to ban bots from the page.

Syntax

{{nobots}}                Ban all compliant bots (shortcut that takes no parameters)
{{bots}}                  Allow all bots (shortcut that takes no parameters)

{{bots|allow=<botlist>}}  Ban all compliant bots not in the list
{{bots|deny=<botlist>}}   Ban all compliant bots in the list

Where <botlist> is a comma-delimited string of bot usernames (AWB can be used for all AWB-based bots):
  {{bots|allow=SineBot,Legobot}}
  {{bots|deny=AWB}}

<botlist> can also be "none" or "all" as in the following examples:
  {{bots|allow=all}}      Allow all bots
  {{bots|allow=none}}     Ban all compliant bots

  {{bots|deny=all}}       Ban all compliant bots
  {{bots|deny=none}}      Allow all bots

Bots are not bound to observe the nobots template; it will depend on their functionality, their owners and their terms of approval.

Incorrect syntax

This syntax looks correct, but depending on the individual bot may not have the intended effect. This statement may deny neither Bot1 nor Bot2, only one of the two bots, or both bots as intended.

{{bots|deny=Bot1|deny=Bot2}} INCORRECT

Instead, write:

{{bots|deny=Bot1,Bot2}}      CORRECT

Message notification opt out

Another option is to opt out of specific types of messages for users who wish to be notified of certain problems, but not others. Users should be aware that by opting-out of specific notification posts, they will not be notified of matters relating to material they have edited or uploaded, which are tagged per policy. Actions (such as deletion) may be executed without you being notified as a result. By applying this to your own user talk page, you agree to this consequence. Applying this to a user talk page other than your own will be considered vandalism. All bots and scripts that leave messages on a user's talk page are encouraged to add this capability.

By adding this to a user's talk page, a user may still receive these messages by non-compliant bots or scripts, or humans who add the tag manually.

{{bots|optout=all}}            Opt out of all applicable messages
{{bots|optout=MassMessage}}    Opt out of Mass messages.

Implementation

Pywikibot supports bots and nobots since r4096. The templates may be ignored using a parameter.
Since version 3.2.0.0 AutoWikiBrowser fully supports {{bots}} and {{nobots}}. Additionally, pseudo-username AWB can be specified to ban all AWB-based bots from the page. However, AWB has an option to ignore these templates.
Opt out message notification was introduced here April 3, 2008. Individual bot/script implementation will vary and notice above of implementation may not include this feature.

Example implementations

PHP

function allowBots( $text, $user ) {
    if (preg_match('/\{\{(nobots|bots\|allow=none|bots\|deny=all|bots\|optout=all|bots\|deny=.*?'.preg_quote($user,'/').'.*?)}}/iS',$text))
        return false;
    if (preg_match('/\{\{(bots\|allow=all|bots\|allow=.*?'.preg_quote($user,'/').'.*?)}}/iS', $text))
        return true;
    if (preg_match('/\{\{(bots\|allow=.*?)}}/iS', $text))
        return false;
    return true;
}

Perl

sub allow_bots {
    my($text, $user, $opt) = @_;
    return 0 if $text =~ /{{[nN]obots}}/;
    return 1 if $text =~ /{{[bB]ots}}/;
    if($text =~ /\{\{[bB]ots\s*\|\s*allow\s*=\s*(.*?)\s*}}/s){
        return 1 if $1 eq 'all';
        return 0 if $1 eq 'none';
        my @bots = split(/\s*,\s*/, $1);
        return (grep $_ eq $user, @bots) ? 1 : 0;
    }
    if($text =~ /\{\{[bB]ots\s*\|\s*deny\s*=\s*(.*?)\s*}}/s){
        return 0 if $1 eq 'all';
        return 1 if $1 eq 'none';
        my @bots = split(/\s*,\s*/, $1);
        return (grep $_ eq $user, @bots) ? 0 : 1;
    }
    if(defined($opt) && $text =~ /\{\{[bB]ots\s*\|\s*optout\s*=\s*(.*?)\s*}}/s){
        return 0 if $1 eq 'all';
        my @opt = split(/\s*,\s*/, $1);
        return (grep $_ eq $opt, @opt) ? 0 : 1;
    }
    return 1;
}

VB.NET

Public Shared Function AllowBots(ByVal text As String, ByVal user As String) As Boolean
    Return Not Regex.IsMatch(text, "\{\{(nobots|bots\|(allow=none|deny=(?!none).*(" & user.Normalize() & "|all)|optout=all))\}\}", RegexOptions.IgnoreCase)
End Function

C#

public static bool AllowBots(string text, string user)
{
    return !Regex.IsMatch(text, @"\{\{(nobots|bots\|(allow=none|deny=(?!none).*(" + user.Normalize() + @".*|all)|optout=all))\}\}", RegexOptions.IgnoreCase);
}

Java

public static boolean allowBots(String text, String user)
{
      return !text.matches("(?si).*\\{\\{(nobots|bots\\|(allow=none|deny=([^\\}]*?" + user + "[^\\}]*?|all)|optout=all))\\}\\}.*");
}

JavaScript

function allowBots(text, user){
  if (!new RegExp("\\{\\{\\s*(nobots|bots[^}]*)\\s*\\}\\}", "i").test(text)) return true;
  return (new RegExp("\\{\\{\\s*bots\\s*\\|\\s*deny\\s*=\\s*([^}]*,\\s*)*" + user.replace(/([\(\)\*\+\?\.\-\:\!\=\/\^\$])/g, "\\$1") + "\\s*(?=[,\\}])[^}]*\\s*\\}\\}", "i").test(text)) ? false : new RegExp("\\{\\{\\s*((?!nobots)|bots(\\s*\\|\\s*allow\\s*=\\s*((?!none)|([^}]*,\\s*)*" + user.replace(/([\(\)\*\+\?\.\-\:\!\=\/\^\$])/g, "\\$1") + "\\s*(?=[,\\}])[^}]*|all))?|bots\\s*\\|\\s*deny\\s*=\\s*(?!all)[^}]*|bots\\s*\\|\\s*optout=(?!all)[^}]*)\\s*\\}\\}", "i").test(text);
}

Python

This code assumes that the mwparserfromhell library was installed and imported in the current script.

def allow_bots(text, user):
	user = user.lower().strip()
	text = mwparserfromhell.parse(text)
	for tl in text.filter_templates():
		if tl.name.matches(['bots', 'nobots']):
			break
	else:
		return True
	for param in tl.params:
		bots = [x.lower().strip() for x in param.value.split(",")]
		if param.name == 'allow':
			if ''.join(bots) == 'none': return False
			for bot in bots:
				if bot in (user, 'all'):
					return True
		elif param.name == 'deny':
			if ''.join(bots) == 'none': return True
			for bot in bots:
				if bot in (user, 'all'):
					return False
	if (tl.name.matches('nobots') and len(tl.params) == 0):
		return False
	return True