Wikipedia talk:Categorization

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Misuse of fictional elements categories

I have a proposal to add a bullet point to WP:CATFICTION and Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Writing_about_fiction#Categories about a recurring issue that comes up a lot at CfD:

Do not place works in categories for fictional elements, even if eponymous for the work. For example, Cow and Chicken should not be placed in Category:Fictional cattle or Category:Fictional chickens.

–LaundryPizza03 (dc̄) 19:06, 3 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

• @LaundryPizza03: seems fine to me. Marcocapelle (talk) 20:12, 29 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

"Keep articles about people separate"

WP:SEPARATE tells us:

Keep articles about people separate. Categories with a title indicating that the contents are people should normally only contain biographical articles and lists of people

Seems simple enough. But I'm surprised that it doesn't continue with something along the lines of either:

1. "Similarly, categories with a title indicating that they are for places, events, products, etc should normally not contain biographical articles or lists of people"
2. "However, categories with a title indicating that they are for places, events, products, etc may contain biographical articles and lists of people"

(Although WP:SEPARATE refers the reader to WP:Categorizing articles about people, the latter doesn't explain, as far as I can see.)

Or for a "concrete" example, consider Almeda Lambert. She was a human, and not a variety, ingredient or brand of peanut butter. As (i) we lack Category:Peanut butter people or similar (and very likely always shall), and (ii) I'm accustomed to the way categories here err on the side of inclusiveness, I'm unsurprised to see her in Category:Peanut butter. But does categorization policy say anything about this? -- Hoary (talk) 02:21, 14 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Written in (computer languages)

Is a program written in C, C++, and assembly categorized as written in all three languages with three cats? Or does "written in" imply that the entire program is written in that language? Is the answer the same for books written in multiple human languages? --Guy Macon (talk) 01:35, 21 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@Guy Macon, I believe if a program is programmed using multiple languages, it should be placed in all respective categories. Because modern programs are rarely programmed 100% using one specific programming language. The alternatives are:

1. Have only few pages which are placed in category "programmed in".

2. Create categories such as "programmed in C and C++", "programmed in Python, C++ and Assembly" and many more intersections.

I don't like any of the alternatives. Deltaspace⁴² (talk • contribs) 08:29, 21 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Help needed to properly create a new category

I have read the instructions in this article, but either I am getting old or... Err, I would like a to create a Category:Burials at Lincoln Cemetery (Cook County) as a sub category of Category:Burials in Illinois by cemetery. The rational being that it would then follow [Category:African-American cemeteries in Illinois], were both [Category:Burials at Burr Oak Cemetery] and [Category:Burials at Restvale Cemetery] already exist. The newly created category can then be filled by persons listed in the article Lincoln Cemetery (Cook County). I hope that makes sense. Could someone oblige. I would not be offended if that kind soul actually created that category, then I can do the 'filling in'. I would offer an Ecclefechan tart as a prize, but I have eaten them. - Derek R Bullamore (talk) 19:35, 29 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@Derek R Bullamore I think I've done what you want: Category:Burials at Lincoln Cemetery (Cook County) now exists. I created it by copying the code from Category:Burials at Lake Forest Cemetery, its A-Z neighbour. I've given it to the first burial noted in Lincoln Cemetery (Cook County), ie Robert Sengstacke Abbott.

There's always a bit of question of how to create a category which won't be deleted as empty, while not adding a redlinked non-existent category to an article. I think what I did here was to:

1. Decide on format of name of category and identify a model
2. Start editing the first member of the category (ie Abbott), add this redlinked cat, but not "publish"
3. Click on the redlinked cat to start creating the cat, copy the code from the model, edit as appropriate, save the new cat
4. Then immediately save the edited article for a member of the cat, ie Abbott.

When discussing categories, you can add a colon after the double opening square brackets, which then displays the name of the category rather than putting the talk page into it (rather than using single square brackets as you did above).

Hope this helps!

Ecclefechan tarts, Mmmm, tasty. I have made mince pies, but to an interesting low-potassium recipe using a lovely mix of candied peel, glace cherries and apple, with mixed spice, sugar, marg, instead of trad mincemeat. Low-K diet not needed this year, but they're much nicer than ordinary mincemeat. 22:10, 29 December 2025 (UTC) PamD 22:10, 29 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

On looking again at the categorisation: I blindly followed that for Category:Burials at Lake Forest Cemetery, but I now don't see why it, and several others, are listed as children of Category:Burials in Illinois as well as Category:Burials in Illinois by cemetery. I wouldn't think that the members of the latter should be also in the parent cat - but as there are several articles involved, I'll leave it to someone who knows more about conventions for cemetery/burial categorisation than I do to sort it out! PamD 22:19, 29 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Cor, thanks Pam - talk about being 'above and beyond', that was one hell of an answer. I am impressed and very grateful. This is despite the fact you are on the wrong side of The Hill. Your mince pie recipe looks interesting and although I cook, I am not a baker. My Ecclefechan tarts came from Messrs. Sainsbury's, their 'Taste the Difference' variety. Very good they are too, if you have not tried them. The low potassium bit is interesting. I was in hospital five times in as many months in 2021, with what turned out to be dangerously low levels of magnesium - the trace metal thing quite takes me back to my A-Level pass in Chemistry, secured before the war of course. I will shut up now - many, many thanks again. Regards, - Derek R Bullamore (talk) 22:45, 29 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@Derek R Bullamore and PamD: I bought four boxes (4 per box) at Sainsbury's at around 10:00 am yesterday; the shelf ticket said £3.50 but they went through the till at £1.75 each. They might be sold out by now, if the shelf ticket has been updated. Anyway, back to the point re Category:Burials at Lincoln Cemetery (Cook County). If I'm creating a category that will be part of a set - in this case the subcats of Category:Burials in Illinois by cemetery - what I do is look at several of the existing members of the set, and copy the code from inside them, amending as necessary. --Redrose64 🦌 (talk) 16:49, 30 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@Redrose64 Yes, that's what I did - nicked the code from Category:Burials at Lake Forest Cemetery and tweaked appropriately. Should perhaps have checked mmore than one, but I tend to pick the most similar or the nearest in the alphabet (eg in a "by country" hierarchy I'll go for one on the same continent).

No, I mustn't buy more mincepies or similar - we have a lovely nearly whole Christmas cake to eat (all the better from being stored 12 months, as I'd made it before my husband went into hospital! This time last year he was on low-K diet, dried fruit strictly off the menu, and 1 litre a day fluid intake. But he's much better now!) Enjoy your Ecclefechan bargains. Or bargain Ecclefechans? PamD 19:19, 30 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Should an article go in a supercategory for a subcategory that doesn't exist?

Hopefully that title has intrigued you enough to go look at Talk:Chris_Squire#Categorisation and input. I am confused as to what to do. Bondegezou (talk) 09:50, 15 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

I would just create the subcategory. I think it's clear that there is a need for the subcategory. Deltaspace⁴² (talk • contribs) 11:12, 15 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]