For the Common Good is a standalone software application that aids in transferring free media to Wikimedia Commons.
Features
FtCG includes several features:
- Easy traversal of Category:Copy to Wikimedia Commons, Category:Copy to Wikimedia Commons (bot-assessed), Category:Move to Commons Priority Candidates, or any other category (FtCG is not limited to category traversal: you can also enter file names manually)
- Integrated display of all elements on the file page (wikitext, file metadata, file links, previous versions, EXIF metadata)
- Automatic provision of a partially-filled
{{Information}}
template if not already present, or amelioration of the existing one if present - A number of magic transformations to generate the Commons file description page:
- For example, on English Wikipedia, "self" license templates are converted to the equivalent "user" templates, and there is plenty more magic
- FtCG allows you to customize the transformations for each wiki using local wiki data
- Ability to rename file when transferring
- Ability to select one or more old versions of an image and transfer them separately
- Automatic tagging with
{{now Commons}}
(or deletion, for admins) of the local image after transfer - Ability to keep a log of transfers if desired (very handy for Move to Commons drives)
- A built-in categorisation system, similar to HotCat
Be aware that FtCG doesn't do all your work for you. Normally, you will still need to clean up the file page wikitext a little bit before clicking the "Transfer" button.
Download
You can download the latest version of FtCG at https://atlight.github.io. The most recent version is listed on that site. (You can check the version of your copy by clicking the "Settings..." button.)
A note on operating system compatibility: FtCG works on Windows and Linux, and most likely on Mac OS too.
- Windows users can run FtCG directly. No installation is required, so long as your PC has the .NET Framework 4.6.1 (already installed on almost all Windows computers).
- Tech-savvy Mac OS and Linux users can run this application using Mono and/or Wine[1], with only very minor loss of functionality compared to Windows[2].
For those who are interested, source code (in C#) is available on GitHub.
Feedback
I would appreciate any feedback, bugs, or suggested improvements, especially regarding the deletion of files after transfer (not being an admin, I can't really test this feature).
Other wikis and languages
- For the Common Good is available in a few languages.
- You can download "local wiki data" files, which allow FtCG to adapt to a particular wiki. See also the list of local wiki data files.
- You can even use FtCG to perform reverse transfers from Commons back to local wikis, or from one local wiki to another.
- ^ If you have a choice, try FtCG under both Mono (
mono ForTheCommonGood_1.x.y.z.exe
) and Wine (wine ForTheCommonGood_1.x.y.z.exe
) and see which one you prefer. They both work correctly, but each one has a different set of skin-deep visual glitches. - ^ Known issues:
- The category suggester does not provide automatic suggestions. (This functionality is intentionally disabled on Mono, as it causes FtCG to freeze.)
- The "preview wikitext" window always appears blank.