Formula:Bots

Documentatio formulae[ostende] [recense] [historiam inspice] [purga]

These templates tell bots and automated editing tools/scripts that they should or should not edit that page. 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 possibly receiving useful changes or targeted posts that might otherwise be skipped by the bot assuming a default "opt-out" behavior. 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, in the encyclopedia spaces:

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.

Syntax:

{{nobots}}                Ban all compliant bots (shortcut)
{{bots}}                  Allow all bots (shortcut)

{{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=HagermanBot,Werdnabot}}
  {{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 tag; it will depend on their functionality, their owners and their terms of approval. The bots that currently support exclusion are listed at exclusion compliant bots.

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 messages (see limitations below).

{{bots|optout=nosource}}       Opt out of no source messages.
{{bots|optout=nolicense}}      Opt out of no license messages.
{{bots|optout=orfud}}          Opt out of orphaned fair use messages.
{{bots|optout=norationale}}    Opt out of no rationale messages.
{{bots|optout=replaceable}}    Opt out of replaceable fair use messages.
{{bots|optout=bettersource}}   Opt out of better source request messages.
{{bots|optout=afd}}            Opt out of articles for deletion messages or variant forms.
{{bots|optout=ifd}}            Opt out of images for deletion messages or variant.
{{bots|optout=prod}}           Opt out of prod warning messages or variant.

Items can be combined by putting a comma between options

{{bots|optout=nosource,nolicense}}                 Opt out of no source, and no license messages.
{{bots|optout=orfud,norationale,replaceable}}      Opt out of fair use messages.

Restrictions of messages that can be opted out

Some message notifications are not allowed to be opted out. These include (but are not limited to):

Copyright violation notifications
Vandalism (and other) warning notices.
Any message tag that isn't included as a way of opting out above. (Is there one that should be included? Leave a message on the talk page.)

Implementation

Pywikipediabot 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 ) {
    global $user;
    if (preg_match('/\{\{(nobots|bots\|allow=none|bots\|deny=all|bots\|optout=all|bots\|deny=.*?'.preg_quote($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 allowBots {
    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+"\\s*(?=[,\\}])[^}]*\\s*\\}\\}", "i").test(text)) ? false : new RegExp("\\{\\{\\s*((?!nobots)|bots(\\s*\\|\\s*allow\\s*=\\s*((?!none)|([^}]*,\\s*)*"+user+"\\s*(?=[,\\}])[^}]*|all))?|bots\\s*\\|\\s*deny\\s*=\\s*(?!all)[^}]*|bots\\s*\\|\\s*optout=(?!all)[^}]*)\\s*\\}\\}", "i").test(text);
}

Python

def allow_bots(text, user):
    return not re.search(r'\{\{(nobots|bots\|(allow=none|deny=.*?' + user + r'.*?|optout=all|deny=all))\}\}', text)