Template talk:Countryphotoyear2

Template throwing red links

Hi. This template seems to expect that a flag for a place exists and that it exists with a certain name format. That seems to be a poor expectation. For example Category:2014 photographs of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha is looking for "File:Flag of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha.svg". Can we please make alterations to the template to resolve, even if the template does a check for the existence of the file and if it does not, then it doesn't call the image. Thanks. @Väsk, Blackcat, and Well-Informed Optimist: creator and recent editors. Thanks.  — billinghurst sDrewth 21:30, 20 February 2024 (UTC)

 Comment I don't see the use of a flag. For example, today's flag of Greece is different from the 1950s one, so the flag of Italy before 1946 (I won't mention the US because it's very hard to find the difference between 48 and 50 stars in a 30x20px icon). But generally I find flags in such templates a pointless complication. --Blackcat 18:48, 23 February 2024 (UTC)

@Blackcat: I hear you, though that is a larger community consultation. If they are to be used, then through WD would be best. Anyway, in this situation I have added a flag=no component. I again ask that people building templates add this resilience to them and stop ignoring cases where redlinks and other errors can occur.  — billinghurst sDrewth 00:02, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

@Billinghurst: can we configure it the way is the flag to be optional, not the opposite? -- Blackcat 19:40, 25 March 2024 (UTC)

Yes. I would suggest a consensus discussion elsewhere.  — billinghurst sDrewth 20:40, 25 March 2024 (UTC)

@Billinghurst: indeed, as I told before, on Commons I find national flag icons useless. -- Blackcat 22:03, 29 March 2024 (UTC)