User groups are flags set on certain user accounts that allow them to perform certain actions on UESPWiki that other contributors cannot. A user with a particular flag is given specific site permissions and the use of certain features of the MediaWiki software.
Some of these flags are automatic, and some must be set manually. For example, all visitors to the site, including anonymous users, are part of the "anonymous users" group, while all logged-in users are also part of the "user" group. User accounts are automatically promoted into the autoconfirmed group when the account is four days old and has made at least 10 edits. Other flags are only given upon request. Flags such as "sysop" and "patroller" are given only after community discussion and consensus.
Generic User GroupsEdit
Users are automatically added to the following groups based on their account status.
Anonymous UsersEdit
Contributors who have not created an account or logged in may read all pages on the wiki (except restricted Special pages) and edit pages that are not protected or semi-protected; however, they are not permitted to move pages. They may create talk pages in any talk namespace, but they cannot upload files or images. They must answer a CAPTCHA if they wish to make an edit which involves the addition of one or more external links and click a confirm link to purge pages.
New UsersEdit
Users with newly-registered accounts may create pages in any namespace (except the MediaWiki namespace, and at times temporarily, the Lore, Main, and certain other namespaces) and may also e-mail other users if they have activated a valid email address in their user preferences. All logged-in users may mark edits as minor. They may purge pages without a confirmation step but are still required to answer a CAPTCHA when adding external links. They may also customize their wiki interface and its options as they wish, via Special:Preferences, or by adding personal CSS or JavaScript rules to their monobook.css or monobook.js files.
Autoconfirmed UsersEdit
Accounts that are more than 4 days old and have made at least 10 edits are "autoconfirmed". Autoconfirmed users can move pages and can edit semi-protected pages. Autoconfirmed status is checked every time a user performs a restricted action and is automatically added as soon as the account qualifies.
Confirmed UsersEdit
This group is highly similar to Autoconfirmed Users, but it bypasses the time and edit count restrictions. This allows new users who have been confirmed as non-spammers to do such things as copying large blocks of text to a sandbox, and adding external links to their pages. Currently, they cannot edit semi-protected pages or move pages until they reach full autoconfirmed status. Once that has happened, users can be removed from this group.
Restricted User GroupsEdit
Users are added to the following groups at the discretion of an administrator, or following a successful community-based nomination and voting process.
Abuse Filter EditorsEdit
These users have the "abuseeditor" flag and can modify the abuse filter, which was created to automatically prevent spam and other types of vandalism. An automatically generated list of abuse filter editors can be found here.
AdministratorsEdit
Administrator rights (or sysop rights) are granted by the community to nominated users. The process involves considerable discussion and examination of their activities as an editor. Users who are members of the "administrator" user group have access to a number of tools to allow them to carry out certain functions on the wiki. The tools cover processes such as page deletion, page protection, blocking and unblocking, ability to modify protected pages and the MediaWiki interface, and the ability to grant and remove patroller and blocker rights to other users. Administrators can use Special:RenameUser to rename user accounts, upon request. An automatically generated list of administrators can be found here.
Autopatrolled UsersEdit
Autopatrolled users are a group of users who have the "autopatrolled" flag, which means their edits are automatically patrolled. Candidates for this group must be nominated and voted upon by patrollers or administrators. An automatically generated list of autopatrolled users can be found here.
BlockersEdit
Blockers are a group of users with the "blockuser" flag. They have the ability to block particularly disruptive editors for up to six hours in the event an administrator is not available, in accordance with the Blocking Policy. Administrators can promote users to this group by request, at their own discretion. An automatically generated list of blockers can be found here.
BotsEdit
Accounts used by approved bots to make pre-approved edits are given the "bot" flag. Bot accounts are automated or semi-automated and the nature of their edits is well defined. These accounts can be quickly blocked if the bot does something unexpected. Contributions from bot accounts are hidden by default from the Recent Changes page and from watchlists. Minor edits made by bot accounts to user talk pages do not trigger the "you have new messages" banner. An automatically generated list of bots can be found here.
BureaucratsEdit
Bureaucrats have full access to change user rights, allowing them to add users to the bot, patroller, administrator, and bureaucrat groups, among others. They can also remove users from these groups should the need arise. In addition, bureaucrats can bulk-delete pages in the event of vandalism or a significant change in wiki content.
Daveh and RobinHood70 are currently UESPWiki's two bureaucrats. An automatically generated list of bureaucrats can be found here.
Cartographers and Map UsersEdit
Members of the Cartographer group can view and modify labels on UESPWiki's maps. These users are granted access to the map editing tools found in the table below. An automatically generated list of cartographers can be found here.
Members of the Esocartographer group can only edit the ESO map.
Members of the Map Users group can view the map editors, but not actually change any data. It is not necessary to assign someone to the Map Users group if they're already part of the Cartographers group. Currently, all users have the same access as Map Users, making it a redundant group for the time being. An automatically generated list of map users can be found here.
Membership in any of these groups can be granted by an administrator, but due to the lack of oversight for most of the maps, is normally restricted to patrollers and administrators. Since the ESO map is currently under development, more regular users are likely to be added to this group than the others.
| Viewable | Editable |
|---|---|
| Morrowind map | Morrowind map editor |
| Oblivion map | Oblivion map editor |
| Shivering Isles map | Shivering Isles map editor |
| Skyrim map | Skyrim map editor |
| Dragonborn map | Dragonborn map editor |
| ESO map | (Map editor available through viewer) |
CheckUserEdit
Users who are given the "checkuser" flag have access to Special:CheckUser. They are able to view a list of all IP addresses used by a user account to edit the wiki, a list of all edits made by an IP, or all user accounts that have used a particular IP address. On UESP, all administrators have CheckUser permissions.
EmployeesEdit
Users of this group are employees of Emergent Game Design and gain access to the tools they need to do their jobs. Membership in this group is controlled by the company owner, Daveh.
Interface EditorsEdit
Users in this group have the ability to edit MediaWiki space, which includes virtually all user-interface text on the site, including menus, lists, the sidebar, and more. In the current version of MediaWiki, it also allows access to site CSS and Javascript, however a change in the built-in permissions structure will negate that once we upgrade to MW 1.32 or above.. While administrators can grant this to any user, unless there are special circumstances, it should be restricted to employees and patrollers.
Legends EditorsEdit
Legends editors are those who can use the Legends Card Viewer to also edit the data. In addition to those specifically tagged as Legends editors, all administrators can edit cards.
PatrollersEdit
Patrollers are a subset of editors who regularly monitor the Recent Changes page to ensure that new edits meet the site's style guidelines. Users in this group can mark edits as patrolled and can use the Special:Patrol tool. Members of this group must be successfully nominated by the UESPWiki community and can be added to the patroller group by an administrator. An automatically generated list of patrollers can be found here.
RollbackEdit
Users who are given the "rollback" flag are given access to a feature that reverts all consecutive edits made by one user with one click and automatically marks those edits as patrolled. Only administrators and bureaucrats have this ability.
TranslatorsEdit
Translators are users who have admin-like permissions for working with foreign-language versions of UESP.
Userspace PatrollersEdit
Userspace patrollers are users who monitor user pages and user talk pages, and can mark edits in those namespaces as patrolled. Administrators can add users to this group upon request, at their own discretion. An automatically generated list of users in this group can be found here.
Other UESP-Related GroupsEdit
These are groups of people who have elevated privileges elsewhere on UESP, not groups in the MediaWiki sense.
Discord StaffEdit
Staff Members on Discord keep the server working and usable. They have the power to kick and ban users, as well as perform channel maintenance. See the Discord page for details on channel operators.
ESO GuildmastersEdit
Guildmasters have the ability to assign roles to other users.
Forum ModeratorsEdit
Moderators have the power to close, delete, lock, and move posts and threads on the forums. See the Forums page for details on forum moderators.
Server AccessEdit
Only Daveh has full access to the servers on which UESP runs, including the ability to update and configure all of site's operating software. Alfwyn, Jak Atackka, Nephele and RobinHood70 can log in to the servers and view the site's software configuration files. They can make changes to the development server, though access rights to the production servers varies.
Social Media WebmastersEdit
Social media webmasters manage our social media accounts.
See AlsoEdit
- ListGroupRights — A complete list of all account flags, including specific abilities granted to each group