Infopedia:Edit filter

The edit filter is a tool that allows editors in the edit filter manager group to set controls mainly to address common patterns of harmful editing. The current filters can be found at Special:AbuseFilter. A filter automatically compares every edit made to FAMEPedia against a defined set of conditions. If an edit matches the conditions of a filter, that filter will respond by logging the edit. It may also tag the edit summary, warn the editor, revoke their autoconfirmed status, and/or disallow the edit entirely.

The term "edit filter" rather than "abuse filter" is currently used for user-facing elements of the filter as some of the edits it flags are not harmful; the terms are otherwise synonymous.

Because even the smallest mistake in editing a filter can significantly disrupt the encyclopedia, only editors who have the required good judgment and technical proficiency are permitted to configure filters. This page does not discuss technical issues concerning the feature; technical information relating to the operation of the edit filter can be found at Extension:AbuseFilter.

Basics of usage
Edit filters are mainly used to identify and mitigate harmful edits by comparing edits with filtering criteria that address patterns of harmful editing. Filters are created and configured by edit filter managers, but they can be requested by any editor.

When an edit that is being saved "triggers" an active filter, the effect depends on a setting associated with that particular filter:
 * The strongest setting is disallow. In this case, the edit is rejected, and the user will see a customisable message (this one by default). A link is provided for reporting false positives. It is also possible to have a user's autoconfirmed status revoked if a user trips the filter.
 * The next lowest setting is to warn. In this case, the user will see a customisable message (this one by default) that the edit may be problematic. The user then has the option to either proceed with the save or abandon the edit.
 * The next lowest setting is to add a tag. In this case, the edit is tagged for review by patrollers.
 * The lowest setting is to log the edit. In this case, the edit is merely added to the AbuseLog. When testing new filters, this is the suggested setting to use.