Forum:"X class" vs "X-class"

I keep finding myself looking for a particular starship class by putting e.g. "Excelsior-class" rather than Excelsior class. Is there a batch process which can be run to create a redirect from the "dashed" page to the "spaced" page, so that I don't get flummoxed when the system tells me "Excelsior-class" doesn't exist? -- 80.6.81.224 11:31, 1 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Is is all that necessary? If you put "Excelsior-class" into the search function, Excelsior class comes up within the top two results. --OuroborosCobra talk 22:07, 1 June 2009 (UTC)
 * I think we should have re-directs. Both terms are used on MA, and if I were to take a guess, I imagine both could be found in canon (probably in okodograms).  Clearly someone who types it in with the hyphen is looking for that page, so why not redirect and save them a click? Its not like we have space limits anymore. ---  Jaz  00:08, 3 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Because it isn't all that useful. As I said, it comes up at the top in the links when you do a search. If it is being used on MA, it shouldn't be. If you can find it in an Okudagram, that'd make it more worthwhile, but someone needs to find it first. --OuroborosCobra talk 01:02, 3 June 2009 (UTC)
 * I can't find a clear graphic, though I suspect the original graphic in which 'Constitution-class' become canon used the hyphen, as that is what was used in behind the scenes materials. Furthermore, if you take a look at MA, we use the hyphen more often than the space. ---  Jaz  01:20, 3 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Can you give me specific examples of MA use? Just saying "it's all over the place" isn't really all that helpful in terms of this discussion. Can you help find an image? I'm being understanding, but without something actually presented here, what can I do other than say "I don't agree?" --OuroborosCobra talk 01:24, 3 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Excelsior class everywhere in the article other than the title and preamble, Constitution class after the title, Galaxy class after the title, Defiant class after the title, Intrepid class other than in the title, everywhere past the title, and almost every other major page on starship classes I could find.  ---  Jaz  02:32, 3 June 2009 (UTC)
 * We basically have a current system where none of our page names correspond to what we use in article text. ---  Jaz  02:33, 3 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Then we should fix the article text. --OuroborosCobra talk 02:44, 3 June 2009 (UTC)
 * A while back, Alan (I think) ran a bot changing the text to the hyphenated system. Why are you so opposed to redirects? ---  Jaz  04:07, 3 June 2009 (UTC)


 * This is something that I've been working on, bit by bit... making sure references to ship classes use the Class template (or Type, if appropriate), and are in the xxxx-class format throughout the articles they appear in. I just haven't finished (blame it on ADD... heh). Many of the primary class name articles still need to be standardized. -- Renegade54 04:09, 3 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Oh, and I think the reason we've avoided "xxxx-class" redirects is the same reason we've avoided "Title Name" redirects... they end up creeping into articles as links, rather than remaining simply as redirects. For the ship classes, they should be linked in articles via the templates. -- Renegade54 04:13, 3 June 2009 (UTC)
 * I see. But isn't the ease of viewing/searching a priority over community maintenance issues?  I mean, isn't the end goal of this project that we are trying to be as accessible as possible? ---  Jaz  04:56, 3 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Searching is not an issue. At all. If you search with the hyphen, the class article comes up within the top two results. If you can't find it when doing that, you aren't going to be able to read the article either once you get to it. --OuroborosCobra talk 06:55, 3 June 2009 (UTC)
 * But why force people to do that when it is clear what they are looking for? After all, they are using the same nomenclature that we use throughout articles. --- Jaz  07:28, 3 June 2009 (UTC)
 * You are the one saying it was about "searching." Searching works just fine the way it is. The only thing that is required is clicking the mouse once. This, as opposed to adding the redirect, which encourages the poor editing practices Renegade said we are trying to avoid. Single mouse click vs. crappy editing practice. I fail to see the massive need here. --OuroborosCobra talk 07:57, 3 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Apparently, I wasn't too observant in that regard, because this is the first time I realize that a good deal of our articles have titles incompatible with the primary way to link to them. This doesn't make sense... why have the template put out X-class if the article is located at X class? Or, the other way around? Whichever naming scheme we use (and I believe we already had that discussion, once or twice), we should use it consistently in both article titles and the template. -- Cid Highwind 18:50, 3 June 2009 (UTC)


 * To butt in slightly on that point - this is actually a grammatical issue; both are in fact correct, but depend on usage. If the term is being used as a modifier, it gets the hyphen. If it's used on its own, it doesn't. So, "An Excelsior-class starship", "the starship was of the Excelsior class". So, strictly speaking, the subject of the article is the "Excelsior class", but when speaking about them as starships inside the article, "Excelsior-class starships" is the correct usage. -- Michael Warren | Talk 19:13, 3 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Just want to add, Wikipedia does the same thing we are in this respect. Take a look at . No hyphen in the title, but virtually every instance in the article itself has the hyphen. --OuroborosCobra talk 20:13, 3 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Re:Michael - Hmm, interesting. I wasn't aware of that, thanks for the information. However, just having a look at Excelsior class, aren't many of the hyphenated versions used wrongly in that case? "The Excelsior-class was a ...", "The Excelsior-class was present ...", "The Excelsior-class featured ...", or even the sidebar title - all of those should be without hyphen, right? -- Cid Highwind 21:05, 3 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Yes, but that's because people have been changing them all to use the hyphen... :D -- Michael Warren | Talk 04:54, 4 June 2009 (UTC)