FAQ for script owners

By uploading it. Any new scripts you contribute are automatically yours.
By asking an existing owner if you can share ownership. If they grant you ownership, both of you have the same rights to update or amend the script
By claiming ownership on the Control panel / Claim or assign ownership of your scripts page. This is the most likely case if you have recently joined the Library, and have noticed that we have a script of yours that has no owners.

1.2. How can I check if you have scripts of mine that I don't own?

Take a look at list unowned scripts

1.3. What's the difference between owning a script, its copyright, and the license it has?

Copyright belongs to the author. Publishing a copy in the Library does not affect that.
Licensing is what the copyright holder says can be done with copies of the script that are downloaded (or otherwise copied) from the Library. The license conditions are in the Library header on each script.
Ownership is what allows Library members to edit or amend the copy of the script in the Library.

1.4. Who else can edit the script?

Several of the Librarians (Currently Gregg and Sunanda) can edit any script in the Library. We wouldn't do this without your permission, except as a last resort: perhaps to correct a bug. The Statistics page for a script will show if we have edited it.

2. Counts and numbers

2.1. How can I tell how often my script has been accessed?

If you are logged on and are viewing the script, click the Statistics link in the view menu bar. The page will give you counts of things like:

how often viewed
how often downloaded
how often executed under plugin
how often the documentation has been viewed

2.2. Can other Library members see these counts?

No. Only the script owner and the Librarians have access to the Statistics page. All other users see the History page; that does not include the counts

2.3. So how can I tell whose scripts are downloaded more than mine?

You can't, and that would be fairly meaningless anyway.

For a meaningless comparison, visit the Control panel / Script popularity page.

3. Archive

3.1. What happens to older versions when I upload a new one?

We keep all uploaded versions in the Library archive.

3.2. Can I see old version, then?

Yes. If you are logged on and are viewing the script, click the Statistics link in the view menu bar. It will show you a summary of all versions. Click the version number to see that version.

3.3. Any easy way to tell what I changed?

Yes. From the same page as above, click the Compare with link. The Library's diff util will let you compare any two versions of a script.

3.4. Can anyone else see the older versions?

Only if you let them. From the same screen as above, click the Update archive details and publicly available versions link. From there you can set any older version as being public or not.

Be warned: the default is public. When you upload a new version of a script, the previous one will still be publicly available unless you unset the public checkbox.

Any Library member can view or download any public version of a script.

3.5. Why would I want to set an older version as not public?

It contained a dangerous bug, so it is not safe to let it loose
You no longer wish to support that version
You've changed the license conditions

4. Discussion posts

4.1. Someone has posted a comment about one of my scripts. How do I reply to that?

Click the add new post link on the Discussion page

4.2. How do I find out if someone has posted about one of my scripts?

The best way is to be notified by email when it happens. To get sent notices, visit the Control panel / Update profile and personal preferences page.

Alternatively, take a look at Scripts with discussions.

4.3. Someone added a gratuitous comment. What can I do?

Edit it. As the script owner, you can moderate the discussion about your script. Each posted comment will have an edit post button.

Please don't do this gratuitously.

If you think the member is trolling, please report them via the feedback page. The Librarians will investigate.

5. How do I .....?

5.1. Delete a script?

We'd rather you didn't. People may be using it. They may have links to it, or have bookmarked.
if you really want or need the script withdrawn from service, please send us a feedback message. We'll handle it for you.

5.2. Rename a script?

Again, we'd rather you didn't -- people may have it bookmarked or have links to it.
If you really want or need to rename a script, please send us a feedback message. We'll handle it for you.....Or see the next question....

5.3. Replace a script with another one?

Here's one way to withdraw one script and replace it with another one with a different name, while keeping a full trail of the changes:

Add the new script
Follow the instructions above to delete the old script, but add this one extra step:
Add an extra Library Header field, replaced-by. Give it the name of the new script, eg:
replaced-by: %my-new-script.r (note the % on the script name)

When users view your withdrawn script, it will have a note saying it has been replaced, and there'll be a clickable link to the new script.

5.4. Make it run under the plugin?

Update the script so the Library header entry platform includes the word plugin, example:

library: [ ... platform: [all plugin] ... ]

Last updated: 6-Aug-2005