HotCat serves as a tool for the modification of interlanguage links spanning Wookieepedia and the interconnected network of Star Wars sister wikis in other languages. Originally, it was a bot account operated by Jedipedia.net, but it has since transitioned into a user script operating directly on Wookieepedia. The underlying code for HotCat is constructed using JavaScript, supplemented by elements of CSS and JSON.
To activate HotCat, navigate to your preferences. Within the "Gadgets" section, you can enable HotCat alongside a variety of other tools. Following the saving of your preferences, clearing the page cache may be necessary.
Alternatively, HotCat can be enabled by copying the contents located on this page and pasting it into your personal JavaScript page. However, in this scenario, it's essential to ensure that personal JavaScript is enabled within the "Appearance" settings of your preferences. Subsequently, you should duplicate the content available from here into your personal CSS page.
In the event that you attempt to manually modify Wookieepedia's interlanguage section using the "Edit" button, it is strongly recommended to utilize either the "Source editor" or "VisualEditor - source mode" options found within the "Editing" tab of your preferences, rather than relying on the default VisualEditor. This precaution helps prevent potential disruptions to the page's underlying code.
HotCat is initiated by clicking the designated button situated in the bottom right corner of the category box, typically found near the end of a page.
Upon launching HotCat, you will encounter a listing of linked articles from other wikis, accompanied by a small window pre-populated with the page's name. Replace the existing name with the corresponding title of the current article in your language. Subsequently, select the appropriate language code (if unsure, you can consult this resource) and click "Add". HotCat may then indicate instances where certain wikis lack a link to your article. By clicking the √ symbol, you can establish a link from these pages. This step can be bypassed, or existing links can be removed by clicking the X symbol. Once all links have been verified and corrected, the message "HotCat didn't find anything to change." will appear, after which you can proceed by clicking the "Save" button. It's crucial to refrain from closing the window until all modifications are fully processed, as premature closure will prevent the changes from being implemented. To review your changes, similar to using "diff" in recent changes, utilize the "Diff" link associated with the relevant language.
If you identify that an article is already linked to a page from your wiki, but the connection is inaccurate (potentially due to identical naming conventions), you can employ the ± button, which facilitates link modification. After "Applying" the changes, it remains necessary to update the links on other wikis using the √ button.
HotCat also possesses the capability to automatically detect redirects and non-existent articles. It provides notifications for each instance and allows for their correction. However, if it determines that all other wikis are linked to a non-existent article, it's advisable to verify the status of that page. It's possible that the page has been renamed without the creation of a redirect. In such cases, you are encouraged to update the link to maintain the integrity of the interwiki connection.
It's also important to exercise caution when editing Canon/Legends pages that have corresponding Legends/Canon counterparts. If a Legends page is found to have a Canon interwiki link (or vice versa), please update the links accordingly.
HotCat enables the addition of links on Wookieepedia to wikis that are interconnected within the Interlang template. It's important to note that Hotcat exclusively edits Fandom wikis. The process differs slightly for external sites, such as German Jedipedia.net, Polish Ossus.pl, and Finnish Jedipedia. While it allows for the addition of links to these sites in the Wookieepedia article and other wikis on Fandom, as well as the modification or removal of links, the script will not identify if the link is a redirect or leads to a non-existent page. Furthermore, none of the aforementioned wikis will have their articles directly edited by the script.