Help:Cite errors/Cite error references no key
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This page will help you to fix the cite error message:
A list-defined reference has no name (see the help page).
- If you have read this help page and find something missing or confusing, please discuss it at the main talk page.
- Please reference this page and the page where you have the problem so we can understand your issues.
- For basic information on the footnotes system, see Referencing for beginners; for advanced help, see Footnotes.
Overview
A footnote used multiple times may be defined with a name:
<ref name="foo">content</ref>
To invoke a named footnote:
<ref name="foo" />
References may also be defined within the reference list:
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name=refname1>refcontent1</ref>
<ref name=refname2>refcontent2</ref>
<ref name=refname3>refcontent3</ref>
<ref name=refname4>refcontent4</ref>
}}
List-defined references may be invoked by the standard markup or by use of {{r}}.
An explanatory note may include a reference by using #tag:ref:
{{#tag:ref|refcontent|name=name|group=groupname}}
Where content may include <ref>...</ref> tags
Issues and resolution
A list-defined reference has an invalid name. Ensure the footnote name is formatted properly.
More than one use of {{refn}} or #tag:ref within list defined references. You can only use {{refn}} or #tag:ref once as a list-defined reference.
Examples
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In the example below, a reference with the name excepteur is not named in the References list, since that reference is malformed. This causes a secondary error because the undefined reference is invoked in the References list:
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.<ref name=ipsum/> Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.<ref name=minim/> Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.<ref name=duis/> Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.<ref name=excepteur/> Curabitur pretium tincidunt lacus. ==References== {{reflist|refs= <ref name=duis>duis</ref> <ref name=>excepteur</ref> <ref name=ipsum>ipsum</ref> <ref name=minim>minim</ref> }}
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.[1] Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laborious nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.[2] Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.[3] Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.[4] Curabitur pretium tincidunt lacus.
Nested references defined with #tag:ref are used more than once in the reference list:
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.<ref name=ipsum/> Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.<ref name=minim/> Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.<ref name=duis group=nb/> Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.<ref name=excepteur group=nb/> Curabitur pretium tincidunt lacus.
==Notes==
{{reflist|group=nb|refs=
{{refn|duis<ref>Reference 1</ref>|name=duis|group=nb}}
{{refn|excepteur<ref>Reference 2</ref>|name=excepteur|group=nb}}
}}
==References==
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name=ipsum>ipsum</ref>
<ref name=minim>minim</ref>}}}
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.[1] Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laborious nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.[2] Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.[nb 1] Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.[nb 2] Curabitur pretium tincidunt lacus.
Technical
Pages with this error message are placed into Pages with incorrect ref formatting. The system message page is at Cite error references no key.
Bugs
- T22707 Nested refs fail inside references block