fromOldPageName

FromOldPageName is a placeholder name used in wiki documentation and software examples to refer to the original title of a page that has been renamed or moved within a wiki. It is not a built-in feature of any specific system, but it appears in tutorials, move templates, and database schemas to illustrate how redirects and history are managed when page titles change.

In most wiki engines, renaming a page creates a redirect from the old title to the new one, preserving links, history, and search indexing. The old title is often stored in a redirects table or log with fields such as from_title or fromOldPageName, to_title, timestamp, and user. The identifier fromOldPageName serves as a readable stand-in for the original page name, helping editors understand what was changed.

In documentation and templates, fromOldPageName can be used to display notices like "This page was formerly known as fromOldPageName" or to programmatically update links when bulk migrations occur. Some systems allow an alias or move template to automatically render such notices.

Limitations include case folding, language-specific normalization, and the need to keep redirects consistent to avoid broken links. Best practices emphasize updating internal links, maintaining a clear move log, and avoiding frequent renaming to minimize redirects.

See also: redirects, page renaming, move templates, history, canonicalization.