API:Backlinks

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Backlinks
This module can be used as a Generator .
Prefix	bl
Required rights	none
Post only?	No
Generated help	Current
Version added	≥ 1.9

Lists pages that link to a given page, similar to Special:Whatlinkshere.

Parameters

• bltitle: List pages linking to this title. The title does not need to exist.
• blpageid: Page ID to search.
• blnamespace: Only list pages in these namespaces
• blfilterredir: How to filter redirects. (Default: all)
  • all: List all pages regardless of their redirect flag.
  • redirects: Only list redirects. Note that redirects which include links to the page below the redirect itself will also be included in the results. Use API:Redirects to limit the results to only those pages that redirect directly to the source page.
  • nonredirects: Don't list redirects.
• bllimit: Maximum amount of pages to list. Maximum limit is halved if blredirect is set. No more than 500 (5000 for bots) allowed. (Default: 10)
• blredirect: If set, pages linking to bltitle through a redirect will also be listed. See below for more detailed information.
• blcontinue: Used to continue a previous request.

Example

Find all redirect pages that link or redirect to the en:Main Page.

api.php?action=query&list=backlinks&bltitle=Main%20Page&bllimit=5&blfilterredir=redirects [try in ApiSandbox]

Other links

Links through redirects

MediaWiki version:

1.12

When the blredirect parameter is set, this module behaves slightly differently. bllimit applies to both levels separately: if e.g. bllimit=10, at most 10 first-level pages (pages that link to bltitle) and 10 second-level pages (pages that link to bltitle through a redirect) will be listed. Continuing queries also works differently, as displayed in the following example.

Get a list of pages linking to Albert Einstein (note: the initial query includes a "blcontinue" parameter for purposes of illustration)

api.php?action=query&list=backlinks&bltitle=Albert_Einstein&blredirect&blcontinue=0|Albert_Einstein|8756 [try in ApiSandbox]

When continuing this request, we see that there are more pages linking to Einstein, and that some of the other first-level pages are listed again. If we continue this query again, the same first-level pages will be listed in the next response, as well. To progress beyond Energy, we have to query-continue again and again until we've had all links to Einstein (or increase bllimit, of course).

Continuing the previous request:

api.php?action=query&list=backlinks&bltitle=Albert_Einstein&blredirect&blcontinue=0|Albert_Einstein|9292|11439 [try in ApiSandbox]

Links through transclusions

If you need to list pages as they appear in "What links here" on the MediaWiki sites with pages transcluding the desired page, you might want to try API:Embeddedin list.

Links through image usage

If you need to list pages as they appear in "What links here" on the MediaWiki sites with pages displaying the desired file, you might want to try API:Imageusage list. This also works on non-existent files.

Error Codes

Code	Info
blbadcontinue	Invalid continue param. You should pass the original value returned by the previous query.