Template:Main other/doc

This is the {{main other}} meta-template.

This template helps other templates detect if they are on a main space (article) page or some "other" type of page.

Basic usage

This template usually takes two parameters, like this:

{{main other | Article text | Other pages text }}

If the template is on a main space (article) page, it will return this:

Article text

If the template is on any other page, it will return this:

Other pages text

A typical usage case could be to make it so that a template only adds a category when on an article. Thus not adding other pages that just show the template. Like this:

{{main other | [[Category:Some article maintenance category]] }}

Or to warn that a template should not be used on other pages:

{{main other | | This template should only be used in articles. }}

Note that in the first case above the "other" parameter was not used, and in the second example the "main" parameter was left empty.

Demospace

For testing and demonstration purposes this template can take a parameter named demospace.

• If it has the value main it returns the article text.
• It if has the value other or any other value such as the name of some other namespace it returns the other pages text.
• If the parameter is empty or undefined, the actual page type determines the result.

Like this:

{{main other 
| Article text 
| Other pages text 
| demospace = main
}}

No matter on what kind of page the code above is used it will return this:

Article text

You can make it so your template also understands the demospace parameter. That means you can demonstrate the different appearances of your template in the documentation for your template. Then do like this:

{{main other 
| Article text 
| Other pages text 
| demospace = {{{demospace|}}}
}}

Technical details

This template detects article "Talk:" pages as type other.

This template works like {{main talk other}}, for more examples and technical details see full documentation there.

See also

Pagename-handling and detection templates:

• {{pgn}} – Can take apart and put together pagenames in several ways.
• {{basepage subpage}} – For detecting if on a basepage, subpage or subsubpage.
• {{if pagename}} – For pattern matching on the pagename.
• {{if pagename multi}} – For pattern matching on the pagename, has input reuse.
• {{IP-user other}} – For detecting IP-user pages.

Easy to use namespace-detection templates:

• {{main other}} – For article templates.
• {{talk other}} – For talk page templates.
• {{user other}} – For user page templates.
• {{wikipedia other}} – For detecting "Wikipedia:" pages.
• {{file other}} – For file (image) templates.
• {{template other}} – For detecting template pages.
• {{help other}} – For help page templates.
• {{category other}} – For category templates.
• {{portal other}} – For portal templates.
• {{book other}} – For detecting book pages.

More complex namespace-detection templates:

• {{namespace detect}} – The very versatile one.
• {{namespace detect showall}} – The extremely versatile one, has input reuse.
• {{talkspace detect}} - For detecting talk pages on various namespaces.

Technical stuff:

• mw:Help:Magic words – About {{NAMESPACE}} etc.
• mw:Help:Extension:ParserFunctions – About {{#ifeq:|||}} etc.