Template:Ambox/sandbox
 |
 | This is the template sandbox page for Template:Ambox (diff). |
 | This template uses Lua: |
| Message box meta-templates | |
|---|---|
| template | context |
| {{Rmbox}} | resource |
| {{Cmbox}} | category |
| {{Imbox}} | image |
| {{Tmbox}} | talk |
| {{Fmbox}} | footer / header |
| {{Ombox}} | other pages |
| {{Mbox}} | auto-detect |
| {{Rsbox}} | resource stub |
| {{Dmbox}} | disambiguation |
{{Rmbox}} stands for Resource message box, which is a metatemplate. It is used to build message boxes for templates used in resources, such as {{underlinked}}. It offers several different colours, images and some other features. {{Rmbox}} is just an alias of {{Ambox}} for ease of interwiki integration.
Basic usage
[edit source]The box below shows the most common parameters that are accepted by {{Ambox}}. The purpose of each is described below.
{{Ambox
| name =
| subst = <includeonly>{{subst:substcheck}}</includeonly>
| small = {{{small|}}}
| type =
| image =
| sect = {{{1|}}}
| issue =
| talk = {{{talk|}}}
| fix =
| date = {{{date|}}}
| cat =
| all =
}}
Full usage
[edit source]The "All parameters" box shows all possible parameters for this template. However, it is not recommended to copy this, because it will never be required to use all parameters simultaneously.
| All parameters |
|---|
{{Ambox
| name =
| subst = <includeonly>{{subst:substcheck}}</includeonly>
| small = {{{small|}}}
| type =
| image =
| imageright =
| smallimage =
| smallimageright =
| class =
| style =
| textstyle =
| sect = {{{1|}}}
| issue =
| talk = {{{talk|}}}
| fix =
| date = {{{date|}}}
| text =
| smalltext =
| plainlinks = no
| removalnotice =
| cat =
| all =
| cat2 =
| all2 =
| cat3 =
| all3 =
}}
|
Common parameters
[edit source]name
[edit source]The name parameter specifies the name of the template, without the Template namespace prefix. For example {{Underlinked}} specifies |name=Underlinked.
This parameter should be updated if the template is ever moved. The purpose of this parameter is twofold:
- If incorrectly substituted, it allows the meta-template to notify the name of the template which has been substituted, which may help editors to fix the problem.
- It allows the template to have a more useful display on its template page, for example to show the date even when not specified, and to apply categorisation of the template itself.
subst
[edit source]The subst parameter allows the meta-template to detect whether the template has been incorrectly substituted, and give an appropriate warning. It will also add such pages to Category:Pages with incorrectly substituted templates. Just copy the code exactly as it appears in the box.
small
[edit source]The small parameter should be passed through the template, as this will allow editors to use the small format by specifying |small=left on a resource:
 |
This is the small left-aligned Ambox format. |
Otherwise the standard format will be produced:
|
This is the standard Ambox format. |
Other variations:
- For templates which should never be small, specify
|small=noor do not pass the small parameter at all. - For templates which should always be small, just specify
|small=left. - For templates which should default to small, try
|small={{{small|left}}}. This will allow an editor to override by using|small=noon a resource.
To use a small box that adjusts its width to match the text, use |style=width: auto; margin-right: 0px; and |textstyle=width: auto; together:
|
|
This is the small left-aligned Ambox format with flexible width. |
See § sect below for more information on how to limit |small= display to cases when the template is being used for a section instead of the whole resource (recommended, to prevent inconsistent top-of-resource display).
type
[edit source]The type parameter defines the colour of the left bar, and the image that is used by default. The type is chosen not on aesthetics but is based on the type of issue that the template describes. The seven available types and their default images are shown below.
 |
type=speedy – Speedy deletion issues, such as {{db-g1}} and {{db-g3}}. |
|
type=delete – Deletion issues, such as {{resource for deletion}} and {{proposed deletion}}. |
 |
type=content – Content issues, such as {{POV}} and {{globalize}}. |
 |
type=style – Style issues, such as {{cleanup}} and {{underlinked}}. |
|
type=notice – Resource notices, such as {{current}} and {{in use}}. |
 |
type=move – Merge, split and transwiki proposals, such as {{split}} and {{merge}}. |
 |
type=protection – Protection notices, such as {{pp-vandalism}} and {{pp-protected}}. |
If no type parameter is given the template defaults to |type=notice.
image
[edit source]You can choose a specific image to use for the template by using the image parameter. Images are specified using the standard syntax for inserting files in Wikiversity (see Help:Images). For example:
- {{POV}} specifies
|image=[[File:Unbalanced scales.svg|40px|link=|alt=]]and looks like this:
 |
The neutrality of this resource is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page. (December 2024) Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved. |
- {{underlinked}} specifies
|image=[[File:Ambox wikify.svg|50x40px|link=|alt=]]and looks like this:
Please note:
- If no image is specified then the default image corresponding to the type is used. (See #type above.)
- If
|image=noneis specified, then no image is used and the text uses the whole message box area. - If an icon is purely decorative and also in the public domain, accessibility can be improved by suppressing the link to the file page by adding "
|link=|alt=" as seen above.
sect
[edit source]Many resource message templates begin with the text This resource ... and it is often desirable that this wording change to This section ... if the template is used on a section instead. The value of this parameter will replace the word "resource". Various possibilities for use include: |sect=list, |sect=table, |sect="In popular culture" material, etc.
If using this feature, be sure to remove the first two words ("This resource") from the template's text, otherwise it will be duplicated.
A common way to facilitate this functionality is to pass |sect={{{1|}}}. This will allow editors to type section, for example, as the first unnamed parameter of the template to change the wording. For example, {{Advert|section}} produces:
|
This resource contains content that is written like an advertisement. Please help improve it by removing promotional content and inappropriate external links, and by adding educational content. See the discussion on the talk page. (December 2024) |
Another approach is to pass |sect={{{section|{{{sect|}}}}}} to provide a named value. Another is to use {{Yesno}} to parse the value for a positive, and pass |sect=section if true.
These approaches can be combined, and this is recommended. The following ready-to-use code:
enables the following:
- Any positive value that {{Yesno}} can detect will be used with the named parameter in the ambox-based template to get "section" instead of "resource":
|section=y,|sect=True, etc. It is recommended to allow both|sect=and|section=so that editors do not have to guess which one will work. The sample code above does this for you. - Any other value passed, in any manner, will replace "resource":
|section and its subsections,|1=list,|sect=section,|section=table, etc.
It is also advisable to restrict use of the |small= parameter so that it is made contingent upon the template being applied to a section (or whatever) rather than the whole resource, to prevent the small version of the template being used at the top of the resource where it would be inconsistent with other resource-wide cleanup/dispute banners:
(In this case, any value of |small= or |left= will trigger the small, left display, as long as some value of |sect= or one of its aliases in that template has also been provided.) This code can be copy-pasted and used with the above code block. See, e.g., Template:Trivia and its Template:Trivia/testcases to observe the combined functionality.
issue and fix
[edit source]The issue parameter is used to describe the issue with the resource. Try to keep it short and to-the-point (approximately 10-20 words) and be sure to include a link to a relevant policy or guideline.
The fix parameter contains some text which describes what should be done to improve the resource. It may be longer than the text in issue, but should not usually be more than two sentences.
When the template is in its compact form (when placed inside {{multiple issues}}) or small form (when using |small=left), the issue is the only text that will be displayed. For example, {{Citation style}} defines
|issue=This resource '''has an unclear citation style'''.|fix=The references used may be made clearer with a different or consistent style of [[Wikiversity:Citing sources|citation]], [[Wikiversity:Footnotes|footnoting]], or [[Wikiversity:External links|external linking]].
When used stand-alone it produces the whole text: Template:Citation style
But when used inside {{Multiple issues}} or with |small=left it displays only the issue:
Template:Multiple issues
Template:Citation style
talk
[edit source]Some resource message templates include a link to the talk page, and allow an editor to specify a section heading to link directly to the relevant section. To achieve this functionality, simply pass the talk parameter through, i.e. |talk={{{talk|}}}
This parameter may then be used by an editor as follows:
|talk=SECTION HEADING– the link will point to the specified section on the resource's talk page, e.g.|talk=Foo|talk=FULL PAGE NAME– the template will link to the page specified (which may include a section anchor), e.g.|talk=Talk:Banana#Foo
Notes:
- When this parameter is used by a template, the talk page link will appear on the template itself (in order to demonstrate the functionality) but this will only display on resources if the parameter is actually defined.
- In order to make sure there is always a link to the talk page, you can use
|talk={{{talk|#}}}. - If the talk page does not exist, there will be no link, whatever the value of the parameter.
date
[edit source]Passing the date parameter through to the meta-template means that the date that the resource is tagged may be specified by an editor (or more commonly a bot). This will be displayed after the message in a smaller font.
Passing this parameter also enables monthly cleanup categorisation when the cat parameter is also defined.
info
[edit source]This parameter is for specifying additional information. Whatever you add here will appear after the date, and will not be displayed if the template is being wrapped in {{multiple issues}}.
removalnotice
[edit source]If you specify |removalnotice=yes, then the following notice will be displayed after the date and after the info text:
This will not be displayed if the template is being wrapped in {{multiple issues}}.
cat
[edit source]This parameter defines a monthly cleanup category. If |cat=CATEGORY then:
- resources will be placed in Category:CATEGORY from DATE if
|date=DATEis specified. - resources will be placed in Category:CATEGORY if the date is not specified.
For example, {{No footnotes}} specifies |cat=Resources lacking in-text citations and so a resource with the template {{No footnotes|date=June 2010}} will be placed in Category:Resources lacking in-text citations from June 2010.
The cat parameter should not be linked, nor should the prefix Category: be used.
all
[edit source]The all parameter defines a category into which all resources should be placed.
The all parameter should not be linked, nor should the prefix Category: be used.
Additional parameters
[edit source]imageright
[edit source]An image on the right side of the message box may be specified using this parameter. The syntax is the same as for the image parameter, except that the default is no image.
smallimage and smallimageright
[edit source]Images for the small format box may be specified using these parameters. They will have no effect unless |small=left is specified.
class
[edit source]Custom CSS classes to apply to the box. If adding multiple classes, they should be space-separated.
style and textstyle
[edit source]Optional CSS values may be defined, without quotation marks " " but with the ending semicolons ;.
- style specifies the style used by the entire message box table. This can be used to do things such as modifying the width of the box.
- textstyle relates to the text cell.
text and smalltext
[edit source]Instead of specifying the issue and the fix it is possible to use the text parameter instead.
Customised text for the small format can be defined using smalltext.
plainlinks
[edit source]Normally on Wikiversity, external links have an arrow icon next to them, like this: Example.com. However, in message boxes, the arrow icon is suppressed by default, like this: Example.com. To get the normal style of external link with the arrow icon, use |plainlinks=no.
cat2, cat3, all2, and all3
[edit source]- cat2 and cat3 provide for additional monthly categories; see #cat.
- all2 and all3 provide for additional categories into which all resources are placed, just like #all.
Technical notes
[edit source]- If you need to use special characters in the text parameter then you need to escape them like this:
{{Ambox
|nocat=true
| text = <div>
Equal sign = and a start and end brace { } work fine as they are.
But here is a pipe | and two end braces <nowiki>}}</nowiki>.
And now a pipe and end braces <nowiki>|}}</nowiki>.
</div>
}}
|
Equal sign = and a start and end brace { } work fine as they are. But here is a pipe | and two end braces }}. And now a pipe and end braces |}}. |
- The
<div>tags that surround the text in the example above are usually not needed. But if the text contains line breaks then sometimes we get weird line spacing. This especially happens when using vertical dotted lists. Then use the div tags to fix that. - The default images for this meta-template are in png format instead of svg format. The main reason is that some older web browsers have trouble with the transparent background that MediaWiki renders for svg images. The png images here have hand optimised transparent background colour so they look good in all browsers. Note that svg icons only look somewhat bad in the old browsers, thus such hand optimisation is only worth the trouble for very widely used icons.
- For more technical details see the talk page and the "See also" links below. Since this template works almost exactly like {{Tmbox}}, {{Imbox}}, {{Cmbox}} and {{Ombox}} their talk pages and related pages might also contain more details.
Display on mobile devices
[edit source]The MediaWiki developers have been conducted ongoing readability studies on ambox on the mobile version of Wikipedia. Until further notice, code installed by the developers on the mobile version will generally override what we do here regarding the display and layout of this template. For more information, see MW:Reading/Web/Projects/Mobile Page Issues.
TemplateData
[edit source]TemplateData for Ambox
Used to build message boxes for templates used in resources
| Parameter | Description | Type | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template Name | name | The name parameter specifies the name of the template, without the Template namespace prefix. | String | optional |
| subst | subst | Allows the meta-template to detect whether the template has been incorrectly substituted | Unknown | optional |
| Small Mode | small | The small parameter should be passed through the template, as this will allow editors to use the small format by specifying |small=left on a resource.
| String | optional |
| type | type | Type of issue the template describes. Defines the colour of the left bar, and the image that is used by default
| Line | optional |
| image | image | Image used with the template | File | optional |
| sect | sect | Parameter that can be used to change the text "this resource" to "this section" or something else
| Line | optional |
| issue | issue | Describes the issue with the resource | Content | optional |
| fix | fix | Describes what should be done to improve the resource | Content | optional |
| talk | talk | no description
| Unknown | optional |
| date | date | no description | Unknown | optional |
| info | info | Specifies additional information | Unknown | optional |
| removalnotice | removalnotice | Displays a notice about when and how to remove the template message | Boolean | optional |
| cat | cat | Defines a monthly cleanup category | Unknown | optional |
| all | all | Defines a category into which all resources should be placed | Unknown | optional |
| imageright | imageright | no description | Unknown | optional |
| class | class | no description | Unknown | optional |
| text | text | no description | Unknown | optional |
| plainlinks | plainlinks | no description | Unknown | optional |
| smallimage | smallimage | no description | Unknown | optional |
| smallimageright | smallimageright | no description | Unknown | optional |
| textstyle | textstyle | no description | Unknown | optional |
| style | style | no description | Unknown | optional |
| smalltext | smalltext | no description | Unknown | optional |
| cat2 | cat2 | no description | Unknown | optional |
| cat3 | cat3 | no description | Unknown | optional |
| all2 | all2 | no description | Unknown | optional |
| all3 | all3 | no description | Unknown | optional |
Mbox family
[edit source]There are several meta-templates in the mbox family:
- {{ambox}} – For article message boxes.
- {{tmbox}} – For talk page message boxes.
- {{imbox}} – For file (image) page message boxes.
- {{cmbox}} – For category message boxes.
- {{ombox}} – For other pages message boxes.
- {{mbox}} – Has namespace detection, for message boxes that are used on several types of pages and thus need to change style depending on what page they are used on.
Closely related meta-templates:
- {{fmbox}} – For header and footer message boxes.
See also
[edit source]- w:Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Article message boxes – The historical style guideline for creating resource message boxes on Wikipedia.