Wikipedia talk:Template index/Archive 2

message: There are currently two templates for this, the , listed on this page, and . The latter was made about a month earlier and both have about 10-20 pages using them. I think that it's best if we decide on one now and delete the other before the usage becomes widespread. Personally, I prefer the short one. --Aqua 23:00, Jan 15, 2005 (UTC)
:The latter now redirects to the former, which is shorter.  Almost all instances of the latter have also been replaced. -- ALoan (Talk) 14:55, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  ''Main article:...'' 

message: This article should address how to use variables in templates, or at least the fact that they exist.  I added a short sentence about this, but it should be elaborated a bit. +sj + 21:28, 30 Jan 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Variable use

message: There is a further complication with the Template:Tfd tag, which gets inserted into templates and can make it difficult to see which template it is suggesting should be deleted.  Similar advantages and disadvantages apply.  My view is that it would be better on the template talk page. Choose one of the main articles on  to see the effect and look at Template_talk:Tfd to see a discussion. --Henrygb 22:26, 15 Feb 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Template for deletion tag

message: How am I able to create templates?  Zscout370 00:01, 19 Feb 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Simply create a page at the Template: namespace (that is, whose name begins with "Template:" - for instance, Template:Disambig). — Itai (f&t) 11:52, 19 Feb 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Creating Templates

message: I think the Infoboxes section in this table should be removed since there's already a huge number of infobox templates listed at Wikipedia:Infobox templates.
:Oops. The unsigned comment above was mine. I've edited out the word huge because I was remembering the huge number of navigational templates, not infobox templates. Anyway, some of the content of Wikipedia:Template messages/Infoboxes duplicates info at Wikipedia:WikiProject Tree of Life/Taxobox Usage. The rest seems to belong on Wikipedia:Infobox templates. - dcljr 23:34, 19 Feb 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Infoboxes listed elsewhere 

message: #Template:CurrentCOTW? Hopefully I'll be able to figure it out myself eventually. Thanks. Hyacinth 04:19, 23 Feb 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: I'd put it under General. - dcljr 23:17, 2 Mar 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Where would this be listed?

message: I'd like to reorganize the article-related namespace table in the following way:
General          	Article sources	Links          	For deletion
Issues & Disputes	Cleanup        	Maintenance    	Stubs
Lists            	Compact TOC    	Infoboxes      	Taxoboxes
Redirect pages   	Talk namespace 	Image namespace	Media namespace
Mainly because it groups the longest maintenance-related lists together in the same (2nd) row of the table. If there are no objections, I'll make this change next week. I'm hoping the Miscellaneous section will be gone by the time I do this, so that's why it's not in the above table. - dcljr 07:44, 24 Feb 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Proposed reorganization 

message: Link to translation is listed under Talk namespace. Which templates does it refer to? Is this different from Needs translation? Petersam 03:48, 20 Mar 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Link to translation

message: Well, I reorganized the table in a way similar to, but not identical with, the proposed reorganization above. I'm not completely happy with it, but I think it can serve as a basis for a better layout. As you can see, I've grouped Maintenance and Cleanup together next to Issues & Disputes. This magnifies the similarities between them. Should we perhaps try to reduce the redundancies? If so, I suggest we favor removing stuff from Issues and Maintenance if they're also in Cleanup. In fact, maybe there's not even a need for the Issues part anymore (the page is actually called Wikipedia:Template messages/Disputes)... I'll ask on the respective talk pages (1, 2, 3) to see what people think. - dcljr 15:55, 5 Apr 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: I've done some of this. 'Issues' shouldn't have been with the disputes, I moved that to maintenance, and also avoided some of the duplication by transcluding move-related groups. --Joy [shallot] 00:12, 12 July 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Major reorganization 

message: I've suggested at User talk:Violetriga/statusdevelopment that the tags on talk pages be made a more consistent design.  Please take a look and leave some comments there. violet/riga (t) 13:10, 10 Apr 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Talk page tag consistency 

message: Somebody should create a template for Wikipedians to experiment with.  This template should be used with Wikipedia's sandbox. --SuperDude 00:01, 20 Apr 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: There are several templates for people to experiment with and they are already listed on this page. (Scroll down to "Template sandbox".) Perhaps they need to be listed more prominently on the page or in the wiki sandbox itself? - Pioneer-12 00:35, 20 Apr 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Sandbox 

message: I'm not exactly sure where to categorize this template, so somebody can do it for me. I just pulled the following from the pope article and named the template flux:
	This article documents a current event.  Information may change rapidly as the event progresses.
: Categorized under Template_messages/General. This is quite similar to Template:Current but has a different emphasis. Wipe 21:05, 9 May 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Added flux template 

message: Ok there are god knows how many country stubs. I can do all of that with one template, use it with care.
:
:
===Update===
Minor issue with countries that have a different name for images and diferent name for their articles. (only a few has this problem)
:
:
 Cat chi? 03:17, 8 May 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: There are problems with the way that these templates are created because they make certain assumptions about the way that the country stubs, and their corresponding categories are named. They should not be used, and, in fact, should be deleted, because they will cause more problems than they solve. For example, note the red-linked categories that your examples created. BlankVerse ∅  08:05, 15 May 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Agreed - as noted on the WP:WSS pages - this system doesn't work well, will need constant updating to accommodate any newly created stubs, and requires more work from stub sorters, not less. Grutness...wha? 10:30, 17 May 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Stubs, unite 

message: Minor issue with countries that have a different name for images and diferent name for their articles. (only a few has this problem)
:
:
 Cat chi? 03:17, 8 May 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: There are problems with the way that these templates are created because they make certain assumptions about the way that the country stubs, and their corresponding categories are named. They should not be used, and, in fact, should be deleted, because they will cause more problems than they solve. For example, note the red-linked categories that your examples created. BlankVerse ∅  08:05, 15 May 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Agreed - as noted on the WP:WSS pages - this system doesn't work well, will need constant updating to accommodate any newly created stubs, and requires more work from stub sorters, not less. Grutness...wha? 10:30, 17 May 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Update

message: I'm only HTML semi-literate (at best).  I've noticed that the "Tennessee Higher Education" template seems to be erroneous in that it lists John A. Gupton College (a mortuary school in Nashville) under a portion of the template which implies that it is a (state) technical/community college.  I'd like this fixed, but if I try it am apt to do more harm than good.  Suggestions, anyone?
Rlquall 01:49, 17 May 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Just type "Template:name of template" in the search box on the left side of the page, in this case, Template:Tennessee Higher Education. See Wikipedia:Template namespace and other links at bottom of project page for more info...  If you still need help, what specific change would you like to make?  Petersam 03:16, 17 May 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Are there links somewhere to edit specific templates? 

message: I propose moving the text about stubs to the "Related pages for specific types of templates" section near the bottom of the page. I also propose moving the taxobox page link to the same section because it's not a subpage of this page and differs in style and content. I can make these changes in the next week if they aren't already made.
The related pages section seems to be growing, so renaming it may be worth considering. Wipe 09:20, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Further reorganization

message: I would appreciate any comments any one might have on using this template, as a way to prevent repeated copyvio checks, etc. func(talk) 23:12, 16 Jun 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  [[Template:Gnuweb]] 

message: Hi there. As a newish editor I've spent some time familiarizing myself with the way Wikipedia is edited. I'd been looking for the method to put up a notice on an article page or in the article's talk page. I eventually found out that one does this with the use of templates, which are indexed in this article.
I think some of the tables that categorize the various templates are unhelpful. The point of an index is to show clearly the end point or the category of the end point a user is interested in. If the index is too simplified, this end is not served, because a user will have to click through and run down the list to see if what he's looking for is actually there.
I edited  a table ("Maintenance") yesterday that I thought was the poorest example (it took me some time to locate what I was looking for from the main page because the table was uninformative). This edit was reverted  by user Wipe, who says, "Reverted. This page shouldn't be bloated like that; the full lists are on the subpages, please use shorthands here."
I disagree with him. It wasn't "bloated," it was clearly itemized, and a user, especially a new one, will be able to find what he is looking for much more easily that way. Experienced users may find no difference of course: for example, you probably already know what a "sister project" is, but a poor newbie looking for a template to Wikibooks may not know have a snowball's chance of knowing that's where he'd have to look to find it. 
That's the point of a classification or an index: make everything clear.
I'm not particularly miffed or anything of course. If the tables stay the way they are it won't make my job difficult because now I know where everything is. It'll just be one more weakness on Wikipedia. ~ Neuroscientist 09:46, Jun 26, 2005 (UTC)
:I agree that sister project is a vague concept and should be expanded. But surely it would be enough to say:
:* Move to Wiktionary/Wikiquote/Wikisource/Wikibooks/Commons
:instead of:
:Moves:
:* Move to Wiktionary
:* Move to Wikiquote
:* Move to Wikisource
:* Move to Wikibooks
:* Move to Commons
:That just wastes space, makes the table hard to use, and looks silly. The point of this page, as I see it, is to give an overall view of what kinds of templates are out there. The subpages themselves (e.g. /Maintenance) are the indexes; this is an index to indexes - they are just a click away as you mentioned. Consider the page Wikipedia:Navigational templates - would it make sense to list everything that is there also on this page? Hardly. Some of the subpages here aren't (yet) complete and your style of indexing could actually bloat this page into a mammoth. As a new user, you have to run down the lists in any case. It's not worth making this page excessively long and hard to use for experienced editors just to save a couple of clicks and a learning experience from the newbies. If you want more structure, you can add it to the subpages by dividing the long tables into sections. Wipe 15:39, 26 Jun 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  The Template boxes: An Index to Templates 

message: I propose we replace the  attribute with .
See full proposal.
<>Who?¿? 22:05, 26 Jun 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Proposed IMDB and Tvtome template updates

message: There is a poll at Wikipedia:Template locations and a discussion at :Template talk:Expansion, discussing where certain templates, particularly the expansion template, ought to go. I.e. whether it belongs on an article, or on a talk page. 
This is particularly important as one user is currently unilaterally moving the template from a large series of random articles to their talk pages, in the process losing information such as which section it referred to. ~~~~ 13:51, 10 July 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Template locations 

message: Is there a template message to tag a page of equations to be translated from math formula to plain english? 
Such as: Math2english (example template)
 This article's formula needs to be translated to the English language.
A simple case would be: 
1+1=2 
one plus one equals two; 
a more complex one would be: 
: f_c = {1 \over 2 \pi \sqrt{L C}} 
:the resonant frequency euqals one over the product of two pi and the square root of inducatance and capacitance. 
This wouldn't replace the formula, but be in addition to it. It may be helpful to people not skilled in mathematics. Thanks. JDR 16:28, 5 August 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Math equations to plain english 

message: I've just come across this on Marv Goldberg (its only use so far); my own feeling is that it's not only unneeded but undesirable, and I've explained on Template talk:Subject-editor — other comments would be welcome. --Mel Etitis  (Μελ Ετητης) 10:31, 27 September 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  [[Template:Subject-editor]] 

message: What is up with the Wikipedia:Template messages/All page? It shows up in the "Articles that need to be wikified" category and I was going to see if I could make it show up in the same place as all the Wikipedia namespace articles, but when I try to access it, it times out. Thanks -- Kjkolb 06:04, 4 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: It probably shows up in "Articles needing to be wikified" because it's got a  template in it.  It has been extraordinarily slow lately (I haven't had the patience to see if it times out It finally loaded; it didn't time out just now), but I don't know why. --Alynna 06:16, 4 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Wikipedia:Template messages/All 

message: I came here looking to find a template on restructuring or reorganizing an article, but see that there is nothing along those line. I think there should be something for articles made up of good content, but have various structural problems or just just around from one topic to the next in no discernable order. Any thoughts? 172 | Talk 20:09, 28 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Template for restructuring or reorganizing an article?

message: User:LarryLACa moved table template related talk here 11/04/05.
===prettytable===
table formatting templates like ? - Omegatron 20:14, Mar 21, 2005 (UTC)
===Table fixes, please? please please please===
Although I've read that table weirdness may be result of my browser (Safari 1.0.3 in Mac OS X, FWIW) the "General" table looks fine, but the "Maintenance" table stretches waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay over to the right side of the screen.  As does the "general Cleanup" table, but the following "specific cleanup issues" and "Controversy" tables go back to normal.  could somebody with more wikitablexperience please fix this?  Thank you.  Soundguy99 01:01, 16 May 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: I think you should update or use another browser (such as Firefox). A quick Google search reveals lots of problems with that Safari version. Wipe 14:08, 16 May 2005 (UTC)

text: Renamed the Standard boxes list to "Subject matter boxes and diagrams" in the table but left the sub-page name unchanged.  Added bullet items for Diagrams, Games and Puzzles, etc.  Updated the sub-page lead paragraph accordingly. Add a few related templates that I had found to the list. -- LarryLACa 06:27, 9 November 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Table Templates

message: Although I've read that table weirdness may be result of my browser (Safari 1.0.3 in Mac OS X, FWIW) the "General" table looks fine, but the "Maintenance" table stretches waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay over to the right side of the screen.  As does the "general Cleanup" table, but the following "specific cleanup issues" and "Controversy" tables go back to normal.  could somebody with more wikitablexperience please fix this?  Thank you.  Soundguy99 01:01, 16 May 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: I think you should update or use another browser (such as Firefox). A quick Google search reveals lots of problems with that Safari version. Wipe 14:08, 16 May 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Table fixes, please? please please please

message: I've spent the last 2 days looking for/trying to work with Table Templates.  I think we need a topic or list to collect these templates.  There are several Table Templates under Leisure..Games (stubs), but it would be nice to have a collection just for Table templates.  This would facilitate reuse. 
See also discussion about this pages table organization.  I'd suggest listing Table Templates under General.
LarryLACa 19:06, 3 November 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Renamed the Standard boxes list to "Subject matter boxes and diagrams" in the table but left the sub-page name unchanged.  Added bullet items for Diagrams, Games and Puzzles, etc.  Updated the sub-page lead paragraph accordingly. Add a few related templates that I had found to the list. -- LarryLACa 06:27, 9 November 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Table Template Topic/Category Needed?

message: The Edit links in the tables are directing to the next table from the one you click. I don't know how to fix this, so...somebody? --Calion 08:23, 31 December 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Mis-directed Edit links

message: Hi there! Can anybody tell me if there is a template anywhere that deals with linguistic unilateralism, i.e. when there is only one language mentioned, while the issued matter has different names in american and british english? TIA :) — Daniel FR 21:17, 5 November 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Please clarify the type of template sought.  Do you want a nicely formatted list of alternate terms, auto translation for localization or ...?  There is a statment under policies about being regionally tolerant and deferring to the most closely related geographic area when the subject matter dictates.  (e.g. articles on English (UK) history should defer to british usage.)  It's a standard practice to use #Redirects for alternate article titles to bridge local conventions. See also Disambiguation. -- LarryLACa 06:43, 9 November 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  American vs. British English 

message: BTW, If one displays the edit links within the table column headings, and tries to use them, they go to the wrong place. The Subject matter edit link goes to the next section. -- LarryLACa 06:43, 9 November 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: I tried to solve this (I notice Francis Schonken tried too); I got the edit buttons to match the correct section #s but they still open the wrong section.  It appears to be bug in MediaWiki relating to sections nested within tables.  Not sure if there's any way to fix it short of fixing the MediaWiki code itself. --TidyCat 02:56, 6 December 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Table column edit links broken 

message: Made this template for a temlplate how a template talk page should look like Template:Template talk template →AzaToth 01:11, 26 November 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Template talk template 

message: I wish to one day see all boxed template messages have graphical icons that accurately reflect their content.  I tried adding my own icons to some of them, but almost all of them were removed.  Looks like being bold doesn't always work.  Denelson83  00:10, 5 December 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Graphic icons 

message: I've created Wikipedia:Current and future event templates page for a detailed documentation and listing of current and future events templates (taken the example of Wikipedia:Spoiler warning. Actually I'm in an intermediate level of English, so I appreciate your help in copyediting and expanding this page. CG 22:00, 12 December 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Current and future event templates 

message: If there's a better place to write this, or if I should just be bold and create this, please instruct me..
As Wikipedia continues its enormous growth, it also rises in importance as an information resource. Unfortunately, this also applies to politics, and as the George W. Bush and John Kerry articles demonstrated a nearing election can turn our coverage of the people involved into hotbeds of POV and vandalism. For these reasons I propose creating this template (or an improved version of it):
		
This is an article about a candidate in the upcoming , which may draw controversy and partisanship.
to add into appropriate articles no earlier than one month before the voting starts. --Kizor 21:59, 17 December 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Thanks. I was thinking of a month as an arbitrary limit to ensure that articles don't get slapped with this too soon; announcements for less prominent elections have little immediate effect. --Kizor 23:58, 17 December 2005 (UTC)

text: True, but as an example, Mitt Romney just announced he will not run for relelection as Massachusetts Governer, and political anaylists almost unanimously agree that he will run for president.  So it would make sense, assuming the template official by then, to be ready to slap it on.--Oni Ookami AlfadorTalk|@ 01:09, 18 December 2005 (UTC)

text: Kizor, great template. I have already found use for it. --Ezeu 16:54, 27 December 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Woot! --Kizor 18:57, 27 December 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Proposing a warning template for running politicians 

message: Is there a policy/guideline regarding when to use the  format instead of the  format?  Everyone knows certain specific templates, such as the AFD templates, have the instruction that they use the subst: construction, but what's the proper procedure for, say, an infobox?  My understanding is that subst: is always preferable because it reduces server load, but that could be a misunderstanding.  The Literate Engineer 03:38, 23 December 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: I wondered about this too. My preference would be not to use subst on many of the tags that go on article pages, since the unsubstituted template is far more readable and editor-friendly.--Srleffler 07:40, 23 December 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Some templates should definitely be subst'ed (like those for the various -FDs) others should never be subst'ed (like the stub templates) the others, it seems to vary from case to case. There's a discussion about it at Wikipedia:Subst, though I haven't really been following the debate. Grutness...wha? 10:03, 23 December 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Using Subst: