External Links Icons Templates

## Links

**Created May 2022**

## Icon Links

There are new Icon Links to be used on the Author pages only.

```
<!--- column 1 --->
<!--- column 2 --->
<!--- column 3 --->
<!--- column 4 --->
<!--- column 5 --->
}}
```

The main template "Ext Links icons" is used to format the icons in columns, rather then just 1 vertical column which is the natural way they would display without it. It does nothing else except crate a table with five cells across, an unlimited number of rows can be used.

The icons are arranged in this order because the last 2 or 3 columns are the ones that are most common to be not available for an author, though occasionally, especially with new authors, the FF information is missing. It is recommended to still add the FF icon template with the name properly formatted as someday it will probably be there and that way the page will not need to be udpated. Other then the icon links for the social media sites such as facebook, those can not be formatted so if the author doesn't currently have an id for any of them, they should be omitted. The same for the templates used in the last column, but all of the sites in the first two columns, the information can be added utilizing the proper formats.

Some authors have several fandom wiki's and more then 1 entry in wikipedia that you may want to include, this is why fandom has it's own column. A good example to look at is Charlaine Harris who has 4 fandom wikis, which is why they have been added to their own column. Many authors have no fandom wikis, in that case only 3 or 4 rows will display. see Douglas Adams for what happens when there is nothing for an entire column, since he is deceased he doesn't have any of the social media links so that column is missing entirely.

URL's are incredibly touchy so if in the examples Caps are used or Lower-case for the first letter in the names, that is the way the entry has to be made on the author pages. The same with any special characters that are used to replace spacing.

Try to keep the columns balanced as best as possible. For almost all authors the first two columns will display with 3 each icons. Rarely there isn't an author page for "Fantastic Fiction" but it does happen. Deceased authors may still have a webstire, sometimes taken over by their heirs or by a foundation but they will not have any of the social medium icons displayed.

**If in doubt, ask an admin!!!!** or post your question on the forum and one of the admins will answer it within 24 hrs.

### Extra Icon Links

*Smashwords icon'* and template have been created.

At this time there isn't a separate field dedicated to smashwords, but it can still be easily added to an authors page. Since the Ext Links Icon template can easily handle multiple icon templates for any of it's parameters, just add the Smashwords icon template in either an empty slot or with the Web slot as shown in the above examples. At this time, only added it if there is a need for it.

All of the external link templates can be found in Social Media Template category

## Text Links

There is a suite of External Links Templates installed and used on the series' pages. A few of them would be appropriate to use on the Series and/or book pages. Instructions to use those templates can be found at External Links Templates

## Page Name Overrides

You can override the Page name, simply by including a 2nd parameter. ie:

```
{{Amazon icon|Janet-Edwards/e/B006QVMYPG|Janet Edwards at Amazon}}
```
 gives...

This will work for all except "Web Link" and "Fandom Link", both of those templates require a 2nd parameter

## How to format the call

### Amazon

```
{{Amazon icon|Janet-Edwards/e/B006QVMYPG}}
```
 on an author's page or in the Author's infobox external link section, where as the one parameter that you have to have is part of the Amazon URL. You have have the authors name **(Janet-Edwards/X/xxxxxxxx)** where as the x's follow the author's name in the url. These are all different for each author and amazon's way of identifying the individual authors.)

```
{{Amazon icon|Janet-Edwards/e/B006QVMYPG}}
```
 gives...

### Audible

The Author code is almost exactly like amazon's author link, the only difference is the missing letter i.e. /e/ in both examples, so once you have the Amazon code you can add audibles template without having to go to their site.

```
{{Audible icon|Janet-Edwards/B006QVMYPG}}
```
 gives...

### Facebook

```
{{Facebook icon|JanetEdwardsSF}}
```
 on an author's page or in the Author's infobox external link section, where as the one parameter that you have to have is what ever comes at the end of their Facebook page. i.e.JanetEdwardsSF

**Other Examples**:

* Michael G. Manning should be entered as "MagebornAuthor"
* Amanda M. Lee should be entered as "6587327.Amanda\_M\_Lee"

Be sure and test your link to ensure you've entered it correctly

Sample output

```
{{Facebook icon|JanetEdwardsSF}}
```
 gives...

Additional options
If the author has a personal page and a FB fan group you might want to add a 2nd icon with a link to the group. In doing so you have format the parameter slightly different.

```
{{Facebook icon|groups/1922751214601167}}
```

```
```

### Fandom

```
{{Fandom icon|Janet-Edwards|Janet Edwards Wiki}}
```

You should always include the 2nd parameter, which is used for the Hover display. It is rare that the page name and the wiki display name will match so the default page name override just doesn't work as well.

Type

```
{{Fandom icon|Portal-Future|Portal Future Wiki}}
```
 on an author's page or in the Author's infobox external link section, where as the one parameter that you have to have is the fandom wiki page name.

The name used in the first parameter, as in *Portal-future* is exactly the beginning of the URL for that fandom wiki

i.e.

```
https://portal-future.fandom.com/wiki/Portal_Future_Wiki
```

1st parameter = portal-future (no spaces)
2nd parameter = Portal Future Wiki (formatted for a nicer appearance with the underscores replaced with spaces.

Sample output

```
{{Fandom icon|Janet-Edwards|Janet Edwards Wiki}}
```
 gives...

If the author has more then one fandom wiki associated with it, then include as many as has been created at Fandom.com and string them together as follows ....

```
```
 gives...

The "Ext links icons" template will display the fandom= parameter in a 5th vertical column, an icon for each occurrence of "Fandom icon" template added.

### Fantastic Fiction

```
{{FF icon|a/douglas-adams}}
```

Fantastic Fiction is a database driven website that will usually list the entire body of works by an author so it is a good place to identify and even find some authors earlier works that may not appear on Amazon or Goodreads.

Type
```
{{FF icon|a/Douglas Adams}}
```
 on an author's page or in the Author's infobox external link section, where as the one parameter that you have to have is the initial of the author's last name "/" Author's Name, formatted with lower case letters only and spaces replaced with a "-" i.e. a/douglas-adams
**Other Examples**:

* L.A. Banks should be entered as "/b/l-a-banks/" When initials are used, omit "." and add "-" instead of spaces.
* Mary Robinette Kowal should be entered as k/mary-robinette-kowal/

Be sure and test your link because they may not use a middle initial such as

* Robert A. Heinlein is listed as h/robert-heinlein/ (no middle initial)
* Arthur C. Clarke is listed as c/arthur-c-clarke/ (uses the middle initial)

The display will show the FF Icon, followed by the page name, followed by On Author's Name.

Sample output

```
{{FF icon|a/douglas-adams}}
```
 gives...

**Note: There is a UK Fantastic Fiction, but it auto redirects, so if you are in the UK if you click on the link your browser should auto redirect to their UK site. Not sure how many other countries they have this set up for, would love to get some feedback on it.**

### Goodreads

The Goodreads url for an author is

```
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4.Douglas_Adams
```

or

```
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5415711.Janet_Edwards
```

with a number and period(.) before the Authors name, with underscore (\_) replacing spaces. You can enter just the number or the entire ####.Name1\_Name2. Both ways will work

Type

```
{{Goodreads icon|4}}
```
 on an author's page or in the Author's infobox external link section.

The display will show the Goodreads Icon, followed by the author's name, followed by On Goodreads.

Sample output

```
{{Goodreads link|4.Douglas_Adams}}
```
 gives...

or

```
{{Goodreads icon|4}}
```
 gives...

### Smashwords

At this time Smashwords icon is strictly optional as the main "Ext links icons" template does not have a parameter for it. It can be included in place of one of the other fields if it would be blank or included it with the web= or fandom= parameter. (as shown in the example at the top of the page)

Type
```
{{Smashwords icon|BarbaraHambly1821}}
```
 on an author's page or in the Author's infobox external link section, where as the one parameter that you have to have is what ever comes at the end of their smashwords url. i.e. BarbaraHambly1821

```
{{Smashwords icon|<BarbaraHambly1821>}}
```

### Twitter

Type
```
{{Twitter icon|JanetEdwardsSF}}
```
 on an author's page or in the Author's infobox external link section, where as the one parameter that you have to have is what ever comes at the end of their twitter page. i.e.JanetEdwardsSF
**Other Examples**:

Be sure and test your link to ensure you've entered it correctly

The display will show the Facebook Icon, followed by the page name, followed by Author's Name On Facebook.

Sample output

```
{{Twitter icon|JanetEdwardsSF}}
```
 gives...

### Web

Type

```
{{Web icon|janetedwards.com|official site}}
```
 on an author's page or in the Author's infobox external link section.

This template requires a 2nd parameter and you must have the one pipe symbol "|" between your entries

Sample output

```
{{Web icon|janetedwards.com|official site}}
```
 gives...

### Wikipedia

Type

```
{{Wikipedia icon|Douglas Adams}}
```
 on an author's page or in the Author's infobox external link section, where as the one parameter that you have to have is the wikipedia page name.

Sample output

```
{{Wikipedia icon|Douglas Adams}}
```
 gives...

or if using on a book page for example ...

```
{{Wikipedia icon|The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy}}
```
 gives...