External Links Templates

* **Updates:**
	+ **July 24, 2022** - All book outlet link templates are now converted to get **Series** pages only
	+ **May 21, 2022** - general instructions and clean up
	+ **Sept. 27, 2021** - All images are removed. Span functions replaced with tables and styles. Hopefully eliminate the spacing problems when multiple templates are listed. Template:Example Link is a template that shows the older version that has the coding for both the image and using <span> usage.

## Overview

There is a suite of External Links Templates installed and used on the Author's pages. A few of them would be appropriate to use on the Series and/or book pages. They all can be found in Social Media Template category

Because most of them are a bit difficult to create, the use of them is strictly optional. If you omit them, at some point one of the admins may add them, this should by no means be construed as criticism toward your edits.

What you have to enter for the call parameters is not initially intuitive so please follow these directions until you understand how to use them. Also, please test out any links that you do install to make sure you did it correctly.

**Note:** **in the example return display it is set up to use the Page Name, so on this help document it will show *External Links Templates*, so when placed in an article the display will be whatever the page name is.**

These templates all end in "Link" and can be used multiple times. where originally created for author specific links.
Some are still genetic and can be used for multipurpse links, some are series specific.

All available Link templates.

* Amazon link
* Audible.com link
* Barnes and Noble (B&N) (**New**)
* Facebook link
* Fandom link
* FF link (Fantastic Fiction)
* Goodreads link
* Gplay link (**New**)
* kobo (**New**)
* Twitter link
* Web link (use for any URL, perfect for Authors official web sites, fan sites, Blogs)
* Wikipedia link

## Page Name Overrides

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

```
{{Amazon link|Janet-Edwards/e/B006QVMYPG|Janet's Books}}
```
 gives...

## Book Outlet sites

### Amazon

Will display both US and UK Amazon links.

```
{{Amazon link|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.)

The display will show the Amazon Icon, followed by the Author's name, followed by On Amazon US. The Author's name will link to the Author's site on Amazon, the Amazon US or Amazon UK will link to their main page.

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

or

```
{{Amazon link|dp/B0771MQJLS}}
```
 gives...

### Audible

Will display both US and UK Audible.com links.
This template is now used only for "series" pages. For Author page, please use the Audible icon template.

the series and / or book id may be the same as used on the Amazon site, but you need to check to make sure as sometimes they are the same and some times not the same

```
{{Audible link|B005NBSM9C}}
```
 gives...

### B&N

B&N does not maintain a series page, so the only way you can get the url info is to go to B&N website, and put the series name as you know it in the Search engine. if that doesn't get the correct result, first search on the title of the first book and from that page, check what the series name is. Once you have the series name as listed on B&N, enter it in the search box and the resulting URL will have the name, with the spaces in between filled in with %20. When creating the parameter on the series page, you must include any and all %20 for spaces for their search engine to work correctly. This is the same exact procedure for Kobo, you can first try the same result at B&N to see if their series names are the same, check the link and great if it works!

The display will show the link by the article name, followed by at B&N.

```
{{B&N link|Honor%20Harrignton}}
```
 gives...

### Google Play

Retrieve the code from the URL of the series article at the google play website., it is preceded by /series?id=XYz4GgAAABCklM ...

The display will show the link by the article name, followed by at Google Play.

```
{{Gplay link|XYz4GgAAABCklM}}
```
 gives...

### Kobo

Kobo does not maintain a series page, so the only way you can get the url info is to go to Kobo website, and put the series name as you know it in the Search engine. if that doesn't get the correct result, first search on the title of the first book and from that page, check what the series name is. Once you have the series name as listed on kobo, enter it in the search box and the resulting URL will have the name, with the spaces in between filled in with %20. When creating the parameter on the series page, you must include any and all %20 for spaces for their search engine to work correctly. This is the same exact procedure for B&N, you can first try the same result at kobo to see if their series names are the same, check the link and great if it works!

The display will show the link by the article name, followed by at Kobo.

```
{{kobo link|Honor%20Harrignton}}
```
 gives...

## Social Media

These link templates will work for any userid at these sites, they are not specific for a certain "type".

### Facebook

```
{{Facebook link|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

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

*For some reason that I haven't figured out yet, there are some authors that even if you enter everything correctly their facebook page will not show up. I suspect it has something to do with linking to facebook via Twitter Instagram, I'm still trying get an answer on that.*

Sample output

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

### Fandom

This template requires 2 paramenters, the first one is the wiki name at the beginning of the url, the second one is the Wiki name displayed at the end of the URL.

Type

```
{{Fandom link|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.

The display will show the fandom Icon, followed by Wiki name entered in the 2nd parameter, followed by On Fandom.

Sample output

```
{{Fandom link|Portal-Future|Portal Future Wiki}}
{{Fandom link|Janet-Edwards|Janet Edwards Wiki}}
```
 gives...

An Author may have multiple wikis for their different series, so you may have to enter this template multiple times

### Twitter

Type
```
{{Twitter link|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 link|JanetEdwardsSF}}
```
 gives...

## Book Reference Sites

### Fantastic Fiction

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.

This site is a bit more difficult to figure out what the parameters are that you need as a result you may not want to include this link template in your lsit. There are multiple options:

**Author information** -

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

 **Series information** -
There are two different ways depending on the series.

If you want to add a link for a series that multiple authors have written in it, such as Dragonlance

```
{{FF link|series/dragonlance
```
 gives...

**Series link with only one author** ...

```
{{t|FF link|w/david-weber/honor-harrington/
```
 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 link|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 link|4}}
```
 gives...

## General Web sites

### Web

Type

```
{{Web link|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

The display will show the Offsite Icon, followed by the page name, followed by whatever you included such as "Official site" or Blog

Sample output

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

### Wikipedia

Type

```
{{Wikipedia link|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.

The display will show the wikipedia Icon, followed by the page name, followed by On Wikipedia.

Sample output

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

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

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