Forum:Tag template "function" not working with wikia

I've been trying to make a clickable image that would links to a content page rather than the image file page. To do this, I've been using the imagemap feature that is by default installed on all Wikia wikis. It would be used something like this:

This part works, and it is a really cool feature that can be used in a whole bunch of ways, including doing things far more complicated than what I'm doing here. What I'm trying to do is to put this kind of linking via a template so you don't have to keep forming the full structure here and do something like:

 

There are a couple of known bugs regarding this that are on the main MediaWiki bug list:


 * Transclusion of variables like fails in imagemap
 * Template parameters unavailable to XML-style parser tags

I admit I'm pushing the limits of what Mediawiki does here and this is at the bleeding edge of getting things done with the software. Still, putting an image link system inside of a template ought to work (including the hover/alternate text... see the image above!) and at least use these extension features as well.

An alternative is to use the #tag feature of MediaWiki, as documented on this page of the MediaWiki guide to Magic Words. Supposedly this is a part of the base line installation of MediaWiki since version 1.12.... and according to the version information Wikia is currently using version 1.13

The following example of this #tag "function" is as follows:

 

produces the following output:

I can get this to work here on Wikia central, but I can't get it to work on one of the larger wikis:


 * c:runescape:User:Robert Horning/Sandbox

I don't know what may be conflicting here and keeping this tag feature from working. --Robert Horning 11:10, 19 January 2009 (UTC)


 * answer: runescape is still on the old parser engine that came out with MW v1.12, central is on the new one.
 * http://runescape.wikia.com/wiki/User:Robert_Horning/Sandbox?timtest=newpp
 * we are working on getting ALL wikis switched over to the new one (actually they wont have a choice once we go to 1.14), but the larger wikis (like runescape) are still working on getting their templates straightened out. you may want to bring it up with the admin team there to start putting more effort into it, and see about getting it switched over as soon as they can. it may break the site for a brief time while things are broken, but in my experience, the few things that break can be fixed quickly. -Uberfuzzy 11:44, 19 January 2009 (UTC)


 * About how long is the timeline before this sort of switch is going to happen? At least on the runescape wiki, there certainly is a team of admins experienced enough to be able to deal with any sort of problems that may come up, particularly if we (I am an admin there as well) are notified about when the upgrade will happen.  I only anticipate a couple of templates causing problems, and there are several folks on that wiki who are quite savvy with templates.  --Robert Horning 20:29, 19 January 2009 (UTC)

And why doing it the simple and normal way isn't good ?

http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/central/images/a/a4/Valkyrie_Poster_Image_1.jpg

http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/central/images/a/a4/Valkyrie_Poster_Image_1.jpg

— TulipVorlax 05:32, 20 January 2009 (UTC)


 * Ok, it cant be resized that way. But a smaller version could be uploaded too. — TulipVorlax 05:34, 20 January 2009 (UTC)
 * It isn't the smaller size that is the issue here... there is a bigger issue that is the purpose of trying to report this "bug". Also, did you notice the "hover over" text, and the fact that the link is much easier to edit for mere mortals?  That also doesn't help if you are templating more complex image maps that have multiple click regions and are using some of the more complex aspects of this plug-in.  It isn't just a clickable image that I'm seeking here, although that is an example application.  --Robert Horning 09:37, 20 January 2009 (UTC)