Forum:How to create optional parameters?

Ok my main issue here is that im making new templates for infoboxes and i just realized that i need to make some of the parameters optional as they dont correspond to every character article. The problem is while i know the general idea is to use "if" i cant seem to work it out in the right way. The form of template style is as so [] and the coding for it is set up like


 * - valign="top"


 * style="" | Race


 * style="width:15em;" |


 * - valign="top"


 * style="" | Birthday


 * style="width:15em;" |


 * - valign="top"


 * style="" | Age


 * style="width:15em;" |

Im not sure what im doing wrong as when i place the "if" the desired affect does not happen. leaving the label heading with either empty spots which i dont want or label heading with the {{#if: visible in the box. Im trying to make age and birthday optional, but thats not happening even with the optional parameters help page its still not working. {{subst:User:Salubri/subpageone}} 20:58, January 12, 2010 (UTC)

{{clr}} {{#if: {{{age|}}}|{{!}}- valign="top" {{!}} style="" {{!}} Age {{!}} style="width:15em;" {{!}} {{{age}}} }}
 * What you have to do is more along the above than what you were doing. This will take out an entire row from the table if the specified parameter is unused. The {{#if has to encompass the entire part of the code that should not be shown if the element is unused, not just the variable related to what should not be shown. --Yoshord 00:20, January 13, 2010 (UTC)