Forum:Infoboxes driving me insane

Hello. After struggling with MediaWiki for several hours I finally got it to install. Now that it's installed, I wanted to create an infobox for tracking people, places, and things. I more or less want to copy this structure of the pages at The Vault, a wiki for the Fallout game series. They even have nifty layout outlines too: http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/The_Vault:Article_layout_guideline/Character_article

My problem is that no matter how many different things I've tried (and deleted) I keep coming up with "Template loop detected" at the bottom of my pages, even though I've tried copying and pasting from dozens of different examples I've found.

The latest failure was copying a scientist infobox from wikipedia.

Template for Infobox = http://www.trenthergenrader.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:Infobox_scientist

Entry for Paul Dirac = http://www.trenthergenrader.com/wiki/index.php?title=Paul_Dirac

I downloaded and installed parserfunctions to see if that would help; it did not. I feel like there must be something simple that I'm doing wrong, but after hours upon hours of trying and failing and increasingly feeling like an idiot, I'm asking for help. In every thread (like this one http://community.wikia.com/wiki/Forum:How_do_you_make_infoboxes%3F) it seems like some poster comes in and magically saves the day, but there's never a clear explanation of what the problem was and how it was fixed.

Help, please?


 * The page, Template:Infobox scientist contains only a translucation of the template, Infobox scientist. There is no way this template could work -- Random Time  09:53, July 19, 2010 (UTC)


 * What you currently have in the page is the code that goes on the article page i.e a list of items that have a value assigned (data) to the item that should be passed to the infobox template code (if it existed). Look at Infobox in edit mode to see the 'real' code and not the list of parameters (inputs). For each item in your list there there is an item in the code within triple { brakets { – } to match the list of input items. I gave an explanation on a similar infobox quiery post on here a few days ago. There are several ways of making infobxes.


 * Note: I would say that if you have not got a clue about wiki template coding trying to set up your own media wiki installation and run it will be a very big undertaking as their is a lot of other coding done on wikia to make it easier to use and enhance the basic MediaWiki code. Hence most people using wikia and other wiki farms to host wiki sites, for open editing, as the 'background stuff' is taken care of. I would suggest finding a wiki on a subject you have an interest in and spending some time looking through the site and the templates to see how they work and are constructed and used like you have looked at fallout Wiki (i'm not familiar with that one personally). (I initialy started on Wikipedia before starting a project here for material that did not fit with Wikipedia's brief) It can be very frustrating trying to get templates to work, I spent ages trying to get some of the Wikipedia ones to work on Wikia before i found there is lots of 'hidden' stuff used in the more complex ones (CSS and Java Script) to actual link them into the MediaWiki and create the site 'look'. A vast amount of time has been spent developing the Templates on Wikipedia by a huge number of developers but they can be vastly over complex for simple use. Some sites on here have very complex systems in place as well that use lots of addins so be templates from one site may not be compatible with anothers templates. But the easiest way of creating templates is to find something that basically looks like what you want and copy it (add a note in the edit summary as to source for CC by SA attribution and so people can go to the original source one for help fixing problems & look at it history to see how it developed & any problems). You then change the headings, labels and inputs to suit you usage a bit at a time till it looks right & as you develop the site you will pick up more complex techniques from other templates. Getting the basic concepts is the hard bit with templates IMO - BulldozerD11 11:30, July 19, 2010 (UTC)


 * Looking at your site you have also tried to create which within the 'input list' calls two other templates  and  . The {{ tell the page to call the Template, the the items after the | are varies 'varibles or Parameters' that is the data that is passed to the template. Some template with lots of items use 'named' varible other just have a few and they are just listed in a set sequence or left out (blank). See examples here Named parameters are more user friendly. Template "Birth date" used unnamed parameters were as the more complex "Infobox Person" uses the named versions as adding extra items or information later is far easier especially for other uses, as a item such as "| place of birth = " is intuitive as to what is required to be input.


 * You need a basic 'std' infobox code from which yours can be built either wikias basic one Here or wikipedia's very complex one if you planing to copy (use) wikipedia templates. There is a lot of differences between the two versions !! Note also the list of connected templates that are also used at the bottom of the pages. Some of these relate to tha associated document page and examples used in it & not to the main template. (you are probably totally confused by now ;) ). I think you should create a page on you wiki describing what the wiki is about and the content it is to contain to give us a better idea of what templates would suit you as you currently have no content at all and mapping out the sites structure will guide what templates will be needed initially. If you were on wikia you would get a basic structure and Templtes as part of the initial set up !! - BulldozerD11 12:10, July 19, 2010 (UTC)
 * Thanks so much! I think I'll take your advice and use wikia instead. I was hoping that this would be similar to a WordPress install where you'd get some decent documentation and a GUI that helps you understand the overall structure, but that's not the case. I'll be using my wiki in a classroom setting too, so there's no telling what students will try to do, so having more structure in place would definitely be a good thing. Thanks again, your explanation was very clear and helpful.
 * The documentation for MediaWiki, especially on install - is rather bad. Good luck -- Random Time  17:30, July 19, 2010 (UTC)
 * The documentation for MediaWiki, especially on install - is rather bad. Good luck -- Random Time  17:30, July 19, 2010 (UTC)