Preloaded templates allows the edit box of a newly created page to contain some pre-written text. This can provide instructions and information, or basic page structure, or a set of template parameters to fill in. This may be easier for new users to understand than an empty edit box, and can help them create pages that meet the wiki's style guidelines.
For a new feature in development which makes page creation tasks even easier, see Help:CreatePage.
Using preloaded templates with an article creation box
Preloaded templates are usually used with the "article creation" version of an inputbox. (They can also be used with the "comment" version.)
| Type this: | To make this: |
|---|---|
<inputbox> type=create preload=Template:New_page editintro=Template:Welcome width=25 </inputbox> |
Preloaded text: preload=pagename
The text of the page titled pagename will be preloaded into the blank editbox when a new page is created.
- Example: By specifying "preload=Template:Newpage", the content of "Template:Newpage" will be loaded into the edit box for the new article.
Edit introduction: editintro=pagename
The text of the page titled pagename will be added, as instructions, before the submission form for new pages. It is displayed instead of the text of MediaWiki:Newarticletext
- Example: By specifying "editintro=Template:Welcome", the content of Template:Welcome will be shown above the article.
Article creation links
You can also create links that make use of the preload and editintro parameters without inserting the inputbox itself onto a page.
For example, http://www.wikia.com/index.php?title=Test_Page&preload=Template:Sometext&action=edit will open a new page at "Test Page" and preload it with the text from the "Template:Sometext" page.
You can also open a new page for editing with a custom message at the top. For example, http://www.wikia.com/index.php?title=Test_Page&editintro=Template:Policies&action=edit will load a blank page, with the Template:Policies displayed above the empty editing box.
You can combine these two, to give a page that opens with the "Template:Policies" message at the top, and the content of "Template:Sometext" loaded into the edit box. http://www.wikia.com/index.php?title=Test_Page&preload=Template:Sometext&editintro=Template:Policies&action=edit