I'm not an expert template creator, but in creating templates for the wikis I contribute to, I've learned some things that I'd like to share that I don't feel are covered in other guides I've seen.
The two types of templates
- those that add articles to categories
- those that don't
Structure of a template
- Template code
- Categories the pages with the template will be added to (if any)
- Code that stops anything below from appearing in the template
- Explanation of how to use the template
- Helpful links related to the template (i.e. a "See also" and "External links" section)
- Categories the template page will be placed in
Let's go through each of those by looking at an actual "page stub" template, which I like to call "Needs expansion" (as in, "This article needs expansion") rather than "Stub" or "Page stub" since I try to minimise jargon.
1. Template code
2. Categories the pages with the template will be added to (if any)
3. Code that stops anything below from appearing in the template
4. Explanation of how to use the template
6. Categories the template page will be placed in
See also
- d