Template talk:Infobox Simpsons episode/Archive 1

Archive 1

Instructions

Syntax

{{Infobox Simpsons episode
| episode_name   = 
| image          = 
| image_caption  =
| episode_no     = 
| prod_code      = 
| airdate        = 
| show runner    = 
| writer         = 
| director       = 
| blackboard     = 
| couch_gag      = 
| guest_star     = 
| season         = 
| snpp_id        =
| imdb_id        =
| simpsons_guide =
}}

Usage

Parameters in red are required fields.

Parameter	Explanation
episode_name	The name of the episode; usually {{PAGENAME}}, but some need to be typed out manually.
image	An image of either the promotional artwork for the episode released by FOX or a screenshot that clearly illustrates the episode's plot; should be resized to 200px, but can stretch if necessary.
image_caption	A caption describing the image
episode_no	The overall episode number, in order of airdate (see List of The Simpsons episodes for the number).
prod_code	The episode's production code (see List of The Simpsons episodes for the code).
airdate	The original airdate of the episode, in Month Day, Year format.
show runner	The name of the show runner or show runners of the episode.
writer	The name of the writer or writers of the episode.
director	The name of the episode's director.
blackboard	The chalkboard phrase, copied verbatim from the episode.
couch_gag	A concise summary (short sentence) of the episode's couch gag.
guest_star	A list of the guest stars in the episode, separated by semicolons.
season	The season in which the episode aired.

Example

{{Infobox Simpsons episode
| episode_name = Krusty Gets Busted
| image        = [[Image:Krusty_Gets_Busted.jpg|200px|]]
| image_caption = Promotional artwork for Krusty Gets Busted
| episode_no   = 12
| prod_code    = 7G12
| airdate      = [[April 29]], [[1990]]
| show runner  = [[Matt Groening]], [[James L. Brooks]], and [[Sam Simon]]
| writer       = [[Jay Kogen]] and [[Wallace Wolodarsky]]
| director     = [[Brad Bird]]
| blackboard   = "They are laughing at me, not with me"
| couch_gag    = [[Maggie Simpson|Maggie]] pops out of the couch, and lands in [[Marge Simpson|Marge]]'s arms.
| guest_star   = [[Kelsey Grammer]] as Sideshow Bob
| season       = 1
}}

Results in:

"Infobox Simpsons episode/Archive 1"
The Simpsons episode
Episode no.	Season 1
Directed by	Brad Bird
Written by	Jay Kogen and Wallace Wolodarsky
Original air dates	April 29, 1990
Episode features
Chalkboard gag	"They are laughing at me, not with me"
Couch gag	Maggie pops out of the couch, and lands in Marge's arms.

Add music played by Lisa?

It strikes me that, in addition to "blackboard" and "couch_gag", there should be a field for the phrase Lisa plays on her sax on the way out of the band room. This also changes from episode to episode (though I'm not sure it's different every time). --Trovatore 02:59, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Dammit...

The SNPP capsule link is wrong for some episodes, like Whacking Day and Brother from the Same Planet. Some SNPP capsules are in files names (production code).html, some in files named (production code), and most are in both. How do you handle that? 152.3.46.147 23:49, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

I have removed the SNPP link from the infobox. First of all I don't think we should have external links in the infobox to unreliable sources. Secondly, there are multiple problems with it, so that the link is broken. The naming is inconsequent and they haven't written new capsules since the 14th season. Links to SNPP should be in the external links section. That way we can also ensure that it works for all cases. --Maitch 13:30, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

I've replaced the SNPP link, but in the form of a separate parameter. I've also added IMDB id and Simpsons.com episode guide parameters. The links won't show up unless their parameters have been specified, so there's no worry of broken links.

• snpp_id - Set to the SNPP ID, which is usually the production code, but as stated above it isn't always.
• imdb_id - Set to the IMDB ID, without the leading "tt". For example, the IMDB profile for "Bart after Dark" is located at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0763023/. The IMDB ID is 0763023.
• simpsons_guide - Set to the page name at the simpsons.com episode guide, which is a four-digit season/episode number. "Bart after Dark" is season 8 episode 5, so with leading zeros this is 0805 (http://www.thesimpsons.com/episode_guide/0805.htm). The parameter shouldn't include the .htm extension.

See Bart After Dark for an example of a box where all three of these parameters have been specified. If there are any problems or objections let me know.

Equazcion • argue/improves • 02:06, 09/25/2007

It seems kind of unnecessary, because many of the pages already have these in the external links section. -- Scorpion⁰⁴²² 02:19, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

The links wouldn't appear automatically, so whoever decides to add the parameters could then remove them from the external links section. Nearly every simpsons article has a link to its snpp capsule, and some are starting to have the IMDB and Simpsons.com links too. Why not provide a standard place for them in the template?

Equazcion • argue/improves • 02:21, 09/25/2007

There aren't SNPP capsules for any episodes after season 13. And, only about 50 of the episodes actually have all 3 as external links. Most just have SNPP links and the rest have no ELs at all. The infobox is already long enough, with some of the classic season episodes, the infobox template is longer than the actual article. -- Scorpion⁰⁴²² 02:24, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

Well as I said the only way the links would show up is if someone manually added the additional parameters, so I don't see why the current external links matter. But if it's just a matter of the template length (which I can understand), what if I try formatting the links differently to make them take up less space?

Equazcion • argue/improves • 02:28, 09/25/2007

There used to be an option for SNPP, but some pages vary and in many cases the links weren't working, so it was removed. There is a discussion about it somewhere (I think it's at the WP:SIMPSONS page) and it was decided that an external links section was better. Using the template will not get rid of the external links sections altogether - some also have TV.com and BBC links as well, so I'm not sure what adding some of them to the infobox accomplishes. -- Scorpion⁰⁴²² 02:32, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

The discussion about the SNPP links is above, in the section, and it was only taken out because the links were being created automatically from the production code, which isn't a problem the way I did it because I made a separate parameter. And even so that's just SNPP not the other two links. I took care of all the concerns, so may I reinstate my edits without getting reverted again?

Equazcion • argue/improves • 02:38, 09/25/2007

No, there was a proper consensus reached about it and I don't think you should readd it without discussing it at WP:SIMPSONS first, because it affects 407 articles. As well, you haven't answered my concern about why it's necessary when there there is an External links section that these links can just as easily be added to. And, why we should move a couple links out of the section, when it still wouldn't completely eliminate them. -- Scorpion⁰⁴²² 02:41, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

I wasn't looking to eliminate the external links section. I was looking to provide something via the template that most of the articles would use and benefit from. And since nothing would change on any article unless editors added the additional parameters manually, why not allow them to be available and see if editors use them? That would be a pretty good indicator of consensus, don't you think?

Equazcion • argue/improves • 02:47, 09/25/2007

Wait a minute, if your not looking to going to remove the links from the external links section, then what's the point of these parameters? It seems like a lot of work for nothing, really. -- Scorpion⁰⁴²² 02:50, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

I didn't say I wasn't going to remove links from the external links section, I said I wasn't looking to eliminate the external links section. Any article that had the parameters set should have the corresponding external links removed, but that doesn't mean there won't be other linsk left in the external links section. And what work exactly are we talking about? I've done all the work already, the parameters are coded. I won't ask you t do any work, trust me :) Why are you so against this? Nothing will change, like I said, unless editors want it to. So what's the problem?

Equazcion • argue/improves • 02:55, 09/25/2007

Again, you should get a consensus before doing this, because 90% of the pages that already have all 3 links are GAs. I still don't get the point of it. It's not mandatory, but you're going to go and change every article anyway? And besides, we try to be uniform here and thus it should be all or nothing. I am against your proposed changes because External links needs change from article to article, and I'm not sure why there should be an EL section just for the BBC and TV.com links while the others are put into the already extremely long template. -- Scorpion⁰⁴²² 02:59, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

Ok, I'll bring it up there then.

Equazcion • argue/improves • 03:01, 09/25/2007

Links to next season

There's been a request on the Help Desk for information on how to make this edit to the infobox, but it's probably safer if one of you super-templaters do it. Plus, you'd probably want to discuss it. The request is that the infobox have arrows at the bottom, as seen at the bottom of the Southpark episode infoboxen, that lead to the previous and next seasons (in fact, they lead to the first episode in those seasons, I think). This apparently makes browsing easier. Southpark does it with much more of a bodge than you though, so I'm keeping my fingers well off your code! Skittle 00:30, 2 August 2007 (UTC)

Show/hide for season?

Lots of good info in the box but the code is over my head, so I'll ask instead of messing something up. Is it possible to have the individual season listing be a show/hide toggle like the listing of all seasons? — MrDolomite • Talk 17:13, 17 June 2008 (UTC)

I think that is a good idea. The infobox is really too long in most cases. --Maitch (talk) 18:11, 17 June 2008 (UTC)

I've tried doing something along those lines, but have had no luck at all. Maybe we could get a template code expert to take a look. -- Scorpion⁰⁴²² 19:29, 17 June 2008 (UTC)

Near as I can figure, the part that may need to be changed could be down in {{Infobox Simpsons season episode list}} — MrDolomite • Talk 20:53, 17 June 2008 (UTC)

I figured it out. Tell me if there needs to be more tweaks. --Maitch (talk) 13:22, 18 June 2008 (UTC)

• Excellent, exactly what I was thinking of. You've been Barnstarred. — MrDolomite • Talk 15:05, 18 June 2008 (UTC)

Add billboard gag

In addition to the "blackboard gag" and "couch gag", there should be a field for the billboard gag in the new opening sequence. This also changes from episode to episode. BradFraggle (talk) 18:58, 3 March 2009 (UTC)

It's been two episodes. At least wait until the end of the season to see if it becomes a true runner. -- Scorpion⁰⁴²² 19:00, 3 March 2009 (UTC)

Wikipedia legally says there is a new opening with THE BILLBOARD GAG, add it!!! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Y32 (talk • contribs) 16:17, 7 March 2009 (UTC)

The Billboard Gag has been added.

The billboard wasn't in the first 430 some episodes, so therefore it would show up in the infobox in less than 1% of episodes. CTJF83Talk 01:58, 28 March 2009 (UTC)

Infbox Color

May I ask why the infobox isn't yellow?? It would seem the natural choice... Dr. Blofeld ^{White cat} 15:41, 31 July 2009 (UTC)

Agreed. ajmint (talk•email•contribs•subpages) 18:56, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

It needs to fit in with the standard for TV episode infoboxes. Wikipedia isn't themed, so I don't know why the Simpsons navboxes are cartoon yellow either. Rcsprinter (talkin' to me?) @ 15:10, 18 February 2013 (UTC)

Go check out the Wikia Simpsons wiki. 202.160.16.155 (talk) 23:02, 22 July 2014 (UTC)

Flying gag?

What about flying gag (someone flies by in the very first seconds of the episode) in the 22th season (and maybe earlier) ? Should it be added? Bull-Dozer (talk) 11:59, 26 May 2011 (UTC)

No, too small, trivial and unnoticeable. Rcsprinter (yak) @ 15:11, 18 February 2013 (UTC)

Rewrite

Since another deletion discussion has went nowhere, would anyone be open to rewriting the template? My idea would be to use the basis of Template:Infobox television episode and add the showrunner(s), chalkboard gag and couch gag fields. Tell me what you think. Koala15 (talk) 01:20, 24 July 2014 (UTC)

DVD commentary?

I'm a little surprised to see DVD commentary as one of the infobox fields. This seems a bit trivial to me, and I would venture to say that it isn't of concern to most readers. I didn't see any discussion regarding this field but I would humbly submit that it's a bit too trivial for the infobox, though I don't strongly care one way or another. DonIago (talk) 13:37, 29 August 2014 (UTC)

"Image" parameter needs a fix

File: should no longer be necessary when image= parameter is entered. However, I don't know how to make codes similar to template:infobox television episode. Per WP:IUP, ###px shall be discouraged; upright=1 or upright=1.15 should be used instead to respect a user's preference of image thumbnail size display. The maximum size preference is 400px multiplied by upright scale factor. --George Ho (talk) 02:59, 6 June 2016 (UTC)