Part 1 - Introduction to templates

In case you didn't know, you can check out WP:TEMPLATE (for general information about templates) and the help page (as i think you know) is Help:Template.

Okay. I'm not sure exactly what you don't understand, so I'm going to give a brief overview, and if you have specific questions, please let me know.

A template is transcluded when you insert it into your edits. What that means is, that instead of typing all the source code of the template into your edit, you would tell wikipedia to insert that template at a given location.
For example, let's say you have created a template called 'in(tut)', and that template simply has to contain the word 'in'. If you had to type this in an edit: abc{{in(tut)}}def, when saved, this would say "abcindef"

Okay, so let's start to create a template. All templates need to be created in the template namespace. That template we just referred to in(tut) is located here: Template:In (tutorials) ^{Hover your mouse over here to see the exact link}. To create a template right now, click on that link (Template:In (tutorials)) and in your browser, replace 'In (tutorials)' with the name you want for your template (and then hit 'enter' or go, etc.).
If a template with that name doesn't exist, Wikipedia will over you the chance to create that text.
-- and that's the easy part. Now comes the harder part of using code to create the contents of your template. Rfwoolf 07:28, 22 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Part 2: Putting in your code

Hi Bjm243243 -- I see you have already begun to create a template and it's not looking too bad. What is the problem? Rfwoolf 07:33, 22 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Below is what currently exists in your template named Template:Law and Order Episodes:

{{ | align="right"
|-
|
{{Infobox Law & Order Episode|
|Title = {{{name}}} #
|Series = {{{name}}} #
|show_name =Law & Order
|Image =[[Image:Lawandorder01.jpg|210px]]
|Season = {{{number}}} &
|Episode = {{{Name}}} #
|Airdate =[[Date]], [[Year]] *
|Production = {{{number}}}
|Writer = {{{name}}} &
|Director = {{{name}}} #
|starring = {{{names}}} @
|Guests = {{{names}}} @
| Episode list =
| Prev = {{{name}}} #
| Next = {{{name}}} #
}}

I have put symbols (&#@) to mark when variables are repeated

So far that looks okay -- but with one or two problems...
You've put in some variables called: name, number, and names. As you may know, to assign values to those variables, you do so when you call upon the template.
For example: {{Law and Order Episodes}} -- would only call upon the template and not assign values to those variables.
But: {{Law and Order Episodes|name=John|number=200|names=Johnny cash, Jimmy Davis}} -- would call upon the template and assign values to those variables.

Therefore the current problem with your template is that you've used your variables over and over again in different contexts. You wouldn't (for example) want it to say:
|Episode = A puddle of mud
|Writer = A puddle of mud
|Director = A puddle of mud

Another problem is the use of the above use of [[date]] and [[year]] -- because apparently that will just do this:
date and year
(i.e. creates links to an article called 'date' and 'year')
In this case I think you were looking to put in variables, such as {{{airdate}}} and {{{airyear}}} which you would feed values to as follows:
{{Law and Order Episodes|name=John|number=200|names=Johnny cash, Jimmy Davis|airdate=21 July|airyear=2005}} -- would call upon the template and assign values to those variables.

Well that's all from me for now -- please let me know if you have any other questions.

Rfwoolf 08:02, 22 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Rfwoolf

{{help}} message to Rfwoolf

Sorry y'all, I'm still learning this and am unsure how to directly reply to the same user (if this is the wrong way, please let me know--I'm a very new user).

This was an okay way to reply to me, but if you want to quickly get my attention, you need to make a post on my user talk page, and when you do that I should get a message when I visit any page saying that I have a new message. To post on my user talk page, click on my username User:Rfwoolf, and then at the top of your browser window you will notice these tabs: user page, and discussion -> click discussion, and that will bring you to my User Talk page, and then all you need to do is click at the top edit this page (or the + sign next to it). Like I said, any edits made there get my immediate attention. In fact, as I've made this edit now, you should get a message at the top of the page you were on saying 'You have a new message'. Rfwoolf 09:24, 22 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for your help on the templates. Here is where I am--I guess I didn't realize my template worked. I created it, but then it only appeared as Templates:Law and Order Episodes on the page rather than looking like a template.

Also regarding the template variables-- This is the way I understood how you had to set it up--creating a field like "episodes" and then "=" and then "name" variable, but that I would change the "name" variable each time for each different episode. Does that make sense? So, with the template that I have already, how do I get it to work? In other words, how can I get it to display the template instead of just Templates: Law and Order Episodes?

Thanks

Bjm243243 08:46, 22 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

This is the way I understood how you had to set it up--creating a field like "episodes" and then "=" and then "name" variable, but that I would change the "name" variable each time for each different episode. Does that make sense?

Yes, you would change the value of the "name" variable each time you use the template. If the episode you're working on is called "Puddle of mud" then you would say somewhere "episode" and then "=" and then "Puddle of mud".

Rfwoolf 12:18, 22 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

How to make it like you want it

Okay, there were some problems in your original template sourcecode. You had created a template called Law and Order Episodes, and within that template you had referred to another template called an infobox-- this was almost exactly what you needed to do, but you then messed some of the coding up...

{{ | align="right"
|-
|
{{Infobox Law & Order Episode|

You were trying to incorporate the template {{Infobox}}(Template:Infobox) -- but that wasn't the correct coding.

It's best that we start from scratch.

Clear or set aside the current template: Template:Law and Order Episodes
You could insert the following text and just modify it: (taken from Template:Infobox)

{| class="infobox bordered" style="width: 25em; text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"
|+ style="font-size: larger;" | '''{{{name}}}'''
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | [[Image:{{{image}}}|300px| ]]<br>{{{caption}}}
|- 
! Data 1:
| {{{data1}}}
|- 
! Data 2:
| {{{data2|''this text displayed if data2 not defined''}}}
|- 
! Data 3 (data hidden if data3 empty or not defined):
| {{{data3|}}}
|- 
| colspan="2" style="font-size: smaller;" | {{{footnotes|}}}
|}

..would display the following..

and then you can edit it accordingly. This is what I think you're looking for:

{| class="infobox bordered" style="width: 25em; text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"
|+ style="font-size: larger;" | '''Law and Order episode: {{{episodename}}}'''
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | 
|- 
! Title:
| {{{episodename}}}
|- 
! Series:
| {{{seriesname}}}
|- 
! Show name:
| Law & Order
|- 
! Season:
| {{{seasonnumber}}}
|- 
! Episode Name:
| {{{episodename}}}
|- 
! Airdate:
| {{{Airdate}}}
|- 
! Title:
| {{{episodename}}}
|- 
| colspan="2" style="font-size: smaller;" | {{{footnotes|}}}
|}

Which would display the following:

Just some reminders:

If it has {{ (two {'s) then it refers to a template.
If it has {{{ (three {'s) then it refers to a variable within your current template.
If you had to use the latest code above, and wanded to display that template in an article, you would do so as follows: {{Law and Order Episodes|episodename = Puddle of mud|seriesname = Law & Order | (etc etc etc)}} (where 'episodename' and 'seriesname' were variables.

Does that help? Rfwoolf 09:56, 22 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you

Rfwoolf:
Thanks for your help. I appreciate it. So, now, to use it in a page, all i have to do is recall the template and fill in the variables?

Benjo 11:57, 24 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

My pleasure.

Yes, if you want to use that template on a page, first of all copy that coding in the last box I typed up there, and put it as the sourcecode for the template you want: Template:Law_and_Order_Episodes. And then go to an article about an LA Law episode, and just write the following:

{{Law and Order Episodes|episodename = [Name of the episode here]|seriesname = Law & Order |Season:5| Airdate=[Insert airdate here]|''[and so forth'']}}

But looking at that sourcecode right now, I think it comes quite close to what you were looking for, but some of the fields are stupid, like the name of the series and the name of the show (What's the difference?), and as you can see it asks for the episode name at least 2 times. You'd just have to have a look at that source code and shuffle it around a bit to get the fields as you want them, and set the variable names accordingly.

I'll leave you with some hints/tips:

When working with tables, note what the syntax does:

:{| <-- this says begin a table (and special tables have some special code at this point, but nevermind)<br /> :|- <-- all this says is that you want to create a '''row''' (not a column) in your table, but it will also need to know how many '''cells''' (or columns if you like) in that row, which we'll do next)<br /> :| <-- this says you want a cell in this row. You can then feel free to immediately start writing the contents of that cell<br /> :! <-- (optional) this creates a '''header cell''' which is like the top cells of a column :|} <-- this closes the table.<br />

Example:

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! header 1

! header 2

! header 3

|-

| row 1, cell 1

| row 1, cell 2

| row 1, cell 3

|-

| row 2, cell 1

| row 2, cell 2

| row 2, cell 3

:|}

...would produce this:

header 1	header 2	header 3
row 1, cell 1	row 1, cell 2	row 1, cell 3
row 2, cell 1	row 2, cell 2	row 2, cell 3

Final tip: If you want to write some code without wikipedia interpreting that code (much like I've done above) you can put things between two nowiki tags, like this:

"Don't interperate this code:" + "<nowiki" + "> sourcode goes here</nowiki" + ">"

which would make it display as sourcecode and not as something wikipedia has interperated.

Good luck Rfwoolf 15:42, 25 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Tagging Lightwright with "unreferenced"

I noticed your tagging of Lightwright with the {{unreferenced}} tag. I took some time to compile references and add them to the article. Please review again and see how it looks. --Mattarata 15:52, 26 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Lightwright

Mattarata

Your entry looks much better. Thanks for the citations.
Benjo 17:04, 27 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Stagecraft Project

hey, I notice you were helping out the stagecraft project, if you want to do more, there is a sparsley written to do list: Wikipedia:WikiProject Stagecraft/to do. KeepOnTruckin 02:14, 28 January 2007 (UTC) (Theatrical Technician)[reply]

Help on font

I'm wondering of it's possible to specifiy font size in articles and also within section headlings, etc.?

Benjo 03:05, 28 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

For font size:

<span style="font-size:150%>Test</span>

Which would result in:

Test

You can replace the 150% for a different szie, and Test with your Text.

For headings:

==<span style="color:red">Red Heading</span>==

Which would result in:

Red Heading

Again, changing the color/Text on it to whatever color you choose. --AMK152^{(Talk • Contributions • Send message)} 03:58, 28 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Oops, for headings:

==<span style="font-size:150%">Heading</span>==

Which would result in:

Heading

Which doesn't look too well, but the reccommended style is:

=One=
==Two==
===Three===
====Four====
=====Five=====
======Six======

One

**Law and Order episode: {{{episodename}}}**
Title:	{{{episodename}}}
Series:	{{{seriesname}}}
Show name:	Law & Order
Season:	{{{seasonnumber}}}
Episode Name:	{{{episodename}}}
Airdate:	{{{Airdate}}}
Title:	{{{episodename}}}

	{{{name}}}
	[[Image:{{{image}}}\|300px\| ]]; {{{caption}}}
Data 1:	{{{data1}}}
Data 2:	this text displayed if data2 not defined
Data 3 (data hidden if data3 empty or not defined):

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

--AMK152^{(Talk • Contributions • Send message)} 04:04, 28 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Suggested Merges to Parts of Theater

I think you should just be WP:BOLD and merge them all. --Lekogm 06:43, 12 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

TfD nomination of Template:Law and Order Episodes

Template:Law and Order Episodes has been nominated for deletion. You are invited to comment on the discussion at the template's entry on the Templates for Deletion page. Thank you. Jay32183 22:41, 25 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]

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