documentation
This is the } template used on almost every template page to contain that template's documented instructions and information, including , on either the template page itself, or a created documentation subpage.
Template documentation | This template is used on many pages and changes may be widely noticed. Test changes in the template's /sandbox or /testcases subpages, or in your own user subpage. Consider discussing changes on the talk page before changing this template. |
 | This template uses Lua: |
 | This template should not be substituted. |
For detailed instructions on how and when to use this template, see Wiki: Template documentation (shortcut: WP:TDOC).
This template displays a green documentation box, like you are seeing now, and automatically loads the content from a /doc subpage. It can also load the content from other places, if instructed to do so.
This template is intended for documenting templates and other pages that are transcluded onto other pages. It can be used in the template namespace and most other namespaces.
Use of this template allows templates to be protected, where necessary, while allowing anyone to edit the documentation and categories.
Usage
Normally, this template is used without any parameters, and is placed at the bottom of the template page or other page being documented, within a
Then, this template automatically loads the content from the /doc subpage of the template it is used on.
This template can also load the content from any other page. For example:
Note that when loading the documentation from a page other than the local /doc subpage, it becomes tricky to handle the categories.
The content can also be fed directly as text. For example:
When the |content= parameter is used, the doc box normally does not show the [edit] [purge] links in the top right corner. Note that if the /doc page exists, a link to it is still shown in the link box below the doc box.
Parameter |1= and the |content= parameter can also be combined, for example:
Then, the pagename fed as parameter 1 is used for the [edit] [purge] links and for the /doc link in the link box below the doc box. But, the content parameter is used for the content shown in the doc box. The above code means that the content is transcluded as {{Template:Any page/doc|parameters}}. In this example, a parameter is also fed to the /doc page being loaded.
Placement and tags
This code should be added at the bottom of the template code page, with no space beforeTo automatically insert the noinclude tags, the template call and the guiding comment, you can also use this substitution code shortcut:
{{subst:doc-code}}
Categorization
When a documentation subpage is created by using this template, then to place the template itself into a category, add [[Category:Category name]] inside an
{{Documentation subpage}} == Usage == When a documentation subpage has not been created, and the documentation template is being used with a |content= parameter on the actual template page, then to place the template itself into a category, add [[Category:Category name]] inside the documentation template, after the content. For example, for placement on the actual template page:
Interwiki links that apply to the template should be listed at Wikidata (more at Wiki: Wikidata). For more complex cases, see Wiki: Template documentation § Categories and interwiki links.
Heading
When in the Template namespace, this template shows this heading:
Template documentation
In most other namespaces, such as "Wiki:", it shows this heading:
- Documentation
But when on File (image) pages it shows this heading:
- Summary
The heading parameter can be used to set the heading to something else. For example:
{{Documentation |heading=Infobox documentation}}
If the heading parameter is empty but defined, no heading is shown and no [edit] [purge] links are shown. For example:
{{Documentation |heading=}}
The heading-style parameter can be fed optional CSS values. Without quotation marks " " but with the ending semicolons ;. For example:
heading-style=font-size:150%;color:red;
Link box
Below the big doc box is a small link box that shows some meta-data about the documentation. The link box shows different things depending on what parameters are fed to this template, and in which namespace it is used. In some cases, the link box is not shown at all.
To hide the link box, add the parameter |link box=off.
You can also insert customised text into the link box, by setting the |link box= parameter. For example:
|link box=This documentation is automatically generated by Template:Country showdata
Automatic functions
If the documentation page does not exist, the [create] link includes a preload page so that clicking it will pre-fill the edit form with the basic documentation page format. Preload text is also used for the /sandbox and /testcases [create] links.
When this template is on a protected template page it now automatically adds {{pp-template}}, which shows the grey or red padlock in the top right corner. So no need to manually add {{pp-template}} to templates that use {{Documentation}}.
When this template is on a /sandbox subpage it automatically adds the {{Template sandbox notice}}.
Subject namespaces vs. talk namespaces
Terminology: Subject namespaces are the opposite of talk namespaces. For instance "Template:" is the subject space of "Template talk:".
This template is usually placed in a subject namespace, within
- In the Mediawiki namespace, since
When placed on talk pages, this template usually is placed near the top of the page and without
The /doc, /sandbox and /testcases pages should normally be in the subject namespace, except in the namespaces that do not have the MediaWiki subpage feature enabled: Main, File, and Mediawiki. (Categories can have subpages, but documentation is created in the Category talk namespace to prevent creating empty categories.) (But currently we only show the /sandbox and /testcases links from User, User talk, Template and Template talk namespaces.) There are also a whole bunch of other technical reasons why the /doc page must be stored under the talk page for those (but only those) namespaces.
This template automatically points its [create] links for the /doc, /sandbox and /testcases to the right namespace.
Testing
You can simulate the output for a given page by using the |page= parameter. For example, if you use the code |page=Template:Edit protected, the template will behave exactly as if it were on the page Template:Edit protected, including showing the documentation from Template:Edit protected/doc, linking to Template:Edit protected/sandbox, etc. This parameter is useful for testing and is used extensively on the module testcases page.
Technical details
The preload page for the /doc [create] link is Template:Documentation/preload. The preload pages for the /sandbox and /testcases [create] links are Template:Documentation/preload-sandbox and Template:Documentation/preload-testcases. The preload page for the /sandbox [mirror] link is Template:Documentation/mirror.
For more details, see the talk page.
Full syntax
{{Documentation}} or {{Documentation | content = }} or {{Documentation | [path to documentation page] | heading-style = | heading = | link box = }} Related pages
- {{Documentation subpage}}, a notice placed at the top of a /doc subpage explaining its role and including a link to the page it documents.
- {{Barnstar documentation}}, a variant of {{Documentation}} for use with barnstar templates.
- {{Documentation/color scheme}} presents the color scheme used by {{Documentation}}.
- Wiki: Template documentation is a how-to guide to template documentation.
- Wiki: Template sandbox and test cases explains the use of /sandbox and /testcases subpages and includes more information about template testing.