Template:Did you know/Preparation area 3

Message box meta-templates
{{ambox}} {{cmbox}} {{imbox}} {{mbox}} {{ombox}} {{tmbox}} {{asbox}} {{dmbox}} {{fmbox}}

This is the {{ombox}} or other pages message box meta-template.

It is used to build message box templates for pages of the types: User, Wikipedia, MediaWiki, Template, Help, Portal and any new future namespaces. That is, page types not covered by {{ambox}}, {{tmbox}}, {{imbox}} or {{cmbox}}. Thus, it should not be used for boxes for articles, talk pages, image pages or category pages.

This template works almost exactly like {{ambox}} and uses the same parameters.

We are deploying!

After discussions on the talk page of this template and announcing it at several places for some time we are now deploying this template. Feel free to convert any message boxes used on "other pages" to use this meta-template. If you find any tricky cases then list them on the talk page of this template and you'll get help.

When this template is used to build other pages message boxes those boxes should contain explanatory texts just like before. (The same texts as before or new improved texts.) If there are more specific images in the boxes or you know a better image, then use them instead of the default images shown here.

Usage

Simple usage example:

{{ombox | text = Some text.}}

Complex example:

{{ombox
| type      = style
| image     = [[Image:Emblem-question-yellow.svg|40px]]
| style     = width: 400px; 
| textstyle = color: red; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;
| text      = The message body text.
}}

Other pages message box types

The following examples use different type parameters but use no image parameters; thus, they use the default images for each type.

Examples

Some examples using the "notice" style:

Parameters

List of all parameters:

{{ombox
| type  = speedy / delete / content / style / notice / move / protection
| image = none / [[Image:Some image.svg|40px]]
| imageright = [[Image:Some image.svg|40px]]
| style = CSS values
| textstyle = CSS values
| text  = The message body text. 
| small = {{{small|}}} / yes
| smallimage = none / [[Image:Some image.svg|30px]]
| smallimageright = none / [[Image:Some image.svg|30px]]
| smalltext  = A shorter message body text.
}}

type

If no type parameter is given the template defaults to type notice. That means it gets a gray border.

image

No parameter = If no image parameter is given the template uses a default image. Which default image it uses depends on the type parameter.

An image = Should be an image with usual wiki notation. 40px - 50px width are usually about right depending on the image height to width ratio. (But the message box can handle images of any size.) For example:

image = [[Image:Crystal package settings.png|40px]]

none = Means that no image is used.

imageright

No parameter = If no imageright parameter is given then no image is shown on the right side.

An image = Should be an image with usual wiki notation. 40px - 50px width are usually about right depending on the image height to width ratio. (But the message box can handle images of any size.) For example:

imageright = [[Image:Nuvola apps bookcase.png|40px]]

Anything = Any other object that you want to show on the right side.

style

Optional CSS values used by the entire message box table. Without quotation marks " " but with the ending semicolons ;. For example:

style = margin-bottom: 0.5em;

textstyle

Optional CSS values used by the text cell. For example:

textstyle = text-align: center;

text

The message body text.

The small parameters

small

yes = Makes it a smaller right floating message box. This also makes the default images smaller. Note that any data fed to the smallimage, smallimageright and smalltext parameters is only used if "small=yes". To make it so your template also understands the small parameter you can use this code:

small = {{{small|}}}

smallimage

No parameter = If no smallimage parameter is given then this template falls back to use the image parameter. If the image parameter also is empty then a small default image is used.

An image = Should be an image with usual wiki notation. 30px width is usually about right. For example:

smallimage = [[Image:Replacement filing cabinet.svg|30px]]

none = Means that no image is used. This overrides any image fed to image, when "small=yes".

smallimageright

No parameter = If no smallimageright parameter is given then this template falls back to use the imageright parameter. If the imageright parameter also is empty then no image is shown on the right side.

An image = Should be an image with usual wiki notation. 30px width is usually about right. For example:

smallimageright = [[Image:Nuvola apps bookcase.png|30px]]

Anything = Any other object that you want to show on the right side.

none = Means that no right side image is used. This overrides any image fed to imageright, when "small=yes".

smalltext

A shorter version of the message body text. If no smalltext parameter is given then this template falls back to use the text parameter.

Technical details

If you need to use special characters in the text parameter then you need to escape them like this:

{{ombox
| text  = <div>
Equal sign = and a start and end brace { } work fine as they are. 
But here is a pipe {{!}} and two end braces <nowiki>}}</nowiki>. 
And now a pipe and end braces <nowiki>|}}</nowiki>.
</div>
}}

This template uses the ombox CSS classes in MediaWiki:Common.css for most of its looks, thus it is fully skinnable.

This template calls {{ombox/core}} which holds most of the code for {{ombox}}, while {{ombox}} itself does parameter preprocessing.

Internally this meta-template uses HTML markup instead of wiki markup for the table code. That is the usual way we make meta-templates since wiki markup has several drawbacks. For instance it makes it harder to use parser functions and special characters in parameters.

The default images for this meta-template are in png format instead of svg format. The main reason is that some older web browsers have trouble with the transparent background that MediaWiki renders for svg images. The png images here have hand optimised transparent background colour so they look good in all browsers. Note that svg icons only look somewhat bad in the old browsers, thus such hand optimisation is only worth the trouble for very widely used icons.

For more technical details see the talk page. Since this template works almost exactly like {{ambox}}, {{tmbox}}, {{imbox}} and {{cmbox}} their talk pages and related pages might also contain more details.

See also

There are several meta-templates in the mbox family:

• {{ambox}} – For article message boxes.
• {{cmbox}} – For category message boxes.
• {{imbox}} – For file (image) page message boxes.
• {{mbox}} – Has namespace detection, for message boxes that are used on several types of pages and thus need to change style depending on what page they are used on.
• {{ombox}} – For other pages message boxes.
• {{tmbox}} – For talk page message boxes.

Closely related meta-templates:

• {{asbox}} – For article stub message boxes.
• {{dmbox}} – For disambiguation and set index message boxes.
• {{fmbox}} – For header and footer message boxes.

NOTE: Because a preponderance of hooks on the suggestions page are U.S. related, it is usually appropriate to have several hooks on U.S. topics in any given update, but never more than half. Thanks.

Tips on assembling sets are at Wikipedia:Did you know/Preparation areas.

Hooks

• ... that ...
• ... that Russian Armenian general Arshak Ter-Gukasov‎ rescued Russian troops from Ottoman forces in a "really brilliant" operation?
• ... that ...
• ... that ...
• ... that ...
• ... that ...
• ... that ...
• ... that ...

---

See how this template appears on both today's Main Page

• (Queue 1)
• (Queue 2)
• (Queue 3)
• (Queue 4)
• (Queue 5)
• (Queue 6)

• (Prep Area 1)
• (Prep Area 2)
• (Prep Area 3)
• (Prep Area 4)
• (Prep Area 5)
• (Prep Area 6)

...and tomorrow's Main Page

• (Prep Area 1)
• (Prep Area 2).

To reset the contents of this page for the next update, copy the empty page from Template:Did you know/Clear.

Credits

This space is to credit the creators/nominators of the items in this template that in fact appear on the Main Page. If you replace or remove an item before it appears on the Main Page, please revert the promotion of the hook so its template appears again at Template talk:Did you know and add a note to the nomination's template explaining why you removed it. Also add the template's link to the Wikipedia:Did you know/Removed page.

•   Arshak Ter-Gukasov‎ – EtienneDolet (give) (tag)
•   Example – Editor (give) (tag)
•   Example – Editor (give) (tag)
•   Example – Editor (give) (tag)
•   Example – Editor (give) (tag)
•   Example – Editor (give) (tag)
•   Example – Editor (give) (tag)
•   Example – Editor (give) (tag)
•   Nom credit: Nominator (give)

Credit templates

You can also give out credits using the following templates:

• Article talk page: ({{dyktalk}}) {{dyktalk|25 December|2024}} (check if small style templates in use, if so add small=yes parm)
• Article creator/expander's talk page: ({{UpdatedDYK}}) {{subst:UpdatedDYK|25 December|2024|Article name}} --~~~~
• Nominator's talk page: ({{UpdatedDYKNom}}) {{subst:UpdatedDYKNom|25 December|2024|Article name}} --~~~~
• Notify contributor about addition to a Portal: (can be modified for more than one portal) – ({{UpdatedDYKportal}}) {{subst:UpdatedDYKportal|Article name|Portal:Portal name}} --~~~~

Note that portal notifications are only done if you have taken the trouble to add the DYK hook to a relevant portal, which is entirely optional. The other notifications must be done before the preparation area page can be reset.

Images

• Don't forget to add an {{mprotected}} notice to the image description page (or {{C-uploaded}} plus a copy of the author attribution and the licence tag if you have uploaded a temporary copy from Commons).

Posting the new update

• Note: This is the manual method. When using DYKUpdateBot, the bot should automate all of the following except steps 1 and 10.

1. Make sure the image/media for the hooks to be loaded is on English Wikipedia or protected on Commons. If the image/file is on Commons and not protected, upload it to En and tag it with {{c-uploaded}}. You do not need to protect the picture; this is done automatically because of the cascading protection of the Main Page. Alternatively, if you are an admin at Commons you can protect the image/file at Commons instead of uploading to En.
2. Update T:DYK from the current queue.
3. Purge the cache of the Main Page to make sure the new entries appear.
4. Reset the DYK time.
5. Increment the next queue count.
6. Copy the previous set of hooks (not the new set just promoted to the front page) to the archive. Be sure to copy the final revision of the set (should be the last diff on the T:DYK page before your update). Please include the picture/file.
7. Check if the previous picture/file was temporarily uploaded from Commons for display on the Main Page, and delete it from En if so.
8. If you have time, please do the credits for the hooks just promoted (see "Credits" section above).
9. Clear the queue you just promoted hooks from with {{User:DYKUpdateBot/REMOVE THIS LINE}}.
10. If you have time, check if Preparation area 1 or Preparation area 2 are full. Check the hooks for errors, and promote them to the next empty numbered queue if they're good. Clear the queue you took hooks from to look like this. Tag the numbered queue with {{DYKbotdo|~~~}} once the queue is loaded and ready.