User blog:Jens Ingels/The Template Guide


 * Note: This guide is still a work in progress.

Welcome to my guide for working with templates. I will try to explane you guys the basics of creating an wonderfull template like the I template. My goal is to learn you how to use and create both switch, database as infobox templates. This guide will probaly not be enouge to explane all function arround the wikia. But it will do fine if you don't known anything about it.

Intro
First let me explane what an template does: A template is a page created to be included in other pages "information that you can add on 1 page so you can include it on multiplay pages" The best example for this is an infobox but also for more simple templates like stub or delete. So as you see on the example the all data is listed on 1 page and that data get displayed on other pages. But that is just the beginning. If the data that you list on an template page get changed this will also effect on every page the template is currently active. Template are in fact display links. But that not his only power. Templates works on two directions. They have the ability to place data inside placeholders in there code. We known these placeholder as parameters. Last of all templates support many extensions. The most popular one are ParserFunctions. This extension gives the power to change data that is pulled from the parameters.

All these information look really complex isn't it. Don't worry, it's harder to explane in words than doing it.

Acces&Display

 * Note: Before starting this part I suggest you first learn how to acces the source modus. You can acces the source modus by clicking on source tab in your editor when editing an page or your sandbox.

You can acces an exisiting or directory from an template by adding the template name together with the template prefix. In en wikias this is the word "template". Example: Template:I. If you don't known how to mark it as an link I suggest you have an look add the basics. But since where here to learn about templates this is the code:.

work in progress...