Help:Templates
From Wikibooks, the open-content textbooks collection
Templates are pages which contain boilerplate text or text which can be used repeatedly. If you look at the Wikibooks Main page you will see the effect of many templates used together. Templates can be useful in other ways, such as navigation. You can create a template which is a box and includes links to several "chapters" in your book. Templates receive their own namespace on Wikibooks. Their titles are in the form: Template:Templatename.
[edit] How do I use templates?
Templates may be inserted into articles in the following fashion:
- If you wish to use a template, make sure you know its name.
- Click the edit this page link at the top of the page you wish to add a template to.
- Add the name of the template to the top of the page by typing the name of the template within sets of double brackets, like so: {{Templatename}}. You may also use the format: Template:Templatename and achieve the same effect (note that the brackets form is by far the most common).
- Click the save page link at the bottom of the edit screen.
- Your template text will appear.
For example, suppose I wanted to display an explanation of the development stage icons. I would use the format {{stages}}, which would show the following:
| Wikibook Development Stages | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Sparse text  |
Developing text  |
Maturing text  |
Developed text  |
Comprehensive text:  |
[edit] How do I edit a template?
You must type Template:Templatename into the search box and press Go or enter on your keyboard. This will display the template. Then click the edit this page link at the top of the page and you can edit the template. Note: This will affect every page which uses the template. You should think carefully before saving your edit.
