Help:Creating a template

If you need help creating a template, please ask in the Grease pit.

Form-of templates

Examples: {{obsolete spelling of}}, {{he-noun form of}}, {{pt-obsolete-hellenism}}; main category: Form-of templates.

These are for use as, or in, definition lines, where the definition desired is simply "alternative spelling of something", "past-tense of something", or the like. If a dedicated template is not needed, one can use {{form of}} or, for conjugations or declensions, {{inflection of}}.

To create such a template, first decide on its name. If the template is specific to a certain language, it should be named with that language's code and a hyphen, e.g. {{he-noun form of}}. (Otherwise, it should not start with a language code and a hyphen.) Normally, form-of templates' names end in "of", but some languages' templates do not. (For example, the Portuguese obsolete-form templates, like {{pt-obsolete-hellenism}}, do not.)

The content of the template should be

<span class='use-with-mention'>Description of what form the word is of <span class='mention'
>{{{{{sc|Xyzy}}}|lang={{{lang|}}}|{{#if:{{isValidPageName|{{{1}}}}}|[[{{{1}}}#{{language|{{{lang|}}}|{{{1}}}]]|{{{1}}}}}}}</span
></span>

If the template is language-specific, e.g. for Albanian (sq), this should be instead:

<span class='use-with-mention'>Description of what form the word is of <span class='mention'
>{{{{{sc|Xyzy}}}|lang={{{lang|sq}}}|{{#if:{{isValidPageName|{{{1}}}}}|[[{{{1}}}#{{language|{{{lang|sq}}}|{{{1}}}]]|{{{1}}}}}}}</span
></span>

In either case, this can be adjusted to allow for various parameters, such as some which regulate capitalization of the first letter, existence of a final period (full stop), etc. It can also be adjusted for parameters specific to the template, such as gender, dialect, register, tense, etc. The above is a bare-bones template. Please announce any new form-of template in the Grease pit.

Usage-note templates

For examples, look in Category:Usage templates by language.

To create such a template, first decide on its name. It should begin with the prefix U:. If the template is specific to a certain language, it should next have that language's code; for example, the template which explains the usage of the English words less and fewer is Template:U:en:less and fewer.

The content of the template should simply be the text to display as a usage note. An initial asterisk may or may not be included within the template.

New-entry boilerplate templates

Examples: {{new en plural third bot}}, {{new io-n}}; main category: Entry templates.

See Wiktionary:Entry templates.

List templates

Examples: {{list:reds/en}}, {{list:Latin script letter names/de}}; main category: List templates by language.

Userboxes

Examples: {{User fr-4}}, {{User en}}; category: Language user templates.

Users are encouraged to indicate language proficiency by the usage of Babel boxes; they may also indicate proficiency in various writing systems. Some users also indicate time zone. Other user boxes are forbidden by vote.

To create a language-proficiency box, first decide on the proficiency level: 0 (none), 1 (basic), 2 (intermediate), 3 (advanced), 4 (proficient or near-native), or N (native). the template will then be named [[template:User language code-0]] through [[template:User language code-4]] or, for native, [[template:User language code]] alone.

The content of the template is:

{{User lang-number of proficiency
|language code
|Translation into the language of "This user knows [[:category:User language-code|Language name]] at a [[:category:User language-code-level|proficiency]] level"}}

Thus, for example, {{User fr-4}}'s content is

{{User lang-4|fr|Cet utilisateur parle '''[[:Category:User fr|français]]''' à un niveau '''[[:Category:User fr-4|comparable à la langue maternelle]]'''.}}

and {{User en}}'s content is

{{User lang|en|This user is a '''[[:Category:User en-N|native]]''' speaker of '''[[:Category:User en|English]]'''.}}

Afterward, starting on the same line, include also

<noinclude>
{{documentation}}
</noinclude>