Template:Cmbox/doc

This is the Template:Tl ([C]ategory [m]essage [box]) metatemplate.

It is used to build message box templates for category pages. It offers several different colours, uses default images if no image parameter is given, and it has some other features.

This template works almost exactly like Template:Tl and uses the same parameters.

Usage

Simple usage example:

{{cmbox | text = Some text.}}

{{cmboxTemplate:\sandbox | text = Some text.}}

Complex example:

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

{{cmboxTemplate:\sandbox | type = style | image = | style = width: 400px; | textstyle = color: red; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; | text = The message body text. }}

Category message box types

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

{{cmboxTemplate:\sandbox | type = speedy | text = type=speedy – Speedy deletion templates such as Template:Tl. }}

{{cmboxTemplate:\sandbox | type = delete | text = type=delete – Deletion templates such as Template:Tl. }}

{{cmboxTemplate:\sandbox | type = content | text = type=content – Major warnings and problems such as Template:Tl. }}

{{cmboxTemplate:\sandbox | type = style | text = type=style – Minor warnings and problems such as Template:Tl. }}

{{cmboxTemplate:\sandbox | type = notice | text = type=notice – Notices and messages of any kind, both permanent and temporary. }}

{{cmboxTemplate:\sandbox | type = move | text = type=move – Move, merge, and split messages and proposals such as Template:Tl. }}

{{cmboxTemplate:\sandbox | type = protection | text = type=protection – Protection templates such as Template:Tl when shown on a category page. }}

Other images

The default images shown above are mostly for convenience. In many cases it is more appropriate to use more specific images. These examples use the image parameter to specify an image other than the default images.

{{cmboxTemplate:\sandbox | type = style | image = | text = type = style
image = [[File:Sub-arrows.svg|40px]]
This image is used for Template:Tl and Template:Tl. }}

{{cmboxTemplate:\sandbox | type = move | image = | text = type = move
image = [[File:Redirect arrow.svg|52px]]
This image is used for Template:Tl. }}

Special

Some other parameter combinations.

{{cmboxTemplate:\sandbox | text = No type and no image given (default) }}

{{cmboxTemplate:\sandbox | image = none | text = No type and image=none – No image is used and the text uses the whole message box area. }}

{{cmboxTemplate:\sandbox | image = | imageright = | text = image = [[File:Gnome globe current event.svg|42px]]
imageright = [[File:Nuvola apps bookcase.svg|40px]] }}

{{cmboxTemplate:\sandbox | image = | imageright = | text = This category lists articles about current and recent spaceflights.
It is populated by the Template:Tl template. }}

Parameters

List of all parameters:

{{cmbox
| type  = speedy / delete / content / style / notice / move / protection
| image = none / [[File:Some image.svg|40px]]
| imageright = [[File:Some image.svg|40px]]
| class = A custom CSS class to apply to the box
| style = CSS values
| textstyle = CSS values
| plainlinks  = no
| text  = The message body text.
}}

type

If no type parameter is given, the template defaults to type notice. That means it gets a blue background.

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 is usually about right depending on the image height-to-width ratio (but the message box can handle images of any size).

For example: image = [[File:Sub-arrows.svg|40px]]

none = Means that no image is used.

imageright

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

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

For example: imageright = [[File:Nuvola apps bookcase.svg|40px]]

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

style

An optional CSS value used by the entire message box table. Without quotation marks " ".

For example: style = margin-bottom: 0.5em;

textstyle

An optional CSS value used by the text cell.

For example: textstyle = text-align: center;

plainlinks

Normally on Wikipedia, external links have an arrow icon next to them, like this: Example.com. However, in message boxes, the arrow icon is suppressed by default, like this: Example.com. To get the normal style of external link with the arrow icon, use Template:Para.

text

The message body text.

Technical details

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

{{cmbox
| 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>
}}

{{cmboxTemplate:\sandbox

| text =

Equal sign = and a start and end brace { } work fine as they are. But here is a pipe | and two end braces }}. And now a pipe and end braces |}}.

}}

This template uses the cmbox CSS classes in Template:Blue for most of its looks, thus it is fully skinnable.

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 the other mboxes, their talk pages and related pages might also contain more details (see the See also section below).