Template:Dmbox/doc

This is the {{dmbox}} or disambiguation footer message box meta-template.

It is used to build disambiguation and set index article boxes, such as {{Disambig}}.

This template works similarly to {{ambox}} and mostly uses the same parameters. The main differences are that this box uses the disambiguation style and only has two "type" settings.

Usage

Simple usage example:

{{dmbox | text = Some text.}}

{{dmbox | type = setindex | text = Some text.}}

dmbox | type = setindex | text = Some text

Complex example:

{{dmbox
| type      = setindex
| image     = {{nowrap| Image Schooner svg 30px List gray svg 30px }}
| textstyle = color: red; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal;
| text      = The message body text.
}}

Some other parameter combinations:

Parameters

List of all parameters:

{{dmbox
| type  = disambig / setindex
| image = none / [[Image:Some image.svg|40px]]
| imageright = [[Image:Some image.svg|40px]]
| style = CSS values
| textstyle = CSS values
| text  = The message body text. 
| nocat = {{{nocat|}}} / true
}}

type

If no type parameter is given the template defaults to type disambig.

disambig = The FamilySearch Research Wiki does not use it at this time.

setindex = The FamilySearch Research Wiki does not use it at this time.

nocat

true = Stops this template from categorizing. Useful for instance when only testing or demonstrating this template. Templates that use this template should forward nocat, so they too understand nocat. So always add this:

nocat = {{{nocat|}}}

image

No parameter = If no image parameter is given, the template uses the default disambig or setindex image, depending on the type parameter.

An image = Should be an image with usual wiki notation. 30px - 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:Schooner.svg|30px]]

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. 30px - 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 Cascading Style Sheets or CSS values used by the entire message box table. Without quotation marks " " but with the ending semicolons ;. For example:

style = margin-bottom: 0.2em;

textstyle

Optional Cascading Style Sheets or CSS values used by the text cell. For example:

textstyle = text-align: center;

text

The message body text. This message box has italic text as default, thus no need to manually set that.

Technical details

This template currently uses hard coded styles and class names. Later it will only use CSS classes making it easier to skin. (In the meantime it can be skinned by using the "!important" keyword.)

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

{{dmbox
| 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>
}}

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.

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

See also

• {{mbox templates}} - Small navbox used at the top of the mbox documentation pages.

Other pages:

• FamilySearch Wiki:Disambiguation – Also has a section explaining set index articles.
• MediaWiki:Disambiguationspage – Should list all disambiguation message boxes, so that some automatic tools can know what pages are disambiguation pages. Now also has a separate list with all set index message boxes, so some tools can know what pages are set index articles.

• {{Disambig}} – The generic disambiguation message box.