{{Ambox}} stands for Article message box, which is a metatemplate. It is used to build message boxes for templates used in articles, such as {{underlinked}}. It offers several different colours, images and some other features.
The box below shows the most common parameters that are accepted by {{Ambox}}. The purpose of each is described below.
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{{Ambox| name = | subst = <includeonly>{{subst:substcheck}}</includeonly>| small = {{{small|}}}| type = | image = | sect = {{{1|}}}| issue = | talk = {{{talk|}}}| fix = | date = {{{date|}}}| cat = | all = }}The "All parameters" box shows all possible parameters for this template. However, it is not recommended to copy this, because it will never be required to use all parameters simultaneously.
The name parameter specifies the name of the template, without the Template namespace prefix. For example {{Underlinked}} specifies |name=Underlinked.
This parameter should be updated if the template is ever moved. The purpose of this parameter is twofold:
The subst parameter allows the meta-template to detect whether the template has been incorrectly substituted, and give an appropriate warning. It will also add such pages to Category:Pages with incorrectly substituted templates. Just copy the code exactly as it appears in the box.
The small parameter should be passed through the template, as this will allow editors to use the small format by specifying |small=left on an article:
Otherwise the standard format will be produced:
Other variations:
|small=no or do not pass the small parameter at all.|small=left.|small={{{small|left}}}. This will allow an editor to override by using |small=no on an article.To use a small box that adjusts its width to match the text, use |style=width: auto; margin-right: 0px; and |textstyle=width: auto; together:
See § sect below for more information on how to limit |small= display to cases when the template is being used for a section instead of the whole article (recommended, to prevent inconsistent top-of-article display).
The type parameter defines the colour of the left bar, and the image that is used by default. The type is chosen not on aesthetics but is based on the type of issue that the template describes. The seven available types and their default images are shown below.
If no type parameter is given the template defaults to |type=notice.
You can choose a specific image to use for the template by using the image parameter. Images are specified using the standard syntax for inserting files in Wikipedia (see Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Images#How to place an image.) Widths of 40-50px are typical. For example:
|image=[[File:Unbalanced scales.svg|40px|link=|alt=]] and looks like this:|image=[[File:Ambox wikify.svg|50x40px|link=|alt=]] and looks like this:Please note:
|image=none is specified, then no image is used and the text uses the whole message box area.|link=|alt=" as seen above.Many article message templates begin with the text This article ... and it is often desirable that this wording change to This section ... if the template is used on a section instead. The value of this parameter will replace the word "article". Various possibilities for use include: |sect=list, |sect=table, |sect="In popular culture" material, etc.
If using this feature, be sure to remove the first two words ("This article") from the template's text, otherwise it will be duplicated.
A common way to facilitate this functionality is to pass |sect={{{1|}}}. This will allow editors to type section, for example, as the first unnamed parameter of the template to change the wording. For example, {{Advert|section}} produces:
Another approach is to pass |sect={{{section|{{{sect|}}}}}} to provide a named value. Another is to use {{Yesno}} to parse the value for a positive, and pass |sect=section if true.
These approaches can be combined, and this is recommended. The following ready-to-use code:
| sect = {{#ifeq:{{yesno|def=|1={{{sect|{{{section}}}}}} }}|yes|section|{{{sect|{{{section|{{{1|}}}}}}}}} }}enables the following:
{{Yesno}} can detect will be used with the named parameter in the ambox-based template to get "section" instead of "article": |section=y, |sect=True, etc. It is recommended to allow both |sect= and |section= so that editors do not have to guess which one will work. The sample code above does this for you.|section and its subsections, |1=list, |sect=section, |section=table, etc.It is also advisable to restrict use of the |small= parameter so that it is made contingent upon the template being applied to a section (or whatever) rather than the whole article, to prevent the small version of the template being used at the top of the article where it would be inconsistent with other article-wide cleanup/dispute banners:
| small = {{#if:{{{sect|{{{section|{{{1|}}}}}}}}}|{{#if:{{{small|{{{left|}}}}}}|left}} }}(In this case, any value of |small= or |left= will trigger the small, left display, as long as some value of |sect= or one of its aliases in that template has also been provided.) This code can be copy-pasted and used with the above code block. See, e.g., Template:Trivia and its Template:Trivia/testcases to observe the combined functionality.
The issue parameter is used to describe the issue with the article. Try to keep it short and to-the-point (approximately 10-20 words) and be sure to include a link to a relevant policy or guideline.
The fix parameter contains some text which describes what should be done to improve the article. It may be longer than the text in issue, but should not usually be more than two sentences.
When the template is in its compact form (when placed inside {{multiple issues}}) or small form (when using |small=left), the issue is the only text that will be displayed. For example, {{Citation style}} defines
|issue=This article '''has an unclear citation style'''.|fix=The references used may be made clearer with a different or consistent style of [[Wikipedia:Citing sources|citation]], [[Wikipedia:Footnotes|footnoting]], or [[Wikipedia:External links|external linking]].When used stand-alone it produces the whole text:
But when used inside {{Multiple issues}} or with |small=left it displays only the issue:
Some article message templates include a link to the talk page, and allow an editor to specify a section heading to link directly to the relevant section. To achieve this functionality, simply pass the talk parameter through, i.e. |talk={{{talk|}}}
This parameter may then be used by an editor as follows:
|talk=SECTION HEADING – the link will point to the specified section on the article's talk page, e.g. |talk=Foo|talk=FULL PAGE NAME – the template will link to the page specified (which may include a section anchor), e.g. |talk=Talk:Banana#FooNotes:
|talk={{{talk|#}}}.Passing the date parameter through to the meta-template means that the date that the article is tagged may be specified by an editor (or more commonly a bot). This will be displayed after the message in a smaller font.
Passing this parameter also enables monthly cleanup categorisation when the cat parameter is also defined.
This parameter is for specifying additional information. Whatever you add here will appear after the date, and will not be displayed if the template is being wrapped in {{multiple issues}}.
If you specify |removalnotice=yes, then the following notice will be displayed after the date and after the info text:
This will not be displayed if the template is being wrapped in {{multiple issues}}.
This parameter defines a monthly cleanup category. If |cat=CATEGORY then:
|date=DATE is specified.For example, {{No footnotes}} specifies |cat=Articles lacking in-text citations and so an article with the template {{No footnotes|date=June 2010}} will be placed in Category:Articles lacking in-text citations from June 2010.
The cat parameter should not be linked, nor should the prefix Category: be used.
The all parameter defines a category into which all articles should be placed.
The all parameter should not be linked, nor should the prefix Category: be used.
An image on the right side of the message box may be specified using this parameter. The syntax is the same as for the image parameter, except that the default is no image.
Images for the small format box may be specified using these parameters. They will have no effect unless |small=left is specified.
Custom CSS classes to apply to the box. If adding multiple classes, they should be space-separated.
Optional CSS values may be defined, without quotation marks " " but with the ending semicolons ;.
Instead of specifying the issue and the fix it is possible to use the text parameter instead.
Customised text for the small format can be defined using smalltext.
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 |plainlinks=no.
{{Ambox|nocat=true| 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>}}<div> tags that surround the text in the example above are usually not needed. But if the text contains line breaks then sometimes we get weird line spacing. This especially happens when using vertical dotted lists. Then use the div tags to fix that.The MediaWiki developers have been conducted ongoing readability studies on ambox on the mobile version of Wikipedia. Until further notice, code installed by the developers on the mobile version will generally override what we do here regarding the display and layout of this template. For more information, see MW:Reading/Web/Projects/Mobile Page Issues.
TemplateData for Ambox
Used to build message boxes for templates used in articles
Closely related metatemplates: