View source for Template:Cmbox/doc

{{Documentation subpage}}
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This is the {{tl|Cmbox}} (['''C''']ategory ['''m''']essage ['''box''']) metatemplate.

It is used to build message box templates such as {{tl|Category diffuse}} 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 {{tl|Ambox}} and uses the same parameters.
<!--
=== We are deploying! ===
After long discussion on the [[Template talk:Cmbox|talk page]] of this template and at other places we are finally deploying this template. Feel free to convert any message boxes used on category pages to use this meta-template. If you find any tricky cases then list them on the talk page of this template and you'll get help.

When this template is used to build category message boxes those boxes should contain explanatory texts just like before. (The same texts as before or new improved texts.) If there are more specific images in the boxes or you know a better image, then use them instead of the default images shown here.
-->
=== Usage ===
Simple usage example:
<pre>
{{cmbox | text = Some text.}}
</pre>

{{cmbox | text = Some text.}}


Complex example:
<pre>
{{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.
}}
</pre>

{{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.
}}


=== 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.

{{cmbox
| type = speedy
| text = type=<u>speedy</u> – Speedy deletion templates such as {{tl|db-c1}}.
}}

{{cmbox
| type = delete
| text = type=<u>delete</u> – Deletion templates such as {{tl|cfd}}.
}}

{{cmbox
| type = content
| text = type=<u>content</u> – Major warnings and problems such as {{tl|Categorization of people disputed}}.
}}

{{cmbox
| type = style
| text = type=<u>style</u> – Minor warnings and problems such as {{tl|Overpopulated category}}.
}}

{{cmbox
| type = notice
| text = type=<u>notice</u> – Notices and messages of any kind, both permanent and temporary.
}}

{{cmbox
| type = move
| text = type=<u>move</u> – Move, merge, and split messages and proposals such as {{tl|Category redirect}}.
}}

{{cmbox
| type = protection
| text = type=<u>protection</u> – Protection templates such as {{tl|pp}} 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.

{{cmbox
| type  = style
| image = [[File:Sub-arrows.svg|40px]]
| text  = type = style<br />image = <nowiki>[[File:Sub-arrows.svg|40px]]</nowiki><br />This image is used for {{tl|Overpopulated category}} and {{tl|Category diffuse}}.
}}

{{cmbox
| type  = move
| image = [[File:Redirect arrow.svg|52px]]
| text  = type = move<br />image = <nowiki>[[File:Redirect arrow.svg|52px]]</nowiki><br />This image is used for {{tl|Category redirect}}.
}}


=== Special ===
Some other parameter combinations.

{{cmbox
| text  = No type and no image given ('''default''')
}}

{{cmbox
| image = none
| text  = No type and '''image=none''' – No image is used and the '''text''' uses the whole message box area.
}}

{{cmbox
| image = [[File:Gnome globe current event.svg|42px]]
| imageright = [[File:Nuvola apps bookcase.svg|40px]]
| text  = image = <nowiki>[[File:Gnome globe current event.svg|42px]]</nowiki><br />imageright = <nowiki>[[File:Nuvola apps bookcase.svg|40px]]</nowiki>
}}

{{cmbox
| image = [[File:Gnome globe current event.svg|42px]]
| imageright = [[File:Nuvola apps bookcase.svg|20px]]
| text  = '''This category lists articles about current and recent [[spaceflight]]s.'''<br />It is populated by the {{tl|Current spaceflight}} template.
}}


=== Parameters ===
List of all parameters:
<pre>
{{cmbox
| name = name of the template
| 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.
}}
</pre>

'''name'''
:(Optional) Name of the template. This adds a CSS class with name <code>box-''name''</code> to the HTML element, for use by bots or scripts.

'''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: <code><nowiki>image = [[File:Sub-arrows.svg|40px]]</nowiki></code>
:'''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: <code><nowiki>imageright = [[File:Nuvola apps bookcase.png|40px]]</nowiki></code>
:'''Anything''' = Any other object that you want to show on the right side.

'''style'''
:An optional [[Wikipedia:Cascading Style Sheets|CSS]] value used by the entire message box table. Without quotation marks <code>" "</code>.
::For example: <code>style = margin-bottom: 0.5em;</code>

'''textstyle'''
:An optional [[Wikipedia:Cascading Style Sheets|CSS]] value used by the text cell.
::For example: <code>textstyle = text-align: center;</code>

'''plainlinks'''
:Normally on Wikipedia, external links have an arrow icon next to them, like this: [http://www.example.com Example.com]. However, in message boxes, the arrow icon is suppressed by default, like this: <span class="plainlinks">[http://www.example.com Example.com]</span>. To get the normal style of external link with the arrow icon, use {{para|plainlinks|no}}.

'''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:
<pre>
{{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 &lt;nowiki>}}&lt;/nowiki>. 
And now a pipe and end braces &lt;nowiki>|}}&lt;/nowiki>.
</div>
}}
</pre>

{{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>
}}


This template uses the cmbox CSS classes in [[MediaWiki:Common.css]] 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 [[mw:Help:Extension:ParserFunctions|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 [[Template talk:Cmbox|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|See also]] section below).


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[[Category:Message box templates]]
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