View source for Template:Documentation/doc

<noinclude>{{pp-semi-indef}}
</noinclude>{{Distinguish|Template:Documentation subpage}}
{{Documentation subpage}}
{{template shortcut|doc}}
{{High-use}}
{{Lua|Module:Documentation}}
{{Never substitute}}

The {{tlx|documentation}} template is used to contain the [[WP:TDOC|documented information and instructions]] of a certain template, usually from a /doc subpage. It can also be configured to load the content from other pages or be directly fed by text.

For detailed instructions on how and when to use this template, see [[Wikipedia:Template documentation]] (shortcut: [[WP:TDOC]]).

This template has two parts: the big "documentation box" with the documentation inside alongside a toolbar (the <code>[view][edit][hist][purge]</code> links), and the smaller "link box" that shows metadata about the documentation alongside the [[Wikipedia:Template sandbox and test cases|sandbox and testcases]] links.

Use of this template allows templates to be [[Wikipedia:Protection policy|protected]], where necessary, while allowing anyone to edit the documentation and categories.

== General syntax ==
Normally, the template is used without parameters and is placed inside {{tag|noinclude}} at the bottom of the template page (see {{section link|#Placement and tags}} for more information):

<syntaxhighlight lang="text">
<!--Last line of your template code--><noinclude>
{{Documentation}}
<!-- Add categories to the /doc subpage -->
</noinclude>
</syntaxhighlight>

=== Transcluding a different page ===
To transclude a different page other than the /doc subpage, simply provide {{para|1}} like this:

<syntaxhighlight lang="text">
<!--Last line of your template code--><noinclude>
{{Documentation|Template:Other page/doc}}
</noinclude>
</syntaxhighlight>

Note that when loading the documentation from a page other than the local /doc subpage, it becomes tricky to handle the categories.

=== Using the {{para|content}} parameter ===
The documentation can also be fed directly as text, by using the {{para|content}} parameter:

<syntaxhighlight lang="text">
<!--Last line of your template code--><noinclude>
{{Documentation
 | content =
<!-- template documentation -->
}}</noinclude>
</syntaxhighlight>

When using this parameter, the toolbar will not show. Note that the /doc subpage in the link box will still show up if it exists.

Also note that when {{para|1}} and {{para|content}} is specified, {{para|content}} takes precedence and always shows in the documentation box.

== Advanced syntax ==
=== Customizing the heading ===
The heading in the documentation box changes depending on namespace. See the below list for the default text in each namespace:

* Template namespace: [[File:Test Template Info-Icon - Version (2).svg|32px|link=[[Wikipedia:Template documentation]]]] '''Template documentation'''
* Module namespace: [[File:Test Template Info-Icon - Version (2).svg|32px|link=[[Wikipedia:Template documentation]]]] '''Module documentation'''
* Other namespaces: '''Documentation'''

To customize the heading, simply set the parameter {{para|heading}} to anything you like, for example {{para|heading|Infobox documentation}}.

Note that if the heading parameter is empty but defined (like {{para|heading|}}) the heading alongside the toolbar will not show.

The {{para|heading-style}} parameter can be fed optional [[Cascading Style Sheets|CSS]] values, like {{para|heading-style|font-size:150%;color:red;}}. Not that you should omit quotation marks <code>" "</code> and add the ending semicolon <code>;</code>. 

=== Customizing the link box ===
To customize the link box, simply set {{para|link box}} to something else, like {{para|link box|The above documentation is automatically generated from [[Template:Foo]]}}.

To hide the link box, simply set {{para|link box}} to <code>off</code>.

=== Testing ===
You can simulate the output for a given page by using the {{para|page}} parameter. For example, if you use the code {{para|page|Template:Edit protected}}, the template will behave exactly as if it were on the page [[Template:Edit protected]], including showing the documentation from [[Template:Edit protected/doc]], linking to [[Template:Edit protected/sandbox]], etc. This parameter is useful for testing and is used extensively on the [[Module:Documentation/testcases|module testcases page]]. 

== Placement and tags ==
{{Further information|Wikipedia:Template documentation#Where to place it}}
This code should be added at the bottom of the template code page, with no space before {{Tag|noinclude|o}} (which causes extra whitespace to show on pages where the template is transcluded):

<syntaxhighlight lang="text"><!--Last line of your template code--><noinclude>
{{documentation}}
<!-- Add categories to the /doc subpage -->
</noinclude></syntaxhighlight>

To automatically insert the above text, you can also use the [[Wikipedia:Substitution|substitution]] code shortcut {{tlxs|doc-code}}.

=== Categories and interwikis ===
Depending on where to the documentation is placed, it may be tricky to handle the categories and interwikis. See {{section link|Wikipedia:Template documentation#Categories and interwiki links}} for information about adding these.

== Technical details ==
=== Automatic functions ===
If the documentation page does not exist, the toolbar is replaced with a <code>[create]</code> link. It automatically [[mw:Manual:Creating pages with preloaded text|creates the page with preloaded text]] with the basic documentation syntax. Preload text is also used for the /sandbox and /testcases [create] links.

The preload page for the /doc <code>[create]</code> link is [[Template:Documentation/preload]]. The preload pages for the /sandbox and /testcases links are [[Template:Documentation/preload-sandbox]] and [[Template:Documentation/preload-testcases]]. The preload page for the /sandbox <code>[mirror]</code> link is [[Template:Documentation/mirror]].

This template also automatically adds {{tl|pp-template}} to a protected template page, so no need to manually add this template to protected pages.

When this template is on a /sandbox subpage it automatically adds the {{tl|Template sandbox notice}} template.

=== Link box features ===
Depending on the namespace, the link box may have less features, or may not show up at all. The following table shows this:

{| class="wikitable"
! Namespace 
! Behavior 
|-
| Template
| Full behavior
|-
| Module
| Full behavior, with the addition of a "create documentation" link when the page foes not exist
|-
| User
| Full behavior
|-
| Other namespaces 
| Hidden, unless {{para|1}} is specified (which will show "The above documentation is transcluded from {{param|1}}")
|}

Alongside that, if {{para|1}} or {{para|content}} is specified, the "Add categories to the /doc subpage" will not show.

=== Subject namespaces vs. talk namespaces ===
This template is usually placed in the [[WP:NS#Subject namespaces|subject namespace]]. But in some cases this template needs to be on the [[WP:TALKSPACE|Talk namespace]]:

* In the MediaWiki namespace, since {{tag|noinclude|o}} often does not work in system messages, and since the MediaWiki namespace needs to be kept clean for performance reasons.

When placed on talk pages, this template usually is placed near the top of the page and without {{tag|noinclude}} tags.

The /doc, /sandbox and /testcases pages should normally be in the subject namespace, except in the namespaces that do not have the MediaWiki [[meta:Help:Link#Subpage feature|subpage feature]] enabled: Main, File, and MediaWiki. (Categories can have subpages, but documentation is created in the Category talk namespace to prevent creating empty categories. There are also a whole bunch of other technical reasons why the /doc page must be stored under the talk page for those (but only those) namespaces.

This template automatically points its [create] links for the /doc, /sandbox and /testcases to the right namespace.

== Full syntax ==
<pre>
{{Documentation}}

or

{{Documentation
 | [path to documentation page]
}}

{{Documentation
 | content =
}}

or

{{Documentation
| [path to documentation page]
| heading-style = 
| heading = 
| link box = 
}}

or 

{{Documentation
| [path to documentation page]
| content = 
| heading-style = 
| heading = 
| link box = 
| page =
}}
</pre>

=== Color scheme ===
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%"
|+ Wikipedia background colors for {{Template link|documentation}} <small>([[Help:Using colors]])</small>
! !! RGB !! HSV !! Color !! General usage !! Note
|-
| A&nbsp;
| <kbd>#ECFCF4</kbd> || 150&deg;, 6%, 99%
| style="background:#ECFCF4" | &nbsp;
| Sample || Current documentation background
|-
| B
| <kbd>#00FF80</kbd>
| style="font-size:90%;" | {{nowrap|1=Hue=150&deg; <small>(41.7%; 106/255<small>dec</small>)</small> 100%, 100%}}
| style="background:#00FF80" | &nbsp;
| Basic hue || What we'd call ''the color''
|-
| colspan="6" |
|-
| 1
| <kbd>#A3BFB1</kbd> || 150&deg;, 15%, 75%
| style="background:#A3BFB1" | &nbsp;
| Header border only ||
|-
| 2
| <kbd>#CEF2E0</kbd> || 150&deg;, 15%, 95%
| style="background:#CEF2E0" | &nbsp;
| Main&nbsp;border; header&nbsp;background ||
|-
| 3
| <kbd>#E6FFF2</kbd> || 150&deg;, 10%, 100%
| style="background:#E6FFF2" | &nbsp;
| 2nd header, accent colour ||
|-
| 4
| <kbd>#F5FFFA</kbd> || 150&deg;, 4%, 100%
| style="background:#F5FFFA" | &nbsp;
| Main background || So saturation in A is a bit off
|}
{{collapse top|title=Colors for documentation navbox}}
As a suggestion, here are colors for a navbox intended for documentation pages only.
They follow the shading of regular blue navbox colors:
<pre>
| titlestyle = background:#ccffe5
| basestyle  = background:#ddffee
<!-- basestyle= sets groupstyle, abovestyle, belowstyle together -->
</pre>
For subgroups, in child navboxes:
<pre>
{{Navbox|child
| groupstyle = background:#e6fff2
...
</pre>

Example:{{Template link expanded|Periodic table templates}}
{{collapse bottom}}

==See also==
* {{tl|Documentation subpage}}, a notice placed at the top of a /doc subpage explaining its role and including a link to the page it documents.
* {{tl|Barnstar documentation}}, a variant of {{tl|Documentation}} for use with [[Wikipedia:Barnstars|barnstar]] templates.
* [[Wikipedia:Template documentation]] is a how-to guide to template documentation.
* [[Wikipedia:Template sandbox and test cases]] explains the use of /sandbox and /testcases subpages and includes more information about template testing.

<includeonly><!-- Make sure that only page [[Template:Documentation]] is categorised. No other page (no subpages, not when transcluded).
 -->{{#ifeq:{{FULLPAGENAME}}|Template:Documentation|
[[Category:Template documentation| ]]
[[Category:Template namespace templates|Documentation]]
}}</includeonly>