Template:Il/doc: Difference between revisions
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===Guidelines=== | ===Guidelines=== | ||
{{Infobox Story | {{Infobox Story | ||
|name = | |name = Journey's End | ||
| | |nav=0 | ||
|featuring = [[Rose Tyler]], [[Jack Harkness]], [[Martha Jones]], [[Sarah Jane Smith]], [[Mickey Smith]], [[Jackie Tyler]], [[Sylvia Noble]], [[Wilfred Mott]], [[Ianto Jones]], [[Gwen Cooper]], [[Luke Smith]], [[K9 Mark IV]], [[Mr Smith]] | |||
}} | }} | ||
Generally, lists in infoboxes '''should be avoided'''. It is a far more efficient use of space simply to separate thigs with a comma. | {{Infobox Story | ||
|name = Journey's End | |||
|nav=0 | |||
|featuring = {{il|[[Rose Tyler]]|[[Jack Harkness]]|[[Martha Jones]]|[[Sarah Jane Smith]]|[[Mickey Smith]]|[[Jackie Tyler]]|[[Sylvia Noble]]|[[Wilfred Mott]]|[[Ianto Jones]]|[[Gwen Cooper]]|[[Luke Smith]]|[[K9 Mark IV]]|[[Mr Smith]] }} | |||
}} | |||
Generally, lists in infoboxes '''should be avoided'''. It is a far more efficient use of space simply to separate thigs with a comma. | |||
Let's compare the same information presented both ways. At right, you'll see the featured characters from ''[[Journey's End]]''. The top box does it by simply separating with commas. The bottom uses {{tl|il}}. Yes, the one on the bottom is "neater", but it's also twice as tall. Depending on the article, that may be okay. If you've got a nice, fat lead that's as long as the infobox is tall, feel free to use {{tl|il}} with impunity. But if your article — or, especially, '''lead''' — is smaller, using {{tl|il}} is an extravagant waste of space that you can ill-afford. | |||
It's worth noting that on the live page of ''[[Journey's End]]'' — as of 16:57, March 21, 2012 (UTC) — all these featured characters are reduced to '''first names only''' and separated by commas. | |||
==Template history== | ==Template history== | ||
Revision as of 16:57, 21 March 2012
{{il}} is a template for producing an infobox list in a way that conforms with T:NO HTML and uses a minimum of space.
This template can be used for up to 20 bullet points.
Usage
Simply type {{il|item 1|item 2|item 3| ... item 20}}
For instance, if we wanted to list the featured Doctors in EDA: The Eight Doctors, we might well type something like this:
{{Infobox Story
|doctor = [[Eighth Doctor]]
|featuring = {{il|[[First Doctor]]|[[Second Doctor]]|[[Third Doctor]]|[[Fourth Doctor]]|[[Fifth Doctor]]|[[Sixth Doctor]]|[[Seventh Doctor]]}}
}}
Advantages
This has the following advantages over the bulletised lists:
- An {{il}} list takes up less space, because they don't have to allow for the character of the bullet, plus the additional space to the left and right of the bullet
- It's far easier to create than an HTML
<ul>structure.
Disadvantages
- The lack of indentation means that things which appear on more than one line are slightly less clear than with bullets.
- This template can handle only 20 items. However, if you need more than 5 or 6 things on a list in an infobox, the chances are you're giving too much detail. Remember, the point of an infobox is to give a brief flavour of the main aspects of the thing in question. An infobox is never meant to be exhaustive.
Guidelines
Generally, lists in infoboxes should be avoided. It is a far more efficient use of space simply to separate thigs with a comma.
Let's compare the same information presented both ways. At right, you'll see the featured characters from Journey's End. The top box does it by simply separating with commas. The bottom uses {{il}}. Yes, the one on the bottom is "neater", but it's also twice as tall. Depending on the article, that may be okay. If you've got a nice, fat lead that's as long as the infobox is tall, feel free to use {{il}} with impunity. But if your article — or, especially, lead — is smaller, using {{il}} is an extravagant waste of space that you can ill-afford.
It's worth noting that on the live page of Journey's End — as of 16:57, March 21, 2012 (UTC) — all these featured characters are reduced to first names only and separated by commas.
Template history
This template was originally created as a way to make bullet-pointed lists in infoboxes. Hence, it was originally called {{bp}}. In the wake of its changeover to a non-bullet-pointed listmaker, its name was changed.
