Template talk:Infobox TV test

that looks very good

particularly the tv icon. two suggestion:

1) break down "setting" into place and time, on two setting lines, which would look neater.

2) include a "guests" line for recurring characters like Mickey, the Brigadier, returning Doctors (in multi-Doctor stories) or companions, etc. who wouldn't belong in the normal companions category. --Stardizzy2 17:28, 20 May 2009 (UTC)

The problem with breaking down setting into "place" and "time" is that it gets unreasonably difficult once you start exploring stories set in multiple places and times. It needs to be a free-form category into which people can say things like "16th century Earth and 24th century Skaro". If you broke the time from the place, it'd be difficult to express what you mean. Go to City of Death, for example, and try to figure out a way two separate variables can express as clearly what the one variable currently does.

That said, I have built in a "migratory variable", in that over time "year" should become "setting". If you're a user who hasn't read the instructions on the template page, and are just going off of the name of the variable, this is a very confusing thing. If the variable were instead "setting", it'd make more intuitive sense.

As for the guests line, well this is something I'm gonna have to think on a bit. Already, the template allows for "guest Doctors" and "guest companions", to make multi-Doctor or other "reunion" episodes to make better sense. But I'll have to think a bit about a "co-star" or other such line. We don't want everyone who's got a benevolent, featuring role to be included in the infobox. Otherwise, we'd end up with people like Professor Travers, which is not, I think, your intent. I never have understood what's so wrong with calling these people "companions" anyway, cause they are. CzechOut ☎ | ✍ 15:16, 21 May 2009 (UTC)

actually I think that Professor Travers would belong under Guests. Guests IMO means any recurring character (i.e. more than one story) other than traditional companions and bad guys. (as for considering him a companion, some yardsticks:

• announced to the press and given a special photocall (so that Sara Kingdom would qualify and Jennifer Buckingham would not)
• consistently included in the many "lists of companions"

I don't like the family members thing because that would give minor one-off characters like Tegan's mum special status. likewise the many unmemorable and unimportant UNIT soldiers. I would just go with returning Doctors and companions, and other guests. --Stardizzy2 00:44, 24 May 2009 (UTC)