Forum:Templates

There are Four issues in regards to current use of templates:
 * 1) No naming convention: A template could be named ME2Armor or Armor (Mass Effect 3), it could suggest the type of the template WeaponsQuickLinks or use an obscure form, like Weapon Upgrade (ME3).
 * 2) Mirror templates: Basically templates that call other templates by passing a parameter, most notably the spoiler (X) templates like: Spoilers (Ascension), Spoilers (Evolution), etc. which basically call the SpoilerBanner template by passing the Evolution or Ascension parameter - this does make it shorter or make it easier for contributors to remember the name.
 * 3) Documentation: Either we have no documentation, or a poor one that does not cover and explain the usage and the expected result.
 * 4) Categorization: Templates should have two main categories (at least) applied to them: the first is the Templates category which list all the templates in the wiki and the second is a more specific category for the template, such as Category:Infobox Templates or Category:Cluster Templates. There are still templates that are only listed in the main category and have no way of locating them other then browsing the Mass Effect Wiki:Templates article.

The Proposal:


 * 1) Naming convention: we use the current naming convention: "Template_name", "Template_name (Mass Effect 2)", and "Template_name (Mass Effect 3)", also indicate in the name the layout of the template: "Template_name infobox" or "Template_name footer (Mass Effect 2)".
 * 2) Mirror templates: Mostly to stay intact for the time being - they are commonly used and authors are already familiar with using them, but careful consideration should be applied in the future.
 * 3) Documentation: A creation of "Template:Doc" or "Template:Documentation" to be applied in current and future template with authors only needing to fill in the blank values. The template itself should take care of presentation (similar to the template at the top of this forum).
 * 4) Categorization: Creation of "Category:Support templates" for templates used in the development or use of other templates. Templates that will go into the category: !, StoreItem, Ifexists, ItemsChart, etc.