Template:Imbox/doc

This is a documentation subpage for Template:Imbox (see that page for the template itself).
It contains usage information, categories and other content that is not part of the original template page.

This template is used on over 3,900 pages.
Changes to this template may cause some server load, and mistakes will be visible on many pages. Please carefully test any edits before making them, and avoid making unnecessary edits.

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This is the {{imbox}} or image message box meta-template. As with Ambox, Imbox is licensed under the GFDL and not CC-BY 2.5 like Wikinews content cause it's from Wikipedia. It is used to create message boxes for the Image namespace.

This template works almost exactly like {{ambox}} and uses the same parameters.

Usage

Simple usage example:

{{imbox | text = Some text.}}

Some text.

Complex example:

{{imbox
| 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.
}}

The message body text.

Image message box types

The following examples use different type parameters but use no image parameters thus they use the default images for each type.

type=speedy – Speedy deletion templates

type=delete – Deletion templates

type=content – Major warnings and problems

type=style – Minor warnings and problems

type=notice – Notices and messages of any kind, both permanent and temporary.

type=move – Move and rename messages and proposals

type=nonfree – Non-free license templates such as {{fu}} when shown on an image page.

type=license – Free license templates such as {{GFDL}}.

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.

type = style
image = [[File:Gnome-dev-camera.svg|42px]]
This image is used for {{cleanup-image}}.

type = move
image = [[File:To Commons.svg|52px]]
This image is used for {{copy to Wikimedia Commons}}.

type = license
image = [[File:Heckert GNU white.svg|48px]]
This image is used for the GFDL license templates such as {{GFDL}}.

Custom Colors

When used without the Type option, custom colors can be passed into Imbox.

{{imbox
| border  = #FF0000
| background = #ccc
| image = [[File:Gnome-dev-camera.svg|42px]]
| text  = Custom colors yay!
}}

produces

Custom colors yay!

Parameters

List of all parameters:

{{imbox
| background = color (if using with the custom color option)
| border = color (if using with the custom color option)
| type  = speedy / delete / content / style / notice / 
          move / nonfree / license
| image = none / [[File:Some image.svg|40px]]
| imageright = [[File:Some image.svg|40px]]
| style = CSS value
| textstyle = CSS value
| text  = The message body text. 
}}

type

If no type parameter is given the template defaults to type notice. That means it gets a blue border.

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 are usually about right depending on the image height to width ratio. (Images over 52 pixels width will cause padding problems.) For example:

image = [[File:Gnome-dev-camera.svg|40px]]

none = Means that no image is used.

bigimage

yes = If the image above needs to be bigger then 52px, add this parameter to the template; it causes the image cell to adapt it's width to the image instead of using a static width of 52px.

imageright

No parameter = If no imageright parameter is given then no image is shown on the right side.

An image = Should be an image with usual wiki notation. 40px - 50px width are usually about right depending on the image height to width ratio. (But on this side the message box can handle images of any size.) For example:

imageright = [[File:Nuvola apps bookcase.png|40px]]

Anything = Any other object that you want to show on the right side.

style

An optional CSS value used by the entire message box table. Without quotation marks " ". For example:

style = margin-bottom: 0.5em;

textstyle

An optional CSS value used by the text cell. For example:

textstyle = text-align: center;

text

The message body text.

background and border ':An optional color value used by border and/or background when used for custom colors.

Technical details

This template currently uses hard coded styles. Later it will use CSS classes enabling it to be skinned like Ambox.

If you need to use special characters in the text parameter then you need to escape them like this:

{{imbox
| 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>
}}

Equal sign = and a start and end brace { } work fine as they are. But here is a pipe | and two end braces }}. And now a pipe and end braces |}}.

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 parser functions and special characters in parameters.

For more technical details see the talk page on Wikipedia. Since this template works almost exactly like {{ambox}} and Wikipedia's cmbox, their talk pages and related pages might also contain more details.