Guideline:Hatnote
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 | This page documents an BattleTechWiki editing guideline. |
 | This page in a nutshell: Hatnotes provide links at the top of an article or a section to help readers locate a different article if the one they are viewing is not the one they're looking for. |
| Linking and page manipulation |
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Hatnotes are short notes placed at the top of a page or a section, in the way that a hat is placed on top of one's head. For an example, see the notes in italics immediately preceding the boxes above. The purpose of a hatnote is to help readers locate a different article if the one they are seeing is not the one they are looking for. Readers may have arrived at the article containing the hatnote because:
- They were redirected.
- They may be seeking an article that uses a more specific, disambiguated title.
- They may be seeking an article with a similar name to, or that otherwise might be confused with, the article with the hatnote.
Hatnotes provide links to the possibly sought article or to a disambiguation page.
Rules[edit]
The six basic rules of hatnotes are:
- Link directly to other articles; do not pipe non-disambiguation links. With regard to linking to redirects, follow any applicable rules in the disambiguation guideline. For example, links to disambiguation pages should always end in "(disambiguation)".
- Keep explanations to a minimum; explain vital information only, letting the lead section and body of the article clarify things for the reader.
- Mention other topics and articles only if there is a reasonable possibility of a reader arriving at the article either by mistake or with another topic in mind.
- However, if a notable topic X is commonly referred to as "Foo", but the article "Foo" is not about X, there must be a hatnote linking to the article on X or linking to a disambiguation page that contains a link to the article on X.
- Ideally, limit hatnotes to just one at the top of the page or section. Multiple hatnotes may be appropriate when they serve different purposes, such as disambiguating topics with similar names and explaining redirects. (In such cases, consider using
{{hatnote group}}.) - Refrain from having redlinks in your hatnotes. As opposed to having redlinks in the writing of the article, redlinks in hatnotes do not help and add to a large backlog.
For more information about methods of disambiguating articles, see BattleTechWiki:Disambiguation.
Placement[edit]
Hatnotes are placed at the top of an article or section. When used at the top of an article, hatnotes are placed immediately at the top of a page, but strictly before any other content including protection icons or maintenance tags. For the specific order of placing hatnotes with respect to other article elements, see MOS:SECTIONORDER. Text-based web browsers and screen readers present the page sequentially. Placing hatnotes immediately after the title ensures that readers are promptly directed to related or alternative articles if they have arrived at the page unintentionally. This placement enhances navigation and improves the overall user experience.
Format[edit]
In most cases, hatnotes should be created using a standard hatnote template, as illustrated in § Hatnote templates below. This permits the form and structure of hatnotes to be changed uniformly across the encyclopedia as needed, and the templates to be excluded in print.
Current style on the English BattleTechWiki is to italicize and to indent each note, without a bullet before the item. A horizontal dividing line should not be placed either under a note or after the final item in a list. Links to articles should follow the naming conventions for capitalization – typically sentence case, not all lower case.
When determining the content of the hatnote, keep in mind that it forms part of the user interface rather than the article content. Two applicable user interface design principles are clarity and conciseness. The hatnote should not overload the user with extraneous information, and the content should be imparted quickly and accurately. These design goals are conveyed succinctly in the principle less is more.
Length and number[edit]
As hatnotes separate the reader from the content they are looking for, hatnotes should generally be as concise as possible. Long explanations are generally discouraged; the article's lead text, not the hatnote, should explain what the article is about. In almost all cases, the hatnote is intended only to direct readers to other articles in case they were actually looking for something they will not find in the article containing the hatnote.
If a disambiguation page exists for a given term, then linking to it should be enough. However, such an article may be linked if it could be expected by a significant number of readers to be at the title in question: for instance, Atlas is about the Mech, but readers may expect to find the article about the other versions of the Atlas at that title; therefore, the hatnote there correctly reads
- {{about|the iconic 100-ton BattleMech|other uses|Atlas (disambiguation)}}
which renders
There should be as few hatnotes as possible. One single hatnote, which can accommodate several links, is greatly preferable to two or more. Multiple hatnotes may however be appropriate when each serves a different purpose, such as disambiguating the title or distinguishing similar terms.
Summarize or not?[edit]
Some hatnote disambiguation templates include a brief summary of the present article's topic; others do not have a summary. For instance, in the article Atlas, one might use the template {{about|the iconic 100-ton BattleMech}} to produce:
Alternatively, one might use {{other uses}} to produce:
Either of these two styles is acceptable. The choice of style in a given article is based on editors' preferences and on what is likely to be clearer and easier for the reader. (In this particular instance, most English speakers will know what honey is, and the second, more concise hatnote is preferable.) Where an article already has a hatnote in one of these styles, editors should not change it to the other style without good reason.
Examples of proper use[edit]
![[icon]](/wiki/File:Puzzle.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. |
Hatnotes above maintenance tags[edit]
Always place a hatnote above maintenance tags. See above for specific details regarding the placement of hatnotes.
Hatnotes with italics in the links[edit]
Words or phrases that are italicized within a normal sentence should be unitalicized within a hatnote. Since all words in a hatnote are italicized, the specific text will not stand out if the italics are not disabled. Many hatnote templates found below section headers, such as {{Main}}, {{See also}}, {{Further}}, and others have label parameters to customize the italicization of the output text: {{See also|Atlas|label1=''Atlas''}} In this instance, the rendered term will stand out unitalicized.
Hatnote templates[edit]
Generic hatnote[edit]
{{Hatnote}} allows general text to be shown in hatnote format. It is appropriate when none of the other specific templates listed below includes the combination of parameters needed, or to combine several of them in a single hatnote.
Other uses of the same title ("For ..., see ...")[edit]
Per BattleTechWiki:Hatnote#Disambiguating article names that are not ambiguous, it is usually preferable not to have a hatnote when the name of the article is not ambiguous.
"This article is about ... For other uses, see..."[edit]
{{About}} is the main template for noting other uses.
Note: When used in main namespace (a.k.a. mainspace), the word "page" in the following hatnotes is replaced by "article".
{{About|TOPIC}}→{{About|USE1||PAGE2}}(When the disambiguation page has a different name – Note the empty second parameter) →{{About|USE1|USE2|PAGE2}}(When there is only one other use) →{{About|USE1|USE2|PAGE2|and|PAGE3}}(Two pages for USE2) →{{About|USE1|USE2|PAGE2#SUBSECTION{{!}}PAGE2TITLE}}(Using the{{!}}magic word to give the link a different title) →{{About|USE1|USE2|PAGE2|other uses}}(When there are several standard other uses and also a disambiguation page with default name – Note that the last page name is not specified) →{{About|USE1|USE2|PAGE2|other uses|PAGE3}}(When there are several standard other uses and also a disambiguation page with non-default name) →
- As used for Timber Wolf (Mad Cat):
{{About||USE2|PAGE2|USE3|PAGE3|other uses}}(When you don't need to state the focus of this article/page – Note the empty first parameter) →{{About|||PAGE1|and|PAGE2}}→- Note:
{{for||PAGE1|PAGE2}}produces the same result. {{About|TOPIC|section=yes}}→- Note: this hatnote says "section", instead of "article" or "page".
{{About|USE1|text=TEXT}}→
"This page is about ... It is not to be confused with ..."[edit]
{{About-distinguish}} is a template for noting other uses when there could be confusion with another topic.
{{About-distinguish|USE1|PAGE1}}→{{About-distinguish-text|USE1|TEXT}}→
"For ..., see ..."[edit]
{{For}} can be used instead of {{About}} so as not to display: This page is about USE1. but still specify a specific other use. This effect can also be achieved by using an empty first parameter in {{About}} as in:
For example: {{For|OTHER TOPIC|PAGE1}} is the same as {{About||OTHER TOPIC|PAGE1}} (note the empty first parameter).
However, it is somewhat clearer when using the {{For}} template, since the word "about" does not appear in the statement.
{{For|OTHER TOPIC}}→{{For|OTHER TOPIC|PAGE1}}→{{For|OTHER TOPIC|PAGE1|PAGE2}}→{{For|OTHER TOPIC|PAGE1|PAGE2|PAGE3}}→
- Variations
- As with
{{Other uses}}, there is a whole family of "for" templates.{{For-text}}allows custom text, such as quotation marks or a link from part of the "CUSTOM TEXT", but does not supply automatic wikilinking{{For-text|OTHER TOPIC|CUSTOM TEXT}}→ (note how CUSTOM TEXT isn't bluelinked)
- It also supports up to three topics:
"For other uses, see ..."[edit]
When such a wordy hatnote as {{About}} is not needed, {{Other uses}} is often useful.
{{Other uses}}→{{Other uses|PAGE1}}→{{Other uses|PAGE1|PAGE2}}→
- Variations
- There are, historically, a whole family of "other uses" templates for specific cases.
{{About}}is the standard hatnote for "other uses" and many of them can be specified using the{{About}}template. However, the individual templates may be easier to use in certain contexts.
- Here are the variations and (when appropriate) the equivalents using the
{{About}},{{Other uses}}or{{For}}templates.
- "For other uses of ..., see ..."
-
{{Other uses of|TOPIC}}→{{Other uses of|TOPIC|PAGE1}}→
Redirect[edit]
"... redirects here. For other uses, see ..."[edit]
{{Redirect|REDIRECT1}}→{{Redirect|REDIRECT1||PAGE1}}→{{Redirect|REDIRECT1|USE1|PAGE1}}→{{Redirect|REDIRECT1|USE1|PAGE1|USE2|PAGE2}}→{{Redirect|REDIRECT1|USE1|PAGE1|and|PAGE2}}→
- Variations
- For two sources:
- For three or more sources:
{{Redirect-multi|2|REDIRECT1|REDIRECT2}}→{{Redirect-multi|3|REDIRECT1|REDIRECT2|REDIRECT3}}→{{Redirect-multi|2|REDIRECT1|REDIRECT2|USE|PAGE}}→{{Redirect-multi|2|REDIRECT1|REDIRECT2|USE1|PAGE1|USE2|PAGE2|and|PAGE3}}→{{Redirect-several|REDIRECT1|REDIRECT2|REDIRECT3}}→
- To specify the text following "redirects here.":
{{Redirect|REDIRECT|text=TEXT}}→{{Redirect-synonym|TERM|OTHER TOPIC}}→
"For technical reasons, ... redirects here. ... [edit]
{{Technical reasons|REDIRECT}}→{{Technical reasons|REDIRECT|PAGE}}→{{Technical reasons|REDIRECT|DESCRIPTION|PAGE}}→{{Technical reasons|REDIRECT|DESCRIPTION1|PAGE1|DESCRIPTION2|PAGE2}}→
... redirects here. Not to be confused with ...[edit]
{{Redirect-distinguish|REDIRECT|PAGE1}}→{{Redirect-distinguish|REDIRECT|PAGE1|PAGE2|PAGE3}}→{{Redirect-distinguish2|REDIRECT|TEXT}}→
Distinguish[edit]
"Not to be confused with ..."[edit]
{{Distinguish|PAGE1}}→{{Distinguish|PAGE1|PAGE2|PAGE3|PAGE4}}→{{Distinguish|text = TEXT}}→{{Distinguish|text = TEXT1 [[PAGE1]] TEXT2}}→
"... redirects here. It is not to be confused with ..."[edit]
{{Redirect-distinguish|REDIRECT|PAGE1}}→{{Redirect-distinguish|REDIRECT|PAGE1|PAGE2|PAGE3|PAGE4}}→{{Redirect-distinguish-text|REDIRECT|TEXT}}→
For use in sections[edit]
"Main article: ..."[edit]
{{Main}} is used to make summary style explicit, when used in a summary section for which there is also a separate article on the subject:
{{Main|PAGE}}→{{Main|PAGE1|PAGE2}}→{{Main list|PAGE1}}→{{Main category|Example}}→
"Further information: ..."[edit]
{{Further}} can supplement {{Main}} in summary sections, or can indicate more details in nonsummary sections:
{{Further|PAGE}}→{{Further|PAGE1|PAGE2|PAGE3}}→{{Further|topic=TOPIC|PAGE1|PAGE2|PAGE3}}→{{Further2|[[PAGE1]], [[PAGE2]], and other text}}→
"See also ..."[edit]
{{See also}} can be used at the head of a section.
{{See also|PAGE1|PAGE2}}→
- Note: use only when PAGE2 is related to current article and contains a self-explanatory parenthetical.
{{See also2|[[PAGE1]]|[[PAGE2]]|[[PAGE3]] and other text}}→
Article or section transclusions[edit]
{{Transcluding article|PAGE1|PAGE2|PAGE3}}(used when transcluding 1 or more entire articles into a target article) →{{Transcluded section|PAGE}}(used when selectively transcluding a section from one article into a section of the target article) →{{Transcluded section|PAGE|part=yes}}(used when selectively transcluding a section into part of a section on the target page) →
For category pages[edit]
Category-specific templates:
{{Category see also|Example|Category Example|Example Category}}→
This is a template for linking categories horizontally. Horizontal linkage is often the right solution when vertical linkage (i.e., as sub-category and parent category) is not appropriate. In most cases, this template should be used on both categories to create reciprocal linkage between the two categories.
{{Cat main|PAGE}}→{{Category explanation|colourless green ideas}}→
Correct titles[edit]
"The correct title of this article is ... The substitution or omission of the (or, without a reason: "It appears incorrectly here") ... is due to technical restrictions."
Lists[edit]
What to do before editing or creating a template[edit]
Do not use subst: with these templates, as that will prevent:
- Propagating changes as the template is modified
- What links here (WLH) listing.
These templates are used in thousands of articles; therefore, changing the syntax could break thousands of articles. If you wish to create or edit a disambiguation or redirection template, first ask yourself the following questions:
- Is there already a template that will do this job? Since many disambiguation and redirection templates have already been created, first check: Category:Hatnote templates.
- Do I really need a new template for this? Will it likely be used on any other articles or should I just use
{{Hatnote}}instead? Before creating a new template, see the template namespace guideline. - If I change the parameters around on an existing template, do I know what the result will be? Will it break existing uses of the template, and if so, can I fix all of the errors?
Before making any changes, see BattleTechWiki:Template sandbox and test cases.
See also[edit]
- BattleTechWiki:Disambiguation#Hatnote usage guidelines
- Wikipedia:Hatnotes are cheap - Essay on the "why" of hatnotes
- Wikipedia:Hatnote Minimalism - Another essay on Hatnotes
References[edit]
| Generic |
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| For and about |
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| Redirect |
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| Distinguish |
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| For use in sections |
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| Special |
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| Main namespace | |
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| Other namespaces | |
| All namespaces | |
| Navboxes of templates | |
| Inline images | |
| Related topics | |
