Template repository

This is an idea for something that doesn't exist yet. If you want to help develop this idea, please edit this page.

Idea

To develop a set of "starter" or "default" templates (template templates, you might even say), that new wiki installations can copy and use.

Motivation

Pretty and clever templates are very difficult to write from scratch, and copying them from Wikimedia wikis is often very difficult because of extreme template nesting and hindered by licensing concerns. Good templates can enormously improve the look and navigability of a wiki.

Availability of public domain pedagogical templates will encourage wiki authors to build effective Open Educational Resources for a future wherein Open Distance Learning supported by OER would build the inclusive main stream education system all over the world.

Requirements

Templates should be in the public domain.
~~Templates should be self contained, not calling other templates (or: maybe a maximum of one meta-template?).~~
- Templates should have clearly defined dependencies, which can be pulled in along with them.
Templates should have usage and modification instructions.
Templates should not rely on ParserFunctions (or they should indicate if they do). *[most of the non–trivial, mediawiki.org/wikipedia templates, use much deeper nesting.]
Templates should aim to be easy-to-read and understand, even without, usage instructions.
We should also write some useful CSS that templates may use, and ship it with the templates; rather than, having manually coded CSS in each one. (bug 35704 may be of interest.)
Images — use sparingly for easier re-use?
- Use public domain images, if necessary.
- Use PNG rather than SVG format for easier re-use (PNG uploads are configured by default, SVGs are not).
- Maybe offer multiple versions of templates(?) — One with SVG, one with PNG, and one with no image.
- Commons images(?) (Can you say instant commons)?

Guidelines for template writers

Do not try to make the most extensible template ever. Do not keep everything, as variables for the User to provide (e.g. alignment of boxes); pick an alignment and hard-code it.

Distribution

Ways that people can get the templates:

Possibly bundled — included by default(?)
An extension(?)
Special:Export This will always work, but it's not so much fun for a large number of pages and may require exporting meta-templates separately. Also, images still have to be manually copied, unless hosted in Wikicommons.

Needed templates

Corresponding Existing MW Templates

This is a list of existing MW templates that would probably be included along with their required dependencies.

Type	Template	Description	Dependencies	Images
Mbox			Template:Delete Template:Deprecated	File:Unbalanced scales.svg File:Wikitext.svg File:Merge-arrows.svg File:Gnome globe current event.svg File:Nuvola apps bookcase.svg File:Shuttle.svg
	{{ambox}}	Article message box.	Template:Ambox Template:Ambox/core Template:Category handler Template:Documentation subpage Template:Mbox Template:Mbox templates Template:Namespace detect Template:Nmbox Template:Ombox Template:Ombox/core Template:Tl Template:Tlx
	{{cmbox}}	Category message box.	Template:! Template:Badge Template:Border-radius Template:Clear Template:Documentation subpage Template:Mbox Template:Mbox templates Template:Namespace detect Template:Nmbox Template:Ombox Template:Ombox/core Template:Shortcut Template:Shortcut/layout Template:Tl Template:Tlx
	{{imbox}}	Image message box.	Template:! Template:Documentation subpage Template:Imbox Template:Mbox Template:Mbox templates Template:Namespace detect Template:Nmbox Template:Ombox Template:Ombox/core Template:Tl Template:Tlx Template:Yesno
	{{ombox}}	Other pages message box.	Template:! Template:Badge Template:Border-radius Template:Clear Template:Documentation subpage Template:Mbox Template:Mbox templates Template:Namespace detect Template:Nmbox Template:Ombox Template:Ombox/core Template:Shortcut Template:Shortcut/layout Template:Tl Template:Tlx	File:Emblem-question-yellow.svg File:Gnome globe current event.svg File:Nuvola apps bookcase.svg File:Blue check.svg File:Nutshell.png File:Some image.svg File:Crystal package settings.png File:Replacement filing cabinet.svg
	{{tmbox}}	Talk page message box.	Template:Documentation subpage Template:Mbox Template:Mbox templates Template:Namespace detect Template:Nmbox Template:Ombox Template:Ombox/core Template:Tl Template:Tlx Template:Tmbox Template:Tmbox/core
	{{Mbox templates}}		Template:Nmbox Template:Tl Template:Tlx
	{{asbox}}	Article stub box (Unused Template).
	{{dmbox}}	Disambiguation footer message box.	Template:! Template:Category handler Template:Category handler/blacklist Template:Category handler/numbered Template:Dmbox Template:Documentation subpage Template:High-risk Template:If pagename Template:Mbox Template:Mbox templates Template:Namespace detect Template:Nmbox Template:Nowrap Template:Ombox Template:Ombox/core Template:Tl Template:Tlx
	{{fmbox}}	Footer & Header message box	Template:Documentation subpage Template:Fmbox Template:Mbox Template:Namespace detect Template:Ombox Template:Ombox/core	File:Cmbox deletion.png File:Imbox notice.png
Wikipedia:Template:Navboxes	{{Navbox_suite}}		Wikipedia:Template:Sidebar Wikipedia:Template:Para
	{{Navbar}}	Adds navbar navigational functionality.
	{{Navbox_subgroup}}	Allows the creation of subgroups that can be assigned to a list item within {{Navbox}}. A subgroup may contain up to 20 list items.
	{{Navbox_with_collapsible_groups}}	Produces a navigation template that has groups of relevant articles on a certain topic. All groups are hidden by default. However, with a parameter call, an individual group can be shown that has the other articles in the same group.
	{{Navbox_with_columns}}	Presents its content in columns.
Template:Documentation	{{Documentation }}		Template:Documentation/docspace Template:Documentation/end box2 Template:Documentation/start box Template:Documentation/start box2 Template:Documentation/template page Template:Documentation_subpage
Infobox	w:Template:Infobox

Dependencies

There needs to a difference between whether the dependency is required for the template itself or rather the template documentation. If it is for the template documentation, is it necessary?

Template name	Description
Template:!
Template:Badge
Template:Border-radius	This template is a shortcut for producing rounded corners. It generates the CSS for various browsers. Supported browsers are the current versions of Opera, Firefox, Safari, Chrome and Internet Explorer 9.
Template:Category handler	This is the {{Category handler }} meta-template. It helps other templates to automate both categorization and category suppression.
Template:Category handler/blacklist
Template:Category handler/numbered
Template:Clear
Template:High-risk	"This template is used on a very large number of pages."
Template:If pagename	Helps other templates detect what page they are on. It uses pattern matching on the pagename.
Template:Mbox templates
Template:Namespace detect	Helps other templates detect what type of page they are on.
Template:Nowrap
Template:Shortcut
Template:Shortcut/layout
Template:Tl	Redirects to Template:Tlx
Template:Tlx	This template creates example usage syntax for a template, and links the name to the template page. The "SISTER" parameter specifies an interwiki prefix to link to another wiki.
Template:Yesno	Normalises an input to be a yes/no output.
Template:File_other
Template:File_title
Template:TOC
Template:Template other
Template:Information

Warning: One variable.

Ambox: AKA cleanup/article message box. Could be same as warning?; No variables

Tip: One variable

User welcome: For user talk pages; No variables (put names external to template)?

Edit request: For protected pages - put on talk page; No variables - acts as a "tag" and people put their request below.

Inline: aka "citation needed"; no variables.

Licenses: no variables.

Ratings: Like WikiProject talk page templates; a small number of variables.

Userboxes: No variables.

Pedagogical templates: to develop Open Educational Resources (OERs)

Documentation: no variables; include { {SUBJECTPAGENAME} }/doc, and allow editing it

Template dependencies

These are templates and images that exist solely as variable dependencies for the above Templates. Without these, the above templates would not work.

Variables

TBD

Images

Done

In the "Done" section of Meta:Global template, appears some templates. You can help increasing the number of them.

External links

Templates Wiki, a wiki collating wiki templates (for use on other Wikia wikis). Partially MediaWiki compatible.
Miraheze Template Wiki, a non-WMF MW template repository.