Editing Help:Commonly used templates

''Use these tags either to help edit an article or create established formatted articles.''

==Off-Page Administration==
;'''{{tl|deletion|Enter your reason here}}''': Use this tag to mark a page for review for deletion by an [[BattleTechWiki:Administrators|Admin]]. Write your reason for deletion over '''Enter your reason here'''. ''Please'' review [[Help:Deletion]] before placing this tag.

;'''#REDIRECT [&#91;real article name here]]''': This redirects a link to a different article than the one linked. The usual purpose for this is to directly link an acronym or abbreviation (ex: AFFS or 'Mech) to an article with the full name (ex: Armed Forces of the Federated Suns or BattleMech), but common titles that would all share the same article material also make use of this command. The redirect will then automatically send all so-named links (throughout the BattleTechWiki) directly to the proper page. Place this magic word on an otherwise empty article or it won't work. Note: it's also available as a button ('''#R''') on the user bar above the edit field.

==On-Page Administration==
;'''[&#91;Category:Insert Category Name Here&#93;]''': Use this tag to automatically link an article with articles linked to the same name. Even if you don't know if a category exists, consider adding it, because you'll start the category yourself by doing so. Insert the tag at the bottom of the page, with the category's name in place of '''Insert Category Name Here'''.

;'''{{tl|cleanup}}''': Use this tag to mark a page for generic cleanup. Currently, any problem falls into this category.

;'''&#123;{citation needed}}''' or '''{{tl|cn}}''': Use this tag following an article sentence, in order to request a proper reference be provided.

;'''{{tl|deletion|1}}''': Use this tag to identify a page you feel needs to be deleted. Replace '1' with the reasoning for the deletion request.

;'''{{tl|details|Article name|Optional parameter}}''': Use this tag if you wish to highlight link providing more detail than the sub-section in which it's placed. e.g., in the Clans article, a subsection on Clan Blood Spirit would have '{{tl|details|Clan Blood Spirit}}', and would produce text saying "For more details on this topic, see [[Clan Blood Spirit]].". The link would then direct the reader to the full Clan Blood Spirit article.
:To use this tag, replace '''Article name''' with the name of the page which is being linked. If it would make more sense than using the default text, include the '''Optional parameter'''; replacing it with meaningful text. e.g., {{tl|details|Clan Blood Spirit|this particular clan}} which would produce text similar to the prior example only "this topic" would be "this particular clan".

;'''{{tl|disambig}}''': Place this template at the bottom of a [[BattleTechWiki:Disambiguation|disambiguation]] article.

;'''{{tl|main}}''': Use this template in an article (preferably under a section heading) to indicate the presence of a more detailed article about the subject of the section.

;'''{{tl|merge|1}}''': To be placed at the top of an article of which a merge discussion is being held (specifically, an article to be merged with another). Replace the '''1''' with the name of the article in which the information is to be merged.

;'''{{tl|otheruses|1|2|3|4}}''': To be placed at the top of an article where possible confusion may exist with other similarly named articles. The fourth parameter is optional. See [[Template:Otheruses]] for proper usage.

;'''{{tl|QuickLinks|Category:name}}''': Creates a line-long list of alphabetic shortcuts to other parts of the category. 

;'''{{tl|quote|''statement here''}}''': Place this one the page where you want the quote to stand out, and add in the actual quote in place of the statement here.

;'''{{tl|refimprove}}''': This is placed on the top of an article that has no or few citations.

;'''{{tl|sectionstub}}''': Place this tag at the top of a section you feel needs to be expanded. Expand on your concerns on the article's discussion page.

;'''{{tl|stub}}''': Place this tag at the top of an article you feel needs to be expanded in order to be fully considered an article. Expand on your concerns on the article's discussion page.

;'''{{tl|update|source title|month year}}''': Place the bolded code on top of the article's page. Replace '''''source title''''' with the article name of the new source material (there is no need to wiki-link it) and '''''month year''''' with the actual month name and year the tagged was placed.

;'''{{tl|Update Needed|source name here}}''': Place this code on top of the article's page when only one new known source has information that may be used to update it. Wililink the source name, if it has an article written.

;'''{{tl|verify}}''': Place this tag at the top of an article or in a section you feel needs to be referenced, possibly due to a statement that may not be commonly known. Expand on your concerns in the article's discussion page.

;'''{{tl|Wikipedia}}''': Place this tag at the top of an article that has a sister article (with the same name) at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page Wikipedia]. It will automatically make properly formatted link that leads to the sister page.

==Talk Pages==
;'''{{tl|sign}}''': To provide an easy and stock-standard message for editors to use to explain to people the hows and whys of signing their posts. Place this template on the user's talk page (and don't forget to sign the entry yourself).

;'''{{tl|unsigned|Username}}''' or '''{{tl|unsigned|Username|Optional comment}}''': Place this tag at the end of an [[Policy:Sign your posts on talk pages|unsigned post]]. Replace '''Username''' with the name of the user who left the comment. If you use the second example, you can include a comment of your own by replacing '''Optional comment''' with your own text. This parameter is useful for adding a timestamp, should you happen to know when the unsigned post was originally made.

==Templates==
;'''{{tl|tl|template name|Optional parameter|5=0}}''': This tag is for making links to templates. You may even include one or more optional parameters. Replace '''Template name''' with the name of the template you're linking to. Replace '''Optional parameter''' with a short, meaningful description of what you put as that parameter. You can have up to three optional parameters. Note that most editors will rarely need to use this tag; its primary purpose is to help with creating pages like this one, or giving an example to a new editor.


[[Category:Help|{{PAGENAME}}]]