Wikipedia:Templates for discussion/Header

Deletion discussions
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On this page, deletion or merging of templates (except as noted below) is discussed.

How to use this page

What not to propose for discussion here

The majority of deletion and merger proposals concerning pages in the template namespace should be listed on this page. However, there are a few exceptions:

• Stub templates

  Stub templates and categories should be listed at Stub types for deletion.

• Userboxes

  Userboxes should be listed at Miscellany for deletion, regardless of the namespace in which they reside.

• Speedy deletion candidates

  If the template clearly satisfies a "general" or "template" criterion for speedy deletion, tag it with a speedy deletion template. For example, if the template is a recreation of a template already deleted by consensus here at Tfd, tag it with {{Db-repost}}. If you wrote the template and request its deletion, tag it with {{Db-author}}.

• Policy or guideline templates

  Templates that are associated with particular Wikipedia policies or guidelines, such as the Csd templates, cannot be listed at Tfd separately. They should be discussed on the talk page of the relevant guideline.

• Template redirects

  List at Redirects for discussion.

Reasons to delete a template

1. The template violates some part of the template namespace guidelines, and can't be altered to be in compliance
2. The template is redundant to a better-designed template
3. The template is not used, either directly or by template substitution (the latter cannot be concluded from the absence of backlinks), and has no likelihood of being used
4. The template violates a policy such as Neutral point of view or Civility

Templates for which none of these apply may be deleted by consensus here. If a template is being misused, consider clarifying its documentation to indicate the correct use, or informing those that misuse it, rather than nominating it for deletion. Initiate a discussion on the template talk page if the correct use itself is under debate.

Listing a template

To list a template for deletion or merging, follow this three-step process. Note that the "Template:" prefix should not be included anywhere when carrying out these steps (unless otherwise specified).

I	Tag the template. Add one of the following codes to the top of the template page: For deletion: {{Tfd|{{subst:PAGENAME}}}} For deletion of a sidebar or infobox template: {{Tfd|{{subst:PAGENAME}}|type=sidebar}} For deletion of an inline template: {{Tfd|{{subst:PAGENAME}}|type=inline}} For merging: {{Tfm|{{subst:PAGENAME}}|name of other template}} For merging an inline template: {{Tfm-inline|{{subst:PAGENAME}}|name of other template}} Leave the text PAGENAME as is – do not change it to the actual name of the page. If the template to be nominated for deletion is protected, make a request for the Tfd tag to be added, by posting on the template's talk page and using the {{editprotected}} template to catch the attention of administrators. For templates designed to be substituted, add <noinclude>...</noinclude> around the Tfd notice to prevent it from being substituted alongside the template. Do not mark the edit as minor. Use an edit summary like Nominated for deletion; see [[Wikipedia:Templates for discussion#Template:name of template]] or Nominated for merging; see [[Wikipedia:Templates for discussion#Template:name of template]] Multiple nominations: If you are nominating multiple related templates, choose a meaningful title for the discussion (like "American films by decade templates"). Tag every template with {{Tfd|{{subst:PAGENAME}}|discussion title}} or {{Tfm|{{subst:PAGENAME}}|name of other template|discussion title}} instead of the versions given above, replacing discussion title with the title you chose (but still not changing the PAGENAME code). Note that TTObot is available to tag templates en masse if you do not wish to do it manually. Related categories: If including template-populated tracking categories in the Tfd nomination, add {{Catfd|template name}} to the top of any categories that would be deleted as a result of the Tfd, this time replacing template name with the name of the template being nominated. (If you instead chose a meaningful title for a multiple nomination, use {{Catfd|header=title of nomination}} instead.)
II	List the template at Tfd. Follow this link to edit today's Tfd log. Add this text at the top, just below the -->: For deletion: {{subst:Tfd2|template name|text=Why you think the template should be deleted. ~~~~}} For merging: {{subst:Tfm2|template name|other template's name|text=Why you think the templates should be merged. ~~~~}} Use an edit summary such as Adding [[Template:template name]]. Multiple templates: If this is a deletion proposal involving multiple templates, use the following: {{subst:Tfd2|template name 1|template name 2...|title=meaningful discussion title|text=Why you think the templates should be deleted. ~~~~}} You can add up to 20 template names (separated by vertical bar characters | ). Make sure to include the same meaningful discussion title that you chose before in Step 1. Related categories: If this is a deletion proposal involving a template and a category populated solely by templates, add this code after the Tfd2 template but before the text of your rationale: {{subst:Catfd2|category name}}
III	Notify users. It is considered civil to notify the creator and main contributors of the template that you are nominating the template. To find them, look in the page history or talk page of the template. Then add For deletion: {{subst:Tfdnotice|template name}} ~~~~ For merging: {{subst:Tfmnotice|template name|other template's name}} ~~~~ to the talk pages of these users, as well as any related WikiProjects (look on the template's talk page), so that they are aware of the discussion. (There is no template for notifying an editor about a multiple-template nomination: you should write a personal message in these cases.)

Consider adding any templates you nominate for Tfd to your watchlist. This will help ensure that the Tfd tag is not removed.

Discussion

Anyone can join the discussion, but please understand the deletion policy and explain your reasoning.

People will sometimes also recommend subst or Subst and delete and similar. This means the template text should be "merged" into the articles that use it before the template page is deleted.

Templates are rarely orphaned (made to not be in use) before the discussion is closed.