Wikipedia:Infobox templates

Don't Break the Ice
Players	2 or more
Setup time	< 5 minutes
Playing time	20 minutes
Chance	None
Age range	3 and up
Skills	Manual dexterity

An Infobox template is designed to present summary information about an article's subject, such that similar subjects have a uniform look and in a common format. These are similar to static Infoboxs, but using a method that can be updated as needed to adjust the style or content.

These boxes are designed to be placed into main articles related to the topic area, and are usually associated with on-going WikiProjects. To work properly, they require variables to be defined when the template is inserted in the page. This allows each Infobox to show information relavent to the article subject, while requiring only a minimal amount of coding within each article.

Standards

Design

The recommended process for creating an Infobox template is to begin simply, and gather as many requirements as possible. It is highly suggested that the base format for a new template be tested as a static table first, then, once consensus is reached, moved into template format. It should be reviewed before being heavily used in articles to minimize re-work, in case the template or defined variables, require modification. If new fields and variables are added, then articles must be updated to reflect the new requirements. If variables are renamed or removed, then many articles will likely be unaffected, since extraneous variables are ignored.

Because of the specific purpose of the Infobox, to provide interaction between multiple Infoboxes, so they appear consistent, and because this will appear on the first page of the article and any printed versions, the following standards should be followed:

Standard suggested width of 300 pixels.
Inserted at the top of the article, and aligned to the right side.
Top line should be reasonably bold, and contain the full (official) name of the item. This does not need to match the article's Wikipedia title.

When creating a new Infobox template, you may insert this code to create a basic template which can be expanded - {{subst:Infobox}}.

Usage

Here is the basic syntax for using this template:

Insert the primary template starting as the first line of the article. This can be followed by secondary templates.
If any variable is not applicable, or no information is available, it must still be defined (ex. "some_field= "). The field will appear blank.
Don't wiki-link the subject_name heading parameter. Feel free to wiki-link other parameters as needed, per the template definition.

Interaction between multiple templates

If designed properly, templates can be used together to provide expanded information.

For example, if the WikiProject Saints group wanted to design a template based on their static Infobox, they would design it to display only information related to their project subjects. The Template:Infobox Biography, followed by the project-specific template, would be inserted into the articles, and the pages would render both on the page "stacked" together.

Primary templates

These are designed to provide high-level information appropriate to a broad subject area.

Name

Example text

Where to use

Associated
WikiProject

{{Infobox Biography}}
Talk
(see Talk for usage)

Articles describing people (living or deceased)
(Note: each article must have an image
uploaded matching the article title.)

Biography

{{Infobox Game}}
Talk
(see Talk for usage)

Game descriptions
(Image and caption are optional)

Games

Secondary templates

These are designed to supplement information provided by primary templates.

Name	Current text	Where to use (primary template)	Associated WikiProject
x	x	x	x
x	x	x	x