Lua error: expandTemplate: template loop detected.
The TemplateData extension introduces a <templatedata> tag and an API which together allow editors to specify how templates and their parameters should be used.
This information is available as a nicely-formatted table for end-users, and as a JSON API, which enables other systems (e.g. VisualEditor) to build interfaces for working with templates.
See Help:TemplateData for in-depth help.
Installation
- <translate> [[<tvar name=2>Special:ExtensionDistributor/Extension:TemplateData</tvar>|Download]] and place the file(s) in a directory called <tvar name=name>
Extension:TemplateData</tvar> in your <tvar name=ext>extensions/</tvar> folder.</translate> - <translate> Add the following code at the bottom of your <tvar name=1>LocalSettings.php</tvar> file:</translate>
wfLoadExtension( 'Extension:TemplateData' );
<translate> Done</translate> – <translate> Navigate to <tvar name=special>Special:Version</tvar> on your wiki to verify that the extension is successfully installed.</translate>
Editing data
The TemplateData extension works through having a <templatedata> tag defined in the wikitext of a template page (optionally it can be transcluded from a different page as well).
This is designed to be compatible with the common layout many wikis have of transcluding template documentation from a separate page (but is not required).
This content of the <templatedata> tag must be valid JSON using the format described below; note that all descriptions must be in plain text (no wikitext is accepted inside the template data).
When a <templatedata> block is included on a page, the TemplateData extension performs the following checks when the page is being saved:
- The contents must be valid JSON;
- Each item within the JSON structure must be of the expected type as specified below (e.g. object, array, or a primitive); and
- For those items which have a specified list of possible values (e.g. the
typeof a parameter), the value in the JSON object must match one of those values.
If any of these checks fails, the server will not be permitted saving and an error message will be displayed above the edit page.
For autovalue items, T4700 prevents subst: from working in any template that is added inside a tag, including <ref> and <gallery> tags.
The TemplateData block will save correctly, but the resulting wikitext will not be parsed correctly when the template is used.
Please avoid using {{#tag:templatedata}} as it makes it impossible to use the template data editor.
Format
The below is a visualised version of the JSON data as defined on the template page enclosed by <templatedata></templatedata> tags.
The formal specification is available in the TemplateData repository.
Refer to Specification.md for the latest version.
TemplateData object
The TemplateData object is a JSON root element enclosed in a <templatedata> element on the template page.
| Key | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
description
|
InterfaceText or null
|
A brief description of the template. It must be in plain text. Once filled, it can be displayed as caption when editing a single template and perhaps in search results when users pick one of many. The default is null.
|
params
|
Object containing Param objects | An object that maps each parameter name of the template to a corresponding Param object describing the properties of that parameter. |
paramOrder
|
Array containing parameter name strings | The logical order in which parameters should be displayed. The array contains each parameter key exactly once. Each string must be a valid key in the params object.
|
sets
|
Array containing Set objects |
An array containing set specifications. A set is a group of parameters that should be used together. The default is []. Note that the sets functionality is still in development.
|
format
|
string, either inline or block
|
How the template's wikitext representation SHOULD be laid out. The default is inline. See #Custom_formats for other custom formats.
|
maps
|
A Maps object | An object that maps a simplified name of a third party consumer of the template data (i.e. Citoid, Special:MyLanguage/Wikidata, etc.) to an object that in turn maps a name of a consumer parameter to one or more corresponding names of template parameters. |
Param object
| Key | Type | Default | Description | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
label |
InterfaceText | null
|
A (very) brief name for the parameter. Try to keep under 20-ish characters. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
description
|
InterfaceText | null
|
A brief description of the parameter, for users to know which to pick from an option list. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
required
|
boolean | false
|
Whether the parameter is required for the template to work (true if this parameter must be specified). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
suggested
|
boolean | false
|
Whether the parameter is suggested for the template to be useful (true if this parameter should be specified). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
deprecated
|
boolean or string | false
|
Whether the parameter is deprecated. The value can be a string of instructions giving the user guidance what instead can be done, or be simply true.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
aliases |
Array containing strings | [] |
List of aliases. An alias is an alternative name for the parameter that may be used instead of (not in addition to) the primary name. Aliases are not documented in a separate Parameter object. If they need more information, they should be in their own property marked "deprecated". | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
default |
InterfaceText | null |
The default value used by the template if no value is assigned to the parameter, or a description thereof. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
autovalue |
string | null |
A dynamically-generated default value in wikitext, such as today's date or the editing user's name; this will often involve wikitext substitution, such as {{subst:CURRENTYEAR}}.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
example
|
InterfaceText | null
|
An example text for the parameter, to help users fill in the proper value. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
type |
string | "unknown" |
The type of the parameter, for (soft) type hinting. One of:
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
inherits |
string | none substituted |
The name key of another parameter (must be a valid key in the params object). The current Parameter Object will inherit properties from the specified Parameter Object, with local properties overriding the inherited ones.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
suggestedvalues |
Array containing strings | []
|
An optional parameter property. Creates a list of parameter values to help users select the desired value. For the suggested values to be displayed as a combo box in VisualEditor, the parameter’s type must be set to one of the following: content, line, string, number, unknown or unbalanced wikitext. |
Set object
|
Key |
Object or primitive type |
Description |
|---|---|---|
label
|
InterfaceText | A (very) brief name for the parameter set. Try to keep under 20-ish characters. |
params
|
Array of strings | One or more names of parameters to include in the set (each must be a valid key in the params object). A parameter may be in multiple sets. Not every parameter must be in a set.
|
Maps object
| Key | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| name of consumer | object | {} | An object that maps a name of a consumer to an object that in turn maps a name of a consumer parameter to one or more corresponding names of template parameters.
The names of the template parameters can be specified either as a string (one name), an array of strings (several names), or an array of arrays of strings (several sets of names); each of these strings must be a valid key in the A specific template parameter may be in multiple maps, and it may be used in the values of multiple keys in a given map, but not every template parameter must be in a map. A shortened example from English Wikipedia's Template:Cite_news#TemplateData illustrates the structure of a maps object. {
"proveit": {
"main": "title",
"textarea": [
"quote"
]
},
"citoid": {
"title": "title",
"url": "url",
"publisher": "publisher",
"publicationTitle": "work",
"date": "date",
"ISSN": [
"issn"
],
"ISBN": [
"isbn"
],
"contributor": "others",
"author": [
[
"first",
"last"
],
[
"first2",
"last2"
],
[
"first9",
"last9"
]
],
"editor": [
[
"editor-first",
"editor-last"
]
]
}
}
|
InterfaceText (string or object)
A free-form plain-text string (i.e. no wikitext or HTML) in the content-language of the wiki, or an object containing those strings keyed by language code.
The default value for all InterfaceText fields is null.
String type
If it is a string, it must contain a non-localized string in the content language of the local wiki.
Object type
If it is an object, the object must have this mapping:
| Key | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language code | string | Localized string for users of that interface language. |
Example of object mapping:
| Key | Value |
|---|---|
| "en" | "Welcome to Wikipedia" |
| "de" | "Willkommen bei Wikipedia" |
| "fr" | "Bienvenue sur Wikipédia" |
| "nl" | "Welkom op Wikipedia" |
| "it" | "Benvenuti su Wikipedia" |
| "es" | "Bienvenidos a Wikipedia" |
| "ru" | "Добро пожаловать в Википедию" |
Example
An example TemplateData structure as specified within wikitext on a template page.
<templatedata>
{
"description": "Label unsigned comments in a conversation.",
"params": {
"user": {
"label": "User's name",
"type": "wiki-user-name",
"required": true,
"description": "User name of person who forgot to sign their comment.",
"aliases": ["1"]
},
"date": {
"label": "Date",
"suggested": true,
"description": {
"en": "Timestamp of when the comment was posted, in YYYY-MM-DD format."
},
"aliases": ["2"],
"autovalue": "{{subst:#time:Y-m-d}}"
},
"year": {
"label": "Year",
"type": "number"
},
"month": {
"label": "Month",
"inherits": "year"
},
"day": {
"label": "Day",
"inherits": "year"
},
"comment": {
"required": false
}
},
"sets": [
{
"label": "Date",
"params": ["year", "month", "day"]
}
],
"maps": {
"ExampleConsumer": {
"foo": "user",
"bar": ["year", "month", "day"],
"quux": [
"date",
["day", "month"],
["month", "year"],
"year"
]
}
}
}
</templatedata>
Below is how the above example would be displayed on the template page:
Label unsigned comments in a conversation.
| Parameter | Description | Type | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| User's name | user 1 | User name of person who forgot to sign their comment. | User | required |
| Date | date 2 | Timestamp of when the comment was posted, in YYYY-MM-DD format.
| Unknown | suggested |
| Year | year | no description | Number | optional |
| Month | month | no description | Number | optional |
| Day | day | no description | Number | optional |
| comment | comment | no description | Unknown | optional |
API
See the generated help at Special:ApiHelp/templatedata. A sample invocation (formatted for human readability) is:
Template:ApiEx
This returns the template data for Template:Cite web.
The <templatedata>...</templatedata> block for this template is on its transcluded template documentation page, en:Template:Cite web/doc.
Additions and changes to JSON as received from the API
The JSON structure provided in response to an API HTTP get request is significantly different than that which is defined in the <templatedata>...</templatedata> block.
In response to the API request, extension TemplateData makes the following changes to the JSON object:
- Adds two wrapping objects:
- An overall Pages Object containing one or more Page Objects
- An object with a numeric key: a Page Object
- Additions/changes to the actual TemplateData Object
- Add the
titlekey with the name of the page from which the data was requested (e.g. "Template:Cite web"). - Add the
setskey - Change all TemplateText occurrences that are just strings to objects with a single key for the current wiki's Wikipedia language code
- Remove all
inheritskeys.- Add all properties from parameter from which an inheritance is defined which are not superseded by explicitly defined keys in the inheritor's Parameter Object.
- Add default values for all keys in each Parameter Object which have not been explicitly defined or inherited.
- Add the
Visualised differences in a TemplateData JSON object delivered by the API
| ||||||
|
| Key | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
title
|
string | The page name of the template (e.g. "Template:Cite web"). This key is not contained in the JSON structure on the template page. It is added to the structure by the MediaWiki software in route to delivery via the API. |
sets
|
Array containing Set Objects | An array containing set specifications. A set is a group of parameters that should be used together. If this does not exist on the template page it is added as an empty array to the structure provided by the API. |
| Key | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
label |
InterfaceText | translated to InterfaceText object, if not already in that format. |
required |
boolean | If not defined, default value of false added. |
description |
InterfaceText or null |
If defined as a string, converted to a InterfaceText object. If not defined, key is added with a null value.
|
deprecated |
boolean or string | If not defined, default value of false added. |
aliases |
Array of strings | If not defined, a default empty array is assigned (i.e. [] ). |
default |
string | If not defined, default of "" is assigned. |
type |
string | If not defined, default of "unknown" is assigned. |
inherits |
Template:Removed-inline | This key is removed and all inherited keys are added. Keys defined for the current parameter take precedence and any keys not defined on either the current param, or the one from which it inherits are given the default value. |
| Key | Object or primitive type |
Description |
|---|---|---|
| Object (containing localized strings by Wikipedia language code) If a TemplateData field on the template page contains a string, not an object with localized strings, MediaWiki translates it into an InterfaceText Object with a string assigned to the key name of the source Wikipedia Wikipedia language code. The default for all InterfaceText fields is null.
| ||
| (Wiki language code) | string | Localized string for users of that interface language. |
Example of JSON object provided by API
The response to an API request for the TemplateData structure in the Example section (above) can be seen:
Configuration
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
$wgTemplateDataUseGUI
|
true
|
Experimental dialog interface to edit templatedata JSON |
See also
- Extension:TemplateWizard – user interface for selecting and inserting templates' wikitext, based on their TemplateData.
- GitHub: jeblad/TemplateData – alternate version with some Lua functionality.
- Translatable template
- Wikibase/Maps_TemplateData
<translate> This {{<tvar name=1>#ifeq:|Extension</tvar>|extension|skin}} is being used on one or more [[<tvar name=2>m:Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia projects</tvar>|Wikimedia projects]].</translate> <translate> This probably means that the {{<tvar name=1>#ifeq:|Extension</tvar>|extension|skin}} is stable and works well enough to be used by such high-traffic websites.</translate> <translate> Look for this {{<tvar name=1>#ifeq:|Extension</tvar>|extension's|skin's}} name in Wikimedia's <tvar name=2>CommonSettings.php</tvar> and <tvar name=3>InitialiseSettings.php</tvar> configuration files to see where it's installed.</translate> <translate> A full list of the {{<tvar name=1>#ifeq:|Extension</tvar>|extensions|skins}} installed on a particular wiki can be seen on the wiki's <tvar name=ver>Special:Version</tvar> page.</translate> |
 | <translate> This <tvar name=1></tvar> is included in the following wiki farms/hosts and/or packages:</translate> Script error: No such module "Used by".
<translate> This is not an authoritative list.</translate> <translate> Some wiki farms/hosts and/or packages may contain this <tvar name=1></tvar> even if they are not listed here.</translate> <translate> Always check with your wiki farms/hosts or bundle to confirm.</translate> |