Template talk:Stub

Help organize stubs! Click here: Special:Whatlinkshere/Template:Stub

Old discussions archived:

Notes

Note to administrators deleting stub types

It is very important when you delete a stub type that you also remove it from the stub type list on this page, not only for maintaining consistency but also to avoid confusing stub-sorters. Please don't leave red links anywhere on this page! Otherwise well-formed stub categories may be deleted if they fall significantly below the threshold of 60 stubs (usually if they fall below about 50 stubs). In this event, well-formed stub templates on the list should be upmerged into appropriate parent categories rather than being deleted or redirected.

An important note on stub icons

Some stub categories relate to controversial issues. For this reason, their icons have been chosen carefully so they do not cause offense or appear biased.

Before you change any stub icon, please clear that icon change at both Wikipedia:WikiProject Stub sorting/Proposals and at any WikiProject associated with the stub category.

Sizes of stub categories

Maintenance note: reminder to all editors that the maximum section depth is 6 (WP:MAXLEVEL). Because all category pages are embedded in the WP:All stub types page, they should begin at level 3 (i.e. ===).

On March 15, 2007, all size counts (by the number of stubs in each stub category) were removed from this page to improve accessibility and maintainability. The names of stub categories with lists of stub articles too long to be easily maintained is at WikiProject Stub sorting/To do § Oversized stub categories. A list of all stub categories, ordered by size, is at WikiProject Stub sorting/Stub type sizes.

From July 22-24, 2024, stub types were finished being de-transcluded from this master page. A new all stub type page was created with everything transcluded, and subpages were reformatted to conform to that embedding.

Relationships between stub types

The parent-child relationships shown in the listing below reflect the relationship between categories into which each template places the article to which it is affixed. Multiple parentage is indicated by the presence of small text describing child stub types that appear elsewhere in the listing. This is done to eliminate duplication of stub counts, which inevitably leads to different values for the multiple listings of the same stub type as a result of human error.

Stub categories without a stub template

There are a few stub categories that are not associated with a stub template or contain only child categories (no articles):

Symbol stubs: only holds the categories Anthem stubs, Flag stubs, and Heraldry stubs.
Fictional universe stubs: only holds the categories for individual fictional universe stubs.
Film stubs by genre: only holds the categories for film stubs by genre.

List of stub types and templates

Shortcut

WP:STUBTAGS

Generic stub types

Stubs: {{Stub}} (Used when the exact category of stub is not known; often added by bots. Should be replaced quickly with a more accurate stub. You can check which pages use this template by checking here.)

Category:Articles to be expanded contains articles which are no longer stubs, but still need expansion to become encyclopedic. Various cleanup templates include articles in this category, but they should not be placed on articles which are still marked with a stub template - one or the other should be used, but not both.

Category:Redirects to stub templates contains articles that have a particular section lacking, but are otherwise no longer a stub. Articles marked with this template are also categorised in Category:Articles to be expanded.

Specific stub types

ca:Viquipèdia:Esborrany#Classificar els esborranys

Please enclose in each new stub template the message in <div id="stub"> and </div>.

NOTICE: New type of stub

A new type of stub has been created: it's called a substub. Substubs are like regular stubs, only even smaller. You can read more about the difference between stubs and substubs here, or view examples of stubs vs. substubs. There is also a new substub template message; the new message is meant to replace the normal stub message, but only where, of course, an article is a substub instead of a stub. The new message looks like:

This article is a substub. A substub is even smaller than a normal stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

You can use this new message by either replacing {{stub}} with {{substub}} in cases when a stub is more accurately described as a substub, or simply inserting {{substub}} at the bottom of an article. Many substubs are automatically listed on Wikipedia:Shortpages. You can discuss this new type of stub here, on the template message's talk page, or, preferably, on the substub talk page itself. -- Mike Storm 03:09, 21 Jul 2004 (UTC)

Paragraphing stub message

I was thinking, wouldn't be better if the stub message was rendered as a paragraph (or even centered)? That way it wouldn't "merge" with the article text, as it currently does, and it'd look more like a warning — Kieff 09:10, Aug 30, 2004 (UTC)

Adding a div to allow user css to override stub display

Copied from Village pump - this discuss provides the reasoning for why we have a div inside the template - it allows users to decide to blank the template for themselves only, if they wish.

Wouldn't it be cool if the contents of a template could be overridden on a per-user basis, like we do with the style sheets and javascript. Then I could blank templates like {{stub}} and {{substub}} because I don't find them useful (I can see that it's a short article, ok!) but others who like these messages for whatever reason can still see them. Whatlinkshere etc would still work as they do now. Pcb21| Pete 07:23, 21 Jul 2004 (UTC)

Good idea, like class='urlexpansion' for a text that may or may not be displayed.--Patrick 10:09, 21 Jul 2004 (UTC)

I think you could get that effect by editing Template:stub, enclosing the text in <div class="template" id="stub">...</div> and then putting div.template#stub { display: none; } into your monobook.css. I didn't dare try that one out on the live Template:stub, though, but a test using Template:testing showed that it works for the display. However, Template:testing has a link to User:Lupo/temp (a test page of mine), and "What links here" on User:Lupo/temp didn't show the page I had included "{{testing}}" on, only the template itself did. Is this normal, or are some templates (e.g. Template:stub) handled differently so that the pages including the template show up on "What links here" on Wikipedia:Perfect stub article? Oh, and BTW, could some admin please delete Template:testing again? Thanks. Lupo 11:34, 21 Jul 2004 (UTC)

Deleted Bmills 12:14, 21 Jul 2004 (UTC)

No, you are seeing the standard whatlinkshere behaviour for all templates. Thus I think this solution works. The only argument against it is that it complicates the wikitext when editing the template. When considering who edits template pages (experienced), I think this cost is worthwhile - obviously the talk page and an HTML comment will make clear what is happening. What do others think? Pcb21| Pete 12:11, 21 Jul 2004 (UTC)

These complexities can themselves be hidden in a template. See User:Pcb21/stub test and its includees. Pcb21| Pete 12:33, 21 Jul 2004 (UTC)

Fine, then let's go for it! (Frankly said, I don't think the two-stage template solution in any simpler than just adding a <div> around the text. But I don't care very much about such a minor implementation detail, both are fine with me.) Lupo 12:41, 21 Jul 2004 (UTC)

Ok, implemented directly. Pcb21| Pete 13:43, 21 Jul 2004 (UTC)

(Breaking out of indentation...) Pete, you said in your edit comment you weren't sure whether both the class and the id were needed. I used both because it allows selectively switching on or off individual templates, or the whole bunch of them. Consider the newly created {{substub}}: if you don't want to see those, but wanted to see the stub messages, you'd add only div.boilerplate#substub { display: none; } to your CSS. If you wanted to see no boilerplates at all, you might add a single div.boilerplate { display:none; }. If you don't want to see either stub message, but do want to see other boilerplates, you might add div.boilerplate#substub, div.boilerplate#stub { display: none; } to your CSS. Using both class and id gives users a little bit more flexibility, that's all. Lupo 09:06, 22 Jul 2004 (UTC)

I've requested this as a feature on feature suggestions. -- Ævar Arnfjörð Bjarmason 15:32, 2004 Jul 22 (UTC)

Thanks very much for the helpful tutorial Lupo - I thought it might be something like that but wasn't certain so trod cautiously. Pcb21| Pete 16:15, 22 Jul 2004 (UTC)

Aevar, what are you requesting? It seems to be working already?! Pcb21| Pete 16:15, 22 Jul 2004 (UTC)

Oops, should've read that feature request page already. Yes what you suggest would an ideal way of doing things (presuming you can nest divs). Pcb21| Pete 16:18, 22 Jul 2004 (UTC)

Random edits to the template

THE STUB MESSAGE IS STUPID SO I BLANKED IT. --216.229.223.247 09:09, 2 Aug 2004 (UTC) A.K.A. CoolDude

That's very nice. Thanks for experimenting with Wikipedia. Your test worked, and has now been removed. I have protected the stub page since in the past people have said it should be discussed on this talk page first anyway. I notice that many of the other significant templates were already protected anyway. --ssd 12:07, 2 Aug 2004 (UTC)

Typo?

There is an extraneous space between "it" and the final period.

Thanks, Dominus 13:31, 2 Aug 2004 (UTC)

Well, actually, there isn't; the code is as follows:

''This article is a [[Wikipedia:Perfect stub article|stub]]. You can [[Wikipedia:Find or fix a stub|help]] Wikipedia by [{{SERVER}}{{localurl:{{NAMESPACE}}:{{PAGENAME}}|action=edit}} expanding it]''.

The problem is that the skin can (and, for me, does) have a special little icon showing that the final link ("expanding it") is an external one, over and above the special colour highlight.

There isn't a way of removing this, sadly, though you don't notice it when the icon is there too (the browser leaves in a space for the icon even though it's not shown).

HTH.

And please, don't use H1s or full-caps in sections.

James F. (talk) 14:01, 2 Aug 2004 (UTC)

Keep the stub and substub messages?

personally I say no, they are stupid, they make the article look tacky and no one pays attention to them.--Ryan B. (Talk, contributions) 08:12, 4 Aug 2004 (UTC)

I don't support them in this form. A page (i.e. wikipedia:list of substubs), or putting the tag on the talk page would be better. anthony (see warning) [message edited after reply]

I disagree. I think they should be kept as is. --ssd 12:05, 4 Aug 2004 (UTC)

I can see on talk pages, maybe, but they just look bad on a page and i bet nobody even sees that and adds to the article, at least not anyone who would see that the article is short, without the template and expand it.--Ryan B. (Talk, contributions) 05:20, 5 Aug 2004 (UTC)

If you feel this way, bring it up on the village pump, where more people will see your comments. --ssd 03:13, 6 Aug 2004 (UTC)

I'm definitely in favor of keeping them. I certainly tend to pad out stub articles where I can; I'm sure I can't be the only one… — OwenBlacker 23:49, Aug 7, 2004 (UTC)

Blank the message using your personal CSS. That is the what the div is there for. Pcb21| Pete 21:13, 16 Aug 2004 (UTC)

Unprotect

Please unprotect this template, or I'll be forced to use a new template for stubs. Templated should not be protected. Good changes to Template:Protected have been possible because that template is not protected. --Cantus 17:45, Aug 16, 2004 (UTC)

I don't think {{stub}} needs a big fancy div. Goplat 17:48, 16 Aug 2004 (UTC)

Yes it does. Without the div it is impossible for users to override the message using their own personal CSS. As you can see from the above talk - lots of people want this. Pcb21| Pete 21:13, 16 Aug 2004 (UTC)

This should stay protected. Changing this template invalidates the cache on thousands of pages. This causes too much load on the database to have it edit warred over. Angela . 17:11, Aug 17, 2004 (UTC)

No, I don't think any edit wars will result. Please unprotect it, or I, too, will have to use an alternate template to mark stubs. — El Chico! ^Talk 19:50, 23 Sep 2004 (UTC)

Not everything has to be done in a hurry. Have some patience and post suggestions here; the template is protected for technical reasons. ✏ Sverdrup 20:27, 23 Sep 2004 (UTC)

Protecting this template and forcing changes to be dropped here gives admins an unfair advantage. Not only can they decide against my copy if they don't like it, but their name will be attached to it in the edit history. I'm going to use User:El Chico/FreeStub to mark my stubs.

Edit the template, and drop a copy here, and I'll update the real one for you if nobody objects. ssd 06:37, 21 Aug 2004 (UTC)

Big mistake, sorry

Big sorry for this edit, I meant to edit my test template, which I had unfortunately previously redirected to template:stub (I forget what I was trying then, but its there in the edit history if you want to check). I was working quickly, and ended up changing this by accident. If anything went wrong on my account (ie Speedy deletions, etc), I definately volunteer to undelete or fix anything. Thanks to Kate for speedily reverting it, and to anyone else who notified me or tried to fix it. —siro χ o 06:02, Sep 13, 2004 (UTC)

Invalid HTML

in HTML (and XHTML) a tag can only have one class= in it. MediaWiki removes all but the last one. They're supposed to be combined, class="boilerplate metadata". Goplat 03:16, 16 Sep 2004 (UTC)

Ditch the arrow

Psst. Add class="plainlinks". That is all. Oooo, .,-;"";-,. ,oooO 04:24, 16 Sep 2004 (UTC)

Information
WikiProject Stub sorting
Project page	talk
`-` Stub types (sections)	talk
`-` Stub types (full list)	talk
`-` To do	talk
`-` Naming conventions	talk
`-` Redirects category	talk
Wikipedia:Stub	talk
Discussion
Proposals (A)	talk
`-` Current month
Discussion	talk
Criteria (A) (discontinued)	talk
Deletion (Log) (discontinued)	talk
Category v t e