Templat:Cmbox/doc

This is the {{cmbox}} or category message box meta-template.

It is used to build message box templates for category pages. It offers several different colours, uses default images if no image parameter is given and it has some other features.

This template works almost exactly like {{ambox}} and uses the same parameters.

Usage

Simple usage example:

{{cmbox | text = Some text.}}

Some text.

Complex example:

{{cmbox
| type      = style
| image     = [[File:Emblem-question-yellow.svg|40px]]
| style     = width: 400px
| textstyle = color: red; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic
| text      = The message body text.
}}

The message body text.

Category message box types

The following examples use different type parameters but use no image parameters thus they use the default images for each type.

type=speedy – Speedy deletion templates such as {{db-catempty}}.

type=delete – Deletion templates such as {{cfd}}.

type=content – Major warnings and problems, such as {{CategorisationDisputedPeople}}.

type=style – Minor warnings and problems, such as {{popcat}}.

type=notice – Notices and messages of any kind, both permanent and temporary.

type=move – Move, merge and split messages and proposals, such as {{categoryredirect}}.

type=protection – Protection templates such as {{pp-protected}} when shown on a category page.

Other images

The default images shown above are mostly for convenience. In many cases it is more appropriate to use more specific images. These examples use the image parameter to specify an image other than the default images.

type = style
image = [[File:Sub-arrows.svg|40px]]
This image is used for {{verylarge}} and {{CatDiffuse}}.

type = move
image = [[File:Redirect arrow.svg|52px]]
This image is used for {{categoryredirect}}.

Special

Some other parameter combinations.

No type and no image given (default)

No type and image=none – No image is used and the text uses the whole message box area.

image = [[File:Gnome globe current event.svg|42px]]
imageright = [[File:Nuvola apps bookcase.svg|40px]]

This category lists articles about current and recent spaceflights.
It is populated by the {{current spaceflight}} template.

Parameters

List of all parameters:

{{cmbox
| type  = speedy / delete / content / style / notice / move / protection
| image = none / [[File:Some image.svg|40px]]
| imageright = [[File:Some image.svg|40px]]
| style = CSS value
| textstyle = CSS value
| text  = The message body text.
}}

type

If no type parameter is given the template defaults to type notice. That means it gets a blue background.

image

No parameter = If no image parameter is given the template uses a default image. Which default image it uses depends on the type parameter.

An image = Should be an image with usual wiki notation. 40px - 50px width are usually about right depending on the image height to width ratio. (Images over 52 pixels width will cause padding problems.) For example:

image = [[File:Sub-arrows.svg|40px]]

none = Means that no image is used.

imageright

No parameter = If no imageright parameter is given then no image is shown on the right side.

An image = Should be an image with usual wiki notation. 40px - 50px width are usually about right depending on the image height to width ratio. (But on this side the message box can handle images of any size.) For example:

imageright = [[File:Nuvola apps bookcase.png|40px]]

Anything = Any other object that you want to show on the right side.

style

An optional CSS value used by the entire message box table. Without quotation marks " ". For example:

style = margin-bottom: 0.5em

textstyle

An optional CSS value used by the text cell. For example:

textstyle = text-align: center

text

The message body text.

Technical details

This template currently uses hard coded styles. Later it will use CSS classes enabling it to be skinned.

If you need to use special characters in the text parameter then you need to escape them like this:

{{cmbox
| text  = <div>
Equal sign = and a start and end brace { } work fine as they are. 
But here is a pipe {{!}} and two end braces <nowiki>}}</nowiki>. 
And now a pipe and end braces <nowiki>|}}</nowiki>.
</div>
}}

Equal sign = and a start and end brace { } work fine as they are. But here is a pipe | and two end braces }}. And now a pipe and end braces |}}.

Internally this meta-template uses HTML markup instead of wiki markup for the table code. That is the usual way we make meta-templates since wiki markup has several drawbacks. For instance it makes it harder to use parser functions and special characters in parameters.

For more technical details see the talk page. Since this template works almost exactly like {{ambox}} and {{imbox}} their talk pages and related pages might also contain more details.

See also

• {{ambox}} – The meta-template for article message boxes.
• {{imbox}} – The meta-template for image space message boxes.