Forum:Premature optimization

Forums: Index > Watercooler > Premature optimization

empty boilerplate pages and sections

Pages like Metadata are worse than no page. A red-link ala Premature Optimization is better than a link or search result to boilerplate.

It may be too late to cleanup the many boilerplate pages and page sections that have been created. We can produce a Manual of Style entry suggesting we produce pages and sections as they are needed and discouraging producing nearly empty stubs full of boilerplate. We can also create some templates intended for substitution into pages as the need for a new section arises. Finally, we can add to the Manual of Style preferred page layout(s) suggesting subsections so that editors adding content won’t have to think about where to use those substituted templates inside a page.

What are your thoughts?

—¿philoserf? (talk) 21:05, 15 June 2020 (EDT)

I agree with your analysis. The wiki should prefer the red-linked pages to the empty pages and to omit empty sections of the document. The previous discussions with Maksim regarding the practice dates to 2016, which was roundly ignored. The suggested layouts and Article Organization contain suggestions for layout options for many types of articles. Beefing up the language in this section and on the individual pages as these are recommendations and only use the sections with information is a good idea. Tjoneslo (talk) 21:49, 15 June 2020 (EDT)