Forum:Sources template updates

Forums: Index > Watercooler > Sources template updates

After an discussion offline with several people about how the Template:Sources are used and a followup with the stewards, we're recommending the following changes to the source templates.

Because the Sources template is used in literally every single article, making updates to it can cause overload to the system. Therefore a plan to make any and all changes at one time is important.

First, extend the the statement at the top of the box. Wiki's like Wikipedia (or the Traveller Wiki) contributors to the article within the wiki are all listed on the page history. The concern for researchers new to the wiki it isn't always obvious. So adding a link to the page history in the sources template seems like a simple fix. This will also let us set a higher standard for adding contributors to the sources template. All of the minor changes are automatically and permanently captured in the page history.

This article was copied or excerpted from the following copyrighted sources and used under license from Far Future Enterprises or by permission of the author. Additional contributions by the Traveller Wiki Editorial Team are listed in the page history.

• Loren Wiseman. "Religion in the Two Thousand Worlds." Journal of the Travellers' Aid Society 24 (1985): 17.

Second, if we make the above change I also want to make a change which would eliminate the use of then "S1", "S2", ... parameters. The citations would simply appear in the order they appear as the parameters in the template:

{{Sources
 | {{Ludography cite|name=The Kinunir|page= TBD}}
 | {{Ludography cite|name= The Spinward Marches|page=3-40}}
 | {{Ludography cite|name= Faldor|page= TBD}} 
 | {{Ludography cite|name= Research Station Gamma|page= TBD}} 
}}

In practice this would extend the template so you can use either the parameters or omit them. But all of the documentation would be updated to omit the parameters, and so to make it the new standard way of adding sources template, and it can be updated in the other articles as we go.

Suggestions and recommendations? Tjoneslo (talk) 04:09, 22 February 2020 (UTC)

So here is what the new template will actually look like:

New template:

{{Sources
 |{{Ludography cite|name= Challenge 26|page=35-37|article=Contact: The Prt'}}
 |[[Bjorn Jarnsida]], [[David Piatt]] & [[Craig Sheeley]]. [http://www.downport.com/bard/bard/cari/cari9003.html Downport CARI 9003]
}}

which looks like this:

This list of sources was used by the Traveller Wiki Editorial Team and individual contributors to compose this article. Copyrighted material is used under license from Far Future Enterprises or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.

• Loren Wiseman. "Contact: The Prt'." Challenge 26 (1986): 35-37.
• Bjorn Jarnsida, David Piatt & Craig Sheeley. Downport CARI 9003

---

This is an experimental template used for testing purposes. It should not be included in any article.

Old (still existing template)

This list of sources was used by the Traveller Wiki Editorial Team and individual contributors to compose this article. Copyrighted material is used under license from Far Future Enterprises or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.

• Loren Wiseman. "Contact: The Prt'." Challenge 26 (1986): 35-37.
• Bjorn Jarnsida, David Piatt & Craig Sheeley. Downport CARI 9003