Template:example text

Example text

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This template is used on approximately 40,000 pages and changes may be widely noticed. Test changes in the template's /sandbox or /testcases subpages, or in your own user subpage. Consider discussing changes on the talk page before implementing them.

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{{xtTemplate:Xt}}

{{xt}} and related templates produce an inline typeface change suitable to render example text on Wikipedia's help pages.

Using example-formatting templates in general

Not for use in article space: This family of templates cannot be used in mainspace (the article namespace).

This template uses Lua:

Module:TEMPLATENAME

The category of example-formatting templates is used frequently in non-mainspace general help pages such as Wikipedia:Manual of Style (MOS) when inline typeface changes are needed.

{{xt}} changes the typeface to serif and the text color to green. Example

For cases where the serif typeface is not desirable (e.g. in blocks of computer code), use {{bxt}}, which substitutes boldfacing, or {{mxt}}, which substitutes a monospaced font. For style examples that break to their own line (e.g. paragraphs), use {{xt2}}.

For examples of bad/wrong style, in red, use {{!xt}}, {{!bxt}}, {{!mxt}}, or {{!xt2}}, respectively to the previous paragraph (the addition of the ! indicates the opposite effect). Use {{!xts}} for bad/wrong style ~~with strikethrough formatting~~.

The {{xtd}} template exists for deprecated examples. Its alias {{xtg}} (for "grey") can be used to indicate uncertain, unavailable, disabled, lorem, etc., examples without implying deprecation. The bold, sans-serif equivalent is {{bxtd}} (and {{bxtg}} alias). The mono-spaced equivalent is {{mxtd}}.

The {{xtn}} template is for neutral examples, and has no color change, but is otherwise identical to {{xt}} in that it changes to serif typeface. It can be used with {{xt}} and {{!xt}} to indicate usage that is neither advised nor advised against or deprecated. The bold, sans-serif equivalent is {{bxtn}}. The mono-spaced equivalent is {{mxtn}}.

Parameters

|text here or |1=text here – The text to which to apply the markup. As with all templates, when the text has any equals characters ("="), explicitly prefix the text with |1= or the template will break.
|title=tooltip text here – Takes text, which cannot be marked up in any way, and displays it as a pop-up "tooltip" (in most browsers) when the cursor hovers over the span

Accessibility

The accompanying change in typeface to a serif or monospaced type style (as in example text) is to make it fully accessible for those with color blindness.

Keep accessibility more broadly in mind, and never construct examples such that a blind person, who may not be able to see the coloration, boldfacing, or monospace font change, cannot understand the examples. Especially indicate, with terms like "not", "don't", "wrong:", etc., that a negative example is a negative one, or with "deprecated", "avoid", etc., that deprecated material is deprecated.

Examples of {{xt}} syntax and result

What you write

...for example, {{xt|1=''T'' = 293.15 K}}, but not {{!xt|1=''m''=5.4kg}}.

What you get

...for example, T = 293.15 K, but not m=5.4kg.

Template class	Output typeface
`{{xt}}`	inline typeface change
`{{!xt}}`	inline typeface change
`{{xtn}}`	inline typeface change
`{{xtd}}`	inline typeface change
`{{mxt}}`	inline typeface change
`{{!mxt}}`	inline typeface change
`{{mxtn}}`	inline typeface change
`{{mxtd}}`	inline typeface change
`{{bxt}}`	inline typeface change
`{{!bxt}}`	inline typeface change
`{{bxtn}}`	inline typeface change
`{{bxtd}}`	inline typeface change

User CSS for a monospaced coding font

Change system-default monospace font:

To consistently use a monospaced font with well-designed characters for coding so as to clearly distinguish between l, 1, and I, and between O and 0, and between -, −, –, and —, the system-default monospaced font can be changed:

If you like it as-is, you can simply @import (transclude) it: see meta:User:SMcCandlish/codefont.css for quick instructions.

Otherwise, copy one of the code snippets below to your Special:MyPage/common.css or meta:Special:MyPage/global.css page, replacing "Roboto Mono" in the code with your preferred coding font. (Roboto Mono was used in this example as it is good, free coding font, for user-editable material on the wiki).

This code will:

Apply a consistent monospace font of choice to all the normally monospaced HTML elements like <code>, <pre>, etc.
Fallback to system-default monospace font, should the chosen font be unavailable or lack the necessary characters.
Do the same for the output of all Example-formatting templates, such as {{mxt}} and {{xt}}.
Apply to additional site-wide classes identified so far (e.g., .monospaced) that output as monospace.
Make the three most frequently encountered editing fields also use this font stack: the main editing window, the edit summary line, and the search entry box.
If any additional classes are known that should be added, please update this page or mention it on the talk page.

Horizontal style

/* Use my font, when available, for code */
code, pre, samp, kbd, tt, .example-mono, .userlinks-username, .monospaced, .keyboard-key, .button, .plaincode { font-family: "Roboto Mono", monospace !important; }
/*  Make some of the editable stuff monospaced */
#wpTextbox1, #wpSummary, #searchInput, #searchText { font-family: "Roboto Mono", monospace !important; }

Vertical style

/* Use my font, when available, for code */
code,
pre,
samp,
kbd,
tt,
.example-mono,
.userlinks-username,
.monospaced,
.keyboard-key,
.button
.plaincode {
  font-family: "Roboto Mono", monospace !important;
}
/*  Make some of the editable stuff monospaced */
#wpTextbox1,
#wpSummary,
#searchInput,
#searchText {
  font-family: "Roboto Mono", monospace !important;
}

Cleanup efforts

If you'd like to help clean up instances of the <tt>...</tt> element – which has been discouraged since the 1990s, and should usually be replaced with <code>...</code> (this may vary by context) – you can add something like the following to your common.css to make <tt> stick out like a sore thumb:

/* Flag bad code for cleanup */
tt { color: DarkRed; background: Pink; }

You can also do this with <font>, <center>, <strike>, and other deprecated elements. For CSS you can just import for this, see meta:User:SMcCandlish/lint.css.

{{xt}} inline positive example text, in green, with serif font
{{xt2}} same as {{xt}} but for blocks of text
{{bxt}} same as {{xt}} but uses bold instead of serif font
{{mxt}} same as {{xt}} but uses mono-spaced font (especially useful in source code)
{{!xt}} inline negative example text, in red, with serif font
{{!xt2}} same as {{!xt}} but for blocks (i.e., same as {{xt2}} but red)
{{!bxt}} same as {{!xt}} but uses boldface
{{!mxt}} same as {{!xt}} but uses mono-spaced font; used for incorrect or strongly deprecated code/output/input examples and should usually be wrapped in <code>, <samp>, or <kbd> as appropriate; see also {{dc}} and its variants below
{{!xts}} same as {{!xt}} but also ~~strikes through the text~~
{{dcr}} inline ~~strongly deprecated or deleted material~~; {{dc2}} variant has ~~strikethrough~~ (they both use the <del> element, and do not add monospace font on their own; can be used in mainspace (articles), and where necessary wrapped in <code>, <samp>, or <kbd>); see also {{dc}} below
{{xtd}} inline deprecated (or uncertain, unavailable, lorem, etc.) example text, in grey
{{bxtd}} same as {{xtd}} but uses boldface
{{mxtd}} same as {{xtd}} but uses mono-spaced font
{{dc}} inline ~~deprecated or deleted material~~; (uses the <del> element, and does not add monospace font on it own; can be used in mainspace (articles), and where necessary wrapped in <code>, <samp>, or <kbd>); see also {{dcr}} above
{{xtn}} inline neutral example text, with no color change, when none of the above applies; used for "permissible" examples neither favored nor deprecated
{{xtn2}} same as {{xtn}} but for blocks of text
{{bxtn}} same as {{xtn}} but uses boldface; it still applies a CSS class, so it's not simply boldfacing
{{mxtn}} same as {{xtn}} but uses mono-spaced font; this is a good template to use when the shaded box formatting of <code>...</code> might be undesirable, or the semantics of it is incorrect in the context
{{strongbad}} – for introducing something as deprecated or issuing some other warning in documentation, e.g.: Not for use in mainspace.

The above documentation is transcluded from Template:Example text/doc.
Editors can experiment in this template's sandbox and testcases pages.
Add categories to the /doc subpage. Subpages of this template.

Using example-formatting templates in general

Parameters

Accessibility

Examples of {{xt}} syntax and result

User CSS for a monospaced coding font

See also