Template:Self reference/doc
 | This is a documentation subpage for Template:Self reference It may contain usage information, categories and other content that is not part of the original template page. |
 | This template is used on approximately 2,100 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.
Transclusion count updated automatically (see documentation). |
The {{Self reference}} template generates a hatnote that will not appear in any article content. The template's intended purpose is to display information that is relevant only to a reader.
Unlike many hatnote templates, {{Self reference}} has no preset text, link generation, or formatting other than italics. {{Self reference|Foo}} simply returns Foo. Many hatnote templates that do contain helpful preset text and linking, such as {{for}} and {{about}}, support a |selfref= parameter that gives them the same functionality as {{Self reference}}, making them better options in most circumstances.
Usage
In most cases, {{Selfref}} is used to create a disambiguation link to a page in the "Wikipedia:" namespace from article-space; for instance, the page Objectivity (disambiguation) could have a self-referential "hatnote" link at the top: {{Selfref|For Wikipedia's policy on avoiding bias, see [[Wikipedia:Neutral point of view]].}}.
When using {{Selfref}} in this way, use the following format:
{{Selfref|The self-referential notice to display, including [[MOS:LINK|links]].}}
which produces:
italicized (Wikipedia house style for self-referential notes), and both preceded and followed by a linebreak.
For inline use (in body text, mid-sentence, and not in hatnotes), without the indentation and line breaking, use {{Selfref inline}}:
{{Selfref inline|the self-referential text to display, including [[MOS:LINKS|links]]}}
which produces: (illustrated here on the same line as other content).
Template {{Selfref}} also has the parameter |inline:
{{Selfref|the self-referential text to display, including [[MOS:LINKS|links]]|inline}}
However, (As of January 2019) it does not always function properly, and may cause a line break under some circumstances.
Unprintworthy content
Rarely, there is other, non-self-referential content which shouldn't appear in mirrors, print editions, or other off-Wikipedia reuses of Wikipedia content, and which shouldn't be italicized as a self-reference.
It is preferable to mark such unprintworthy content with the {{Unprintworthy inline}} template (which includes the noprint CSS class, but not the plainlinks class, since links in such content will not be internal self-references). Although not all mirror sites do so, the content in question can be removed by reusers of WP content, without any reformatting, by ignoring or removing content marked up by this template, or more accurately by the selfreference CSS class that it (and some other templates) use.
Example
| Code | Page on Wikipedia | Page on [some] mirrors |
|---|---|---|
{{Selfref|For the Wikipedia Sandbox, see [[WP:SAND]]}}
|
The Wikipedia Sandbox is a page on Wikipedia. (You can edit it by clicking "edit" on the page.) It has been edited many times.
|
The Wikipedia Sandbox is a page on Wikipedia. It has been edited many times. |
See also
{{srlink}}, for the opposite case when you want a link to the Wikipedia: namespace that does show in mirrors without breaking (for instance when writing an article about Wikipedia or something connected to it).{{Unprintworthy inline}}– for unprintworthy inline material that isn't technically a self-reference
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