Mickopedia:Hatnote

From Mickopedia, the bleedin' free encyclopedia

Hatnotes are short notes placed at the bleedin' very top of an article or a feckin' section. Here's a quare one. As an example, see the feckin' notes in italics immediately precedin' the feckin' boxes above. The name comes from their placement, as a bleedin' hat is placed on top of one's head. Would ye believe this shite?The purpose of a feckin' hatnote is to help readers locate a different article if the bleedin' one they are at is not the oul' one they're lookin' for. Readers may have arrived at the article containin' the hatnote because:

  • They were redirected.
  • They may be seekin' an article that uses a feckin' more specific, disambiguated title.
  • They may be seekin' an article with a similar name to, or that otherwise might be confused with, the oul' article with the hatnote.

Hatnotes provide links to the bleedin' possibly sought article or to an oul' disambiguation page.

The five basic rules of hatnotes are:

  1. Link directly to other articles; do not pipe non-disambiguation links. Linkin' to redirects is typically not preferred, although of course exceptions can occur. Here's a quare one. Links to disambiguation pages should always end in "(disambiguation)", even when that version of the title is a redirect.
  2. Keep explanations to a feckin' minimum; explain vital information only, lettin' the oul' lead section and body of the bleedin' article to clarify things for the oul' reader.
  3. Mention other topics and articles only if there is a reasonable possibility of a holy reader arrivin' at the article either by mistake or with another topic in mind.
  4. However, if an oul' notable topic X is commonly referred to as "Foo", but the article "Foo" is not about X, there must be an oul' hatnote linkin' to the bleedin' article on X or linkin' to a holy disambiguation page that contains a bleedin' link to the article on X.
  5. Ideally, limit hatnotes to just one at the bleedin' top of the feckin' page or section. Multiple hatnotes may be appropriate when they serve different purposes, such as disambiguatin' topics with similar names and explainin' redirects, game ball! (In such cases, consider usin' {{hatnote group}}.)

For more information about methods of disambiguatin' articles, see Mickopedia:Disambiguation.

Placement[edit]

Place hatnotes at the oul' top of the oul' article or section. Jesus Mother of Chrisht almighty. When used at the bleedin' top of an article, hatnotes go immediately below an oul' short description template, but strictly above anythin' else includin' protection icons or maintenance tags.[1] Text-based web browsers and screen readers present the oul' page sequentially. Whisht now and listen to this wan. If a holy reader has reached the bleedin' wrong page, they should find that out first.

In the oul' Mickopedia iOS app, there is a bleedin' known bug whereby hatnotes fail to appear anywhere on the feckin' page.

Format[edit]

In most cases, hatnotes should be created usin' a bleedin' standard hatnote template, as illustrated in § Hatnote templates below. This permits the form and structure of hatnotes to be changed uniformly across the bleedin' encyclopedia as needed, and the bleedin' templates to be excluded in print.

Current style on the feckin' English Mickopedia is to italicize and to indent each note, without an oul' bullet before the bleedin' item. A horizontal dividin' line should not be placed either under a note or after the oul' final item in a list. Links to articles should follow the namin' conventions for capitalization – typically sentence case, not all lower case.

When determinin' the content of the hatnote, keep in mind that it forms part of the user interface rather than the article content. Two applicable user interface design principles are clarity and conciseness. The hatnote should not overload the bleedin' user with extraneous information, and the content should be imparted quickly and accurately, so it is. These design goals are conveyed succinctly in the oul' principle less is more.

Length and number[edit]

As hatnotes separate the reader from the feckin' content they are lookin' for, hatnotes should generally be as concise as possible. Long explanations are generally discouraged; the feckin' article's lead text, not the hatnote, should explain what the bleedin' article is about, game ball! In almost all cases, the bleedin' hatnote is intended only to direct readers to other articles in case they were actually lookin' for somethin' they will not find in the bleedin' article containin' the hatnote.

If a disambiguation page exists for a given term, then linkin' to it should be enough. For example, if the article is X then its hatnote will link to X (disambiguation); it should not have entries for other topics known as X, like X (Grafton novel) or X (charge), because they are already listed in the feckin' disambiguation page. However, such an article may be linked if it could be expected by a significant number of readers to be at the title in question: for instance, Turkey is about the country, but many readers expect to find the bleedin' article about the oul' bird at that title; therefore, the feckin' hatnote there correctly reads

{{about|the country|the bird|Turkey (bird)|other uses}}

which renders

There should be as few hatnotes as possible. One single hatnote, which can accommodate several links, is greatly preferable to two or more. Multiple hatnotes may however be appropriate when each serves a different purpose, such as disambiguatin' the feckin' title or distinguishin' similar terms.[2]

Summarize or not?[edit]

Some hatnote disambiguation templates include a brief summary of the oul' present article's topic; others do not have a bleedin' summary. Jasus. For instance, in the oul' article Honey, one might use the template {{about|the insect-produced fluid}} to produce:

Alternatively, one might use {{other uses}} to produce:

Either of these two styles is acceptable. The choice of style in a bleedin' given article is based on editors' preferences and on what is likely to be clearer and easier for the bleedin' reader. (In this particular instance, most English speakers will know what honey is, and the bleedin' second, more concise hatnote is preferable.) Where an article already has a holy hatnote in one of these styles, editors should not change it to the oul' other style without good reason.

Examples of proper use[edit]

Two articles with similar titles[edit]

Dunwich (/ˈdʌnɪ/) is a feckin' town in the bleedin' county of Suffolk in England, the feckin' remnant of what was once a bleedin' prosperous seaport and centre of the oul' wool trade durin' the feckin' early middle ages, with a holy natural harbour formed by the mouths of the River Blyth. Bejaysus. ...

When two articles share the oul' same title, except that one is disambiguated and the oul' other not, the bleedin' undisambiguated article should include an oul' hatnote with an oul' link to the oul' other article, the cute hoor. It is not necessary to create an oul' separate disambiguation page. Jesus Mother of Chrisht almighty. {{about}} may be used for this, you know yourself like. In this case, the oul' parameterization was {{about|the village in England|H. Be the holy feck, this is a quare wan. P. Lovecraft's fictional town|Dunwich (Lovecraft)}}.

Terms that can cause confusion with another topic[edit]

Perl is a feckin' family of high-level, general-purpose, interpreted, dynamic programmin' languages. Jaykers! ...

{{Distinguish}} or a holy related template can be used when there can be confusion with a bleedin' similar term, grand so. They are typically used when readers have misspelled their desired title, and the feckin' error would be apparent by simply displayin' the bleedin' alternative term without further explanation. In fairness now. These hatnotes should only be used when the ambiguity exists for a significant portion of the bleedin' readership.

However, they are not suitable when the bleedin' difference is not readily apparent without additional details. In those cases, use {{about}}, {{for}} or {{other uses}} instead, as the feckin' differences in the oul' suggested article are explained upfront without requirin' the reader to click through and differentiate the bleedin' terms on their own.

Linkin' to an oul' disambiguation page[edit]

A monolith is a bleedin' monument or natural feature, such as a bleedin' mountain, consistin' of an oul' single massive stone or rock. Bejaysus here's a quare one right here now. Erosion usually exposes these formations. Arra' would ye listen to this shite? ...

When a bleedin' term has a holy primary meanin' and two or more additional meanings, the feckin' hatnote on the oul' primary topic page should link to a disambiguation page. {{other uses}} may be used for this.

In many cases, the oul' hatnote also includes a holy brief description of the oul' subject of the oul' present article, for readers' convenience:

In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth was an elaborate maze-like structure constructed for Kin' Minos of Crete and designed by the legendary artificer Daedalus to hold the feckin' Minotaur, you know yerself. ...

The template {{about}} may be used for this. In this case the parameterization was {{about|the mazelike labyrinth from Greek mythology}}.

Ambiguous term that redirects to an unambiguously named article[edit]

{{redirect}}, or a feckin' related template, can be used when an ambiguous title is redirected to an unambiguous title or an oul' primary topic article:

Johann Sebastian Bach



(Redirected from Bach)

Johann Sebastian Bach (31 March [O.S. 21 March] 1685 – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. Whisht now and listen to this wan. He is known for his orchestral music such as the oul' ...

Hatnotes above maintenance tags[edit]

Always place a hatnote above maintenance tags, but below short description templates. Here's another quare one for ye. See above for specific details regardin' the bleedin' placement of hatnotes.

The Giver is a holy 1993 American young-adult dystopian novel by Lois Lowry. It is set in a holy society which at first appears as utopian, but is later revealed to be an oul' dystopian one as the bleedin' story progresses. Story? The novel follows a holy boy named Jonas, the shitehawk. ...

Hatnotes with italics in the oul' links[edit]

Caprona agama, the oul' spotted angle, is a bleedin' butterfly belongin' to the feckin' family Hesperiidae. Would ye swally this in a minute now?...

Words or phrases that are italicized within a feckin' normal sentence should be unitalicized within a hatnote. Stop the lights! Since all words in an oul' hatnote are italicized, the feckin' specific text will not stand out if the italics are not disabled.

Italics are cancelled by the parameterization:

{{Redirect|Spotted angle|the other butterfly with this name|Caprona alida{{!}}''Caprona alida''}}

Many hatnote templates found below section headers, such as {{main}}, {{See also}}, {{Further}}, and others have label parameters to customize the feckin' italicization of the output text:

{{See also|Caprona alida|label1=''Caprona alida''}}

Examples of improper use[edit]

Trivial information, dictionary definitions, and shlang[edit]

When notes feature a feckin' trivial detail or use of a holy term, or links to overly specific and tendentious material, they are unwarranted, the hoor.

A previous version of the oul' article Investment showed:

Investment is a feckin' term with several closely related meanings in finance and economics. Arra' would ye listen to this shite? It refers to the feckin' accumulation of some kind of asset in hopes of gettin' an oul' future return from it. Bejaysus. ...

In this case, there is no direct disambiguation, and the feckin' note listed is bound to be uninterestin' to most readers, would ye believe it? The proper disambiguation simply links to a separate Invest (disambiguation) page.

Legitimate information about the topic[edit]

A previous version of the Aisha article showed:

Aisha or Ayesha (Arabic عائشه `ā'isha = "she who lives") was a feckin' wife of the oul' Islamic prophet Muhammad. Be the holy feck, this is a quare wan. ...

This is a typical but improper use of disambiguatin' hatnotes, that's fierce now what? Instead, the bleedin' information belongs in the feckin' body of the article, or in the feckin' articles about the bleedin' book, or in a holy separate article about names, or all three places, the cute hoor. Hatnotes are meant to reduce confusion and direct readers to another article they might have been lookin' for, not for information about the subject of the oul' article itself.

Linkin' to articles that are related to the bleedin' topic[edit]

Disambiguation hatnotes are intended to link to separate topics that could be referred to by the oul' same title. Here's another quare one for ye. They are not intended to link to topics that are simply related to each other, or to a feckin' specific aspect of a feckin' general topic:

Extraterrestrial life is life that may exist and originate outside the bleedin' planet Earth. C'mere til I tell yiz. Its existence is currently hypothetical: there is as yet no evidence of extraterrestrial life that has been widely accepted by scientists. Bejaysus. ...

Instead of usin' a disambiguation hatnote in such cases, it is better to summarize the oul' topic Extraterrestrial life in popular culture under a feckin' subsection of Extraterrestrial life in conjunction with the {{main}} template.

Similarly, do not use the oul' {{see also}} or {{main}} templates on top of a holy page, as it is meant only for sections.

This guideline does not discourage the oul' use of disambiguation hatnotes in a bleedin' situation where separate topics are related, but could nonetheless be referred to by the same title and would thus qualify for disambiguation, such as a holy book and its film adaptation (e.g, begorrah. The Lord of the oul' Rings and The Lord of the Rings (film series)).

Disambiguatin' article names that are not ambiguous[edit]

It is usually preferable not to have a hatnote when the name of the feckin' article is not ambiguous.

Water (Wu Xin')


Water (Chinese: ; pinyin: shuǐ), is the low point of the matter, or the oul' matter's dyin' or hidin' stage. Water is the fifth stage of Wu Xin'. G'wan now. ...

Here, the bleedin' hatnote can be removed. In fairness now. A reader who is followin' links within Mickopedia is unlikely to end up at Water (Wu Xin') if they were lookin' for other meanings of water, since water does not redirect there.

A hatnote may still be appropriate when even an oul' more specific name is still ambiguous, bejaysus. For example, Tree (set theory) might still be confused with Tree (descriptive set theory).

The presence or absence of hatnotes in articles with disambiguated titles has been an oul' contentious issue, and this guideline doesn't prescribe one way or the bleedin' other. Here's a quare one for ye. There are cases where some editors strongly believe that such hatnotes should be included, such as the oul' various articles about treaties called Treaty of Paris.

A hatnote may be appropriate in an unambiguously named article when an ambiguous term redirects to it, as explained in § Ambiguous term that redirects to an unambiguously named article above.

Extraneous links[edit]

Each additional link in the hatnote besides the feckin' ambiguous or confusable topic(s) makes it more difficult to find the desired target. Sufferin' Jaysus listen to this. For example, in a bleedin' previous version of the article WTOB (AM) under a bleedin' former callsign:

WTIX (980 AM) is a radio station broadcastin' a feckin' Sports radio format. Whisht now.

In this case, the bleedin' link to New Orleans, Louisiana, in the bleedin' hatnote leads to an article that is not ambiguous with the bleedin' title, grand so. Linkin' only to the possible other destination (WIST (AM)) makes it easier to find the oul' link.

External links[edit]

A previous version of the feckin' Hurricane Katrina article contained:

Hurricane Katrina, which made landfall near New Orleans, Louisiana, on August 29, 2005, was one of the bleedin' most destructive and expensive tropical cyclones to hit the oul' United States, the cute hoor. ...

The use of external help links in Mickopedia, though noble, cannot reasonably be maintained. In special cases, a link to an "External links" section may be appropriate, but POV favoritism can be obstructive. In this case, the hatnote was removed entirely.

Non-existent articles[edit]

Hatnotes should not contain red links to non-existent articles, since hatnotes are intended to help users navigate to another article they may have intended to find. C'mere til I tell yiz. The exception is if one intends to create the linked article immediately. In that case, consider creatin' the feckin' new article first, before savin' the bleedin' addition of the bleedin' hatnote.

Hatnote templates[edit]

Generic hatnote[edit]

{{Hatnote}} allows general text to be shown in hatnote format. Story? It is appropriate when none of the oul' other specific templates listed below includes the oul' combination of parameters needed, or to combine several of them in a single hatnote.

  • {{Hatnote|CUSTOM TEXT}}
{{Hatnote|For other senses of this term, see [[etc...]]}}
  • {{Self reference}} (a generic template for self-references to Mickopedia material)

Other uses of the oul' same title ("For ..., see ...")[edit]

Per WP:NAMB, it is usually preferable not to have a feckin' hatnote when the name of the feckin' article is not ambiguous.

"This page is about ... For other uses, see..."[edit]

{{About}} is the oul' main template for notin' other uses.

Note: When used in main namespace (aka mainspace), the word "page" in the feckin' followin' hatnotes is replaced by "article".

  • {{About|TOPIC}}
  • {{About|USE1||PAGE2}} (When the oul' disambiguation page has an oul' different name – Note the feckin' empty second parameter) →
  • {{About|USE1|USE2|PAGE2}} (When there is only one other use) →
  • {{About|USE1|USE2|PAGE2|and|PAGE3}} (Two pages for USE2) →
  • {{About|USE1|USE2|PAGE2#SUBSECTION{{!}}PAGE2TITLE}} (Usin' the feckin' {{!}} magic word to give the feckin' link an oul' different title) →
  • {{About|USE1|USE2|PAGE2|other uses}} (When there are several standard other uses and also a disambiguation page with default name – Note that the bleedin' last page name is not specified) →
  • {{About|USE1|USE2|PAGE2|other uses|PAGE3}} (When there are several standard other uses and also a bleedin' disambiguation page with non-default name) →
  • {{About||USE2|PAGE2|USE3|PAGE3|other uses}} (When you don't need to state the feckin' focus of this article/page – Note the oul' empty first parameter) →
  • {{About|||PAGE1|and|PAGE2}}
Note: {{for||PAGE1|PAGE2}} produces the oul' same result.
Note: this hatnote says "section", instead of "article" or "page".
  • {{About|USE1|text=TEXT}}

"This page is about ... It is not to be confused with ..."[edit]

{{About-distinguish}} is an oul' template for notin' other uses when there could be confusion with another topic.

  • {{About-distinguish|USE1|PAGE1}}
  • {{About-distinguish2|USE1|TEXT}}

"For ..., see ..."[edit]

{{For}} can be used instead of {{About}} so as not to display: This page is about USE1. but still specify a bleedin' specific other use. This effect can also be achieved by usin' an empty first parameter in {{About}} as in:

For example: {{For|OTHER TOPIC|PAGE1}} is the oul' same as {{About||OTHER TOPIC|PAGE1}} (note the oul' empty first parameter).

However, it is somewhat clearer when usin' the {{For}} template, since the feckin' word "about" does not appear in the statement.

Variations
As with {{Other uses}}, there is a whole family of "for" templates. Be the holy feck, this is a quare wan. {{For2}} allows custom text, such as quotation marks or a feckin' link from part of the feckin' "CUSTOM TEXT", but does not supply automatic wikilinkin'
  • {{For2|OTHER TOPIC|CUSTOM TEXT}} (note how CUSTOM TEXT isn't bluelinked)
It also supports up to three topics:
  • {{For2|OTHER TOPIC|CUSTOM TEXT|OTHER TOPIC 2|CUSTOM TEXT 2}}
  • {{For2|OTHER TOPIC|CUSTOM TEXT|OTHER TOPIC 2|CUSTOM TEXT 2|OTHER TOPIC 3|CUSTOM TEXT 3}}

"For other uses, see ..."[edit]

When such a bleedin' wordy hatnote as {{About}} is not needed, {{Other uses}} is often useful.

Variations
There are, historically, a whole family of "other uses" templates for specific cases, fair play. {{About}} is the oul' standard hatnote for "other uses" and many of them can be specified usin' the bleedin' {{About}} template. However, the oul' individual templates may be easier to use in certain contexts.
Here are the oul' variations and (when appropriate) the feckin' equivalents usin' the {{About}}, {{Other uses}} or {{For}} templates.
"For other uses of ..., see ..."

Redirect[edit]

".., be the hokey! redirects here. For other uses, see ..."[edit]

  • {{Redirect|REDIRECT}}
  • {{Redirect|REDIRECT||PAGE1}}
  • {{Redirect|REDIRECT|USE1|PAGE1}}
  • {{Redirect|REDIRECT|USE1|PAGE1|USE2|PAGE2}}
  • {{Redirect|REDIRECT|USE1|PAGE1|and|PAGE2}}
Variations

"For technical reasons, .., that's fierce now what? redirects here. Sufferin' Jaysus listen to this. ... Right so. [edit]

... Chrisht Almighty. redirects here. Jesus, Mary and Joseph. It is not to be confused with ...[edit]

Similar proper names ("For other people named ...")[edit]

Other people[edit]

Note: defaults to "named" as in {{Other people}}, exists for options like "nicknamed", "known as", etc.

Other places/ships/hurricanes[edit]

Distinguish[edit]

"Not to be confused with ..."[edit]

".., fair play. redirects here. It is not to be confused with ..."[edit]

Family names[edit]

Family names can also be clarified usin' inline footnotes, such as with {{Efn Chinese name}}.

For use in sections[edit]

"Main article: ..."[edit]

{{Main}} is used to make summary style explicit, when used in an oul' summary section for which there is also a feckin' separate article on the bleedin' subject:

"Further information: ..."[edit]

{{Further}} can supplement {{Main}} in summary sections, or can indicate more details in nonsummary sections:

  • {{Further|PAGE}}
  • {{Further|PAGE1|PAGE2|PAGE3}}
  • {{Further|topic=TOPIC|PAGE1|PAGE2|PAGE3}}
  • {{Further2|[[PAGE1]], [[PAGE2]], and other text}}
  • {{Further ill}} may be used to link to articles containin' further information on an oul' topic, where English Mickopedia does not yet have an article, but another language Mickopedia does.

"See also ..."[edit]

{{See also}} can be used at the feckin' head of a holy section.

Note: use only when OTHER TOPIC PAGE is related to current article and contains a bleedin' self-explanatory parenthetical.

Article or section transclusions[edit]

For category pages[edit]

Category-specific templates:

This is a template for linkin' categories horizontally. Horizontal linkage is often the bleedin' right solution when vertical linkage (i.e., as sub-category and parent category) is not appropriate. Be the holy feck, this is a quare wan. In most cases, this template should be used on both categories to create reciprocal linkage between the feckin' two categories.


Correct titles[edit]

"The correct title of this article is ... G'wan now and listen to this wan. The substitution or omission of the oul' (or, without a holy reason: "It appears incorrectly here") ... is due to technical restrictions."

Lists[edit]

What to do before editin' or creatin' a template[edit]

These templates are used in thousands of articles; therefore, changin' the oul' syntax could break thousands of articles. If you wish to create or edit a disambiguation or redirection template, first ask yourself the oul' followin' questions:

  1. Is there already a template that will do this job? Since many disambiguation and redirection templates have already been created, first check: Category:Hatnote templates.
  2. Do I really need an oul' new template for this? Will it likely be used on any other articles or should I just use {{Hatnote}} instead? Before creatin' a new template, see the oul' template namespace guideline.
  3. If I change the parameters around on an existin' template, do I know what the feckin' result will be? Will it break existin' uses of the bleedin' template, and if so, can I fix all of the errors?

Before makin' any changes, see Mickopedia:Template sandbox and test cases.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ See MOS:SECTIONORDER for specific details regardin' the bleedin' placement of hatnotes.
  2. ^ The acceptability of multiple hatnotes was clarified in a 2016 discussion.
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