Proposal:Templates, a user friendly way

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The status of this proposal is:
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  1. Achieve continued growth in readership
  2. Focus on quality content
  3. Increase Participation
  4. Stabilize and improve the infrastructure
  5. Encourage Innovation


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Summary

In spite of storing the templates in the code, store them in a special place.

Applicable for banners, infoboxes... All template that are always at the same place in the text.

Proposal

Some templates are always in the same places in pages.

  • Infoboxes
  • Header banners
  • Footer banners
  • Etc.

They are included in pages with code such as {{Template|param1|param2|etc.}}.

Can be frightening for newbies... ^_^'

Since those templates are always in the same place, why should they be included in the code ?

We could imagine having a pages were it would be possible to settle the templates boxes around the text. A "boxes" tab with a visual editor to arrange templates place :

  • At the left side of the text
  • At the top of the text
  • Under the text

Simply put the boxes, chose a template name (or hit it code), fill parameters... And it is all ok.

Motivation

People who don't know templates can get afraid of code, thinking they have to understand this code to participate in wikimedia projects. So many finally don't do anything.

Reducing amazing code in page can help people to do the first step.

Also... Reducing the number of templates in the code would open doors a bit larger for a future WYSIWYG editor.


Key Questions

Is it necessary that the boxes tab use some visual edition? (could also be 3 fields : top, down, right, with place to hit code)

Potential Costs

A few dev to be made.

References

Community Discussion

Do you have a thought about this proposal? A suggestion? Discuss this proposal by going to Proposal talk:Templates, a user friendly way.

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