Transcluding

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  1. Transclusion in MediaWiki: A Beginner's Guide

Transclusion is a powerful feature in MediaWiki that allows you to include the content of one page into another without duplicating that content. Think of it like copying and pasting, but with a crucial difference: if the original page is edited, all pages that *transclude* it are automatically updated to reflect those changes. This article will provide a comprehensive guide to transclusion, suitable for beginners, covering its benefits, syntax, common uses, potential pitfalls, and advanced techniques.

    1. What is Transclusion and Why Use It?

At its core, transclusion is about re-using content. Instead of copying large blocks of text, tables, or templates across multiple pages, you create the content once and then *include* it wherever needed. This offers several key advantages:

  • **Maintainability:** If information needs updating (e.g., a definition, a standard disclaimer, a list of resources), you only need to edit it in *one* place. All pages using transclusion will automatically reflect the change. This drastically reduces the risk of inconsistencies and errors.
  • **Consistency:** Ensures a uniform presentation of information across the wiki. For example, a standard warning message can be transcluded on all pages where it’s relevant, ensuring it looks and reads exactly the same.
  • **Reduced Redundancy:** Saves storage space and makes the wiki easier to back up and manage. Repeating content needlessly increases the size of the wiki database.
  • **Organization:** Encourages a more modular approach to content creation, making it easier to organize and update information. This ties in well with Help:Content_organization.
  • **Dynamic Content:** Transclusion can be used to display dynamic content, such as the current date or the latest news from an external source (though this often requires extensions).
    1. The Basic Syntax: Template:...

The fundamental syntax for transclusion is using double curly braces `Template:...`. Inside the curly braces, you specify the name of the page you want to transclude.

For example, if you have a page named "Template:ImportantNotice" containing the following text:

```wiki Important Notice: This wiki is under construction. Content may change. Please contribute to help improve it! ```

You can transclude this notice onto any other page by using the following code:

```wiki Template:ImportantNotice ```

This will display the notice exactly as it appears on the "Template:ImportantNotice" page. If someone edits "Template:ImportantNotice", the changes will *immediately* appear on all pages that transclude it.

    1. Transcluding Templates vs. Pages

While you can technically transclude any page, transclusion is most commonly used with *templates*. Templates are specifically designed to be re-used across multiple pages. They often contain parameters (see below) to allow for customization. Using dedicated templates is a best practice for maintaining a well-organized and consistent wiki.

Think of a template as a reusable blueprint. A regular page is a completed building built from that blueprint. Changes to the blueprint (template) affect all buildings (pages) built from it.

    1. Parameters: Customizing Transcluded Content

Transclusion becomes even more powerful when you use *parameters*. Parameters allow you to pass values into a template, customizing the output each time it's transcluded. Parameters are specified after the template name, separated by vertical bars (`|`).

Let's modify our "Template:ImportantNotice" example to include a parameter for the notice type:

```wiki

```

Now, you can transclude this template with different parameters:

The `#switch` parser function allows you to select different content based on the value of a parameter. This is just one example of how you can use parameters to create flexible and reusable templates. Other useful parser functions include `#if`, `#ifeq`, and `#ifexist`. These are described in Help:Magic_words.

    1. Named Parameters

Instead of relying on positional parameters (like `{{{1}}}`, `{{{2}}}`, etc.), you can use *named parameters*. This makes your templates more readable and less prone to errors.

To define a named parameter, use the `{{{name=default}}}` syntax. To pass a value to a named parameter, use `name=value` in the transclusion.

For example, let's modify our template:

```wiki

```

Now you can transclude it like this:

The `|default` part of `default` specifies the default value if no value is provided for the `type` parameter. This increases the robustness of your templates.

    1. The `
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