Memory Alpha:Template

The templates are a method by which the MediaWiki software includes standardized blocks of text in an article. These blocks are stored in separate pages in the "Template:" namespace, and are automatically updated wherever they are included site-wide, whenever template page is updated. In other words, when the template is updated, you do not need to update any pages that use it.

Templates have a wide range of uses on Memory Alpha, and are grouped into six major categories:


 * . These templates are used to include standardized information that is of general interest to the readers and/or article contributors.  They are generally intended to catch one's attention and inform them of the status of the article, whether it be a warning of a copyright violation, a request for comments, or a disambiguation notice.
 * . Users can also create navigation bars that link multiple articles together in a single menu. This is most useful for articles in a series, or for a group of articles that cover a common subject.
 * . Some articles use standardized "sidebars" to help display an informal overview of the subject at hand. These sidebar templates are useful to make it simple to include the information in a consistent manner across the entire site.
 * . There are a number of pages in the "Memory Alpha" namespace that exhibit a very high rate of turnover; these pages include, , the main page, and others. In these cases, it is beneficial to include text that is not likely to be changed in a separate template, because it helps conserve disk space by not saving the same text over and over again.
 * . These are templates designed to be used as inline text, whether to format something, allow for consistent link conventions, or simply to make life easier.