View source for Template:Supplement/doc

{{documentation subpage}}

==History==
This "explanatory essay" template was originally intended as a separate "supplement" template used for essays like [[Wikipedia:The difference between policies, guidelines and essays]]. In discussions about how to improve and explain policies and guidelines, many editors thought that it would be easier to handle significant, yet overly detailed or instructional material on separate pages, instead of trying to shoehorn them directly into the official policy or guideline pages causing [[Wikipedia:Avoid instruction creep|instructional creep]]. Many supplemental essays are the result of [[Help:Explanatory notes|explanatory notes]] on protocol pages becoming extremely detailed. 

See also {{section link|Criticism of Wikipedia#Excessive rule-making}} and {{section link|Wikipedia:Content forking/Internal#Policy forks}}.

==Current usage== 
{{Main|Wikipedia:Project namespace#How-to and information pages}}
'''Use this template carefully''', only when there is a well-established consensus at the relevant [[WP:PG|policy or guideline]] page to use this template on an essay that links from the relevant policy or guideline. 

The noun ''[[wikt:supplement|supplement]]'' does not mean "an interpretation" nor just "something added". It means precisely '''"something added, especially to make up for a {{em|deficiency}}",''' in this case a lack or gap in an official Wikipedia's policy or guideline. '''The intent is to further elaborate on  Wikipedia's policies or guidelines in an impartial and informative manner.'''
{{ Anchor |Note}}
:'''Note''': this template does not indicate a "higher status" within the community  for an essay, but is used to denote  that the essay in question has wide acceptance to be linked from said policy or guideline page. If consensus changes or content is outdated and the essay is no longer referenced in a policy or guideline, change the tag to the more common  {{tlx|Essay|interprets{{=}}}} or {{tlx|Information page}} template, as appropriate.

==Parameters== 
'''This template has an {{para|interprets}} a.k.a. {{para|pages}} parameter that must be used'''. Replaces "such guidance" with "the {{var|foo}}" where "{{var|foo}}" is a link to one or more policies or guidelines {{em|and}} label(s) for what they are, e.g.:
* {{para|interprets|<nowiki>[[Wikipedia:No original research]]</nowiki> policy}}
* {{para|interprets|<nowiki>[[Wikipedia:Manual of Style]]</nowiki> guideline}}
* {{para|interprets|<nowiki>[[Wikipedia:No original research]] and [[Wikipedia:Neutral point of view]]</nowiki> policies}}
* {{para|interprets|<nowiki>[[Wikipedia:Verifiability]] policy and [[Wikipedia:Identifying reliable sources]]</nowiki> guideline}}
* {{para|interprets|Wikipedia:Reliable sources}} – this simpler syntax will automatically link to the page if it exists.

You can also use {{tlx|section link}} to produce better-looking links to page sections, e.g.: {{para|interprets|the <nowiki>{{section link|Wikipedia:Article titles#Deciding on an article title}} policy</nowiki>}}, which renders as "the {{section link|Wikipedia:Article titles#Deciding on an article title}} policy".

The template also has optional {{para|shortcut}}, {{para|shortcut2}}, {{para|shortcut3}}, and {{para|shortcut4}} parameters that can be used to add a ''Shortcut:'' box to the right-side, with up to four [[WP:SHORTCUT|shortcuts]].
<templatedata>
{
	"params": {
		"1": {
			"aliases": [
				"shortcut1"
			],
			"description": "first shortcut",
			"example": "WP:PGE",
			"type": "string",
			"suggested": true
		},
		"2": {},
		"3": {},
		"4": {},
		"interprets": {
			"aliases": [
				"pages"
			],
			"label": "Interprets",
			"description": "Parameter that must be used. Replaces \"such guidance\" with \"the foo\" where \"foo\" is a link to one or more policies or guidelines and label(s) for what they are",
			"example": "[[Wikipedia:Verifiability]] policy",
			"type": "string",
			"required": true
		},
		"shortcut": {
			"label": "Shortcut",
			"description": "Parameters that can be used to add a \"Shortcut:\" box to the right-side",
			"example": "WP:DRAFT"
		},
		"shortcut1": {},
		"shortcut2": {
			"label": "Shortcut2"
		},
		"shortcut3": {
			"label": "Shortcut3"
		},
		"shortcut4": {
			"label": "Shortcut4"
		},
		"category": {}
	},
	"format": "inline"
}
</templatedata>

===Error: No page specified===
By itself, {{tlx|supplement}}  causes  an error because the template is meaningless without an {{para|interprets}} parameter as seen below:
{{quotation|{{supplement}}}}

===Examples===
* {{tlx|supplement|interprets{{=}}[<nowiki />[Wikipedia:Neutral point of view]] policy}}
::becomes:
{{supplement|interprets=[[Wikipedia:Neutral point of view]] policy}}
* {{tlx|supplement|interprets{{=}}[<nowiki />[Wikipedia:Neutral point of view]] policy|shortcut{{=}}WP:SHORTCUT|shortcut2{{=}}WP:SHORTCUT2}}
::becomes:
{{supplement|interprets=[[Wikipedia:Neutral point of view]] policy|shortcut=WP:SHORTCUT|shortcut2=WP:SHORTCUT2}}
* {{tlx|supplement|interprets{{=}}[<nowiki />[Wikipedia:Neutral point of view]] and [<nowiki />[Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons]] policies}}
::becomes:
{{supplement|interprets=[[Wikipedia:Neutral point of view]] and [[Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons]] policies}}

== Categorization==
This template adds a page to [[:Category:Wikipedia supplemental pages]], by default. If the page is in userspace (e.g. is a draft of a supplement, or is a mistaken use of the template for something intended to remain a user essay), it will instead be put into [[:Category:User essays]].

If there is a need to put the page in an eventual more-specific subcategory, this can be accomplished with {{para|category}}, using a fully wikilinked category as input. E.g.:<br />
{{in5}}{{tlx|Supplement |interprets{{=}}<nowiki>[[Wikipedia:Manual of Style]] guideline</nowiki>&#32;|'''category{{=}}<nowiki></nowiki>'''}}

This feature should not be used to add an additional category (as this would remove inclusion in [[:Category:Wikipedia supplemental pages]] or any subcategory thereof).  To add additional categories, simply put them at page-bottom, as usual.

==See also==
* {{tlx|Information page}} – the banner template for pages that are more just informational and non-opinionated like [[WP:GOV]]
* {{tlx|Wikipedia how-to}} – the banner template for pages that are more directly instructional and non-opinionated like [[H:EDIT]].
*{{tlx|Essay|interprets{{=}}}}  – the banner template for pages that are more opinionated then instructional or technical; there are several parameters and variations.
*[[Wikipedia:Template messages/Wikipedia namespace]] – for more "Wikipedia:"-namespace header templates.
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