![]() | This is a documentation subpage for Template:Glossary. It may contain usage information, categories and other content that is not part of the original template page. |
![]() | This template uses TemplateStyles: |
Usage
editThe template {{glossary}}
(a.k.a. {{glossary start}}
or {{glossary begin}}
) is used with {{glossary end}}
to explicitly bracket a glossary or glossary-like description list (also called a definition list or association list), especially in a template-structured glossary, although such lists can be used more generally. This is required (as a technical matter) for template-structured glossaries, and is good practice anywhere description/definition lists are used for glossaries. The template pair invoke the <dl>...</dl>
description list HTML element. Unfortunately, the "{{dl}}
" mnemonic is not available as a redirect as of this writing.
The pair of templates incidentally prevent Wikipedia's MediaWiki software engine from auto-creating redundant definition list code (<dl>...</dl>
) around terms and definitions if they have blank lines between them, as they often do, especially in non-structured glossaries.
Typical usage:
{{glossary}} {{term}} {{defn}} {{glossary end}}
Parameters
edit|id=
can be used to assign a one-word ID name to the glossary. This can be used as a#id
link target, and could have other metadata uses.|style=
will pass CSS styling on to the<dl>
element. I.e., this styles the definition list itself, as a container, not the individual terms and definitions with it. There is rarely any reason to do this.|class=
will pass one or more space-separate CSS classes on to<dl>
element, in addition to the automatically included classglossary
. There is rarely any reason to do this.
Examples
editThis shows both a very simple then a rather complex instance in a structured glossary (including an entry with a block quotation, which inside a definition has reduced vertical margins compared to the standard display of {{blockquote}}
, due to TemplateStyles):
Markup |
|
---|---|
Renders as | A–M
|
Scope
editThis family of templates, like the underlying definition-list code, is primarily intended for definitional uses, but can have other applications. The HTML 4.01 Specification itself says:
Definition lists ... generally consist of a series of term/definition pairs (although definition lists may have other applications). Thus, when advertising a product, one might use a definition list:
- Lower cost
- The new version of this product costs significantly less than the previous one!
- Easier to use
- We've changed the product so that it's much easier to use!
- Safe for kids
- You can leave your kids alone in a room with this product and they won't get hurt (not a guarantee).
Thus, editors should feel free to use definition-list markup as an alternative to bulleted or numbered lists when the material is well-suited to definition-list presentation.
See also
edit{{glossary}}
a.k.a.{{glossary start}}
or{{glossary begin}}
– Half of a template pair; uses<dl>
with a class to open the structured glossary definition list that{{glossary end}}
closes.{{glossary end}}
– The other half of this template pair; uses</dl>
to close the definition list that{{glossary}}
opens.{{term}}
– The glossary term to which the{{defn}}
definition applies; a customized<dt>
with a class and an embedded<dfn>
.{{defn}}
– The definition that applies to the{{term}}
; uses<dd>
with a class{{ghat}}
– a hatnote template properly formatted for the top of a{{defn}}
definition{{glossary link}}
– meta-template for creating shortcut templates for linking to definitions in specific glossaries- Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Glossaries