User talk:Johan G/Template:This months newsletter
Grammar and spelling
Should it not be "This month's newsletter", (in essence with an apostrophe)?
—Johan G (Talk | contribs) 12:39, 19 November 2017 (EST)
Translation and preload parameters
Hi Johan,
there are a few points that I would like to add to your great Newsletter (preload) template project. They don't have to be done all and now but we should at least discuss them before moving it out of the sandbox.
- We should add language support to all templates connected to Newsletters.
- The {{Newsletter-header}} is currently translated as {{De/Newsletter-header}}. Writing a default {{Newsletter-header}} template would require just a few {{LangSwitch}} and {{#time:}}. Your preload template also has no language support in this state yet. It would make sense translating both when connecting them (if you want to connect them).
- As dates would need to be translated as well (like de/FG Newsletter März 2017) we should use {{#time: F Y|now|lang}} function instead of {{CURRENTYEAR}} and {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}}.
- Looking at {{Newsletter-header}} your template needs to be prepared to the displayed phrase used in {{Newsletter-header}}: Help us write the next edition before connecting them. We could better use optional parameters like "
alttext1=Help us|alttext2=the next" there.
- Use automated preload prameters for Month and year ($1, $2 for 12 and 2017 instead of "FIXME"). This would make it easier to create a new Newsletter. And this can fix your Category issue by adding : to [[:Category:... when subpage-to= is used.
- Small changes to the Newsletter example like
- add == AI == (great response to it at this edition)
- add chinese "Translators required".
If you agree and need need someone to do this (or don't really know what i want to do) I would like to implement these ideas as a suggestion to your great template and a new translated sandbox {{Newsletter-header}}. I have a detailed plan and working code but want your permission first as these are complex contributions to your sandbox work under your development.
Skybike (talk) 10:24, 20 December 2017 (EST) (Translator of the German Newsletter)
- First, sorry about the very late response. I really enjoy that someone more is interested in improving this. Feel free to copy all of this to a sandbox in a subpage to your userpage (for example User:Skybike/Template:This months newsletter) and continue improvement from there. The main reason I leave links on the village pump to things in my sandbox is that I hope someone would pick it up from there, or at least come with suggestions of improvements (preferably not in the shape of scope creep).
- I would like to participate more, but at the same time I am afraid I would interfere a bit. Also, I have a lot less time now that I had a couple of years ago. In any case I really look forward to see what you come up with.
- If I would have objections it would probably be if things would be more complicated for the wiki editors that are considering contributing to the wiki (some being novices). I believe that while they looked great some of the templates that was used for a while raised that threshold for too many potential contributors and was one of the reasons the newsletter nearly died out. Just as templates can make things a lot more complicated if they require a lot of parameters, they can can also make things a lot simpler if they are simpler to use. Preferably the user should have to type as little as possible (without the wiki source loosing readability and maintainability).
- I also want to mention that I appreciate that you have contributed to the newsletter (I have just skimmed through half a year of them).