Template talk:Usertalkback

busy template

Can someone port the relevant code for the "small" parameter on this template to {{busy}}? (See discussion on the talk page.) The code for this template is extremely intricate with a lot of parameters and someone who is more familiar with it would be able to port this code a lot faster than I would. Thanks in advance. ~ Paul^C/_T+ 18:55, 2 February 2008 (UTC)

 Done. — Edokter • Talk • 20:59, 2 February 2008 (UTC)

Ungrammatical

The code {{Usertalkback|you=watched|me=watched}} produces a run-on sentence "please answer on your talk page, I am watching it." That comma should be a semicolon. I'm not confident enough to fix the template myself; someone please do. Joshua R. Davis (talk) 16:54, 16 February 2008 (UTC)

Misunderstanding

I think it will be necessary to change the last couple of lines (As I got confused and I am sure so did other people) from
"If I left you a message: please answer on your talk page, then place Talkback|your username on my talk.
If you leave me a message: I will answer on my talk page, then place Talkback|Usertalkback on your talk."
to
"If I left you a message: please answer on your talk page, then you place Talkback|your username on my talk.
If you leave me a message: I will answer on my talk page, then I will place Talkback|Usertalkback on your talk"
Limideen 15:51, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

which type of question preferred —Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.249.73.46 (talk) 19:28, 29 December 2008 (UTC)

Grammar cleanup - add "page."

Can an admin update the two sentences so that they end like this:

• on my talk page.
• on your talk page.

I'm suggesting to add the word "page." (including the period) to make both sentences a little more readable. TIA. --Marc Kupper|talk 08:18, 9 September 2009 (UTC)

You can disregard my previous suggestion as the last bullet of Template:Usertalkback/doc#Technical says "The sentences have been kept concise rather than verbose." It's likely the word "page" was excluded by design. --Marc Kupper|talk 18:00, 9 September 2009 (UTC)

True, although in that case perhaps just changing it to on my page and on your page if number of characters are of a priority. I know it's a tiny thing and there's way bigger problems, but right now it's just grammatically rather ugly.  ZX81  ^talk 18:56, 17 August 2010 (UTC)

Misunderstanding of your username

This comment/thread comes from a thread on a user's talk page which I'll summarize here as that user archives things. The first item is the user writing to me:

I noted the tag at the top of your talk page which said "If I left you a message: please answer on your talk page, then place {{Talkback|your username}} on my talk". OK, but doing that alerts you to my user page, not to my talk page. Yeah, Wiki used to be a lot less complicated. ~~~~

It turns out the wording is correct. {{Usertalkback}} takes the username and converts it into the talk page link. I did leave a comment for them to work on the grammar a little. --Marc Kupper|talk 08:14, 9 September 2009 (UTC)

The intention of the header instruction on your talk page is not specified correctly. It says to leave "{{Talkback|your username}}" on your talk page to alert you to something I wrote on my talk. I left "{{Talkback|User:Kaiwhakahaere}}" on your page, so you were presented with a header where you would click on User:Kaiwhakahaere. As I said, that goes to my user page, not my talk page as specified in the header. It's not a matter of grammar. The correct tag for me to put on your talk page is "{{Talkback|User talk:Kaiwhakahaere}}" and that is what should be indicated in the header on your page. If you know any geeks, maybe they can rectify the problem..~~~~

If we want to fix this then these solutions come to mind. 1) Modify the wording to be a little less ambiguous while still being concise. 2) Change {{Talkback}} so that if someone uses "User:John Q. User" that it will link to User talk:John Q. User. 3) Do nothing. The odds are someone using {{Usertalkback}} would also figure out that they should jump from the user page to their talk page to find the talkbacked thread. --Marc Kupper|talk 18:34, 9 September 2009 (UTC)

Watching pages

I believe it is a good idea to add a link to watch the talk page displaying the banner when you=watched. In other words, so that when this text is displayed:

If you leave me a message: I will answer on my talk page, so please add it to your watchlist.

The underlined text appears as a link to:

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:Example&action=watch

It is probably a nit-pick, but I believe it is an improvement. > RUL3R^>trolling_>vandalism 10:42, 16 December 2009 (UTC)

Obviously substituing User_talk:Example for the user displaying the banner. Forgot to mention that. > RUL3R^>trolling_>vandalism 10:44, 16 December 2009 (UTC)

Background color

what is the background color of the template? A Word Of Advice From A Beast: Don't Be Silly, Wrap Your Willy! 00:29, 15 October 2010 (UTC)

The sample setup

Shouldn't the sample setup (the 2nd version displayed on the template page) and the note about the 1st template displayed being the default be moved to the /doc subpage? As a general rule, alternate examples should be located on subpages, not on the main template page... --- cymru.lass ^{(hit me up)}⁄_{(background check)} 22:30, 30 December 2010 (UTC)

Usertalkback doesn't work well in wikitables

{{usertalkback}} gives

while

{| class="wikitable" |-
| {{usertalkback}}
|}

gives

Suddenly, there is a thin gray frame within the message. Any idea of how to get rid of that frame and still have the message in the wikitable? Besides, if any newline in the code I wrote here is removed (converted to a space) you will also get a completely different result. —Kri (talk) 13:38, 7 August 2011 (UTC)

Port to mbox

I prepared the port of this template to mbox. This port allows for more consistency between this and other talk page templates, so I consider this change uncontroversial, though this consistency includes following changes:

• lack of support for |iconcell= (the icon is always vertically aligned at middle);
• ability to place it alongside other user talk page templates;
• additional styling (limited to that allowed in Talk page templates guideline, though);
• a couple of pixels here and there.

Still, consistency is a good thing. — Dmitrij D. Czarkoff (talk) 14:14, 21 August 2012 (UTC)

Excellent work. I've boldly gone ahead and synced with the live template, with some minor whitespace tweaks for readability. If there are any problems please let me know. Thanks! Chris Cunningham (user:thumperward) (talk) 10:39, 22 August 2012 (UTC)

Proposed additional option for "you" and "me" parameters

I'd like to add an additional option for the you and me parameters. I generally like to keep conversations on the same page, so I watch a user's talk page, but sometimes I miss their reply, so a talkback is nice, but not necessary. Would it be possible to add a value like this to the "you" parameter:

watchtb=as I am watching it. If I have been active and have not yet responded, please place {{#ifeq:{{lc:{{{hint}}} }}|no|{{tl|Talkback}}|{{tlp|Talkback|<u>''your username''</u>}}}} on my talk as I may have missed your response

And a value like this to the "me" parameter:

watchtb = so please add it to your watchlist. If I notice that you have been active but have not responded, I may place {{#ifeq:{{lc:{{{hint}}} }}|no|{{tl|Talkback}}|{{tlp|Talkback|{{BASEPAGENAME}}}}}} on your talk in case you have missed my response

I have a version of how it looks if it were implemented on my talk page. Any thoughts? Inks.LWC (talk) 08:52, 23 October 2012 (UTC)

Seeing as there's been no discussion, and I don't think this would be a contested addition (since it merely adds an option to the parameter without changing anything, I've gone ahead and asked the edit be made. A copy of the template, as amended is here.Inks.LWC (talk) 05:22, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

We normally put proposed amendments into the template's own sandbox (i.e. Template:Usertalkback/sandbox). There are several reasons for this (see Wikipedia:Template sandbox and test cases), one of which is that it make comparison easy because of the diff link which appears within a box like this on the sandbox page. --Redrose64 (talk) 12:56, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

The proposed changes have been added. Inks.LWC (talk) 19:32, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

OK, Done. Existing usage is unaffected - it's that |you= gas been expanded to permit |you=watchtb as a conbination of existing |you=watched with |you=talkback - similarly for |me= --Redrose64 (talk) 20:16, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

Thank you! It's now live on my user talk page and working, so I'll go add the documentation. Inks.LWC (talk) 21:44, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

Remove link to image, replacement lang image

1. insert link= to remove unnecessary hyperlink to image from template
   • as it currently is, the existence of this link could be confusing to newcomers
2. replace with for lang parameter
   • more appropriate IMHO

I've already updated the documentation regarding the lang image replacement, so if this is deemed controversial, then that'll need to be reverted. The combined proposed changes are incorporated in this diff . -- Trevj (talk) 08:42, 13 February 2013 (UTC)

Done — Mr. Stradivarius ^{♪ talk ♪} 13:37, 28 February 2013 (UTC)

Thank you (Coincidentally, I just put in a downgrading request at WP:RFPP.) -- Trevj (talk) 13:56, 28 February 2013 (UTC)

Edit request on 11 May 2013

Remove the |link= parameter at the bottom of the mbox template as I did at the sandbox to allow linking to the images because some images require attribution by their license. This is required legally for copyright reasons.

Ramaksoud2000 ^{(Talk to me)} 05:11, 11 May 2013 (UTC)

Yes, several images are pre-set: File:No image.svg File:B plus.svg File:Gaim send-im.svg File:Info talk.png File:Emblem-important.svg File:Merge-split-transwiki default.svg, mostly these are non-copyright; a few are CC-0 but File:Stop hand nuvola.svg is CC-BY-SA 2.5 so requires attribution. Because of that, and the fact that other images requiring attribution can be used by careful use of |icon= I've Done this. --Redrose64 (talk) 14:19, 11 May 2013 (UTC)

nice article — Preceding unsigned comment added by Nikeprathamesh (talk • contribs) 06:41, 14 June 2013 (UTC)

Edit request to reference Wikipedia:Notifications

I've added a new option (of notification or notifications) for {{{you}}}, {{{me}}} and {{{talkback}}} that makes reference to Wikipedia:Notifications. This option is available as a single edit in the Sandbox, ready for porting into the template itself, if people are happy with it. (For what it's worth, I struggled with wording that wouldn't wrap on the first line.) — OwenBlacker (Talk) 14:01, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

Done. Thanks for the update! — Mr. Stradivarius ^{♪ talk ♪} 04:50, 20 July 2013 (UTC)

template for saying I don't have a rule?

Greetings. I have just spent some time going through this and related templates and their options, but I have not found what I am looking for.

All these templates assume I have a strict preference. What about if I don't? I still want a nice info box with standardized language! :-)

Is there a template saying I have no strict rule/preference; somewhere along the lines of...

You may take the discussion to my user page, that's fine; or you may keep it elsewhere and post a talkback, that's fine too. I answer your messages where I like at any given moment, obviously respecting your preferences, and always making sure to keep you posted regardless.

I couldn't find a version/option of these templates allowing enough freedom for something like this (breaking out of the "If I left you a message: do this single thing", "If you leave me a message: I have one and only one preference" mold). No matter the template, I could only find on/off switches and Yes/No options; no maybes, no whatevers, no "do as you please as long as it works"...

But perhaps I didn't look hard enough. Any pointers? Cheers, CapnZapp (talk) 09:10, 26 November 2013 (UTC)

What about {{usertalkback|me=other|you=other}}? --Redrose64 (talk) 14:27, 26 November 2013 (UTC)

Thank you for your suggestion. However, unless I'm mistaken, that would result in "please answer on my talk page, else inform me." and "I will answer on your talk page, unless you request otherwise." That illustrates my point perfectly, no matter what you choose for your options, you get a clear choice complete with a uniform directive: do this, do that. Adding an "else" clause doesn't change the fact it's still an "if... then..." clause. It's imperative.

What I am looking for is different. The exact opposite: instead of a template telling you to do something, I want one that invites you to do what you like!

The undertext of all the existing templates (that I have looked at anyway) is that communication will break down unless rules are followed. I am looking for a template with the completely opposite ethos: one that acknowledges that communication will probably work just fine in all cases, so just do whatever suits you best and I will do the same, and our basic qualities as editors will probably carry the day! :-) CapnZapp (talk) 19:10, 26 November 2013 (UTC)

Proposed extension to "notifications" option

Currently, if "notifications" is specified as a preference, it will suggest the use of Template:Ping. However this is only one of several templates that can be used, and in fact it is more normal/semantic in most cases to use the equivalent Template:Reply to or its abbreviation Template:Re, etc. I am wondering if we can make the suggestion a bit more generic such as "...linking to me ({{Ping}}, {{Reply to}} or equivalent)..."? Kidburla (talk) 21:29, 31 December 2020 (UTC)

{{Ping}} is merely a redirect to {{reply to}}. But the template is immaterial: the crucial element is a link to the user page of the person that you wish to notify. --Redrose64 🌹 (talk) 17:44, 1 January 2021 (UTC)

Please correct grammatical error: simple past tense > present perfect tense

Please correct the sentence

If I left you a message: please answer on your talk page, as I am watching it.

thus

If I have left you a message: please answer on your talk page, as I am watching it.

Explanation: In English if-clauses, the preterite indicates conditional mood. Here are various tenses for illustration:

"If I left you a message, you would receive it promptly, so let us choose the messaging option." (PRESENT meaning, despite the simple past form of "left")

"If I had left you a message, you have would have received it promptly, so evidently I never sent the message." (PAST meaning, despite the past perfect form of "had left")

"If I leave you a message, you will receive it promptly, as a general rule." (FUTURE meaning, despite the present form of "leave")

What you need here is the present perfect to state that the action has happened in your scenario:

"If I have left you a message, please answer it promptly."

This whole grammatical scheme is found both in English and in French, but not in any other language that I know of. I therefore conclude that the Wikipedia programmer who programmed this mistake into the message was neither a native English nor French speaker. 81.157.241.170 (talk) 14:09, 21 August 2023 (UTC)

 Done — kashmīrī ^TALK 20:08, 21 August 2023 (UTC)

Thank you. 109.146.228.155 (talk) 05:49, 22 August 2023 (UTC)