User:Neatly95/Sandbox6

The {{Dynasty table}} template can be used to tabulate a list of interrelated sovereigns in a preformatted way. The template accepts arguments for the name, reign, and image of multiple sovereigns, as well as fields for remarks and alternative names.

Rationale

The table was initially designed for dynastic rulers of Ancient Egypt, but the template can be used for any dynasty-like period of sovereigns.

The template was designed to address several issues within the context of the aforementioned Ancient Egyptian use-case. Expand the following section for further details.

Rationale

Poor referencing (WP:V)

The kind of information that this template displays is liable to be reproduced elsewhere without the source. The footnotes and sources are aggregated immediately after the table using footnote groups.

Content forking (WP:CFORK)

This template is particularly useful for preventing content forks of convoluted or contestable information across pages whose scope overlaps other related articles. Because the template accepts footnotes and aggregates them at the end of the table, an instance of this template is safe to be transcluded from one article to another.

Poor legibility (WP:ACCESSIBILITY, WP:DTT)

The formatting of this table is relatively more robust and its visual appearance is largely consistent. The template conforms with accessibility guidelines. The template displays differently on mobile devices; the columns are stacked vertically so the page is not stretched and users will not have to horizontally scroll.

Inconsistent formats (WP:MOS)

The template enforces standardised formats for dates, eras, and any uncertainty surrounding them.

Usage

The usage of this template is straightforward, however: care should be taken to ensure that parameters are named and filled correctly. The template only employs very limitied error checking in favour of flexibility of use, and improper use may produce bugs or unexpected behaviour.

Instructions

The template employs parser functions to allow it to accept arguments in a variadic way. Consequentially, it can accept an unlimited amount of entries, grouped by number, and it can also accept an unlimited amount of sources, packaged with {{Item}} templates.

 Tip: click on any discussed parameter (i.e. entity) to see a full definition at the end of the documentation.

Initialising {{Dynasty table}} template

The table requires four unique general parameters which apply to the whole table:

{{Dynasty table
   | entity         = Pharaoh
   | tenure         = Reign
   | period         = Sixth Dynasty
   | footnote_group = VI
   <!-- Entry group parameters -->
   | ...
   <!-- Source items -->
   | ...
}}

The entity parameter accepts the type of entry, while the period parameter accepts the period in question.

The tenure parameter can be used for the most appropriate descriptor for the entity's tenure.

The cited footnotes in a single instance of the template are grouped together at the end of the table. The footnote_group parameter is special; as well as providing a visual element in that its content displays in citations of footnotes within the table, i.e. –

Parameter	Renders citations as...
| footnote_group=VI	E.g., the third statement which has a supporting footnote.

– it also performs a semantic duty, serving as the group identifier for the citations and footnotes contained only in this instance of the table.

 In short: the footnote_group must be passed a unique identifier not used for any other instance of the {{Dynasty table}} within the same article, nor for any other footnote group already utilised in the article.

Adding an entry

The template requires numerous parameters to create a single entry, and additional optional parameters are available:

{{Dynasty table
   | ...
   <!-- Entry parameter group 1 -->
   | fng1                 = VI
   | name1                = [[Nemtyemsaf I]]
   | name_sort1           = Nemtyemsaf 01
   | name_fn1             = Nemtyemsaf I's name is sometimes read as Antyemsaf.
   | reign_begin1         = 2310
   | reign_end1           = 2300
   | reign_unknown1       =
   | reign_circa1         = true
   | reign_fl1            =
   | reign_postfix1       = BC
   | reign_length1        = 10
   | reign_length-approx1 = true
   | reign_length_lthan1  =
   | reign_length_gthan1  =
   | length_unknown1      =
   | date_fn1             = The datation of Nemtyemsaf I's reign is highly uncertain.
   | length_fn1           = 
   | remarks1             = A coregency has been suggested with [[Pepi I]].
   | name1_alt1           = Mentusuphis I
   | name2_alt1           = Merenre
   | remarks_fn1          =
   | name_alt_fn1         = 
   | img1                 = Merenre.jpg
   | img_alt1             = Merenre attested on ivory box
   | img_base_size1       = 200
   | img_offset_top1      = 10
   | img_offset_left1     = 15
   <!-- Entry parameter group 2 -->
   | fng2                 = VI
   | name2                = [[Pepi II]]
   | ...
   <!-- Entry parameter group ... n -->
   | fng...n              = VI
   | ...
}}

The parameters listed under <!-- Entry parameter group 1 --> comrpise the full list of available parameters for an entry in the table.

 Note: In reality, the order of parameters is unimportant. However, given the potential size of the template, it is highly advisable to order them sequentially.

All entry parameters must be postpended with a number, which corresponds to the entry position in the table, starting from 1 at the top of the table, then 2, through to ...n (the highest number given) at the bottom, and no parameter postpended with a particular number should appear more than once.

 Caution: if a parameter postpended with the same number is given twice, i.e. name1=Akhenaten and name1=Amenhotep IV, you will encounter unexpected behaviour. Likewise, not postpending a parameter with a number, i.e. reign-begin=1934, will result in a malformed table.

Some tags are mandatory and some are required in the case that others are/aren't used. Expand for a brief explanation.

Entry parameter details

Mandatory entry parameters

fng which must match footnote_group in every case; name; name_sort.

Sometimes mandatory entry parameters

reign_begin and reign_end are both mandatory only if either one of the parameters is assigned a value, and in which case reign_postfix is also mandatory, and reign_unknown is mandatory if neither reign_begin nor reign_end were passed parameters; either length_unknown or reign_length is mandatory if the other was not passed.

Incompatible entry parameters

reign_length_approx, reign_length_gthan and reign_length_lthan are mutually incompatible, only one parameter is permitted; reign_circa and reign_fl are also mutually incompatible.

See below for full definitions of all the parameters.

Images

The template internally uses the {{CSS image crop}} template to handle images, whose parameters some of which are available to use. See below for detailed definitions of the image parameters.

Footnote parameters

name_fn, date_fn, length_fn, remarks_fn and name_alt_fn are parameters to which sentence-case footnotes can be passed. Though they function the same, each citation is displayed in a specific area. For example:

{{Dynasty table
   | ...
   | footnote_group = VI
   <!-- Entry parameter group 1 -->
   | fng1          = VI
   | ...
   | name_fn1      = A footnote linked to by the citation following the name parameter.
   | date_fn1      = A footnote linked to by the citation following the reign_begin and reign_end parameters.
   | length_fn1    = A footnote linked to by the citation following the reign_length parameter.
   | remarks_fn1   = A footnote linked to by the citation following the remarks parameter.
   | name_alt_fn1  = A footnote linked to by the citation following the name_1alt and name_2alt parameters.
   | ...
   <!-- Entry parameter group ... n -->
   | ...
   <!-- Source items -->
   | ...
}}

Renders as...

Pharaoh	Reign		Remarks	Image
	Date	Length
Nemtyemsaf I	c. 2310–2300 BC	~ 10 yrs	A coregency has been suggested with Pepi I. Alternatively: Mentusuphis I, Merenre

Footnotes

Adding sources

Adding sources to the template is simple. The {{Item}} template is used to package the source which is then fed into the {{Wikicite}} template internally in a variadic way. Wikicite uses the parameters id (used to anchor the source) and reference (the content of the source) which should be packaged inside the {{Item}} template, i.e. {{Item|id=...|reference=...}}. The items can be passed as parameters to the main template.

 Rationale: other common source formats like <ref>...</ref> which bundle source and citation together are often aggregated at the bottom of the article automatically or invoked by the {{reflist}} template.

Other than duplication of sources, this doesn't present much of an issue in the main article. However, if an instance of Dynasty table is transcluded into other articles (as is its design and purpose), sources for the table may variably: not be traceable; not be transcluded; not appear at the table end; display in an unexpected or malformed way; or other unexpected consequences.

 Tip: Instead, if you very much prefer not to handwrite citations, the reference can accept the {{cite book}} template which does not bundle with citations, and any template which does not get aggregated by a some kind of reference list template should display correctly, however caution is advised: any citations like {{sfn}} or <ref>...</ref> elsewhere in the article may accidentally anchor instead to your table if you are using the same source.

The {{Wikicite}} template displays and anchors the source to the correct citations even in the case the table is transcluded into other articles.

 Important: the id paramater should accept a unique ID to anchor the reference. Since it is a likely scenario that the same source is referenced in more than one Dynasty table in a single article, this will prevent citations in other tables from linking to it. A suggestion would be to postpend the footnote group to the author/year, like so: id=Altenmüller-2001-VI.

For example:

{{Dynasty table
   | ...
   <!-- Entry parameter group 1 -->
   | ...
   <!-- Entry parameter group ... n -->
   | ...
   <!-- Source items -->
   | {{Item|id=Altenmüller-2001-VI|reference=[[|Hartwig Altenmüller|Altenmüller, Hartwig]] (2001). "Old Kingdom: Sixth Dynasty". In Redford, Donald B. (ed.). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt, Volume 2. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 601–605. {{ISBN|978-0-19-510234-5}}.}}
   |...
}}

Renders as...

Pharaoh	Reign		Remarks	Image
	Date	Length
Nemtyemsaf I	c. 2310–2300 BC	~ 10 yrs	A coregency has been suggested with Pepi I. Alternatively: Mentusuphis I, Merenre

Footnotes

References

• Altenmüller, Hartwig (2001). "Old Kingdom: Sixth Dynasty". In Redford, Donald B. (ed.). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt, Volume 2. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 601–605. ISBN 978-0-19-510234-5.

Citing sources

Citing sources is simple. Inside a footnote parameter, simply link to the anchor of the source (specified in the id parameter of the source) and use the parenthetical citation style, like so:

 Tip: see above for instructions on how to add sources.

date-fn=Altenmüller interprets several primary sources to indicate an approximate reign of c. 2310–2300 BC ([[#Reference-Altenmüller-2001-VI|Altenmüller 2001]], p. 33)

 Important: the use of parenthetical citations has been deprecated [1], however, this applies only to inline citations in the article body. Though it is acceptable for use in footnotes, please do not use this citation format elsewhere in the table or article without justifiable cause. Currently, this is a last resort method needed to avoid duplication of footnotes elsewhere.

Therefore:

{{Dynasty table
   | ...
   | footnote_group = VI
   <!-- Entry parameter group 1 -->
   | fng1           = VI
   | ...
   | date_fn1       = Altenmüller interprets several primary sources to indicate an approximate reign of c. 2310–2300 BC ([[#Reference-Altenmüller-2001-VI|Altenmüller 2001]], p. 33) 
   | ...
   <!-- Entry parameter group ... n -->
   | ...
   <!-- Source items -->
   | {{Item|id=Altenmüller-2001-VI|reference=[[|Hartwig Altenmüller|Altenmüller, Hartwig]] (2001). "Old Kingdom: Sixth Dynasty". In Redford, Donald B. (ed.). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt, Volume 2. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 601–605. {{ISBN|978-0-19-510234-5}}.}}
   | ...
}}

Renders as:

Pharaoh	Reign		Remarks	Image
	Date	Length
Nemtyemsaf I	c. 2310–2300 BC	~ 10 yrs	A coregency has been suggested with Pepi I. Alternatively: Mentusuphis I, Merenre

Footnotes

References

• Altenmüller, Hartwig (2001). "Old Kingdom: Sixth Dynasty". In Redford, Donald B. (ed.). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt, Volume 2. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 601–605. ISBN 978-0-19-510234-5.

Alteration to the template

Suggested changes to the template are welcomed, but as it is this template may be easily broken by edits. Please, be bold, but as a courtesy, if you plan on making breaking changes, please discuss it or appeal for second opinions.

Blank Template

This blank template can be copied and pasted as necessary.

{{Dynasty table
| <!--General parameters-->
| entity =
| tenure =
| period =
| footnote_group =
| <!--Entry group parameters for entry 1-->
| fng1 =
| name1 =
| name_sort1 =
| name_fn1 =
| reign_begin1 =
| reign_end1 =
| reign_unknown1 =
| reign_circa1 =
| reign_fl1 =
| reign_postfix1 =
| reign_length1 =
| reign_length_approx1 =
| reign_length_lthan1 =
| reign_length_gthan1 =
| length_unknown1 =
| date_fn1 =
| length_fn1 =
| remarks1 =
| name_1alt1 =
| name_2alt1 =
| remarks_fn1 =
| name_alt_fn1 =
| img1 =
| img_alt1 =
| img_base_size1 =
| img_offset_top1 =
| img_offset_left1 =
| <!--Source items-->
| {{Item|id=...|reference=...}}
}}

Filled Example

This example will display according to your device.

Legend

• Footnotes aggregated below this table are referenced by an identifier corresponding to the period (i.e., [VI.VI] refers to the Sixth Dynasty)

---

Pharaohs of the Sixth Dynasty

Pharaoh	Reign		Remarks	Image
	Date	Length
Nemtyemsaf I	c.2287–2278 BC	~ 9 yrs	Alternatively: Anytemsaf, Mentusuphis
Pepi II	c.2278–2184 BC	~ 66 yrs	Alternatively: Neferkare
Nemtyemsaf II	c.2184–2184 BC	~ 1 yrs	Alternatively: Merenre

Pharaohs of the Sixth Dynasty

Nemtyemsaf I
Image
– Alternatively: Anytemsaf, Mentusuphis
Date	c.2287–2278 BC
Length	~ 9 yrs
Pepi II
Image
– Alternatively: Neferkare
Date	c.2278–2184 BC
Length	~ 66 yrs
Nemtyemsaf II
Image
– Alternatively: Merenre
Date	c.2184–2184 BC
Length	~ 1 yrs

---

Footnotes ([VI.])([VI])

References

• Altenmüller, Hartwig (2001). "Old Kingdom: Sixth Dynasty". In Redford, Donald B. (ed.). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt, Volume 2. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 601–605. ISBN 978-0-19-510234-5.
• Leclant, Jean (1999). "A Brief History of the Old Kingdom". Egyptian Art in the Age of the Pyramids. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. pp. 3–12. ISBN 978-0-8109-6543-0. OCLC 41431623.

Mobile Example

Please note, this example should only serve as reference to desktop devices. It is an imperfect approximation of how the template appears on mobile. Please check the mobile display on a mobile device of the Filled Example for more accurate presentation.

Legend

• Footnotes aggregated below this table are referenced by an identifier corresponding to the period (i.e., [VI.VI] refers to the Sixth Dynasty)

---

Pharaohs of the Sixth Dynasty

Nemtyemsaf I
Image
– Alternatively: Anytemsaf, Mentusuphis
Date	c.2287–2278 BC
Length	~ 9 yrs
Pepi II
Image
Some remarks about Pepi II, one of the most elderly pharaohs to have ruled. Alternatively: Neferkare
Date	c.2278–2184 BC
Length	~ 66 yrs
Nemtyemsaf II
Image
– Alternatively: Merenre
Date	c.2184–2184 BC
Length	~ 1 yrs

---

Footnotes ([VI])

References

• Altenmüller, Hartwig (2001). "Old Kingdom: Sixth Dynasty". In Redford, Donald B. (ed.). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt, Volume 2. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 601–605. ISBN 978-0-19-510234-5.
• Leclant, Jean (1999). "A Brief History of the Old Kingdom". Egyptian Art in the Age of the Pyramids. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. pp. 3–12. ISBN 978-0-8109-6543-0. OCLC 41431623.

Parameters

All available parameters used by the Dynasty table/header and Dynasty table/entry constituent templates are detailed below.

{{Dynasty table}} general parameters

Parameters

entity

Entity parameter (required) accepts the subject entity as a singular noun in plain text, i.e. entity=Pharaoh. Please do not pluralise it, the template handles pluralisation. Displayed in table captions and headers.

tenure

Tenure parameter (required) accepts the most appropriate descriptor for the tenure of the entity, i.e. "Reign" for a sovereign, "Floruit", "Tenure", "In Office", "Office Held", etc. Displayed in the table headers.

period

Period parameter (required) accepts the period in question in plain text, i.e. period=Abydos Dynasty. Displayed in table captions and legend.

footnote_group

Footnote group parameter (required) takes a unique identifier which corresponds to the period parameter, used to group only the relevant footnotes referenced within the current table (and not those referenced in other tables using this template or footnotes referenced in the main article). The identifier must be unique to the article, otherwise footnotes will aggregate underneath the wrong tables, or exhibit unexpected behavour. E.g. a roman numeral or an abbreviation, i.e. fng=XVII if the period parameter was period=Seventeenth Dynasty, or fng=PTO if the period parameter was period=Ptolemaic Dynasty.

{{Dynasty table}} entry parameters

Parameters

fng

Fng ("footnote group") parameter (required) must match its namesake footnote_group in the template, i.e. fng1=VI, fng2=VI and fng3=VI if footnote_group=VI, otherwise the footnotes will render in the wrong table (or not at all, if no table calls it).

name

Name parameter (required) takes the name of the entity, i.e. name1=Smenkhare. The name should be wrapped as a wikilink if an article exists. This parameter should only use the common name of the entity, unless the common name is a pseudonym or a byword for an unknown name, in which case name1=unknown is acceptable, with the pseudonym referenced using name-1alt or name-2alt.

name_sort

The name_sort parameter (optional) takes an entity name in alpha-numeric format, which is strongly advised in the case that the name parameter contains a roman numeral, i.e. name1=Ramesses XI requires name_sort1=Ramesses 11. It is also important that single digits are prefixed with a preceding zero, i.e. name1=Shoshenq IV requires name_sort1=Shoshenq 04. Such a parameter is necessary in order to ensure that the column can sort entities alphanumerically correctly. (Please do not attempt to use this column to sort the entities by an order other than the alphanumeric one; sorting is important for WP:ACCESSIBILITY and a requirement of good list (WP:FL?) articles).

name_fn

Name_fn ("name footnote") parameter takes a footnote as wikitext. It will collect beneath the table and will be cited immediately after the name of the entity, i.e. name1=Neferefre and name_fn1=Some scholars instead read Neferefre's name to be Raneferef., and should use sentence case. Since most footnotes cite a reference, please review expected citation format.

reign_begin

Reign_begin parameter (mandatory) takes the start year of the reign as a number only, i.e. reign_begin1=1365. If it is not known, only i.e. reign_begin1=unknown is appropriate. This parameter is also used to sort the column. (Please do not try to diverge from this format; it aims to be in accordance with WP:MOS cf. dates and times).

reign_end

This parameter (mandatory) works largely the same as the reign_begin parameter, but instead corresponds to the final year of the entity's reign. It is ignored by sorting.

reign_unknown

If no dates are known for the entity, the reign_unknown parameter (an optional parameter which takes only i.e., reign_unknown1=true) should always be used.

reign_circa

If the years given for the reign are approximate, the optional reign_circa parameter can be used, which works the same way as reign_unknown parameter.

reign_fl

If the datation of the reign is uncertain and the years given are the flourishing years, the optional reign_fl parameter can be used, which works the same way as reign_unknown parameter. This parameter is not compatible with the reign_circa parameter.

reign_postfix

The postfix parameter (mandatory if reign given) accepts a postfix, which must be BC, AD, BCE or CE. (Please do not arbitrate the use of BC/AD or BCE/CE; WP:ERA guidelines discourage the changing of an article's date format without a justifiable cause.)

reign_length

Reign_length parameter (mandatory) accepts a number of years for the length of reign of the entity, i.e. reign-length1=14. This is particularly important for entities whose dated reign is unknown but the duration of their reign isn't. This parameter is used to sort the lengths of reign.

reign_length_approx

This optional parameter accepts true and nothing else; it is not compatible with either reign_length_lthan or reign_length_gthan, and it won't display if length_unknown has been specified.

reign-length-lthan

Indicated in the case the reign length is considerably less than a year; it works the same as reign_length_approx.

reign_length_gthan

It would be used in the unusual case perhaps where the reign is known to have been of at least a certain length but significant events of the entity's reign are known to have taken place outside the evidenced range. It works the same way as does reign_length_approx.

length_unknown

If no length can be discerned for the entity, the length_unknown parameter (an optional parameter which takes only i.e. length_unknown1=true) should always be used.

date_fn

This optional parameter ("date footnote") works as the name_fn parameter does. The citation for the footnote appears immediately after the date range for the reign.

length_fn

This optional parameter also functions as name_fn does; the citation for the footnote appears immediately after the reign length.

remarks

Optionally accepts a brief remark as wikitext. Please do not stress the template with excessive information. The template is designed for list-structure articles and only the lightest annotations are acceptable (cf. WP:FL?). Consider its use appropriate only for highly pertinent information that relates to the entity and the period, e.g.: Unas was buried in a pyramid in Saqqara. is not appropriate information, whilst Userkare may have usurped the throne at the expense of Teti. is acceptable. (Please do not use {{small}} or any other formatting to decrease the text size; this is already applied within the cell and might contravene WP:ACCESSIBILITY guidelines).

name_1alt

An optional paramter allows for an alternative name which renders in the remarks cell. Please do not wrap the name in wikilinks; the reference to the common name is sufficient, unless in such cases where only a pseudonym is known, as is the case for the pharaoh referred to as Finger Snail; see name for more information. (Sovereigns normally have an extended titulary but this is not always relevant to list-structure articles, so this parameter should not be used to reel off long names and titles of little consequence unless its use to differentiate from another entity is well supported).

name-2alt

In unusual cases, if it is pertinent, a second alternative name may be added if it is well supported by literature. A good example might be name1=Akhenaten, name_1alt1=Amenhotep IV and name_2alt1=Amenophis IV. This optional parameter works similarly to name_1alt, but in the case name_1alt is not specifed, name_2alt will not render.

remarks_fn

This optional parameter functions as name_fn does; the citation for the footnote appears immediately after the remarks.

name_alt_fn

Another optional parameter which functions as name_fn does; the citation for the footnote appears immediately after the alternative name(s).

img

Img parameter accepts a file-name. Please do not prepend File:; the template already handles this. The template then crops the image to uniform size (w136 x h136px).

img_alt

If there is an image file provided, a brief alternative text must be provided for accessibility reasons, as plain text.

img_base_size

The img_base_size parameter is optional, but advised if you have an image. It takes a width in pixels and scales the image accordingly, prior to cropping, i.e. img_base_size1=245. It is easier to think of this as how zoomed out the image is compared to the little uniform window. Experimentation is recommended. It is strongly advised that the range for this figure is 136px <= x <= (max width of raw image in px).

img_offset_top

Again, optional but advised if you have an image. It takes a number in pixels, as img_base_size does. Offsets the crop frame (gives the impression that the image is moving up in the little uniform window, the greater the value). Experimentation is recommended.

img_offset_left

Works as does img_offset_top (gives the impression the image is moving left in the little uniform window, the greater the value).

Issues

Future updates may address issues with the template. Expand for more information.

Issues

Parenthetical citations

Future versions of the template may attempt to update the citation method to avoid using them in favour of superscripted citation numbers.

Customisable legend

A customisable legend may be considered.