MediaWiki has a form of markup text behind it that does '''bold''' and [[hyperlinks]] and so on). It also allows you to call Templates – which are a special type of page – by using {{double}} curly brackets for notation.

Example

Let's say Template:Example1 contains the text:

The cat sat on the mat.  

To call the content of Template:Example1 on another page you insert {{Example1}}. This renders on the main page as:

The cat sat on the mat.

Enhanced things you can do with Templates

Embedding named or numbered variables in templates

You can do this by enclosing them in {{{triple}}} curly brackets. So, if Template:Example2 reads:

The {{{1}}} {{{2}}} on the {{{3}}}. 

Inserting {{Example2|Frog|stood|Hippopotamus}}, will render as:

The Frog stood on the Hippopotamus.

Embedding templates in templates

You can do this by using curly quotes on a template page to call another template. So, if Template:Example3 reads

The {{{1}}} rolled over and lit a {{{2}}}. {{Example2|{{{1}}}|sat|sofa}}

Inserting {{Example3|dog|cigarette}} will render as:

The dog rolled over and lit a cigarette. The dog sat on the sofa.

Auto-taxonomising templates

Say I want to create a series of templates with a given naming convention, I can make a template to do this with dynamic inputs that WSD could specify to get the right one. For example, I can create Template:ISDAclause which contains the following: [[Template: ISDA 2002 Schedule {{{1}}} {{{2}}} {{{3}}} {{{4}}} {{{5}}}]] where

  • {{{1}}} is "client" (eg Barclays)
  • {{{2}}} is counterparty type;
  • {{{3}}} is eligible jurisdiction;
  • {{{4}}} is clause reference; and
  • {{{5}}} is status

Therefore, writing: {{ISDAclause|Barclays|Corporate|All|5(a)(vii)|Preferred}} will render as Template:ISDAclause. Navigating to this page to deposit the relevant text is therefore enforced. This page name on the which page you contain the provision you want to call…