Template:Indent family usage

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This is the template documentation page for Template:Indent family usage.

This page is not necessarily intended to be viewed directly. If it uses variables, some links may appear broken. Do not replace these variables with hardcoded page names or URLs.

Similar templates at English sister projects [edit]
mta Meta-wiki Indent family usage
wpd Wikipedia Indent family usage
cms Commons Indent family usage
wbk Wikibooks Indent family usage
wqt Wikiquote Indent family usage
wsr Wikisource Indent family usage
wsp Wikispecies Indent family usage
wvy Wikiversity Indent family usage
This project under construction ...
Pardon our appearance whist we remodel,
pull the engine, and change the tires.


Ver: D-- bold Formatting, add notation and documentation on template 2 FrankB 14:58, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
Ver: C-- (Mn) fx interwiki link, delete extra /noinclude at bottom -- FrankB 13:04, 9 February 2007 (UTC)
Ver: B-- nesting fix FrankB 09:31, 9 February 2007 (UTC)
Ver: A-- V=4 call revision, FrankB 05:19, 3 February 2007 (UTC)
This template is called as usage notes by the


entire family of templates using Indent logic:
It also auto-categories them and tags all the same
with the same interwikitmp-grp template and categories.

Split out of Template:Indent (edit talk links history) at this date and time.


// FrankB 20:12, 2 January 2007 (UTC)


See template talk:indent for a demonstration of the various formating features within wiki-markup that this family of templates makes available to editors.

[edit] Usage

This is common usage
located in Template:Indent family usage (edit talk links history) for the small family of typing-aid and formatting templates calling {{indent}}. For the specific differences and behaviors, see the entry for this '{{indent family usage|nn}}' template below.
  • Within wikimarkup, a 'wrapped-newline' means it will indent to align with line beginning formatting commands such as


':#', ':::::', '::**' etcetera.

As any second argument (perameter) to 'indent' will produce a second double wrapped newline—
this gives the capacity for adding vertical whitespace to paragraph organized test stream even when deeply indented by successive numberized (or not) sub-paragraphs. This useful behavior has earned itself it's own hardcoded template:2 with a conveniently shorter name. Placing this at the end of a formated line, begins the next line with inherited indentation and font features, but with double-spaced appearance.


     {{Indent|nn}}, {{Indent|nn|anything}} takes a numeric argument 'nn' after the pipe and provides that many ('nn') consecutive spaces like {{space}} (or 'S' and 'SP').

Indent differs from {{space}} only in that it automatically begins a wrapped-newline, then spaces over 'nn' spaces, whereas {{space}} spaces over 'nn' in the same (current) line.

Consequently, this template can not be used inline to create alignment between adjacent text lines, or to space out titles, etc. Use {{space}} for such needs.

      However, the wrapped-newline generated is not the same as an HTML <BR> (or hard return) newline, but instead one which returns left to the margin of 'whatever indentation level' is in effect in expansion of the text block built using wiki markup language set by the familiar control characters ':', '*', or '#', and their legal combinations, like ':*', '**', ':#' and etc.

  • A feature of note in this family is that text formatting commands like bold or italic text carry over past the application of the template through and past the so called 'wrapped newline'. Hence these (related) templates have many uses in block quotes. Wiki-markup would require each paragraph displayed to individually be text effect formatted. Judicious use of these can save a lot of time and effort. Note the clarity and vertical separation of the numberized list following in related family members.
  • The actual number of resulting 'displayed' spaces in these templates or those depending upon {{Space}} is highly browser and font selection dependent, due to the way it treats a given text line and tries to compact whitespace, uses partial width characters in the font, etcetera.
       In general, lining things of unequal length up in a column gives a near miss to the ideal, being a somewhat wavy column differing by partial spaces given the letters in a font. It is however just a near miss, and quite useful.

[edit] Related family members

Most of these call {{indent}} directly, 
and using {{indent}} 'directly' itself is rare as 'I', 'I0', 'I2', 'I5' is much shorter and more compact. (Which attribute is certainly desirable in a typing aide.)

  1. {{i}} -- calls indent with a default of three spaces, or passes on an argument if other padding is desirable whist remaining more compact inside a block of text.
       This line begins with an {{I}} call. Note the indented nature and truncation of the line preceding.
       In sum, {{I}} terminates the sentence immediately preceeding, and starts a newline with an indented first line. Subsequent wrapped lines, wrap to whatever wiki markup paragraph control characters is in effect on the text block. This makes it versitile and useful for signed posts and involved discussions on wiki talk pages.
       (Also Very useful in tables where edit-jumble is a factor, or on talks to create indented paragraph beginings inside a wiki indented ':', '::', '::*', or a '#' prefixed line).
       Can also be given a second perameter such as {{i|15|2}} in which case, acts identical to {{i2|15}} below... both these examples causing a fifteen space indentation.

  2. {{i0}} -- that's eye-zero, not (the two letters) eye-Oh -- Spaces down one line like 'i' preventing additional wrapping, but lining up with whatever inherited indentation comes from wiki markup control characters '*', ':', '#', etc. are operative. It's most frequently used to restore indentation to the 'normal indent' immediately following something doubly indented by '**' or '##' using the sequence construct:
       ":{{i0}}
    continuation text in the discussion"

  3. {{i2}} -- performs a second linefeed similar to <br><br> in a line, but retains the inherited indent in a text block, and like I0, does not actually indent the first line unless given a second perameter. This creates vertical whitespace that was a common misnomer (commonly misnamed) 'double spaced' paragraphs in the days of typewriters before WYSIWIG and word processing. It make keeping presentations clear easy and painless.

  4. {{i5}} -- Same as I, but using a default of five spaces extra indentation in and after single newline effect within wiki markup paragraphs indented flow.

[edit] Example calls

  • {{I2|5}}-- precedes the sentence begining: However, the newline generated... early in the text above.
  • {{I}}-- use is illustrated above immediately preceding the paragraphs beginning "{Very useful..." and "Consequently, this template...", as well as several other places which should be obvious as the lines are indented three spaces one line down.
  • {{indent|2}}, {{space|7}}, etc. ...
         space and indent are limited to adding 30 spaces.