Template:Review-Christgau/doc

Usage
This template is to be used in the "Professional reviews" section of Infobox Album, for reviews by Robert Christgau. To display just the ratings symbols used by Christgau in print (without the links), use Rating-Christgau.

Simple examples
* * return the following

Required parameters
Two parameters are required: a rating, and an external Consumer Guide link as a citation for that rating.

Rating
rating = Consumer Guide rating. If no rating parameter is supplied, first unnamed parameter will be used.

Acceptable values: In some cases, Chrisgau changes his rating &mdash; if so, use the final grade. If no Consumer Guide rating exists, do not use this template.
 * Letter grades A+ thru E-
 * Rating-Christgau options

Consumer Guide link
Any of the following parameters can be used: album, artist, name, cgurl.

This provides a URL for Consumer Guide capsule review as a citation for the rating. Link the final version of this review (as used in artist listing on RobertChristgau.com); do not use an early version from the Consumer Guide column unless it is the only published version (highly unlikely).

album – uses the numeric ID of the "get_album" query page from RobertChristgau.com.

From http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_album.php?id= 411 , we get ...which returns

The album parameter will take priority over any other option. However, since this ID is not always easy to find, the following options can be used.

artist = uses the numeric ID of the "get_artist" query page from RobertChristgau.com. From http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?id=176 &name=Bonnie+Raitt, we get ...which returns

Artist pages using this ID can be found via the Consumer Guide table of contents at RobertChristgau.com.

name = uses the name string for an artist at RobertChristgau.com. From http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?id=176&name=Bonnie+Raitt , we get ...which returns

These are not preferred because the search method on RobertChristgau.com may not be as stable as the record IDs for albums and artists. The webmaster for RobertChristgau.com advises that accessing pages by name "can run into some confusion (not many) and is slower."

cgurl – use the entire URL, including http://. This is only for Consumer Guide sites not on RobertChristgau.com, such as MSN Music or Village Voice. (This is not for non-Consumer Guide reviews.) ...which returns

Optional parameters
review = For expanded versions of Consumer Guide reviews, such as: Usually these will be longer than CG capsule reviews. Most of these can be found on (or linked from) RobertChristgau.com.
 * contemporary Village Voice music section reviews outside Consumer Guide
 * long-form reviews in Rolling Stone.
 * audio reviews for NPR. These are only acceptable if no print or online source can be found. Link the host page, not the audio file.

When review is included, the Consumer Guide rating citation link is renamed "rating".

When review is not included, the Consumer Guide rating citation link provides the review.