Template:Outdent/doc

For outdenting a reply on a talk page when indentation gets too deep.

Indenting on talk pages is done using colons and asterisks and hashes to produce "tabs"; this template produces a connector bar and (optionally) initial text to indicate an outdent, with the length of the bar specified by the number of colons used in the template. The left margin is sent to the position of the template. " :: " produces

The template also has a named parameter to reverse the direction of the bar to indicate deeper indentation- see below. " :: " produces:

Usage
1 2 reverse (indent, r, in)
 * The number of tabs/indentations to outdent.
 * Value may be colons, hashes (count for 2) and asterisks or just values.
 * When using this you may copy the colons, hashes and asterisks from the start of the last message as the first parameter.
 * If the first parameter is not used, the default value of 10 is used.
 * A value of zero causes the template to return a pipe (|).
 * Recommended
 * If used, specifies that the string (outdent) is to be placed at the start of the new line's text.
 * Can be any value.
 * Can be set so: where string can be any character or string of characters. It will also work with the optional unnamed parameters described previously. Its purpose is to allow for indention. See examples below.
 * Can be any value.

The default number of colons is 10.

When the value specified is over 40, the module stops at 40 (for readability reasons).

The template also recognizes the named parameter "reverse" — see below.

Examples
To outdent posts, insert the number of colons that were used for indenting in the previous post, or use an integer value for that number.

Start of a new post

displays as


 * This is the previous post, indented 4 levels

Start of a new post

Start of a new post

displays as


 * This is the previous post, indented 6 levels

Start of a new post

Alternatively:
 * This is the previous post, indented 6 levels

Start of a new post. (Note that the bar is longer — it is using the default value of 10.)

displays as


 * This is the previous post, indented 6 levels

Start of a new post. (Note that the bar is longer — it is using the default value of 10.)

You can also have the template automatically add a linked tag, by adding any second parameter (its specific value is discarded):

Start of a new post

displays as


 * This is the previous post, indented 6 levels

Start of a new post

To not outdent all the way to the left margin, the outdent template itself can be indented using one or more colons: ::::::This is the previous post, indented 6 levels
 * Start of a new post

displays as


 * This is the previous post, indented 6 levels
 * Start of a new post

xxx  xxx xxx xxx xxx     xxx xxx     xxx
 * More examples
 * xxx xxx


 * xxx    xxx

Indent

 * Start of a new post indented 2 levels using a bar of length 6-2=4.
 * Indent 7 levels using a reversed bar of length 7-2=5.
 * Indent 7 levels using a reversed bar of length 7-2=5.

displays as


 * This is the previous post, indented 6 levels
 * Start of a new post indented 2 levels using a bar of length 6-2=4.
 * Indent 7 levels using a reversed bar of length 7-2=5.
 * Indent 7 levels using a reversed bar of length 7-2=5.


 * Original conversation.
 * Afterthought.
 * Continuation of original conversation.
 * Continuation of original conversation.
 * Continuation of original conversation.

displays as


 * Original conversation.
 * Afterthought.
 * Continuation of original conversation.
 * Continuation of original conversation.
 * Continuation of original conversation.

Link

 * Last post, indented 10 levels.

" xxx " New post

displays as


 * Last post, indented 10 levels.

xxx New post

Whereas:


 * Last post, indented 10 levels.

" xxx " New post

displays as


 * Last post, indented 10 levels.

xxx New post

CSS and hide
This template is contained in the CSS class "outdent-template." Users who would prefer not to see the template can add the following line to their custom CSS (Special:MyPage/common.css):



Other outdent templates
Undent, Outdent2 and od2 — Rather than a bar on the previous line, produces a bracketed arrow on the same line. " ::xxx "

produces:


 * Last comment

My comment