Template:Constituency Teachtaí Dála navbox/shared doc

This template employs intricate features of template syntax.

You are encouraged to familiarise yourself with its setup and parser functions before editing the template. If your edit causes unexpected problems, please undo it quickly, as this template may appear on a large number of pages.
You can conduct experiments, and should test all major changes, in either , the general template sandbox, or your user space before changing anything here.

This is a navigation template (or "navbox") which is used to provide navigation between biographical articles on people who have been elected to Dáil Éireann as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the constituency of placeholder. It includes all current and former TDs for the constituency.

Scope

This navbox should be used only in the biographical articles to which it links. It is redundant on the article [placeholder], and should not be used there.

Usage

Near the bottom of the article's wikitext, above the categories and below any succession boxes, insert [placeholder]

Collapsed

This navbox is always loaded in collapsed state. To view its contents, click on the "show" button at the right of the header.

There is no option to load this navbox in its uncollapsed state. That is because of the size of the navboxes built with {{Constituency Teachtaí Dála navbox}}: even the smallest is bigger than most navboxes, and the largest Constituency Teachtaí Dála navboxes are huge. Loading them uncollapsed would be intrusive.

Substitution

Do not substitute this template.

Check completeness of transclusions

This navbox should be applied to:

all TDs for placeholder
and
only TDs for placeholder

It is helpful to check this periodically: placeholder

How to break this navbox

This relies on the table of TDs in the article being under a level 2 header "TDs": == TDs == or == TDs ==.

Note that no variation is allowed, however small. Any heading other than "TDs" will break this navbox, causing it to not display the table: the navbox will be empty. Please don't break it.

For constituencies with two or more periods of existence, the separate periods may be placed under level 3 sub-headings, e.g. === TDs 1981–2007 === or === TDs since 2016 ===. Those sub-headings will not be dispayed in this navbox.

Construction

This navbox is built using the metatemplate {{Constituency Teachtaí Dála navbox}}, which automatically transcludes the table of TDs from [placeholder], reformats it slightly, and then wraps it in a navbox, complete with this documentation.

The resulting table in these navboxes is different to most navboxes for officeholders, which display one or more horizontal lists of officeholders. The different style here is because since the 1921 Irish general election to the Second Dáil, each constituency has elected three or more TDs, up to a maximum of nine. This is most clearly presented as a table, rather than as any form of list.

Naming this navbox

Because of the way it is built, this navbox requires a precise pagename:

"Template:" + NameOfConstituencyArticle + "/TDs".

e.g. for Kildare South (Dáil constituency), create Template:Kildare South (Dáil constituency)/TDs.

If you move the template to a different name, it will probably break.

If the article is renamed, please move this template to match.

A difference in names may still work if suitable redirects are in place. But it may not work, so please do not rely on a redirect: keep this template's page name synchronised wth the article.

Updates

When the table at [placeholder] is updated (e.g. after an election, or to disambiguate a link), this navbox will automatically update itself to reflect those changes.

This avoids a content fork. It saves editors the work of maintaining a separate list in this navbox, and ensures that readers are presented with consistent information.

Under development

The metatemplate {{Constituency Teachtaí Dála navbox}} was created on 10 July 2023. As of 18 July 2023, this series of navboxes has been deployed on the biographical articles for all of the more than 1,300 TDs from the 2nd Dáil onwards. The major issues identified so far have been resolved, but there may still be some ongoing refinement.

To centralise discussion (per WP:MULTI), please report any issues at Template talk:Constituency Teachtaí Dála navbox.

For the background to how this series of navboxes came to be created, see the discussion at WT:WikiProject Ireland#TD_and_MEP_articles_and_the_'s-par'_template ... and especially the sub-thread on the development of this template: WT:WikiProject Ireland#A neat solution for TD navboxes.