Category talk:Pages with Google Maps

This does not yet sit right

I don't think it is right as a "maintenance cat" and it isn't right as a top level cat either. It's a curiosity, really. We do need a good home for it, but where? Tim Trent 00:01, 7 November 2007 (UTC)

There's a template cat for templates that use parser functions -- that's along the lines of what you want here -- haven't investigated further, but may give a clue. (Perhaps a poke about at WP will reveal more ideas?) EdJogg 01:13, 7 November 2007 (UTC)

The templates don't seem to use the parser, they just pass a parameter. If I knew what I was doing I cold have created a generic GM template that floated left and right or not depending on a parameter.

It's the curiosity list of the pages with maps that I can't yet work out a home for. The only thing they have in common is that they have one or more maps. The thing that is "of interest" is that a mapophile will love them precisely because of the maps, and probably no other content. And the cat also allows browsing through random pages that are just linked by the common thread of having a map. Well, I know what I mean anyway! Tim Trent 08:15, 7 November 2007 (UTC)

The comment about parser functions was not to imply that these templates use them - they don't (although it would be a reasonably simple task to do so). The point about the 'templates using parser functions' is that they reside in a category based on formatting/structure rather than subject matter. Thinking about it, it is a similar case for lists - there are categories purely for lists, although they are usually qualified by subject area in some way.

You could probably do the same with videos and -- should the vast number of icons make its way here -- routemaps. So 'Pages with videos', 'Pages with routemaps', 'Pages with audio clips', how do these sit together? How about 'Pages by feature' as a parent cat? Dunno what it's parent would be, so in some ways we're no further forward!

There is a down side to this, however. Any templates which add categories automatically do so at the beginning of the category list, thus making 'Pages with Google Maps' appear first, and hence implying 'most important'. This is probably the main reason that such is not done at WP. The templates used at WP are all 'temporary', indicating work needed, and hence the category membership is transient.

As an alternative to a category, how about making a page, possibly a help page (there isn't a 'Help' top-level cat yet), that covers these features and describes how to use the templates? That page could provide special links such as Special:Whatlinkshere/Template:GM, which would call-up the pages that use the GM template. (I think this fulfils your aim). If you then modify {{GML}} and {{GMR}} to use {{GM}}, then the one link would suffice for all three.

EdJogg 09:59, 7 November 2007 (UTC)

Not sure about: "There is a down side to this, however. Any templates which add categories automatically do so at the beginning of the category list, thus making 'Pages with Google Maps' appear first, and hence implying 'most important'. This is probably the main reason that such is not done at WP. The templates used at WP are all 'temporary', indicating work needed, and hence the category membership is transient." because I am not sure that you're right about the insertion order into the category. And WP had shedloads of category adding templates. Am I misunderstanding you?

I like the idea of "Pages with esoteric thingumibobs" as a category to hold them (now I understand what you were getting at) - it does make it somewhat easier to categorise.

I have no skill in conditional application of parameters in the rather arcane syntax mediawiki uses I fear. I am a very basic template coder. Tim Trent 10:16, 7 November 2007 (UTC)

I have gone a little way to adding the extra information you suggested at Cat:Googlemap layout templates. Any improvement you think is needed, please go right ahead. Tim Trent 10:28, 7 November 2007 (UTC)

No, looks OK to me -- as long as it serves your mapophile needs!

WP does have shedloads of category-adding templates, but I think you will find that in the article namespace they are only used for maintenance purposes or for use on talk-pages (eg project-related). When I mention 'category order' I mean the list of cats at the bottom of an article page. Maintenance templates add categories to the start of this list, or at the end if included after the manual cat links.

As for arcane templates, with a little help from Slambo I have now moved up a level! If you look at Template:RoutemapRoute at WP you'll see that it uses much parameter parsing to allow extreme flexibility. ...but I'm still a relative novice!

EdJogg 12:49, 7 November 2007 (UTC)