Editing Template:Automatic taxobox/doc (section)

==Creating and manipulating==
==="Missing taxonomy template"===
If you see the message "{{red|Missing taxonomy template}} (fix):", you didn't mess up the automatic taxobox. This error means that there isn't yet a [[Wikipedia:Automated taxobox system/taxonomy templates|taxonomy template]] for the value you've given {{para|taxon}}.

====Creating the taxonomy template====
To begin resolving this ugly red error, right-click the "fix" link and open that link in either a new tab or a new window. On the landing page, you should be editing a template corresponding to whatever taxon is at the end of the page's title. (For a complete guide to taxonomy templates, start at [[Wikipedia:Automated taxobox system/taxonomy templates|Introduction to taxonomy templates]].)

First, fill in the rank parameter. Use the Latin name. There are many options here (see [[Wikipedia:Automated taxobox system/taxonomy templates#rank]] for a list of supported ranks). Some examples are as follows:
*regnum
*phylum
*classis
*ordo
*familia
*tribus
*genus
*clade or cladus
*unranked

If what you need is something extremely atypical, you can actually just type it there instead of one of the supported ranks. It might break the taxobox, but that's what [[Wikipedia talk:Automated taxobox system]] is for.

You'll see {{para|link}} is already filled in for you with to give
<syntaxhighlight lang="wikitext">link={{subst:#titleparts:{{subst:PAGENAME}}|2|2}}</syntaxhighlight>

which happens to be wikisyntax for "the part of the title of the page that comes after "Template:Taxonomy/". In other words, it will be the name of the taxon. You can leave it alone <em>unless</em> the name of the taxon isn't the name of the page it links to. For example, the taxon Spheniscidae is at [[Penguin]]. In this case, you would add <code>Penguin|</code> before <syntaxhighlight lang="wikitext" inline>{{subst:#titleparts:{{subst:PAGENAME}}|2|2}}</syntaxhighlight> to give
<syntaxhighlight lang="wikitext">link=Penguin|{{subst:#titleparts:{{subst:PAGENAME}}|2|2}}</syntaxhighlight>
or you could replace what is there already to give
<pre>link=Penguin|Spheniscidae</pre>

Next, we have the {{para|parent}} parameter. All that you need to type here is the name of the immediate parent taxon, beginning with a capital letter. Use the {{para|refs}} parameter to cite a source which says that the taxon belongs in that parent taxon –  in case someone challenges it later. (The only case in which you might consider omitting this parameter is if you're using a WikiProject approved taxonomy, e.g. [[APG system|APG]] for flowering plants.)

If it's an extinct taxon, fill in the {{para|extinct}} parameter with {{code|yes}} (or {{code|true}}). If it's extant, you can delete the whole line (or leave the value blank).

Now preview the taxonomy template page. If there are no error messages, then close it. Go back to the automatic taxobox you were making. Press "preview" again and now it should be ok. If there are error messages on the taxonomy template page, it probably means you have to repeat the process to create the taxon's parent' taxonomy template. Continue previewing and creating taxonomy templates for the ancestor taxa until the "taxonomy missing" errors cease.

===Special instructions for species===

Species articles only use this template in exceptional circumstances; instead use {{tl|Speciesbox}}. See that page and its documentation. The exceptional cases are discussed [[#Exceptional cases|below]].

:The reason is that whenever <nowiki>{{Automatic taxobox}}</nowiki> is used with {{para|taxon|''taxon-name''}}, a template named "Template:Taxonomy/''taxon-name''" must either exist or be created in order to specify the taxonomic position of ''taxon-name''. However, for species this is not necessary, because the taxonomic position of the species can be found by extracting the genus name from the full binomial, and then looking for "Template:Taxonomy/''genus-name''". So using {{tl|Speciesbox}} considerably reduces the number of taxonomy templates needed and avoids there being different taxonomies for different species in a genus.

===Making the links bold===
When a taxobox appears in an article, the taxon the article is about should have its name displayed in bold. For this to work, the {{para|link}} parameter in its taxonomy template must be right. Suppose the taxon in question has the name ''taxon-name'' and the article it appears in has the title ''article-title''. Then in the template "Taxonomy/''taxon-name''":
* if ''taxon-name'' and ''article-title'' are the same, you should see {{para|link|''taxon-name''}}
* if ''taxon-name'' and ''article-title'' are different, you should see {{para|link|''article-title''{{!}}''taxon-name''}}.
Ensure the link is entered so that it points directly to the article on that taxon ''without'' being redirected first. If the page gets moved, the taxon template that links to that article will need to be updated in order to maintain the proper bolding.

===Change the taxobox header===

By default the header to the taxobox will be based on the target taxon and the page title and it will automatically be italicized if it's a genus (this template, <nowiki>{{Automatic taxobox}}</nowiki>, shouldn't normally be used for species).

If you want a different header (e.g. the common name), then specify {{para|name}}.

===Add an image===
Use the {{para|image}}, {{para|image_alt}} and {{para|image_caption}} parameters just like you would with the {{tl|Taxobox}}.

If you want a second image, add {{para|image2}}, {{para|image2_alt}} and {{para|image2_caption}}.

===Synonyms===
Here's an example of what to add to a taxobox where ''Genius'' and ''Geniosus'' happen to be synonyms of the named zoological taxon:
<syntaxhighlight lang="wikitext">
|synonyms=
* ''Genius'' {{small|[[Baggins]], 1934}}
* ''Geniosus'' {{small|[[Harvey]], 1734}}
</syntaxhighlight>
(Dates are omitted for botanical taxa.) For long lists of synonyms, {{tl|Genus list}} and {{tl|Taxon list}} make entry easier. Don't forget to complete {{para|synonyms_ref}}.

===Forcing a taxon to display===
If there's a particularly notable taxon of a minor rank, such as [[Theropoda]] (which contains nearly all carnivorous dinosaurs) chances are that you'd like the taxon to display in every single taxobox that it could possibly be displayed in. Navigate to that taxon's taxonomy template. The link should be "Template:Taxonomy/" followed by the name of the taxon. In the case of Theropoda, the link would be "Template:Taxonomy/Theropoda". Add the code {{para|always_display|true}} anywhere you'd like inside braces, and that should force the taxon to display all the time regardless of its rank.

===Correcting a taxonomy===
Every automatic taxobox has an edit link on the right end of the bar that says "Scientific classification" (it was a red pencil icon {{as of|2019|April|lc=yes}}). That link should give you access to a full listing of that taxon's taxonomy.

From there, you may edit a taxon by clicking "Edit" next to its name. Doing so allows you to access the corresponding Template:Taxonomy/ page, where you can assign a different parent, rank, display text, link, references, extinction status, or "display always" value. Any edits you make to one of these templates will affect ''all its descendant taxa'', so keep that in mind while editing.