Editing Template:Automatic taxobox/doc (section)

==="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.