Template:Anchor/doc

The template {{anchor}} inserts one or more HTML fragment identifiers (anchor names) in a page. Those locations can then be linked to using [[#location|…]] syntax.

Examples

1. {{anchor|Foo}}

could be linked to with [[#Foo|…]] from within the same article,

or it could be linked to with [[Article name#Foo|…]] from other articles and from redirects.

2. Anchors can be more suitable for inter-article linking than section titles are. For example:

==Template:Sp{{anchor|Foo}}Template:SpSection title ==

Here, links via [[Article name#Foo]] would remain valid even if the section were renamed. Consider using {{subst:anchor comment}} after the section title to generate a HTML comment alerting other editors to the purpose of anchors used in this manner. See Limitations for the editing problems this use introduces.

The following is an example of what not to do:

== Section titleTemplate:Sp{{anchor|Bar}}Template:Sp==

Here, the link [[Article name#Bar]] would take the user to the section, but could undesirably hide the section title from view.

3. The template can be used to create multiple anchors with a single call. For example,

{{anchor|Foo|Bar|baz}}

will create three anchors that can then be linked to with [[#Foo]], [[#Bar]] and [[#baz]].

4. If the text to be displayed must differ from the anchor (e.g. because it contains brackets for linking), the text parameter can be used:

{{anchor|Foo|text=[[Foo]]}}

this will result in a link that constitutes an anchor of its own.|}}

Limitations

Character	Code	Template	Meaning
"	" "	N/A	(double) quotation mark
#	#	N/A	hash
|	|	{{!}}	pipe
=	=	{{=}}	equals

• Anchor names that contain any character shown in the table on the right will not work as expected. However, any of these characters can be replaced with the "&#" codes shown for them here. Or, the pipe symbol and equals sign can be worked around with {{!}} and {{=}}, respectively. Markup code such as <sup> and <sub> (superscript and subscript) cannot be used. Most other characters, including white space and punctuation, are not a problem.
• Anchor names should be unique on a page, and should not duplicate any heading titles. Duplicate anchors will not work as expected since the #location links go to the first anchor with that name. Duplicate anchors result in invalid HTML; you can check for duplicate anchors by running the page through the W3C Markup Validation Service.
• If the template is added to a section title then the code will appear in the edit summary when that section is edited, as in "/* {{anchor|Issues}}Limitations */ New issue". This can be fixed by deleting the template code from the edit summary before the changes are saved. However, this fix breaks the section link in the article revision history. Consider using {{subst:anchor comment}} after the section title to generate a HTML comment alerting other editors to the purpose of anchors used in this manner, so they do not move the anchor out of the section heading when they notice the deleterious effects on their edit summary. The current practice is to place anchors above the heading, as placing the anchor below the heading move the heading above the display window.
• Anchor links are case sensitive in some browsers, so treat all anchor links as case sensitive.

Use in tables

Anchors may be used within tables, subject to certain restrictions. The {{anchor}} template may be used in the caption and cells of a table, but not those portions of a table that are outside the caption and cells. It is used on the table's caption thus:

|+ {{tlx|anchor|FooX}} A table caption

and the following forms of cell are valid:

!{{tlx|anchor|Foo1}} A header cell
!style="background:white;" |{{tlx|anchor|Foo2}} A header cell with styling
|{{tlx|anchor|Foo3}} A data cell
|rowspan=2 |{{tlx|anchor|Foo4}} A data cell spanning two rows

You need to ensure that the {{anchor}} is not in that portion of the markup intended for the classes, styles etc. Thus, {{anchor}} cannot be placed anywhere on lines that begin with {| (start of table) or |- (new row), and the following forms of cell are not valid:

!{{tlx|anchor|Foo1}} |A header cell
!style="background:white;" {{tlx|anchor|Foo2}} |A header cell with styling
|{{tlx|anchor|Foo3}} |A data cell
|rowspan=2 {{tlx|anchor|Foo4}} |A data cell spanning two rows

If it is necessary for an anchor to be in any of these positions, a different technique is used - the id= attribute. This is placed in that portion of the markup where the classes, styles etc. may be used, as follows:

{| id=FooX class=wikitable
|- id=FooY
!id=Foo1 |A header cell
!style="background:white;" id=Foo2 |A header cell with styling
|id=Foo3 |A data cell
|rowspan=2 id=Foo4 |A data cell spanning two rows

The id= attribute may appear before, between or after any other attributes that may be present, but only one id= attribute may be used in each of these areas.

TemplateData

This is the TemplateData for this template used by TemplateWizard, VisualEditor and other tools. Click here to see a monthly parameter usage report for this template based on this TemplateData.

TemplateData for Anchor

The template {{anchor}} inserts one or more HTML anchors in a page. Those locations can then be linked to using [[#location|…]] syntax. The parameters here are for convenience; no parameter name is required in the template itself.

Template parameters

Parameter		Description	Type	Status
First anchor	1	First anchor; Only the first anchor is required.	String	required
Second anchor	2	Second anchor.	String	optional
Third anchor	3	Third anchor. For additional anchors, just type in 4 as the parameter name for the next, 5 for the next after that, and so on.	String	optional

See also

• {{Visible anchor}}
• {{Anchored list}}
• {{Anchor comment}}
• {{Shortcut}}
• WP:ANCHOR
• WP:TARGET