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=FamilySearch Wiktext Infobox - Continued=

Collapsing Infoboxes
In our example in the last lesson: we have limited the items shown for the organization as shown above. But as you know many organizations have far more offices and other items that would be worth knowing that should be in these infoboxes. But then again some having even less, so how can you create an infoboxes that has all the things, but only the things which are filled in show in the infobox. Well that is possible with another bit of coding call "if statements." What we would like to happen, when a parameter is filled in, it shows, but if it is blank, the item does not show in the infobox.

What are infoboxes
We use them to display brief information usually about organizations and/or administrative divisions like US counties, but in a table form. They allow quick reference to people and locations. Oregon County, Missouri Genealogy. Here is an example of an organization: Featherstone_Society
 * We usually place them near the top of the page on the right side. Here is an example of one:
 * Infoboxes are nothing more than templates. However, they are a special use templates.

Advantages of infoboxes

 * What makes infoboxes useful is the ability to add or change information in them without having to go the template itself to edit the template.
 * Just as templates can be changed if you use the "subst:" procedure, infoboxes are set up that way automatically.

Let's create a infobox for an organization
Here is the coding
 * NOTICE we have used colspan in the first two rows.
 * NOTICE we have borders around all the cells and have centered the name "organization" and "image."
 * Nothing really unusual in the coding so far. But we are going to introduce a new concept to you called parameters
 * Parameters a formed by three opening and closing curly brackets like so:

Infobox parameters
What we going to do is put three opening and closing curly brackets around the items which are where the names, etc go in our infobox which is in this case president, address, etc to turn them into parameters:
 * NOTICE all you have to do to turn an item into a "parameter" is surround it with three curly brackets.

Now save the template and use the word "infobox" somewhere in the title like so:

So that is all there is to create a infobox. The next chapter will tell you how to embed the infobox and where the parameters come into play.

Try these out
 Exercises

Use this coding for this exercise: Lets make this into a infobox: Check your answers
 * 1) Put a border around the infobox, limit the width to 190 pixels and make it so that will always be on the right side of the page.
 * 2) Put borders around each of the cells.
 * 3) Have the cells containing the words organization and image span both columns.
 * 4) Center the name of the organization and the image in their cells.
 * 5) Make the items in the right hand cells into parameters.

 Quick Quiz
 * Parameters have two opening and closing curly brackets surrounding them.
 * A. True
 * B. False


 * Infoboxes usually are located at the top of the page on the right side.
 * A. True
 * B. False


 * Infoboxes are saved just like other templates but it is good practice to included the word "infobox" in its title.
 * A. True
 * B. False

Check your answers