Wikipedia:WikiProject User warnings/Usage and layout
 | This page in a nutshell: This page provides information and advice on using user warning templates, as well as additional information such as archiving user warnings. |
General template usage
All standardized templates take several parameters that are entirely optional. For example, you can use {{s/block}} instead of {{s/block|~~~~|1 hour|vandalism}}; the template will automatically insert generic text. Further, all parameters are designed to be very flexible; you can typically write anything in them, including diff links, in-depth messages, and HTML. A sandbox page is available for testing these templates at User talk:Sandbox for user warnings.
User warning templates introduction
If you spot someone vandalising Wikipedia or making disruptive edits, you should revert their changes to a previous version. You can leave a message on their talk page to notify them that they've violated a policy or guideline, and that you've reverted their changes. There are various user warning templates available to simplify this by outputting a standardised message directly onto the editor's talk page.
Always subst the template
If you type the text {{uw-test1}} into a page and save the page, the result will look like this:
Welcome and thank you for experimenting with Wikipedia. Your test worked, and it has been reverted or removed. Please take a look at the welcome page to learn more about contributing to this encyclopedia. If you would like to experiment further, please use the sandbox instead. Thank you.
In the future, every time you click "Edit this page", the text {{uw-test1}} will always be there, even though the actual text of {{uw-test1}} (shown above) may change over time. However, if you type text {{subst:uw-test1}} and click save, the result will appear the same, but when clicking "Edit this page" to check on the page's source code, you'll see this instead:
{{{icon|[[Image:Information.svg|25px|left]] }}}Welcome, and thank you for experimenting with {{{{{subst|}}}#if:{{{1|}}}|the page [[:{{{1|}}}]] on}} Wikipedia. Your test worked, and it has been [[Help:Reverting|reverted]] or removed. Please take a look at the [[Wikipedia:Introduction|welcome page]] to learn more about contributing to our encyclopedia. If you would like to experiment, please use the [[Wikipedia:Sandbox|sandbox]]. {{{2|}}}<!-- Template:uw-test1 -->
By placing the text subst: in front of the template name, {{uw-test1}} was substituted. So if {{uw-test1}} changes, the display of the page on which {{uw-test1}} was substituted will not change.
Layout
It is best to keep things organized on user talk pages, by using section headers. Type "==July 2025==" above the first warning, adding a new header for each month. Old sections should be removed on anonymous user talk pages after a few months.
- Warnings may be grouped by date under the heading "==Notices==" or "==Warnings==". Note: If there have been multiple warnings, add the template {{OW}} (or {{Repeated abuse}} if the account has been repeatedly blocked) at the top of the warnings section.
- User warnings and block messages should be placed without line breaks.
- Old warnings may be archived into page history when they are no longer useful. Give consideration to the IP's contribution history when deciding how long to leave warnings visible. Always note the archiving of old warnings, but be sure to remember that any editor—including anonymous IPs—may remove messages at will from their own talk page.
Block templates
Block templates differ from user warning templates in two fundamental ways. First, they're enclosed inside a message box, which means that placing your signature outside the template will place it visually separate from the message. This is resolved by typing out your signature (typically ~~~~) as the first parameter.
The second difference is the order of the parameters: whereas user warning templates are in order of use, block templates are not. This is because some of the parameters are less optional than in user warning templates, and they happen to be at the end.
- The signature should always be used; although there's an auto-signature as default value, it converts the username link to plain text (i.e., [[User:Pathoschild|Pathoschild]]).
- The time parameter is almost always used, as it signifies when the block expires.
- The reason parameter is rarely used, and by default blames the block on vandalism.
As such, although the order of parameters in the templates are time-reason-signature, the template parameters are input as signature-time-reason. This way, you can ignore the more optional parameters by using "{{block|~~~~}}" instead of "{{block|||~~~~}}".
Indefinitely blocked users
Talk pages of indefinitely blocked users should be cleared of all content except the block notice. This block notice should explain the block reason, or link to the block log which does so.
Edits from IP addresses
Some edits originate from anonymous IP addresses. Some people have static addresses (they keep the same address all the time), particularly if they are broadband subscribers. However, many users are assigned random addresses each time they log in to their Internet service provider, or are part of a network of computers that all connect to the Internet via a proxy server with a single IP address. Because of this, a warning posted on the talk page of an IP address may not be received by the person whom you intend it to be received by. When warning IP address users it is a good idea to add Template:SharedIPAdvice after the warning or notice.
Archiving warnings for anonymous users
Warnings issued to anonymous users become irrelevant after a while. It may be appropriate to archive them in a way that reduces their visibility by putting them in collapsible boxes. This is done by adding the {{Old IP warnings top}} template above the oldest warning or block notice to be hidden and the {{Old IP warnings bottom}} template at the bottom of the most recent one.