Template talk:Routemap

Template-protected edit request on 14 August 2025

Template:RoutemapRoute's documentation mentions parameters |Llink=, |Lsize=, |Rlink=, |Rsize=. Therefore I suggest to make this change (line 1096 and 1097):

• if args.l then args.l = p._rmri{args.l,args.llink,(args.lsize or args.size),' '}..' ' else args.l = '' end to if args.l then args.l = p._rmri{args.l,args.llink or args.Llink,(args.Lsize or args.lsize or args.size),' '}..' ' else args.l = '' end
• if args.r then args.r = ' '..p._rmri{args.r,args.rlink,(args.rsize or args.size),' '} else args.r = '' end to if args.r then args.r = ' '..p._rmri{args.r,args.rlink or args.Rlink,(args.Rsize or args.rsize or args.size),' '} else args.r = '' end Repakr (talk) 07:53, 14 August 2025 (UTC)

 Not done: please make your requested changes to the template's sandbox first; see WP:TESTCASES. Please do not paste code blobs into a template's talk page. I do not see any change to Module:Routemap/sandbox. Without that, your proposal cannot be tested. --Redrose64 🌹 (talk) 21:17, 16 August 2025 (UTC)

Template-protected edit request on 15 August 2025

There is invisible text in Example 2.1, to fix it, the line 93 in module should be changed:

−

["colspan-fmt"] = '%s\n|-\n| colspan="7" style="background:%s;text-align:%s;%s"|\n%s',

+

["colspan-fmt"] = '%s\n|-\n| colspan="7" style="color:inherit;background:%s;text-align:%s;%s"|\n%s',

Repakr (talk) 15:07, 15 August 2025 (UTC)

 Not done: please make your requested changes to the template's sandbox first; see WP:TESTCASES. Please do not paste code blobs into a template's talk page. I do not see any change to Module:Routemap/sandbox. Without that, your proposal cannot be tested. --Redrose64 🌹 (talk) 21:17, 16 August 2025 (UTC)

Template-protected edit request on 18 August 2025

As per above I have made changes to sandbox. These changes, firstly, fix a problem with invisible text in dark mode as seen in Example 2.1 in template's documention, secondly they fix a problem of unworking parametrs, mentioned in Template:RoutemapRoute. (They are |Llink=, |Lsize=, |Rlink=, |Rsize=.) Repakr (talk) 07:55, 18 August 2025 (UTC)

 Done Primefac (talk) 21:22, 2 November 2025 (UTC)

Help, please

I originally posted this on the Template:Railway line legend page, so this may not fit this page exactly, but some of these never show up, as far as I can tell. After thorough research, the only place using the horsecar icon is the Disneyland Horsecar. However, there is NO list of draisine systems, so is there any rail line that uses it? Also, I'm doing a list of these symbols with examples, so if anyone can tell me a way to find Wikipedia articles with certain icons, that would be amazing. Daylighted tunnels, among other things, are hard to find. This would be very helpful, so if there is any way to do this, please tell me. AtTheTownHouse (talk) 23:27, 10 September 2025 (UTC)

All images are stored on Commons, for example File:BSicon DRAISINE.svg. The linked page will show usage of the file across all wikis, including this one. Mackensen (talk) 23:33, 10 September 2025 (UTC)

Thanks!!! You are a lifesaver.

Sincerely, AtTheTownHouse (talk) 13:45, 11 September 2025 (UTC)

Setting a default of color:inherit whenever background is set

For minimal dark mode compatibility, syntax requires that color: be set in every style= declaration where background: or background-color: is set. Consider this tiny Routemap:

{{Routemap
|map =
STR red!~tSTR green\\STR blue!~tSTR saffron\MASK~~ ~~ ~~{{BSsplit|[[New Jersey]]|[[New York (state)|New York]]|line=-}}~~[[Hudson River]]~~bg=#007cc3
}}

In its single row of content, it produces:

|class="RMir" style="background:#007cc3"|<div><div class="RMov"><div class="RMic">[[File:BSicon_tSTR green.svg|x20px|link=|alt=|STR red&#59; tSTR green]]</div></div><div>[[File:BSicon_STR red.svg|x20px|link=|alt=|STR red&#59; tSTR green]]</div></div><div class="RM_"></div><div><div class="RMov"><div class="RMic">[[File:BSicon_tSTR saffron.svg|x20px|link=|alt=|STR blue&#59; tSTR saffron]]</div></div><div>[[File:BSicon_STR blue.svg|x20px|link=|alt=|STR blue&#59; tSTR saffron]]</div></div><div>[[File:BSicon_MASK.svg|x20px|link=|alt=|MASK]]</div>

Note that it sets style="background:#007cc3" without setting a color. I'm hoping that a clever Lua programmer will be able to find a way to set a default color (color:inherit is the easiest and almost always works) whenever background is set but color is not set. I am not a clever Lua programmer, but I know that there are some among the readers of this talk page. Let me know if you have questions. Thanks. – Jonesey95 (talk) 13:37, 5 October 2025 (UTC)

Using Routemap template for rivers: conventions?

I'm working on the Nile river article, and I notice that the Thames river article has a diagram of the Thames river. That diagram is drawn with the Routemap template. Is there any discussion in WP that describes best practices for using the template for rivers? E.g. which icons to use for dams, waterfalls, or hydropower facilities? Or is the template so rarely used for rivers that no conventions have been established? Noleander (talk) 23:30, 27 December 2025 (UTC)

There may be; I'm not aware of any. {{Waterways legend}} may be a useful starting point. Mackensen (talk) 00:05, 28 December 2025 (UTC)

thanks for that link to the other template. I wonder why the Thames river did not use that one, since that one seems to be aimed at rivers. Noleander (talk) 00:49, 28 December 2025 (UTC)

@Noleander: There's a much more comprehensive (but by no means complete) chart at c:BSicon/Catalogue/watercourses. Also, please note the order of the words in River Thames. --Redrose64 🦌 (talk) 15:48, 28 December 2025 (UTC)

Thanks for the link. Noleander (talk) 15:57, 28 December 2025 (UTC)

Link units

Is it possible to add support for link units in the BScvt template, e.g. {{BScvt|2;55;15|in=mi;ch;li}}? 100 links = 1 chain, 80 chains = 1 mile so 8,000 links = 1 mile. Anothersignalman (talk) 10:36, 23 January 2026 (UTC)

@Anothersignalman: Personally I've never seen the need to show links separately; after all, 1 link is exactly 0.01 chain, so it ought to be reasonable to show any distance that involves links in the alternative form of chains to two places of decimals without loss of accuracy (contrast feet and inches, where 1 inch is approximately 0.08333 ft - I write approximately because it's an infinite recursion).

Then we need to consider the function of the routemap, and the purpose of distances along it. Most things that benefit from having a distance are large structures like stations, bridges and tunnels, where showing a distance to the nearest whole chain is usually quite sufficient. Consider that 1 chain = 22 yards, which is approximately the length of a railway carriage; most stations and tunnels are considerably longer than that. Whilst bridges may be shorter, it's a rare bridge that needs to have its position expressed to an accuracy of one link (one hundredth of a chain), which is exactly 7.92 inches. Ten links, or 0.1 chain, or 79.2 inches, or if you prefer 6 ft 7.2 in, is of a similar order to the size of the smallest lineside structures. So a foot crossing might be specified as being at 1 mile 2.3 chains. Where do you need to display a greater accuracy? --Redrose64 🌹 (talk) 13:28, 24 January 2026 (UTC)

The main scenario that comes to mind in the route maps is where you have, for example, a short bridge over a creek, a parallel road, and a station signboard (no platform) all within a short distance of each other. An earlier version of an article I've been working on had a few cases like that, though I've since revised and corrected the numbers partly by using local rather than through mileage (in this case, subtracting 145M 31C 55L from every number). I still have one item where both the "station" and level crossing have the same M-CH number, but that's because the source was cropped and I don't actually know the links value for the station signboard, so I can't say for sure which side of the adjacent level crossing it was on. Anothersignalman (talk) 18:20, 24 January 2026 (UTC)

So - have you considered chains with one decimal place? --Redrose64 🌹 (talk) 18:28, 24 January 2026 (UTC)

Yes, it just seemed a bit unprofessional, but if you're saying it's not worth worrying about then I'll leave it. Anothersignalman (talk) 18:50, 24 January 2026 (UTC)

No more unprofessional than 1.23 metres or even 1 ft 2.3 in. --Redrose64 🌹 (talk) 22:27, 24 January 2026 (UTC)