Template:\
/
Template documentation
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This is the slash template, it looks like this: [ / ]. It works similarly to the HTML markup sequence: [ / ]. That is, a non-breaking space, a slash and a normal space.
This template is usually used for some items in dotted lists, such as the link lists in navigation boxes. Since Wikipedia can not have a forward slash [ / ] in template names, this template's name uses a backslash [ \ ].
For horizontal lists use {{Flatlist}} or class="hlist" instead (see WP:HLIST).
Normal usage
The recommended usage is to use no space before the template and one space after the template, like this:
[[Salt]]{{\}} [[Black pepper|Pepper]]
It will render one space on each side of the slash, like this:
If it line breaks then the line break will come after the slash, not before, like this:
For long slashed lists, each list item can be put on its own line with no spaces between each item and the template, like this:
[[Salt]]{{\}}
[[Black pepper|Pepper]]{{\}}
[[Curry]]{{\}}
[[Saffron]]
(It doesn't matter if there are no or some spaces at the end of the lines, after the templates.)
As before, it will render one space on each side of the slashes, like this:
Also, if it line breaks, then the line break will come after one of the slashes, not before, like this:
Incorrect usage
If the template is used slightly wrong, it will, in some cases, still behave well. For instance, if there are zero or several spaces after the template, like these examples:
[[Salt]]{{\}}[[Black pepper|Pepper]]
[[Salt]]{{\}} [[Black pepper|Pepper]]
Both of them will render exactly as before, with just one space on each side of the slash, like this:
And it will still only line break after the slash, like this:
However, putting one or more spaces before the template will cause problems, like these examples:
[[Salt]] {{\}}[[Black pepper|Pepper]]
[[Salt]] {{\}}[[Black pepper|Pepper]]
[[Salt]] {{\}} [[Black pepper|Pepper]]
[[Salt]] {{\}} [[Black pepper|Pepper]]
Then, it will render with two spaces before the slash and one after, like this:
Also, if it line breaks, it might break before the slash, like this:
Technical details
The space before the slash is a non-breaking space. That means it will not line break and will not collapse together with normal spaces that come before the template.
The space after the slash is a normal space. That means it wraps (allows line breaks) and it will collapse together with normal spaces that come after the template to form one single space.
Under some circumstances, slashed link lists misbehave. They might get unexpected line wraps or they might expand outside the box they are enclosed in. The how-to guide: Wikipedia:Line break handling, explains when that happens and how to fix it.
See also
There are several other templates with similar stream formatting purposes and such (or related) functionality:
- {{·}} – bold middot or ["·"] or (·), mostly used for dotted lists
- {{•}} – used for bullet separated lists
- {{Spaced ndash}} – Spaced ndash "–"
- {{-!}} – Spaced pipe "|"
Wrap control templates
- When making dotted lists, you might need to handle proper word wrapping (line breaking):
- {{nowraplinks}} – Prevents wraps inside links and only allows wraps between the links and in normal text, very useful for link lists and easy to use.
- {{nowrap begin}} – Prevents wraps in both text and links. For the really tricky wrapping cases when you need full control, for instance in very complex link lists.
- For further information, see: Wikipedia:Line break handling – The how-to guide detailing how to handle line wrapping on Wikipedia.
Dot size reference list
| Output | HTML effect name | How-to (Code to implement) |
|---|---|---|
| · |
<small> middot |
<small>·</small> |
| · |
middot |
'''·''' |
| · |
<small> bold middot |
<small>'''·'''</small> |
| · |
bold middot |
'''·''' or <b>·</b> |
| • |
<small> bullet |
<small>•</small> or <small>{{bull}}</small> |
| • |
bullet |
• or {{bull}} |
| • |
bold bullet |
'''•''' or '''{{bull}}''' or <b>{{bull}}</b> |
| – |
ndash |
– |
| — |
mdash |
— |