[edit] [purge] Template documentation

This template is used on 100,000+ pages. To avoid large-scale disruption and unnecessary server load, any changes should first be tested in this template's /sandbox or /testcases subpage, or in your own user space. The tested changes can then be added in one single edit to this template. Please consider discussing any changes on the talk page before implementing them.

This is the {{disambig}} template.

Important: Please do not SUBST: this template.

This is a general-purpose template, to be placed at the bottom of any article that exists to help readers find other articles with the same or similar names. This concept is called disambiguation and is used with many common words, such as cross, life and work. This template automatically adds articles to the Category:Disambiguation pages.

Page title fix

In the event that the page title is causing an error, such as what happened at ***, add the parameter: |page-title = page title . Thus, the *** page would use the syntax: {{disambig |page-title = ***}} .

Variant templates

For disambiguation pages requiring cleanup, use {{disambig-cleanup}}.

More specific, alternative templates exist, for disambiguation pages or set index articles whose entries are limited exclusively to items of a particular type.

• {{Airport disambig}} for airports – Category:Airport disambiguation
• {{Geodis}} for place names – Category:Place name disambiguation pages
• {{Hndis}} for people's names – Category:Human name disambiguation pages
  • {{Hndis-cleanup}}
• {{Hospitaldis}} for hospitals or medical centers – Category:Lists of ambiguous hospital names
• {{Mathdab}} for mathematics titles – Category:Mathematical disambiguation
• {{Numberdis}} for numbers – Category:Lists of ambiguous numbers
• {{Roaddis}} for roads, streets, or highways – Category:Lists of roads sharing the same title
• {{Schooldis}} for educational institutions – Category:Educational institution disambiguation
• {{SIA}} for set index articles
  • {{Shipindex}} for ship names – Category:Set indices on ships
  • {{Mountainindex}} for mountain names – Category:Set indices on mountains
• {{WP disambig}} for Wikipedia project and help pages associated with a given shortcut or title

Parameters

Sometimes there isn't a specific disambig template (see list above) that fits for a page, or the page has items in more than one of the above classes. Then use {{disambig}} but with one or more parameters telling which categories to use. Up to ten parameters can be fed, and in any order. Like this:

{{disambig|school|hospital}}

Only add a parameter if the disambig page has several items of that type.

• {{disambig|hn}}: for Category:Human name disambiguation pages (note that you must instead add the category separately if it needs a different sort key)
• {{disambig|surname}}: for Category:Surnames
• {{disambig|given name}}: Category:Given names
• {{disambig|geo}}: for Category:Place name disambiguation pages
• {{disambig|airport}}: for Category:Airport disambiguation
• {{disambig|hospital}}: for Category:Lists of ambiguous hospital names
• {{disambig|road}}: for Category:Lists of roads sharing the same title
• {{disambig|school}}: for Category:Educational institution disambiguation
• {{disambig|math}}: for Category:Mathematical disambiguation
• {{disambig|number}}: for Category:Lists of ambiguous numbers
• {{disambig|plant}}: for Category:Plant common names
• {{disambig|callsign}}: for Category:Broadcast call sign disambiguation pages
• {{disambig|church}}: for Category:Church building disambiguation pages

Note that {{disambig}} might not have parameters for all subcategories of Category:Disambiguation pages, then you have to manually add the category to the disambig page.

Alternative names

For those who can't remember how this template's name is abbreviated, the {{disambiguation}}, {{disamb}} and {{dab}} templates all redirect to {{disambig}}.

Technical details

Internally this template uses {{dmbox}}. That template categorises pages into Category:All disambiguation pages and Category:All article disambiguation pages.

This template uses {{disambig/cat}} to handle the categorisation parameters such as "hospital" and "school".

See also

• {{dablink}} – Basic article hatnote, see Wikipedia:Otheruses templates (example usage) for the full hatnote index.
• {{dn}} – Adds an inline "disambiguation needed" tag to an ambiguous link within an article.