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Shortcut: WP:UF

For quick access to examples, see: Category:Templates generating microformats

[Wikipedia's hCards] with geo information are yummy hack fodder ... marking up data in a predictable manner is a great way to allow developers to play with your information. (Chris Heilmann, Yahoo Developer Network^[1])

Contents 1 Project aims 2 What are microformats? 3 How can we use Microformats on Wikipedia? 4 Project members 4.1 Button 4.2 Banner 4.3 Signature 5 Meta templates 5.1 For articles 5.2 For talk pages 5.3 For templates 5.4 For template documentation 6 Categories 6.1 Template categories 7 Parser functions 8 Related 9 To do 10 Currently available 10.1 Geo 10.1.1 Geo examples on Wikipedia 10.1.2 Extensions 10.1.3 Export to KML 10.2 hCard 10.2.1 Adr 10.3 hCalendar 10.4 hAtom 10.5 hReview 10.6 hProduct 10.7 hRecipe 10.8 Other 10.9 Pseudo-microformats 11 Classes 12 Under development 12.1 Species 13 Forthcoming 13.1 Citations 13.2 Currency 14 Other MediaWiki uses 14.1 Wikitravel 15 MediaWiki issues 16 Yahoo! Query Language 17 References

[edit] Project aims

• To encourage the deployment of microformats in Wikipedia
  • by marking-up templates
• To share the resulting experience with other-language Wikipedias and other wiki- projects
  • by harmonizing metadata template formats across projects
  • by facilitating interwiki transfer of metadata between projects
• To document microformats in the article space, to the best possible standards
• To give feedback to the microformat community, so that microformats can be developed to best serve both Wikipedia and the wider on-line community
• To encourage the deployment of microformats in the Wikimedia application
  • including (but not only) hCard in user profiles
• To advocate for the use of microformats by partner projects, metadata consumers, etc.
  • by ensuring that templates are parsable in the wiki source code

[edit] What are microformats?

A Microformat (sometimes abbreviated μF or uF) is a way of adding simple semantic meaning to human-readable content which is otherwise, from a machine's point of view, just plain text. They allow data items such as events, contact details or locations, on HTML (or XHTML) web pages, to be meaningfully detected and the information in them to be extracted by software, and indexed, searched for, saved or cross-referenced, so that it can be reused or combined.

More technically, they are items of semantic mark up, using just standard (X)HTML with a set of common class-names and rel-attributes (though the latter are not used on MediaWiki). They are open and available, freely, for anyone to use.

For example, 52.48,-1.89 is a pair of numbers which may refer to anything; but in some contexts could be understood to be a set of geographic coordinates. By wrapping them in spans (or other HTML elements) with specific class names (in this case part of the geo microformat specification):

 <span class="geo"><span class="latitude">52.48</span>,<span class="longitude">-1.89</span></span> 

...machines can be told exactly what each value represents, and can then index it, look it up on a map, export it to a GPS device, or whatever.

Other microformats allow the encoding and extraction of events, contact information, social relationships, and so on. More are being developed.

Version 3 of the Firefox browser ^[2][3] includes, and version 8 of Internet Explorer may include^[4], native support for microformats.

[edit] How can we use Microformats on Wikipedia?

(and, more generally, in MediaWiki)?

It is easier to apply them to templates rather than individual pages. That also means that individual authors need not know the intricacies of microformat mark-up, only how to use the relevant template. Many of the templates on Wikipedia require minimal changes, to use microformats to present their existing content with added meaning. While the functionality may already exist in the Wikipedia template, adding microformat mark-up will make that functionality available to people using the same tools they use when visiting other sites.

[edit] Project members

• Andy Mabbett (founder)
• Omegatron
• The Anome
• Quarl
• Qyd
• David Remahl
• Jeff McNeill
• Unforgiven24
• J JMesserly (talk)
• coldacid

[edit] Button

Use {{User Microformats}} to show your participation in this project.

[edit] Banner

Put {{ProjectMicroformats}} on the talk page of relevant articles.

[edit] Signature

Consider adding an hCard to your signature, like this:

 <span class="vcard"><span class="fn">[[User:Pigsonthewing|Pigsonthewing]]</span>; [[User talk:Pigsonthewing|talk]]</span> 

If you user name has more than one word, and is not a given-name+surname pair, use class="fn nickname".

[edit] Meta templates

[edit] For articles

• {{UF-coord-th}} - table header for columns of coordinates using {{coord}}.
• {{kml}} - links to KML services for pages with multiple occurrences of Geo.
• {{UF-timeline}} - links to siatec.net/timeline which generates a timeline of hCalendar microformats on the linking page

[edit] For talk pages

• {{UF-hcard-geo-article}}

[edit] For templates

• {{Infobox}} has built-in support for adding microformat classes to the infoboxes it generates

[edit] For template documentation

• {{UF-adr}}
• {{UF-coord}} - For coordinates, use {{coord}} with display=inline,title. Please do not be overly precise.
• {{UF-coord-classes}}
• {{UF-datewarn}} - warning of ISO date limitation
• {{UF-geo}}
• {{UF-geo-other}} - for non-terrestrial coordinates
• {{UF-hcal}} - where a start date requires {{Start date}}
• {{UF-hcal-auto}} - where class="dtstart" is hard-coded.
• {{UF-hcal-geo}}
• {{UF-hcard-geo}}
• {{UF-hcard-name}}
• {{UF-hcard-org}}
• {{UF-hcard-part}}
• {{UF-hcard-person}}
• {{UF-hcard-place}}
• {{UF-hcard+hcal}}
• {{UF-hprod}}
• {{UF-species}}

[edit] Categories

• Microformats - 15

The following categories are not yet widely applied, and so under-represent the numbers concerned:

• Articles with microformats - 5
  • Articles with hCalendars - 0
  • Articles with hCards - 24,205
  • Articles with Geo - 7,150
  • Articles with hCards and Geo - 28
  • Articles with hProducts - 0
  • Articles with hRecipes - 0
  • Articles with species microformats - 0

[edit] Template categories

• Category:Templates generating microformats - 13
  • Templates generating ADR microformats - 61
  • Templates generating Geo - 41
    • Templates generating hCalendars and Geo - 2
    • Templates generating hCards and Geo - 214
  • Templates generating hCalendars - 106
    • Templates generating hCalendars and Geo - 2
  • Templates generating hCards - 514
    • Templates generating hCards and Geo - 214
  • Templates generating hProduct - 35
  • Templates generating hRecipe - 10
  • Templates generating 'species' microformats - 6

[edit] Parser functions

The following may be of use.

• #time (in MediaWiki version 1.6 and higher)
  • Can change date formats around. For example, {{#time: c|10 June 2007}} produces 2007-06-10T00:00:00+00:00. The 'c' indicates that ISO8601 format should be used. A 'Y' instead of 'c' would return just the four digit year. However, this might run into trouble with the date parameter values on some templates. For instance, if a range (e.g. 1954-1955) were used in the date parameter {{#time: c|1954-1955}} would return Error: invalid time (per [1].

[edit] Related

• Wikipedia:Metadata
• Wikipedia:Biographical metadata
• Wikipedia:WikiProject Geographical coordinates
• Commons:Microformats Project

[edit] To do

Volunteers needed!

• Add hCard mark-up to templates (chiefly infoboxes) about places and people, modelled on existing examples.
• Add adr or hCard mark-up to navbox templates like these: Pink Floyd, Mike Patton, Sheffield buildings
• For tables like those in Category:Lists of mountains, update table rows to use hCard; perhaps by introducing table-row templates.
• Contribute to development of a policy on coordinates for linear features
• Contribute to development of a policy or policies on in-line microformats

[edit] Currently available

[edit] Geo

Geo (shortcut: WP:GEOUF) is for WGS84 coordinates (latitude;longitude).

Geo allows waypoints to be indexed ("find me all places within 2 km of X"), looked up on other websites, or uploaded to devices, such as GPS units.

{{coord}} applies the Geo microformat to coordinates on Wikipedia. It replaces the now-deprecated "coor *" family of templates.

Quick "how to" v • d • e
To add 57°18′22.5″N 4°27′32.7″W / 57.30625°N 4.459083°W / 57.30625; -4.459083 to the top of an article, use {{coord|57|18|22.5|N|4|27|32.7|W|display=title}} These coordinates are in degrees, minutes, and seconds of arc.
To add 44°06′43″N 87°54′47″W / 44.112°N 87.913°W / 44.112; -87.913 to the top of an article, use either {{coord|44.112|N|87.913|W|display=title}} or {{coord|44.112|-87.913|display=title}} These coordinates are in decimal degrees.
Degrees, minutes and seconds must be separated by a pipe ("|"). Map datum should be WGS84. Avoid excessive precision (0.0001° is <11 m, 1′′ is <31 m). Latitude (N/S) must appear before longitude (E/W).
Optional coordinate parameters follow the longitude and are separated by an underscore ("_"): dim: dim:N (diameter in meters) region: region:R (ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 or ISO 3166-2 code) type: type:T (landmark or city(30,000), for example) Other optional parameters are separated by a pipe ("|"): display display=inline (the default) to display in the body of the article only, display=title to display in the title only, or display=inline,title to display in both places. name name=X to label the place on maps (default is PAGENAME) Thus: {{coord|44.117|-87.913|dim:30_region:US-WI_type:event |display=inline,title|name=accident site}}
For full detail, refer to {{Coord/doc}}. Additional guidance is available: obtaining coordinates, converting coordinates

See also:

• the Geographical coordinates Project
  • Category:Articles_needing_coordinates

[edit] Geo examples on Wikipedia

See: Category:Templates generating Geo

Examples:

• Geo (microformat)#Example
• All of the articles using {{template:coord}} . Examples:
  • Most of the articles in Category:Lists of coordinates
  • Great Barr
  • {{Geolinks-AUS-suburbscale}}
• GeoTemplate, which is called by many thousands of other Wikipedia pages.
  • Example: the coordinates (top right) in Great Barr link to a list of maps for Great Barr; the latter now has a Geo microformat.
• Lists of coordinates using Geo in hCard:
  • Manchester Ship Canal
  • Netherton Tunnel Branch Canal
• Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell Featured Article uses {{coord}}, both "title" and "inline".

[edit] Extensions

There are three active proposals, none mutually-exclusive, and all backwards-compatible, to extend the geo microformat:

• geo-extension - for representing coordinates on other planets, moons etc., and with non-WSG84 schema
  • Of use for Template:Lunar crater data
• geo-elevation - for representing altitude
• geo-waypoint - for representing routes and boundaries, using waypoints

[edit] Export to KML

Pages marked with {{coord}} can be exported as KML (for use in Google Earth, for example) via Brian Suda's site, in this format:

http://suda.co.uk/projects/microformats/geo/get-geo.php?type=kml&uri=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_volcanoes_in_the_United_States_of_America

The same URL can be pasted into Google Maps as a search, and will show the locations, as push-pins on a map

The template: {{kml}} has been created for this purpose (and was immediately nominated for deletion!).

[edit] hCard

hCard is for contact details of people (both article subjects and user profiles), organisations and venues.

See Wikipedia:WikiProject Microformats/hcard for more.

[edit] Adr

The adr microformat for postal addresses and their individual components is a sub-set of hCard. See the above page for more information, or Category:Templates generating ADR microformats.

{{User:Coldacid/Templates/mf-adr}} generates an inline adr, either standalone or for placing within an existing HTML tag with class="adr" via the inadr paramter.

[edit] hCalendar

• hCalendar is for events - so that they can be added directly to calendar or diary programmes or websites. See Category:Templates generating hCalendars (note also Wikipedia:Selected anniversaries).
• Start and end dates of events. Editors have choices of two families of templates. Both emit microformat dates required for events.
  • {{start date}} & {{ISO date}} emits the required ISO8601 date with class="dtstart", and {{end date}} & {{ISO end date}} emit the date with class="dtend" (not yet working for exclusive whole-day dates).
  • {{Start date and years ago}} - as above
  • {{start-date}}, {{end-date}} family (note dashes in name)
    • {{start-date}}, and {{bday}} emit the required ISO8601 date with class="dtstart". bday emits the class bday for vcards.
    • {{end-date}} emits the date with class="dtend". Dates are adjusted +1 unit of time, where unit of time is dependent on the precision. EG: {{end-date|December 31, 1976}} would generate 1977-01-01Z, whereas {{end-date|1939}} would generate 1940. In contravention of the hCalendar spec.
• {{timeline-item}} (with {{timeline-start}} and {{timeline-end}}) generate a definition list for a series of dated events, each being wrapped in an hCalendar microformat.
• {{timeline-links}} passes a page's set of hCalendar events to external timeline-generating and other hCalendar-using websites.

[edit] hAtom

hAtom is for marking feeds.

It will not be possible to use hAtom in Wikipedia until it is possible to have an address element on pages. See Wikipedia:Village_pump_(technical)#address_element.

{{start date}} & {{ISO date}} now emit the required ISO8601 date with class="updated".

[edit] hReview

hReview is for marking up reviews, and could be used by, for example, Template:Infobox Album.

[edit] hProduct

hProduct is for marking up products.

[edit] hRecipe

hRecipe is for marking up recipes and, by logical extension, singular foodstuffs.

[edit] Other

• rel-tag
• XFN
• hResume

[edit] Pseudo-microformats

For microformat-style schemes developed elsewhere, see:

• poshformats.org

Though not formally microformats (because they have not been developed using the "microformats process", and/ or involve hidden metadata), the following are related:

• COinS
  • See COinS in Wikipedia

[edit] Classes

See /classes

[edit] Under development

[edit] Species

See /Species

[edit] Forthcoming

[edit] Citations

The proposed citation microformat will obviously be very relevant to Wikipedia, both for on-page citations and bibliographies, and for allowing people to cite Wikipedia, elsewhere. See Template talk:Cite book#Use in Bibliography and COinS in Wikipedia for work which is laying some of the groundwork for application of that microformat, once it is ready.

Citation microformats would allow the look-up of cited articles or books in libraries or shops, and the extraction of citation data for the page being voted, if it is to be cited elsewhere.

[edit] Currency

The proposed currency microformat may be useful, especially if the suggestion to include a date field for historical amounts is included., for example, on 1922 in Germany

Despite the ending of cash payments for the rest of 1922, the main cause of Germany's inability to pay, the steady depreciation of the mark, was ongoing. Towards the end of the year it assumed a disastrous rapidity. On August 1, the US Dollar still stood at 643 Marks to the Dollar and the British Pound at 2,850 Marks to the Pound. But on September 5 the dollar had already risen to 1,440 Marks and the pound to 6,525 Marks, and in December the pound was worth between 30,000 and 40,000 marks and the dollar between 7,000 and 9,000.

Currency would allow automatic conversion of amounts into other currencies ("how much is that in dollars?") or time ("how much would that be today?")

[edit] Other MediaWiki uses

[edit] Wikitravel

Wikitravel is using microformats, not least in Wikitravel listings

[edit] MediaWiki issues

• We need to be able to add classes and rel attributes to internal and external links, to generate, for example:

<a href="example.com" class="xxx">

or:

<a href="example.com" rel="yyy">

or a combination of both, where "xxx" is a valid microformat attribute such as "url" and "yyy" is a valid rel attribute such as "directory", "tag" or "colleague" (the latter from XFN).

For other issues encountered when adding microformats to Wikipedia and other pages, using Media Wiki mark-up, see [2]

[edit] Yahoo! Query Language

"Yahoo! Query Language" can be used to extract microformats from Wikipedia pages, as demonstrated at Retrieving and displaying data from Wikipedia with YQL

[edit] References

1. ^ Heilman, Chris (2009-01-19). "Retrieving and displaying data from Wikipedia with YQL". Yahoo Developer Network. Yahoo. http://developer.yahoo.net/blog/archives/2009/01/wikipedia_w_yql.html. Retrieved 2009-01-19. 
2. ^ Resig, John (2007-02-01). "Microformats in Firefox 3". http://ejohn.org/blog/microformats-in-firefox-3/. Retrieved 2007-03-25. 
3. ^ Kaply, Mike (2007-05-09). "Microformats and Firefox 3 (for Developers)". http://www.kaply.com/weblog/2007/05/09/microformats-and-firefox-3-for-developers/. Retrieved 2007-05-23. 
4. ^ Bounds, Darren (2007-05-02). "Microsoft drops hints about Internet Explorer 8". http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070502-microsoft-drops-hints-about-internet-explorer-8.html. Retrieved 2007-05-02. 

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