Template:Rfc/doc

{{Wikipedia:Article alerts/Bot use warning}}

Usage

Use this template when making a request for comment. This template should immediately precede the signed (or just dated) text of the request. Do not begin the request with a wikilink; this may cause formatting errors.

Both the template and the request for comment itself should be placed in a discussion page related to the RfC topic; alternately, a new page dedicated to the RfC may be created.

Up to ten topics can be included in the same tag; i.e. .

Within an hour or two after the edit has been saved, Legobot (talk⧼dot-separator⧽contribs) will add an |rfcid= parameter to the template, and will also add the discussion to the lists of RfCs that are indicated by the topic area parameters, e.g. Wikipedia:Requests for comment/Biographies if the topic area |bio was specified. Do not add |rfcid= without a value; do not choose your own value for the |rfcid= parameter, or re-use a value that is in use (or was previously used) on another RfC – instead, always let Legobot select a value. If you would like to add another topic area to the RfC after Legobot has already processed the tag, simply add the additional topic(s) to those already within the tag, before the |rfcid= parameter; Legobot will notice the addition and add the discussion to the new RfC topic pages.

Do not include any opening html tags (e.g., <small>) in the initial RfC statement unless its corresponding closing tag (e.g., </small>) also comes before the first timestamp, i.e., don't "straddle" the first timestamp inside html code, otherwise it may corrupt the entry of the RfC on the topic discussion pages.

If Legobot finds two or more templates on the same page which do not yet have an |rfcid= parameter, it is liable to assign the same |rfcid= to different RfCs (example), with the consequence that only one of them is publicised (example). If it is felt necessary to hold two or more RfCs on the same page, the discussions may be started together but you should add the template to just one discussion at a time, and wait for Legobot to set an |rfcid= on that one before you add an template to another discussion.

If you find a page with two or more templates that have the same value for the |rfcid= parameter, remove that parameter from the template which occurs first on the page, wait for Legobot to assign a fresh value, and check for further duplication.

If giving an example of the use of this template, do not use the construct <nowiki></nowiki> because the bot may consider that it is an actual RfC, and will add an RFC ID or remove the template entirely, as it sees fit. Instead, use one of the template-linking templates such as , as in which produces .

Note: It is a very good idea to let the section heading begin with "RfC" or "Request for comment", as for example "RfC: Past or present tense for television series?"

Expiry

The template does not provide a parameter for an expiry date. The bot will look for the first datestamp that occurs in the page text at any point after the template, and will treat that as the starting time for the RfC, and will remove the template thirty days after that time. If the template is added at the top of an existing thread where discussion has been going on for some time, it is important to add some text that includes the current timestamp between the template and the first posting, so that the RfC runs its full thirty days (example).

Definition of topic areas

Issues by topic area (View all)
Article topics (View all)
Biographies	(watch)
Economy, trade, and companies	(watch)
History and geography	(watch)
Language and linguistics	(watch)
Maths, science, and technology	(watch)
Media, the arts, and architecture	(watch)
Politics, government, and law	(watch)
Religion and philosophy	(watch)
Society, sports, and culture	(watch)
Project-wide topics (View all)
Wikipedia style and naming	(watch)
Wikipedia policies and guidelines	(watch)
WikiProjects and collaborations	(watch)
Wikipedia technical issues and templates	(watch)
Wikipedia proposals	(watch)
Unsorted
Unsorted RfCs	(watch)

Note to template editors

It looks to be the case that Legobot will fail to remove RfCs if there are any parameters on the RfC tag other than the categories and the |rfcid= parameter that Legobot sets. Be cautious when adding new parameters, even no-op parameters, as this may cause Legobot to behave unpredictably.

See also

• WP:Closing discussions
• WP:Dispute resolution
• WP:Requests for comment

Other templates

• {{RFC countdown}} - clearly communicate time remaining on RFC
• To archive a RfC discussion, use these two templates: {{archivetop}}, {{archivebottom}}
• {{Cite IETF}}, a different type of RFC
• {{IETF RFC}}, the same different type of RFC
• {{Draft RfC}}, for RfC drafts not yet open for comment