Editing Encyclopedia:Stub (section)

==Creating stub types==
{{Shortcut|WP:NEWSTUB}}
{{WikiProject Stub sorting navbar}}
'''Please propose new stub types at [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Stub sorting/Proposals|WikiProject Stub sorting/Proposals]] so that they may be discussed before creating them.'''

In general, a ''stub type'' consists of a ''stub template'' and a dedicated ''stub category'', although [[Wikipedia:Glossary#Upmerge|"upmerged" templates]] are also occasionally created which feed into more general stub categories.

If you identify a group of stub articles that do not fit an existing stub type, or if an existing stub category is growing very large, you can propose the creation of a new stub type which is debated at [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Stub sorting/Proposals]].

===Example===
An example of a stub template is {{tlx|Website-stub}}, which produces:

{{Website-stub}}

The stub category, [[:Category:Website stubs]], lists all articles containing the {{tlx|Website-stub}} template.

===Guidelines===
Several guidelines are used to decide whether a new stub type is useful. These include the following:
# Is there a stub type for this topic already? (Check [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Stub sorting/Stub types]].)
# Will the new type be well-defined? (Stub categories are a tool used by editors to expand articles. Good topic definition makes stubs easier to sort accurately.)
# Does the new stub type cover ground not covered by other type, or create a well-defined subtype that does?
# {{anchor|numerosity}}Will there be a significant number of existing stubs in this category? (Ideally, a newly created stub type has 100–300 articles. In general, any new stub category should have a ''minimum'' of 60 articles. This threshold is modified in the case of the ''main'' stub category used by a [[Wikipedia:WikiProject|WikiProject]].)
# Would your new stub type overlap with other stub types? (Stub types form a hierarchy and as such are usually split in specific ways. Compare other stub splits at [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Stub sorting/Stub types]].)
# If you are breaking a subtype out of an existing type, will the new creation reduce the size of the parent by a significant amount? (This is not an absolute necessity, but is often a catalyst for the creation of stub categories. Stub categories containing over 800 articles are typically considered to be "over-sized", and in need of such sub-types.)

If you think you have satisfied these guidelines, it is ''highly recommended'' that you propose the new stub type at [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Stub sorting/Proposals|stub type proposals page]]. This allows for debate on matters relating to the stub type that may not have occurred to the proposer, and also allows for objections if the split does not satisfy stub guidelines. If there are no objections within five days, you may create the new stub type.

===New stub templates===
After the creation of a new stub type has been discussed at [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Stub sorting/Proposals]] and agreed upon, a template can be created. The name of this should follow the [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Stub sorting/Naming guidelines|stub type naming conventions]], and will usually be decided during the discussion process.

All stub templates should link to a stub category. This may be a category specific to the topic of the template, or the template might be "upmerged" to one or more less specific categories&nbsp;– for example, a template for Andorran history might link to a stub category for European history and a general Andorran stub category. This is often thought to be desirable when a stub type is proposed in anticipation of future use, but is not currently over the size threshold; or where an existing stub type has a finite number of well-defined subdivisions, with some numerically viable as subtypes, and others not. 

As stub templates can sort articles into more general categories, the bar for the creation of a stub template is not as high as the bar for the creation of a dedicated stub category; a template should still be used on more than just one or two pages, but does not necessarily require 60. In fact, the creation of a stub template may be a helpful tracking tool for determining whether the topic is approaching the 60-article minimum to justify a category, as the template's "what links here" can be used to count how many articles are using the template.

Adding a small image to the stub template (the "stub icon") is permitted, so long as the image is [[public domain]] or has a free license—[[fair use]] images must not be used in templates. Stub icons should be small, preferably no more than about 40px in size.

The standard code for stub templates is found at: {{tl|asbox}}. This template can be used ('''without''' substitution).
<!-- THESE TEMPLATES ARE NOW DEPRECATED; USE ASBOX: Standard code for stub templates is found at {{tl|metastub}}:
:<code><nowiki>{{subst:metastub | article=article related to [[foo]] | id=foo-stub | category=Foo}}</nowiki></code>

which produces this:
<div class="notice metadata plainlinks" id="stub" style="clear:both;">''This article related to [[foo]] is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by [{{fullurl:{{FULLPAGENAME}}|action=edit}} expanding it].''</div>

And, if an image is appropriate, use {{tl|metapicstub}}:
:<code><nowiki>{{subst:MetaPicstub|article=article about [[foo]]| id=stub | category=Foo| image=foo.svg | size=40 | alt=Foo}}</nowiki></code><br />
which produces this:
{| class="notice metadata plainlinks" id="stub" style="background: transparent;"
|-
| [[File:foo.svg|40px| ]]||''This article about [[foo]] is a stub. You can [[Wikipedia:Stub#Ideal stub article|help]] Wikipedia by [{{fullurl:{{FULLPAGENAME}}|action=edit}} expanding it].''
|}

'''''Be sure to {{tl|subst}} the template code when creating the template!'''''
-->

===New stub categories===
The name of the stub category should also have been decided during the proposal process and will also follow the [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Stub sorting/Naming guidelines|naming guidelines]].

The text of a stub category should contain a definition of what type of stubs are contained in it and an indication of what template is used to add stubs to it. The {{tl|WPSS-cat}} template should also be placed on the category, to indicate that it has been created after debate at [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Stub sorting/Proposals]]. The new stub category should also be added to the [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Stub sorting/Stub types]] list.

The new stub category should be correctly added into other categories. These should include at least three specific categories:
* The analogous permanent category ("permcat")
* At least one higher level ("parent") stub category
* [[:Category:Stub categories]]

Thus, for example, [[:Category:France stubs]], should be in an equivalent permcat ([[:Category:France]]), parent stub category ([[:Category:Europe stubs]]), and [[:Category:Stub categories]].

The creation of stub categories can be partially automated by using {{tl|Stub category}} as follows:
<code><nowiki>{{Stub category|article=[[A]]|newstub=B|category=C}}</nowiki></code>
:<code>A</code>: Insert the description of the category here.
:<code>B</code>: Insert the name of the new stub template here.
:<code>C</code>: Insert the name of an appropriate parent non-stub category.

In the example given above, the formatting would look like this:
<code><nowiki>{{Stub category|article=[[France]]|newstub=France-stub|category=France}}</nowiki></code>
which would produce this:
{{cmbox
| type = notice
| image = [[File:Puzzle stub cropped.png|40px]]
| text = This category is for stub articles relating to [[France]]. You can help by expanding them.

{{#if:France-stub|<br />To add an article to this category, use {{tl2|France-stub}} instead of {{tl2|stub}}.|}}
}}

This syntax also automatically adds the new category to [[:Category:Stub categories]], though parent stub categories and {{tl|WPSS-cat}} still need to be added manually. It also automatically [[Wikipedia:Glossary#Piped link|pipes]] the stub category with "Σ", so that appears at the end of the list of subcategories in non-stub category C. This effectively moves it away from navigation categories to place it alongside other editing- and cleanup-related categories.

'''''If you have some doubts or comments regarding any part of the process, do not hesitate to address them or ask for assistance at [[Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Stub sorting]].'''''