Template:FYI/doc

This is a documentation subpage for Template:FYI.
It may contain usage information, categories and other content that is not part of the original template page.

Purpose

The purpose of the "FYI" tag is to give a visual hint to readers of talk page items, making it easier to distinguish informational posts (notices, updates, etc.) from those that raise issues that need to be resolved. As with the other templates in this series, it is hoped that the existence of such tags will help focus editorial attention and encourage the resolution of items on a talk page. It is most commonly used on user and project talk pages, since few posts (including largely informational ones) on article talk pages generate zero actual or potential action items or potential discussions.

This template is to show an item on a talk page is strictly informational in nature, an "FYI", and that there is no dispute or issue raised by the post. That is, readers may be interested in it, but it is non-urgent and does not require action.

The "FYI" tag is not final and does not close a conversation. If the post in question raises issues or questions for someone, please remove the tag. Thus, the tag can also, in a roundabout way, help clarify situations that might otherwise be ignored because some users thought the post was trivial, when it was not.

This tag can be also used in admin processes to note that an item reported to a notice board is not an action item, and can further be of help on user talk pages to sort messages for archival (especially WikiProject newsletters and other impersonal notices) from those to be retained for continued discussion or followup action.

Usage

Place the following under the topic heading on a talk page:
{{FYI}}

FYI

Recommended: To make an additional comment explaining what the notice is about or to whom it may be of interest:
{{FYI|1=Project is now using updated banner code.}}

FYI

– Project is now using updated banner code. –Example (talk) 12:34, 01 January 2011 (UTC)

This parameter must be given as |1= or |reason= if any of its content contains the = character.

Do not include your signature (~~~~) when stating obvious facts, such as that a proposal was rescinded later in the thread, etc., or when it is obvious from the content or context who placed the template. That would lead to pointless clutter, and defeat the purpose of the template as a simple and easy-to-scan label. Do include your sig at the end of a |1= comment if the FYI label could be controversial (in which case anyone is free to remove it entirely) or attribution is otherwise actually needed, e.g. because of subjective content in the comment. Any editor may add attribution from page history if they think it is important (or remove it where it seems like a useless distraction).

Standardized discussion cross-reference

|pointer=yes (or |pointer=y, etc.) will output a default message of "Pointer to relevant discussion elsewhere.", since the most common use of this template is to annotate that you're providing a pointer to an RfC or some other discussion, at another page.

This parameter can be pluralized, |pointers=y, to change "discussion" to "discussions".

If you also use |1= to provide a custom note, it will come after the default one:

{{FYI|pointer=y|Ongoing for a week, but RfC tag added today.}}

Gives:

FYI

– Pointer to relevant discussion elsewhere. Ongoing for a week, but RfC tag added today.

When not to use this template

If the post is not purely informational
If the post is purely informational, but generates a non-trivial discussion/dispute anyway, e.g. because the information is questionable (i.e., remove the template in such a case).
If the post is informational, but generates action items at the article/page that the talk page pertains to (e.g. notice of Good Article Review generally requires editors who care about the article to improve it and respond to the review); many if not most notices generate potential action items elsewhere, and {{FYI}} is still appropriate in such cases.
If the post generated an action item elsewhere that has been resolved or become moot one way or another; in such cases change {{FYI}} to {{Resolved}}, {{Stale}}, or some other appropriate template in this series
If the post reports an edit that is not functionally mandatory or otherwise virtually impossible to be disputed; even seemingly routine edits can sometimes be controversial (e.g. "typo" corrections that accidentally trigger WP:ENGVAR issues, etc.)

Examples

Reporting a mandatory edit:

==Infobox update==
{{FYI|1=Infobox parameter updated.}}
The "nationality" parameter of [[Template:Infobox Snooker Player]] was changed to "sport-country"; 
I've updated this article's infobox to comply. ~~~~

This one would eventually be replaced with {{Resolved}}, since the action item elsewhere is finite:

==Relevant AfD==
{{FYI|1=Article within the scope of this project [[WP:Articles for deletion/FooBarBazQuux|at AfD]]}}
The article [[FooBarBazQuux]], within the scope of this project, has been nominated for deletion
at [[WP:Articles for deletion/FooBarBazQuux]]. ~~~~

Reporting something of only informational interest or action elsewhere, and to a specific subset of readers, e.g. some subset of editors at WT:Manual of Style and WT:Citing sources interested in citation templates:

==Ornithology citation styles==
{{FYI|1=Cite template watchers: [[WT:WikiProject birds#Citations|WP:BIRDS discussion]] on 
ornithology cite style}}
[[WP:BIRDS]] is considering [[WT:WikiProject Birds#Citations|a proposal]] to add support 
for the Asian Ornithology Institute's citation style (year goes after publisher) to the 
citation templates as an optional parameter. ~~~~