User:Wonghk3/sandbox/Sidebars

What is a sidebar

 * The light gray elongated box to the left of this page is a sidebar.
 * Sidebars contain a quick list of links to other pages that go into detail on the subject selected.
 * A place where you can navigate to the other pages without having to search for them.
 * Like infoboxes, sidebars are templates with a special use.

How sidebars differ from infoboxes

 * They are usually saved on the left side of the page as opposed to the right for infoboxes.
 * They usually contain a list of clickable links (internal or external), as you see, on the sidebar to the left.
 * They sometimes have a place to add announcements or additional information of interest.
 * They are floated to the left so text and other material may float alongside on the right.

How to create a sidebar

 * Sidebars are templates and created in the same manner.
 * If the sidebar only contains a list of links, using list format will do in most cases.

Adding News and Events
Let's create a sidebar with the ability to add announcements and we will format it with a one column table:
 * Sometimes sidebars allow for announcements or additional information to be added and edited.
 * To add information to sidebars, we use our parameter coding.

Here is the coding; it should look familiar: 

Saving the sidebar
To save the sidebar template, use the word "sidebar" somewhere in the title like so: template:Events sidebar

CAUTION: The restrictions for saving practice templates are also in force when saving practice sidebars: Template:User:ccsmith/sandbox/Events sidebar
 * NOTICE: BE SURE TO REPLACE "ccsmith" with "your user login name".

Placing or embedding the sidebar

 * Same procedure as with infoboxes.
 * This time you will add the parameters for News and Events and Additional Information:

Try these out


 Exercises Here is an existing infobox. Copy and paste this coding in your sandbox and fill out the information for the county you were born in: Check your answers
 * This an existing infobox for US Counties. You will not need the brackets or the word "File"  placed in the required image.

 Quick Quiz
 * Once the information after the equal signs is entered and saved, there is no changing the parameters.
 * A. True
 * B. False


 * Infoboxes can only be used on county pages.
 * A. True
 * B. False


 * Infoboxes are limited just to genealogical organizations.
 * A. True
 * B. False

Check your answers