Dune Wiki:Layout Guide

This Layout Guide is a proposal as to how an in-universe article should be structured. Feel free to discuss the Layout Guide on the talk page.

Title tag
Example:
 * Used to alter the appearance of the article's title at the top of a page.
 * Main uses include to italicize the name of a ship or a novel.
 * Do not use this to alter the actual title (ex: Only displaying "Title" instead of "Title (disambiguation)")

Otheruses or Youmay tags
Example:

Another example:
 * Generally used when it is possible that a user has found one article when they were actually looking for another of a similar or same name.

Maintenance templates
Example:
 * A series of tags used when the article is in need of some sort of maintenance.

Header templates
Example:
 * These tags are used to indicate an article's level of canonicity.

Infobox
Example (for an article about a character):


 * Used to present vital statistics of subject

Quotes
Example: "The Spice must flow"

- a member of the Spacing Guild


 * An opening quote is welcome for almost any type of article.
 * Quotes can be said by the article's subject, or said by someone else about the article's subject.
 * In addition to the introductory quote, further quotes may be used throughout an article.
 * Quotes are usually placed immediately underneath a heading or subheading, though they can also be used between paragraphs.

Article body
Example (for an article about a Character): Paul Atreides was... (insert introductory sentence or paragraph)

Early days
... ... ...

On Arrakis
...

As Emperor
...

Death and legacy
...
 * Headings and subheadings are usually not required for very small articles.
 * If the article refers to a subject found both in Original Dune AND Expanded Dune (it contains the tag), the introductory sentence or paragraph should contain information only from the Original Dune.

Images
Example:
 * Images should be placed where they are most relevant and should not interrupt the flow or the aesthetics of the article.
 * Placing them immediately underneath a heading or subheading usually works quite well.

Canon sections
Example: ... ...
 * Articles are allowed to contain information not found in the Original Dune, provided that it is clearly labeled with the above tags.

Stub
Example (for a stub):
 * used at the bottom of the article body when the article is too vague or brief, AND when there is clearly more information that can be added

Behind the scenes

 * portrayal information (for characters appearing in film, series or computer games)
 * origin of subject - whether the subject parallels a real-world topic, whether it is an allegory or an allusion, or from where the author was inspired; speculation is acceptable
 * retcon information - how (if) subject's story has been changed in a retcon by Frank Herbert or by the Expanded Dune.
 * contradictions - point out if one official source contradicts another or itself

Appearances

 * Bulleted list of novels in in-universe chronological order.
 * Dramatizations and computer games can be included, especially if it's an original (non-canon) concept, such as the Weirding modules
 * Includes even the smallest mentions in dialogue, narration, or visual appearance
 * If a subject's appearance in a novel is only a brief mention, apply the template, e.g. for baliset:
 * Dune: The Machine Crusade
 * For novels, make reference to the actual book, not the trilogy, unless a subject appears in every issue of it.
 * Format: name of title only, e.g.:
 * Dune
 * Dune Messiah
 * For generic comments, use . For example,  will produce:
 * Dune

Succession box
Succession boxes serve two purposes: to list the time period for which an individual held a certain post/title, and to provide links to their immediate predecessor and/or successor.

If the individual was the first (last) person to bear a certain title, the "Preceded by" ("Succeeded by") section should read "None". If there are no known predecessors/successors, the corresponding section should read "Unknown". However, if there are some known predecessors/successors, the section should read "Unknown, eventually ". (Example: Faykan Butler's immediate successor as Padishah Emperor is unknown, therefore, the succession box reads "Unknown, eventually Hassik Corrino III".)

In contrast, "Unknown" should not be used in the dates of succession boxes. (Example: "Unknown–10000 AG" should only be "&mdash;1000 AG").

Category

 * Every article should have at least one category
 * People should be categorized by their last name; an update to MediaWiki now allows use of DEFAULTSORT to eliminate unnecessary coding while still achieving the same result:


 * Articles placed in categories should not also be placed in that category's master category; for example, articles in Category:Bene Gesserit should not also be placed in Category:Females.