WiKirby:Formatting specifics
The following is a list of formatting specifics that should generally be adhered to when creating and editing articles on WiKirby. Note that these rules may not apply in all cases, and the editor should use their own judgment regarding how best to format a specific article:
Article text
- At the beginning of the article, the subject name should be used in the first sentence (preferably as the first word in that sentence) and displayed in bold.
- The opening abstract of the article should be decently long (preferably split into two or three paragraphs) and should create as broad as possible an overview of the subject matter.
- When using a character or enemy's name, always fully capitalize it unless it is officially styled otherwise. (e.g. "Waddle Doo" not "waddle doo" or "Waddle doo")
- When using the title of a game or other piece of media, always italicize it. (e.g. Kirby's Dream Land not Kirby's Dream Land)
- This rule does not apply to Sub-Games.
- When a sentence or word needs to be emphasized, it is better to use italics, bold, or underline formatting rather than using ALL CAPS. Use of color changes, large text, and extra large text should be avoided except in quotes that are duplicating in-game formatting.
- When typing in a sentence fragment description for a list item, do not capitalize the first letter if it is not part of a name.
- When typing in a sentence fragment description in an infobox, image thumb, or gallery item, always capitalize the first letter, and do not end with a period.
- Section headers or any text copied or translated from an official source (such as quotes and flavor text) should not contain links, generally speaking. Because in-game quotes often contain colored text, including links as well may cause confusion. They should definitely not contain piped links.
- When linking to another page, link directly to that page instead of a redirect to the page. If the link's text needs to be altered, use a piped link, but keep it reasonable. Avoid "chaining" multiple piped links together, especially mid-word (like this), as this causes more confusion for readers (especially mobile readers who cannot hover over the links to see where they lead).
Layout
- Non-improvement templates such as {{About}} and {{Distinguish}} placed at the top of articles should be placed under the infobox, so they do not create excessive empty space at the top of the page.
- Information should be organized well, and split into new paragraphs and/or new sections when covering unique aspects of the article's topic. (this does not apply to the opening abstract)
- When adding images to pages, they should be applied in a way that does not clutter the page or push text into uncomfortable shapes. If all else fails, use a gallery.
- When using the {{clear}} template or other means of page breaking, try not to create too much empty space in the article.
- When adding multiple large tables to a page, or when adding a single large table to an already large page, the tables should be collapsed so that it is easier to scroll through the page's contents.
- Images inserted directly into articles should generally not exceed 250 pixels in width unless the particular image calls for it.
- If a page has a long table of contents and there is no infobox on that page, the table of contents should be shifted to the right using the following code:
<div style="clear: right; float:right">__TOC__</div>
Infoboxes
- Infobox images should not exceed 400 pixels in width.
- Additionally, as a general rule, character and enemy artwork should have a transparent background (though this is not always possible).
- Also, when picking an image to use for the main infobox of an article regarding a subject with a long history, it is generally preferred to use the most recent and most basic applicable artwork for that subject.
- In the image caption, be sure to include the subject's name in bold and which game or other piece of media the image is from.
- If using tabs to display multiple images in an infobox, mention that images from various material are being used, and list the source media of the images in the tab names.
- When making a list of games or other media in an infobox, separate each item by using a line break. (<br>)
- Additionally, make sure to include every appropriate item in that list, unless a link is provided to a more comprehensive list in the article proper.
- When listing "Other games" or "Cameo appearances" in an infobox, use small text only, regardless of the length of the list.
- When listing similar entities, only list entities that are very similar in character. Use characteristics like physical attributes, effects (if an item or object), or attack patterns (if an enemy or boss).
- Infobox parameters should be filled as completely as possible, and non-applicable parameters should be deleted from the article in question to avoid unnecessary byte inflation.
- All navboxes (excluding navmaps) should be collapsed by default.
- When changing the contents of a navbox, remember to keep the contained information organized (either alphabetically or chronologically) and separated by • marks.
- If a particular navbox section becomes exceptionally long, the text therein should be made small.
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