Module:Check for unknown parameters/doc

This is the documentation page for Module:Check for unknown parameters

This Lua module is used in system messages, and on approximately 21,000,000 pages, or roughly 1574% of all pages.
Changes to it can cause immediate changes to the Wikipedia user interface.
To avoid major disruption and server load, any changes should be tested in the module's /sandbox or /testcases subpages, or in your own module sandbox. The tested changes can be added to this page in a single edit. Please discuss changes on the talk page before implementing them.

This module depends on the following other modules:

Module:If preview

Module:Check for unknown parameters is used to check for uses of unknown parameters in a template or module. It may be appended to a template at the end or called directly from a module.

Usage[edit source]

From a template[edit source]

To sort entries into a tracking category by parameter, use:

{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown

[[Category:Some tracking category|_VALUE_]]|arg1|arg2|arg3|argN}}

To sort the entries into a tracking category by parameter with a preview error message, use:

{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown

[[Category:Some tracking category|_VALUE_]]|preview unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|arg1|arg2|...|argN}}

For an explicit red error message, use:

{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown

<span class "error">Sorry, I don't recognize _VALUE_</span>|arg1|arg2|...|argN}}

To use Lua patterns, use:

{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown

[[Category:Some tracking category|_VALUE_]]|preview unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|arg1|arg2|...|argN|regexp1 header[%d]+|regexp2 date[1-9]}}

From a module[edit source]

To call from a module, use:

local checkForUnknownParameters = require("Module:Check for unknown parameters")
local result = checkForUnknownParameters._check(validArgs, args)

Where the first set of args are the module args below and the second set of args are the parameters that are checked.

Parameters[edit source]

arg1, arg2, ..., argN, are the known parameters.
Unnamed (positional) parameters can be added too: |1|2|arg1|arg2|....
Lua patterns (similar to regular expressions) usage with parameters is also supported (such as: |regexp1=header[%d]+, |regexp2=date[1-9], |regexp3=data[%d]+[abc]?). This is useful when there are many known parameters which use a systematic pattern.
|unknown= – what happens when an uknown parameter is used. Typically use either a tracking category to place pages that use unknown parameters, or an error.
|preview= – the text to be displayed when in preview mode and an unknown parameter is used.
The _VALUE_ keyword, if used, will be changed to the name of the parameter. This is useful for either sorting the entries in a tracking category, or for provide more explicit information.
|ignoreblank=1 – by default, the module makes no distinction between a defined-but-blank parameter and a non-blank parameter. That is, both unlisted |foo=x and |foo= are reported. To only track non-blank parameters use |ignoreblank=1.
|showblankpositional=1 – by default, the module ignores blank positional parameters. That is, an unlisted |2= is ignored. To include

blank positional parameters in the tracking use |showblankpositional=1.

Example[edit source]

{{Infobox
| above = {{{name|}}}

| label1 = Height
| data1 = {{{height|}}}

| label2 = Weight
| data2 = {{{weight|}}}

| label3 = Website
| data3 = {{{website|}}}
}}<!-- 
  end infobox, start tracking
-->{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check
| unknown = {{Main other|[[Category:Some tracking category|_VALUE_]]}}
| preview = unknown parameter "_VALUE_" | height | name | website | weight 
}}

Call from within Lua code[edit source]

See the end of Module:Rugby box for a simple example or Module:Infobox3cols or Module:Flag for more complicated examples.