Harry Potter Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Harry Potter Wiki


Policies
Shortcut:
HPW:LG

This Layout Guide is an official guide as to how an in-universe article should be structured. Generally this guide is to be used for character articles, but can be adapted to almost any in-universe article by leaving out sections that are irrelevant. By adhering to this layout guide we will add more uniformity across all the pages. This will create a more professional look for the Harry Potter Wiki. In addition, if you are unsure of how to start an article use this guide to provide a starting point. If you have any questions or comments feel free to discuss the Layout Guide on the talk page. This layout guide was adapted from Wookieepedia's Layout Guide.

Title tag

Example:

{{Title|''{{PAGENAME}}''}}
  • Used to alter the appearance of the article's title at the top of a page.
  • This template is needed to change the article's title for cases including:
    • Add bold or italic character formatting to any letters in the fullpagename (e.g. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone).
    • Change the case of any letter in the namespace, such as putting the first letter in lowercase.
    • Add a colon to the title.
    • Change any space to an underscore "_" character or any underscore character to a space.
    • Place the separator character ":" between the namespace and pagename, or between words in the pagename.

See also or Youmay tags

Example:

{{See also|Slytherin|Gryffindor|Ravenclaw}}
Another example:

{{Youmay|the association|the book of the same name, see ''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix]]''}}

Maintenance templates

Example:

{{Inuse}}

Header templates

Example:

{{Noncanon}}
  • These tags are used to indicate an article's level of canonicity, or if an article is an about a subject from a cancelled or future source.
  • Also used to show if an article is official policy of the Harry Potter Wiki
  • See Category:Header templates.

Infobox

Example:

{{Individual infobox
|theme = hogwarts-staff
|image = Luna Lovegood.jpg
|name = Luna Scamander (née Lovegood)
|born = [[13 February]] [[1981]]
|died = 
|blood = [[Pure-blood]] or [[half-blood]]
|marital = Married
|nationality = {{GBorIE}}
|alias = Loony Lovegood
|title = [[Professor]]
|signature = [[File:Luna Lovegood sig.png|150px]]
|species = [[Human]]
|gender = Female
|height = 
|weight = 
|hair = Dirty-blonde
|eyes = Pale silvery
|family = *[[Xenophilius Lovegood]] (father) 
*[[Pandora Lovegood]] (mother) †
*[[Rolf Scamander]] (husband)
*[[Lorcan Scamander]] (son)
*[[Lysander Scamander]] (son)
*[[Lovegood family]] (paternal family)
*[[Scamander family]] (in-laws/descendants)
|romances = [[Rolf Scamander]] (husband)
|animagus = 
|boggart =
|wand = *[[Luna Lovegood's first wand|Unknown length, wood and core]]
*[[Luna Lovegood's second wand|Unknown length, wood and core]]
|patronus = [[Hare]]
|job = *[[Magizoologist]]
*[[Field Studies]] [[professor]] at [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry|Hogwarts]]
|house = [[Ravenclaw]]
|loyalty = *[[Lovegood family]]
*[[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]] 
**[[Ravenclaw]]
*[[Dumbledore's Army]]
*[[Order of the Phoenix]]
*''[[The Quibbler]]''
*[[Scamander family]]
}}
  • Characters should use the {{Individual infobox}} and specify a theme. The theme used for the infobox should be the one that most recently represents the character chronologically. For example Luna Lovegood has left Hogwarts and the newest infobox theme that fits her is "hogwarts-staff".
  • For the first occurrence of each information make it a link, e.g. link the year for the birthday/deathday and link all family members, jobs, etc.
  • Wherever there is more than one "answer," separate them by a line break (<br />)
    • Do not put a line break after the last entry in that field
  • Leave unknown fields blank.
  • See Category:Infobox templates

Opening quote

Example:

{{Quote|Haven't I taught you ''anything''?|[[Arthur Weasley|Mr Weasley]]|Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets}}
  • 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.
  • Do not use links within a quote, unless it is the only mention in the article of a certain subject.
  • If the speaker is another subject please include a link.
  • Please include a source
  • If the quote is not a simple quote but includes dialogue between multiple characters see Category:Quote and dialogue templates

Article body

Example (for an article about a Character):

'''Harry Potter''' was... (insert introductory sentence or paragraph)
 
==Biography==
===Childhood===
...
...
...
 
===Hogwarts===
...
 
====1991-1992====
...
 
====The Battle of Hogwarts====
...

===After the War===
...
  • Start headings at the second level (==)
  • Headings and subheadings are usually not required for very small articles.

Images

Example:

[[File:HPotter boggart dementor.jpg|thumb|200px|Harry Potter's boggart, a Dementor]]
  • Images should be placed where they are most relevant and should not interrupt the flow or the aesthetics of the article.
  • Images should have some sort of description.
  • Images should be placed before or after paragraphs or sections of text, not right in the middle of them.
  • Placing them immediately underneath a heading or subheading usually works quite well.

Quotes

Example:

{{quote|Viktor? Hasn't he asked you to call him Vicky yet?|Ron|Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire}}
  • 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 (albeit more sparingly).
  • See Category:Quote and dialogue templates


Physical description

Example:

==Physical description==
...
  • Used to describe what a character or creature, etc. looks like

Personality and traits

Example:

==Personality and traits==
...
  • Used for Character articles, if that type of information is available.
  • If the character has had many or strenuous relationships use the Relationships section below.

Magical abilities and skills

Example:

==Magical abilities and skills==
...
  • Used for Character articles to describe any significant magical abilities or skills they may have.

Possessions

Example:

==Possessions==
...
  • Used for Character articles if they own any significant possessions, e.g. a wand, pet or broomstick.

Relationships

Example:

===Relationships===
...

====Relationship 1====
...

====Relationship 2====
...
  • Used to describe the relationships the character has had with others

Etymology

Example:

===Etymology===
  • Who was responsible for naming the subject, was it based on anything, etc.
  • What the root of the name means

Behind the scenes (notice the capitalisation)

Example:

==Behind the scenes==
  • Portrayal information (for characters appearing in films, computer games, cartoons, radio dramatisations)
  • Origin of subject - subject's first appearance, who was responsible for creating and/or naming the subject, how the subject came about, was it based on anything, who did the concept art, etc.
    • If naming information is lengthy the Name etymology section below can be added
  • Contradictions - point out if one official source contradicts another, and which (if any) is accepted as canon
    • Differences between the books and films, in reference to that article
  • Speculation - only included if the speculation is WIDELY believed by fans, or any speculation made by authors
  • Filming - if it has a real world location, point out where it is and when it was filmed

Author's comments

Example:

===Author's comments===
  • Used if J. K. Rowling has had specific information to say on the subject from interviews, etc.

Appearances

Clean appearances

For characters that appear in many of the books/films/games its easier to copy "everything" from another article and add or subtract as necessary. Below is a comprehensive, though not necessary complete list of sources for a major Harry Potter character to currently be in:

Example:

==Appearances==
*{{PS}} 
*{{PS|F}}
*{{PS|G}}
*{{COS}}
*{{COS|F}}
*{{COS|G}}
*{{POA}}
*{{POA|F}}
*{{POA|G}}
*{{GOF}}
*{{GOF|F}}
*{{GOF|G}}
*{{OOTP}}
*{{OOTP|F}}
*{{OOTP|G}}
*{{HBP}}
*{{HBP|F}}
*{{HBP|G}}
*{{DH}}
*{{DH|F1}}
*{{DH|G1}}
*{{DH|F2}}
*{{DH|G2}}
*{{CC}}
*{{CC|P}}
*{{FB|R}} 
*{{QTA|R}} 
*{{TBB|R}} 
*{{PM}}
*{{WW}}
*''[[Untitled charity auction story|Harry Potter Prequel]]''
*{{DH|ME}}
*{{QH}}
*''[[J. K. Rowling: A Year in the Life]]''
*{{TCG}}
*''[[The Art of Harry Potter Mini Book of Graphic Design]]''
*{{TWC}}
*{{LEGO}}
*''[[LEGO Brickheadz: Harry Potter]]''
*{{HPV|CH}}
*{{HPV|CR}}
*{{MPF}}
*{{HPFJ}}
*{{HPPU}}
*{{LEGO|B}}
*{{LEGO|C}}
*{{LEGO|Y1}}
*{{LEGO|Y2}}
*{{LEGO|C1}}
*{{LEGO|C2}}
*{{LEGO|D}}
*{{QWC}}
*{{HPFS}}
*{{HPK}}
*{{HM}} 
*{{WU}}
*{{PAS}}
*{{MA}}
*{{HPMCW}}
*{{HPWA}}
*{{CAH}}

Notes and references

  • List of sources for information in the "Behind the scenes" section.
  • Also used to source from J. K. Rowling interviews and her website.
  • Items are added to the list by placing <ref>Source goes here</ref> after the information tidbit in question.
  • These citations also need to be made outside of the punctuation (i.e. after the period and outside any quotation marks).
  • To get the references to show up in this section, insert the following code:
==Notes and references==
{{Reflist}}

See also

Example:

==See also==
...
  • Links to related topics not already linked in article
  • Usually links to family pages or organisations

External links

Example:

==External links==
...
  • It's called "External links" even if there is currently only one link
  • Put links to other unofficial sources here, e.g. fan sites. For an external link to Wikipedia, use {{Wikilink|page title here}}. For example, {{Wikilink|J. K. Rowling}} will produce: WP favicon J. K. Rowling on Wikipedia
  • NO links to JKRowling.com here - it is an official source and should be treated that way

Succession box

Example:
{{Start box}}
{{Succession box
|predecessor=Unknown
|position=[[Transfiguration]] Professor at [[Hogwarts]]
|years=—[[1956]]
|successor=[[Minerva McGonagall]]
}}
{{Succession box
|predecessor=Unknown
|position=Deputy Headmaster of [[Hogwarts]]
|years=—[[1956]]
|successor=Unknown, eventually [[Minerva McGonagall]]
}}
{{End 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. Due to the tendency of contributors to insert speculation and fanon into succession boxes, it is best to follow these "do nots":

  • Do not insert succession boxes for titles that were unique to a certain individual and, therefore, result in no predecessors or successors. The same applies if the individual is the only known holder of the title.
  • Do not insert succession boxes if the individual's position in the succession sequence is unclear.
  • Do not insert succession boxes for something that is not a proper title. For example, a succession box for Severus Snape where the title is "Holds an Unbreakable Vow to Albus Dumbledore".

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 <name of the chronologically nearest individual>". (Example: Seraphina Picquery's immediate predecessor as President of MACUSA is unknown, therefore, the succession box reads "Unknown, eventually Emily Rappaport".)

The phrase "the first (last) person to bear a certain title" means that there are no successors because the title was made (obsolete). If the individual in question continues to hold the title "currently" (where the "present" is defined as the date of the last published Harry Potter work), the "Succeeded by" section should read "Incumbent".

Order succession boxes by the years in which the position was held. The earliest held position is first. If multiple positions have the same starting year, then the earlier ending year is first, etc.

All succession boxes should be contained within two templates: {{Start box}} and {{End box}}. This ensures that there are no line breaks within succession boxes.

Stub

Example (for a stub about a character):

{{character-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
  • See Category:Stub templates

Translations

Example:
[[fi:Hermione Granger]]
  • If there is a translation of an article available please place the proper code here.

Category

Example:
[[Category:Gryffindors|Potter, Harry]]
  • Every article should have at least one category
  • Categories should be listed in alphabetical order
  • People should be categorized by their last name; for example, [[Category:Aurors|Potter, Harry]] or [[Category:Hogwarts prefects|Malfoy, Draco]].
  • Articles beginning with an article ("a," "an," or "the") should be categorized by the first significant word; for example, [[Category:Locations|Burrow, The]].
  • Articles placed in categories should not also be placed in that category's parent category; for example, articles in Category:Hufflepuffs should not also be placed in Category:Students.


Clean template

==Biography==
==Physical description==
==Personality and traits==
==Magical abilities and skills==
==Possessions==
==Relationships==
==Etymology==
==Behind the scenes==
===Author's comments===
==Appearances==
==Notes and references==
{{reflist}}
==See also==
==External links==
[[language code:article name]]
[[Category:]]
Advertisement