Template:Redirect category shell/doc

This template may be used to add one or more appropriate redirect category (rcat) templates, along with their parameters, to redirects. Additionally, this template automatically senses and categorizes protection levels. For more information, see the page below and follow the "Manifold sort" category link above.

Purpose
This template supplements the redirect categorization done by the This is a redirect template or by adding rcats individually to redirects. It is the direct result of discussions about the benefits and the shortcomings of the This is a redirect template.

As with the This is a redirect template, this template is based on a proposal to standardize redirect templates (rcats). Its basic purpose is to simplify the process of tagging and categorizing redirects.

Protection levels are automatically detected by this template by use of pp-protected and pp-move. When edit protection or move protection (or both) is applied to a redirect that has been tagged with this template, the protection level is automatically detected, and the redirect will be tagged with a protection rcat and sorted to the appropriate protection-related category(ies). When protection is altered or removed, then the protection-related rcats and category(ies) will also be (automatically) changed or removed from the redirect.

This template can categorize and display the text (with parameters) of any number of rcats that are needed (usually from one to seven).

Usage
An unnamed parameter, 1, has been introduced in this template and works as follows:

...or more simply:

"N" represents the highest number of rcats that can be used in this template, and at this point, I'm not sure there is a limit other than what might be a wikimarkup ceiling.

A second unnamed parameter, 2, has also been introduced. This gives this template the same "help" functionality that is used in the This is a redirect template. If a second pipe is placed directly after the first pipe, then will be populated:

This leaves the first parameter empty, and editors who monitor the Miscellaneous redirects category will come to the redirect and check/add/subtract rcats as necessary. And, of course, this template will also populate the category if no rcats are initially added, as in:

This template may be added to a redirect page in the following manner:
 * 1) REDIRECT (target page name)


 * Note the double pipe after "shell" above, which indicates an empty first parameter. Leave the first parameter empty to sort a redirect to  in addition to other rcats that are used.  In this case the  and  categories will also be populated.  Monitors of the "Miscellaneous redirects" category will help editors when needed.

Generally for good readability on the edit screen, this template is placed on the third line of that screen as follows: Line 1: #REDIRECT (target page name) Line 2: Line 3:
 * See also: section titled Mbox-based below.

Test notes
This is still undergoing tests. The existing This is a redirect template can remain in its present form as, in some cases, a simpler choice for editors. This new template can also be used for future tagging of redirects. It needs only one parameter, 1 for as many rcat templates that are needed. The following still needs work:

Embed flaw

 * In order to see the same textual format that appears in the This is a redirect template, the yes parameter must be used in each rcat, e.g.,


 * And yes, I do consider this a "flaw", because editors should not have to add a redundant parameter each time they add an rcat to this template.

Testing has confirmed that the embed flaw can be eliminated. To do so entails a major edit to each and every rcat template. An example of the needed change can be viewed at R from incorrect name/sandbox.