The {{Template journal}} template allows to showcase with colors and multiple lines the syntax of any template, while providing an easy way to display placeholder texts using colons as separators. For an identical template that displays the output in horizontal format, see {{Template journal inline}}.
{{tj|template|param. name 1: param. content 1|param. name 2: param. content 2...}}
For instance, the following code
{{tj|cite book
|last: Author's last name|first: Author's first name
|author-link: Author's page name on Wikipedia|date: Publication date
|title: Work's title|url: Work's URL|location: Where the work was published
|publisher: Name of the publisher}}
will produce the following result.
{{cite book | last = Author's last name | first = Author's first name | author-link = Author's page name on Wikipedia | date = Publication date | title = Work's title | url = Work's URL | location = Where the work was published | publisher = Name of the publisher }}
Likewise, the following code
{{tj|Infobox movie quote|name:|image:|caption:|character:|actor:|writer:
|firstusedin:|alsousedin:|moviequotes:}}
will produce the following result.
{{Infobox movie quote | name = | image = | caption = | character = | actor = | writer = | firstusedin = | alsousedin = | moviequotes = }}
And finally, the following code
{{tj|Blockquote
| Cry "Havoc" and let slip the dogs of war.
|<nowiki>[[William Shakespeare]]</nowiki>| character: Mark Antony
| title: <nowiki>''[[Julius Caesar (play)|Julius Caesar]]''</nowiki>| source: act III, scene I
}}
will produce the following result.
{{Blockquote | Cry "Havoc" and let slip the dogs of war. | [[William Shakespeare]] | character = Mark Antony | title = ''[[Julius Caesar (play)|Julius Caesar]]'' | source = act III, scene I }}
To preserve one or more initial colons from being replaced, the : HTML entity must be used. After one colon has been replaced all other colons in the argument will be preserved.
Similarly, to insert one or more equals signs into a parameter content, either {{=}} or = must be used.
Thus, the following are all valid parameters,
<!-- Good example -->{{tj|Some template
| Hello
| World
| foo: bar
|| road:
| keep:the:colon:I:said:keep:it!
| ink :marble
| book: /books?id{{=}}mAlLt1aGsWYC
}}
and they will produce the following result.
{{Some template | Hello | World | foo = bar | | road = | keep:the:colon = I:said:keep:it! | ink = marble | book = /books?id=mAlLt1aGsWYC }}
Arguments containing one or more unescaped equals signs will be silently ignored. An unescaped leading colon will be treated as a normal character, exactly like any other colon that might follow in the same parameter. Thus, the following code
<!-- Bad example -->{{tj|Some template
| Hello
| this = will = be = ignored
| road: unknown
| :windmill: true
}}
Instead, the right way to write the previous unlikely example is the following,
<!-- Good example -->{{tj|Some template
| Hello
| this {{=}} will {{=}} not {{=}} be {{=}} ignored
| road: unknown
|:windmill: true
}}
which will correctly print
{{Some template | Hello | this = will = not = be = ignored | road = unknown | :windmill = true }}
By design, there is no way to deviate from the format of one argument per line (vertical format). If you need to display a template and all its arguments in one single line (horizontal format), please refer to {{tji}}. If you need a more irregular output, please refer to other solutions.
Do not add optional arguments for offering customized results (e.g. changing colors on demand, font, etc.): one of the purposes of this template is that of maintaining always the same look across the entire Wikipedia concerning how templates are shown and explained
If you intend to introduce substantial changes that are not simple bug fixes, you are invited to discuss them in the talk page first
If you do make changes, please make always sure that the {{tji}} template remains consistent with this template
To indicate text is a variable name. Use for any variable names except those including "I" (uppercase i) and/or "l" (lowercase L); for these, {{var serif}} should be used to ensure a noticeable distinction
To display parameters as used in code (i.e. with triple braces), especially to indicate relationships between them. May be combined with {{para}} above
To display parameter values lightly bordered; replaces <code>...</code>, especially when value contains embedded or leading/trailing blanks; visualized here with middot (·) but can use ␠, ▯, or any character.
To showcase with colors in horizontal format the syntax of any template, while providing an easy way to display placeholder texts using colons as separators
To indicate text is source code. To nest other templates within {{code}}, use <code>...</code>. {{codett}} differs only in styling: someMethod becomes someMethod
( or {{dc}}) To indicate deprecated source code in template documentation, articles on HTML specs, etc. The {{dc2}} variant uses strike-through (<blink>) while {{dcr}} uses red (<blink>).
To showcase with colors and multiple lines (vertical format) the syntax of any template, while providing an easy way to display placeholder texts using colons as separators