Module:Autotaxobox/doc

Module:Autotaxobox

The purpose of this module is to provide support for the automated taxobox system (including templates such as Speciesbox and Automatic taxobox), avoiding Mediawiki template expansion depth errors in the traversal of the taxonomic hierarchies encoded in taxonomy templates.

Currently, processing is arbitrarily limited to hierarchies containing at most levels.

See the automated taxobox system map for information on how the module's functions are used in the system.

taxoboxColour
Given a taxon name, this function returns the correct colour of an automated taxobox for that taxon. It does so by searching up the taxonomic hierarchy for a 'real' taxon (i.e. not incertae sedis) that sets the taxobox colour, and then returning that colour. If no 'real' taxon is found, then if an incertae sedis taxon was found, the incertae sedis colour is returned, otherwise "transparent" is returned. (If the taxonomic hierarchy is too deep to process, the error colour is returned.)

Usage:



Parameters:


 * The unnamed parameter should be the name of a taxon for which "Template:Taxonomy/taxon_name" exists.

Examples:



taxoboxList
Given the name of a taxon, this function returns the rows of taxa in an automated taxobox, based on the taxonomic hierarchy for the supplied taxon. If the lowest taxon displayed in the taxobox is below the rank of genus, the supplied taxon will usually be at a higher rank than the taxobox's target taxon, so that there is an offset to be taken into account.

Usage:

Parameters:


 * The unnamed parameter should be the name of a taxon for which "Template:Taxonomy/taxon_name" exists. The others are explained above.

Examples:

taxonomyList
Given a taxon name, this function returns the rows of the taxonomy table displayed on the "Template:Taxonomy/taxon_name" page, based on the taxonomic hierarchy for the supplied taxon name.

When descending the taxonomic hierarchy, if a rank is found that is at either the same or a higher level than a rank already encountered (e.g. a family is found below a subfamily), the cell displaying the rank is given a reddish background; if it's the supplied taxon, the article is put into the tracking category Category:Taxonomy templates showing anomalous ranks. The numerical values defined in  are used to determine the correct sequence of ranks. Ranks without values in this table do not have their order checked.

Usage:



Parameters:


 * The unnamed parameter should be the name of a taxon for which "Template:Taxonomy/taxon_name" exists.

Examples: →

callTaxonomyKey
This function prepares for, and then calls, Taxonomy key to display a taxonomy template page. It does this by building up the information the template requires, following one  link if present, and then calling it.

It is used by Don't edit this line.

Usage:

showRefs
Shows the refs field in a taxonomy template, handing incertae sedis taxa and using '–' for absent refs.

Usage:

Examples:

taxonLink
Returns a wikilink to a taxon, if required including '†' before it and ' (?)' after it, and optionally italicized or bolded without a wikilink. It can be used externally via Taxon link. Some parameters can, under some circumstances, be omitted.

Usage:

(having '/?' at the end triggers the output of ' (?)') ('yes' or 'true' triggers the output of '†') ('yes' makes the core output bold and not wikilinked) ('yes' makes the core output italic) (without †, italics, etc.)

Examples:



Utilities
These functions are intended to be used only in analysing and understanding the automated taxobox system, including the taxonomic hierarchies encoded in taxonomy templates – for example in testing and debugging. They are not part of the functioning of the automated taxobox system.

showRankTable
Returns a sortable wikitable containing the ranks and corresponding numerical values defined in  and used in checking the consistency of a taxonomic hierarchy. If a taxon has a value in the rank table, it should always be lower than one higher in the taxonomic hierarchy.

Usage:



taxonInfo
Given the names of a taxon and the required item of information stored in the taxon's taxonomy template, this function returns the value of the item, following one "same as" link if available and the value would otherwise be the empty string.

Usage:

Parameters:
 * The first unnamed parameter should be the name of a taxon for which "Template:Taxonomy/taxon_name" exists.
 * The possible values of the second unnamed parameter are given at Taxon info/doc.

Examples:

getMaxSearchLevels
Returns the maximum number of levels of a taxonomic hierarchy encoded in taxonomy templates that the system will search.

Usage:

find
Given a taxon name and a rank, this function returns the taxon's ancestor of the given rank.

Usage:

Parameters:
 * The first unnamed parameter should be the name of a taxon for which "Template:Taxonomy/taxon_name" exists.
 * The second unnamed parameter should be the Latinized name of a rank.

Examples:

nth
Given a taxon name, this function returns the nth taxon above it in the taxonomic hierarchy.

Usage:



Parameters:


 * The unnamed parameter should be the name of a taxon for which "Template:Taxonomy/taxon_name" exists.
 * n is the level whose taxon is to be found

Examples:



nLevels
Given a taxon name, this function returns the number of levels at and above it in the taxonomic hierarchy.

Usage:



Parameters:


 * The unnamed parameter should be the name of a taxon for which "Template:Taxonomy/taxon_name" exists.

Examples:



listAll
Given a taxon name, this function returns a comma-separated list of all the levels at and above it in the taxonomic hierarchy.

Usage:



Parameters:


 * The unnamed parameter should be the name of a taxon for which "Template:Taxonomy/taxon_name" exists.

Examples:



removeQualifier
Given a taxon name, this function returns the name with any qualifier (i.e. any part after a "/") removed.

Usage:



Examples: