Template:S-line/doc

S-line is a specialised succession box template that links railway station articles.

Note: this template is called by {{s-rail-national}}; an alias. If a change is made which alters/adds parameters names that template must be updated to reflect the new situation.

Usage

S-line must be encased within {{s-rail-start}} and {{s-end}}. The use of {{s-rail}} is highly recommended but not required.

S-line has the following parameters:

Parameter	Description	Notes
system	The system to which the line belongs	This should correspond to an entry in Template:S-rail/lines
line	The name of the line	This should be obvious shorthand (e.g. Orange for Orange Line)
previous	The name of the previous station
next	The name of the next station
type	The left-hand line branch	Optional
type2	The right-hand line branch	Optional
note	Information about the left-hand line branch	Optional
note2	Information about the right-hand line branch	Optional
notemid	Information about the station itself	Optional
oneway1	Indicates that trains do not operate towards the Previous station	Optional
oneway2	Indicates that trains do not operate towards the Next station	Optional
rows1, hide1	Used to have the Previous Station box cover multiple lines. See below for details.	Optional
rows2, hide2	Used to have the Next Station box cover multiple lines. See below for details.	Optional
rowsmid, hidemid	Used to have the middle (Line) box cover multiple lines. See below for details.	Optional
transfer	Used to show lines available by direct transfer at an adjoining station. See below for details.	Optional
branch	Used to denote specific line branch information, in lieu of or in addition to the type parameters.	Optional
state1, state2	Allows the passing of an additional station parameter. Useful for disambiguation.	Optional
through1, through2	Allows, instead of a next station, service passing to another line on the system.	Optional

Making it work

S-line depends on sub-templates for the proper display of information. For an example, here are the templates necessary to properly display this box (a version of which is at Clemson station:

Preceding station		Amtrak		Following station
Toccoa toward New Orleans		Crescent		Greenville toward New York

First of all, here's the underlying code:

{{s-rail-start}}
{{s-rail|title=Amtrak}}
{{s-line|system=Amtrak|line=Crescent|previous=Toccoa|next=Greenville}}
{{s-end}}

Template:S-rail-start is a variant of the generic template {{s-start}} used to begin thousands of succession boxes. Important note: No form of start template ({{s-rail-start}} or {{s-start}}) is needed when the succession box is inside the service parameter of {{Infobox station}}. Template:S-rail is used to generate headings for each grouping of rail services in a box. Here we have only one, but some particularly large terminals may have three or four (see Union Station (Chicago) or 30th Street Station). S-rail uses the translation table at Template:S-rail/lines; if the entry is undefined, it simply links the text. Therefore, Amtrak produces Amtrak, while LUL gives London Underground.

You can see that S-line takes only parameters – no linking necessary! S-line accomplishes this through two assumptions: (1) groups of articles on train stations are named in a predictable manner; (2) redirects are cheap. For S-line to produce the table above five separate templates were defined. Before discussing them, however, let's review the parameters:

• SYSTEM: The company or grouping to which the line belongs. This is case-sensitive and must be consistent. In this case, the value is Amtrak.
• LINE: The line name. This is also case-sensitive and must be consistent throughout. Here, we're describing the Wolverine.
• PREVIOUS and NEXT: The names of the previous and next stations on the line. Current convention suggests West/East Left/Right, followed by North/South, but your mileage may vary. Whenever possible, succession boxes should make geographic sense (i.e. don't have one line running west-east and the other east-west).

You need templates to define the following things: the formatting/linking of the line, the formatting/linking of the previous and next stations, the display of the line's color, and the display of the appropriate termini – all automatic.

Line

[[Template:{{{SYSTEM}}} lines]] (Template:Amtrak lines)

This template carries a translation table for the formatting/linking of the line. The template receives one parameter, {{{1}}} from S-line. With systems that have unusual or non-uniform naming, like Amtrak, it may be necessary to have a test case for every line. The relevant line from Template:Amtrak lines is this:

| Wolverine=''[[Wolverine (passenger train)|Wolverine]]''

This links to the article on the Wolverine and italicizes the article, appropriate for a named train. This means if the article ever moves, you need only to update switch statement, not individual articles. When a system has uniform naming, you may be able to get away with a default case and only one or two exceptions, as in Template:LUL lines:

{{#switch:{{{1}}}
 | #default=[[{{{1}}} Line]]
}}

Station

[[Template:{{{SYSTEM}}} stations]] (Template:Amtrak stations)

This template carries a translation table for the formatting/linking of the line. The template receives two parameters from S-line, {{{station}}} and {{{line}}}, although use of the latter is not often necessary. Station will be either the PREVIOUS or NEXT parameter; both are handled the same way behind the scenes. The easiest way to start the station template is with the default case that reflects how articles on system stations are named. With Amtrak, it's done this way:

 | #default=[[{{{station}}} (Amtrak station)|{{{station}}}]]

Therefore, "Dowagiac" produces [[Dowagiac (Amtrak station)|Dowagiac]], all linked and ready to go.

Color

[[Template:{{{SYSTEM}}} color]] (Template:Amtrak color)

This template is designed the same way as the others except that a default case is rare--lines within a system tend to have a different color. Note that some systems don't have a switch statement, because only one color is used. the template would consists only of a hex code. The pound sign is included within s-line so it isn't necessary to add it. This template forces the use of hex codes; no nouns are permitted (e.g. red, white). The template takes one parameter, {{{1}}}.

{{#switch:{{lc:{{{1}}}}}
<!-- Cascades --->
 | amtrak cascades
 | cascades = 288067
<!-- Amtrak California -->
 | capitol corridor
 | capitol = E6AC11
 | pacific surfliner 
 | pacific
 | surfliner = 5191CD
<!-- All others -->
 | acela express = 00B0F2
 | heartland flyer = 001A6A
 | downeaster = 008176
 | #default = 005480
}}

Termini

[[:Template:S-line/{{{SYSTEM}}} left/{{{LINE}}}]] (Template:S-line/Amtrak left/Wolverine)

[[:Template:S-line/{{{SYSTEM}}} right/{{{LINE}}}]] (Template:S-line/Amtrak right/Wolverine)

These are the all-important templates which produce the "towards..." part of the templates. They can also get pretty tricky depending on the setup. The Wolverine is an easy example. It runs end-to-end from Chicago, Illinois to Pontiac, Michigan. Therefore, the "left" (westbound) template contains "Chicago" while the "right" (eastbound) template contains "Pontiac". These names are plugged in to the STATION template just as NEXT and PREVIOUS were, with the results that you can see above. A feature of S-line is that if it detects that the next station is the name as the terminus, it will display a note to that effect instead of the destination. Hence,

{{s-rail-start}}
{{s-rail|title=Amtrak}}
{{s-line|system=Amtrak|line=Wolverine|previous=Chicago|next=Michigan City}}
{{s-end}}

Produces the box:

Preceding station		Amtrak		Following station
Chicago Terminus		Wolverine		Michigan City toward Pontiac

Now, let's say we've got a more complicated example, like the Lake Shore Limited, which runs from Chicago east to either Boston or New York. The Limited's "left" template is still a simple line of text – Chicago – but the "right" template needs a switch statement. The left and right templates receive one parameter, {{{type}}}, from s-line, which tells them which termini to return. Here's the Limited's "right" template: {{#switch:{{{type}}} |Both=New York or Boston South |New York=New York |Boston=Boston South }} This allows three eastbound destinations: New York, Boston, or both if the train hasn't reached the junction point yet. A default statement is acceptable here if it is true for disproportionate length of the line. In order to make this work properly, you have to define the concept of "New York or Boston South" in the STATION template, like so:

 | New York or Boston South=[[Pennsylvania Station (New York City)|New York]] or [[Boston South (Amtrak station)|Boston South]]

Here's a hypothetical example of this at work:

{{s-rail-start}}
{{s-rail|title=Amtrak}}
{{s-line|system=Amtrak|line=Lake Shore Limited|previous=Cleveland|next=Buffalo–Depew|type2=Both}}
{{s-end}}

Produces the box:

Preceding station		Amtrak		Following station
Cleveland toward Chicago		Lake Shore Limited		Buffalo–Depew toward New York or Boston South

One-way operation

For rail lines that operate in only one direction (such as going around a loop), the oneway1 or oneway2 parameters are used, to indicate that the Previous or Next station, respectively, does not have service going towards it. When these parameters are present with any non-null value, the toward [Terminal] line is replaced with One-way operation. For example, for a CTA station in the Chicago Loop:

{{s-rail-start}}
{{s-rail|title=CTA}}
{{s-text|text=[[Loop Elevated]]}}
{{s-line|system=CTA|line=Orange|previous=Clark/Lake|next=Washington/Wabash|oneway1=true|type2=Midway}}
{{s-line|system=CTA|line=Green|previous=Clark/Lake|next=Washington/Wabash|type2=Both}}
{{s-line|system=CTA|line=Purple|previous=Clark/Lake|next=Washington/Wabash|oneway1=true|type2=Linden|rows1=2|notemid=Express}}
{{s-line|system=CTA|line=Pink|previous=Clark/Lake|next=Washington/Wabash|type2=54|hide1=true}}
{{s-line|system=CTA|line=Brown|previous=Clark/Lake|next=Washington/Wabash|type1=CCW|type2=CCW|oneway2=true}}
{{s-end}}

Produces the box:

Preceding station		Chicago "L"		Following station
Loop Elevated
Clark/Lake One-way operation		Orange Line		Washington/​Wabash toward Midway
Clark/Lake toward Harlem/Lake		Green Line		Washington/​Wabash toward Ashland/63rd or Cottage Grove
Clark/Lake One-way operation		Purple Line Express		Washington/​Wabash toward Linden
		Pink Line		Washington/​Wabash toward 54th/Cermak
Clark/Lake toward Kimball		Brown Line		Washington/​Wabash One-way operation

Circular operation

Parameters circular (both sides), circular1 (left cell only) and circular2 (right cell only) are useful for lines that operate in uninterrupted circular manner. These parameters simply hide the word "toward(s)" and then you need to edit the succession templates of that circular line to describe the direction and position of either side. The following example uses circular1 and circular2 with the terms "Clockwise" and "Counterclockwise":

{{s-rail-start}}
{{s-rail|title=Walt Disney World Monorail}}
{{s-line|system=WDW Monorail|line=Resort|previous=c|next=p|notemid='''Magic Kingdom'''<br>continuous loop clockwise|oneway1=yes|circular2=yes}}
{{s-line|system=WDW Monorail|line=Express|previous=m|next=m|notemid='''Magic Kingdom'''<br>continuous loop counterclockwise|oneway2=yes|circular1=yes}}
{{s-line|system=WDW Monorail|line=Epcot|next=e}}
{{s-end}}

Produces the box:

Preceding station		Walt Disney World Monorail		Following station
Disney's Contemporary Resort One-way operation		Resort Line Magic Kingdom continuous loop clockwise		Disney's Polynesian Village Resort Next clockwise
Magic Kingdom park Next counterclockwise		Express Line Magic Kingdom continuous loop counterclockwise		Magic Kingdom park One-way operation
Terminus		Epcot Line		Epcot Terminus

Alternatively, the following example uses circular, and the north american english term "counterclockwise" is interchanged with the commonwealth english term "anticlockwise".

{{s-rail-start}}
{{s-rail|title=MOSMETRO}}
{{s-line|system=MOSMETRO|line=Koltsevaya|previous=Krasnopresnenskaya|next=Novoslobodskaya|circular=yes}}
{{s-end}}

Produces the box:

Preceding station		Moscow Metro		Following station
Krasnopresnenskaya anticlockwise / outer		Koltsevaya line		Novoslobodskaya clockwise / inner

Through operation

When there are different rail services connected on the same line, the through1 or through2 parameters are used to differentiate said services. When these parameters are present with any non-null value, the toward [Terminal] line is replaced with through to [Adjacent line]. This incorporates the use of previous and next, with the use of an adjacent line instead of an adjacent station. These parameters are not commonly used, but an example, a GCRTA station in Downtown Cleveland:

{{s-rail-start}}
{{s-rail|title=GCRTA}}
{{s-line|system=GCRTA|line=Red|previous=West 25th–Ohio City|next=East 34th–Campus}}
{{s-line|system=GCRTA|line=Blue|previous=Waterfront|next=East 34th–Campus|rows1=2|through1=yes}}
{{s-line|system=GCRTA|line=Green|next=East 34th–Campus|hide1=yes}}
{{s-line|system=GCRTA|line=Waterfront|previous=Settlers Landing|next=Blue Green|type2=Both|through2=yes}}
{{s-end}}

Produces the box:

Preceding station		Rapid Transit		Following station
West 25th–Ohio City toward Airport		Red Line		East 34th–Campus toward Louis Stokes–Windermere
through to Waterfront Line		Blue Line		East 34th–Campus toward Warrensville–Van Aken
		Green Line		East 34th–Campus toward Green Road
Settlers Landing toward South Harbor		Waterfront Line		through to Blue and Green Lines

Parallel lines

For lines that operate on the same tracks and serve the same next station and final terminal, the rows1, rows2, hide1, and hide2 optional parameters can be used to have the Previous (the 1s) or Next (the 2s) Station boxes cover more than one line. The rows parameters specify how many lines the station should cover, while the hide parameters ensure that the table formatting remains intact. The two parameters must be used together, with hide specified for every line that is being covered by the first line. An example of this use can be seen in the preceding CTA box. Note that, in the preceding CTA example, the previous and oneway1 parameters could have been omitted from the Purple and Pink line entries, but were left in for consistency's sake.

Another example of this:

{{S-start}}
{{S-rail|title=LUL}}
{{S-line|system=LUL|line=Circle|previous=Westbourne Park|next=Paddington|type2=Aldgate|rows1=2}}
{{S-line|system=LUL|line=Hammersmith & City|previous=Westbourne Park|next=Paddington|hide1=yes}}
{{S-end}}

Produces the box:

Preceding station		London Underground		Following station
Westbourne Park towards Hammersmith		Circle line		Paddington towards Edgware Road (via Aldgate)
		Hammersmith & City line		Paddington towards Barking

Transfers

The transfer parameter makes it possible to show within the box lines available at a different station with which there's a direct transfer from the current station. This snippet is taken from the article about the Finchley Road tube station. The North London Line does not actually serve the station itself, but there's an official out of system transfer designated between London Underground services at Finchley Road and London Overground services at the nearby Finchley Road & Frognal station:

{{s-start}}
{{s-rail|title=LUL}}
{{s-line|system=LUL|line=Jubilee|previous=West Hampstead|next=Swiss Cottage|type2=one}}
{{s-line|system=LUL|line=Metropolitan|previous=Wembley Park|next=Baker Street|type=Four|rowsmid=2|rows2=2}}
{{s-line|system=LUL|line=Metropolitan|previous=Harrow-on-the-Hill|next=Finchley Road|type=Four|hidemid=yes|hide2=yes|note=Peak periods only}}
{{s-note|text=Out-of-system interchange}}
{{s-rail|title=LOG}}
{{s-line|system=LOG|line=North London|previous=West Hampstead|next=Hampstead Heath|transfer=Finchley Road & Frognal}}
{{s-end}}

Produces the box:

Preceding station		London Underground		Following station
West Hampstead towards Stanmore		Jubilee line		Swiss Cottage towards Stratford
Wembley Park towards Amersham, Chesham, Uxbridge or Watford		Metropolitan line		Baker Street towards Baker Street or Aldgate
Harrow-on-the-Hill Peak periods only towards Amersham, Chesham, Uxbridge or Watford
	Out-of-system interchange
Preceding station		London Overground		Following station
West Hampstead towards Richmond or Clapham Junction		North London Line Transfer at: Finchley Road & Frognal		Hampstead Heath towards Stratford

Branches

The branch parameter can be used to describe a subset of a line. In the example hereafter, the branch parameter designates four different parts of the MBTA's Green Line. When passed to the left and right termini templates, the branch and line parameters identify destinations. Additionally, the branch name is displayed beneath the line name.

Optionally, [[Template:{{{SYSTEM}}} lines/branches]] may be defined, which allows the linking of the branch parameter.

In this example below, the branch template (Template:MBTA lines/branches) is defined, allowing branch linking. Additionally, left and right termini are returned based on the passed branch parameter:

{{s-rail-start}}
{{s-rail|title=MBTA}}
{{s-line|system=MBTA|line=Green|branch=B|previous=Copley|next=Boylston}}
{{s-line|system=MBTA|line=Green|branch=C|previous=Copley|next=Boylston}}
{{s-line|system=MBTA|line=Green|branch=D|previous=Copley|next=Boylston}}
{{s-line|system=MBTA|line=Green|branch=E|previous=Copley|next=Boylston}}
{{s-note|text=Former service}}
{{s-line|system=MBTA|line=Green|branch=A|previous=Copley|next=Boylston}}
{{s-end}}

Preceding station		MBTA		Following station
Copley toward Boston College		Green Line "B" Branch		Boylston toward Park Street
Copley toward Cleveland Circle		Green Line "C" Branch		Boylston toward North Station
Copley toward Riverside		Green Line "D" Branch		Boylston toward Government Center
Copley toward Heath Street		Green Line "E" Branch		Boylston toward Lechmere
	Former service
Copley toward Watertown		Green Line "A" Branch		Boylston toward Park Street

In this example hereafter, taken from the Acton Town tube station article, the branch template (Template:LUL lines/branches) is defined, allowing branch linking. Additionally, through the branch parameter, the left and right hand termini are generated. In some cases, a type parameter can be used to supplement the branch parameter. If necessary, a notemid= parameter can be used to substitute for a branch parameter.

{{s-start}}
{{s-rail|title=LUL}}
{{s-line|system=LUL|line=District|previous=Ealing Common|next=Chiswick Park|type=Ealing Broadway|type2=One}}
{{s-line|system=LUL|line=Piccadilly|type=Uxbridge|notemid=[[Piccadilly line#Uxbridge branch|Uxbridge branch]]|previous=Ealing Common|next=Turnham Green|note2=Early morning and late evening service only|rowsmid=2|rows1=2}}
{{s-line|system=LUL|line=Piccadilly|branch=Uxbridge|previous=Ealing Common|next=Hammersmith|hidemid=yes|hide1=yes}}
{{s-line|system=LUL|line=Piccadilly|branch=Heathrow|previous=South Ealing|next=Turnham Green|note2=Early morning and late evening service only|rowsmid=2|rows1=2}}
{{s-line|system=LUL|line=Piccadilly|branch=Heathrow|previous=South Ealing|next=Hammersmith|hidemid=yes|hide1=yes}}
{{s-end}}

Produces the box:

Preceding station		London Underground		Following station
Ealing Common towards Ealing Broadway		District line		Chiswick Park towards Upminster or High Street Kensington
Ealing Common towards Rayners Lane or Uxbridge		Piccadilly line Uxbridge branch		Turnham Green Early morning and late evening service only towards Cockfosters
				Hammersmith towards Cockfosters
South Ealing towards Heathrow Airport (Terminal 4 or Terminal 5)		Piccadilly line Heathrow branch		Turnham Green Early morning and late evening service only towards Cockfosters
				Hammersmith towards Cockfosters

Styles

[[Template:{{{SYSTEM}}} style]] (Template:Amtrak style)

The style template allows the modification, at a system level, of display parameters for inter-related templates, including Template:Infobox Station.

Parameter	Description	Notes
lang	Which version of English to output display in. Specify GB for British; the default is US. If GB is specified, the boxes will say "towards" (station). If US is specified, the boxes will say "toward" (station).	Optional; S-line only
name_format	Formatting for the {{{name}}} parameter itself	Optional; Infobox Station only
showterm	A "No" value suppresses the display of termini information	Optional; S-line only
stop_noun	Type of stop (e.g. station, tram stop); default is "station"	Optional; S-rail only
thcolor	Font color for table headings	Optional; Infobox Station only
thbgcolor	Background color for table headings	Optional; Infobox Station only
title_nowrap	If "yes", will apply the nowrap style to s-rail headings. Not recommended for use within Infobox Station	Optional; S-rail only

TemplateData

This is the TemplateData documentation for this template used by VisualEditor and other tools; see the monthly parameter usage report for this template.

TemplateData for S-line

S-line is a specialised succession box template that links railway station articles

Template parameters

Parameter		Description	Type	Status
system	system	The system to which the line belongs	String	required
line	line	The name of the line	String	required
previous	previous	The name of the previous station, should correspond to a specific template name	String	optional
next	next	The name of the next station, should correspond to a specific template name	String	optional
type	type	The left-hand line branch	String	optional
type2	type2	The right-hand line branch	String	optional
note	note	Information about the left-hand line branch	String	optional
notemid	notemid	Information about the station itself	String	optional
note2	note2	Information about the right-hand line branch	String	optional
oneway1	oneway1	Indicates that trains do not operate towards the Previous station	String	optional
oneway2	oneway2	Indicates that trains do not operate towards the Next station	String	optional
through1	through1	Allows, instead of a previous station, service passing to another line on the system.	String	optional
through2	through2	Allows, instead of a next station, service passing to another line on the system.	String	optional
state1	state1	Allows the passing of an additional station parameter. Useful for disambiguation.	String	optional
state2	state2	Allows the passing of an additional station parameter. Useful for disambiguation.	String	optional
branch	branch	Can be used to describe a subset of a line.	String	optional
transfer	transfer	Used to show lines available by direct transfer at an adjoining station.	String	optional
round1	round1	If set displays 'Reverses direction' in left cell	String	optional
round2	round2	If set displays 'Reverses direction' in right cell	String	optional
circular	circular	If set hides 'toward' of both sides	String	optional
circular1	circular1	If set hides 'toward' of left cell only	String	optional
circular2	circular2	If set hides 'toward' of right cell only	String	optional
rows1	rows1	Number of rows for left hand column	String	optional
rowsmid	rowsmid	Number of rows for center hand column	String	optional
rows2	rows2	Number of rows for right hand column	String	optional
hide1	hide1	Hides the previous station, used when a previous row has 'rows1' set	String	optional
hidemid	hidemid	Hides this station, used when a previous row has 'rowsmid' set	String	optional
hide2	hide2	Hides the next station, used when a previous row has 'rows2' set	String	optional

See also

• Template:s-rail-start (backlinks edit)
• Template:s-rail (backlinks edit)
• Template:s-rail-next (backlinks edit)
• Template:s-note (backlinks edit)
• Template:s-end (backlinks edit)