Module:Userbox
Module:Userbox is a Lua module used on MediaWiki software, particularly within the Wikipedia project, to create and manage userboxes. Userboxes are small rectangular boxes that users can place on their user page to express their interests, beliefs, project memberships, and other attributes. The Module:Userbox simplifies the creation and customization of these userboxes, allowing for a more dynamic and interactive way of sharing information among the community members.
Overview
Userboxes are a popular feature in the Wikipedia community, serving as a means for users to decorate their personal pages and to quickly communicate about themselves with others. Before the advent of Lua modules like Module:Userbox, userboxes were primarily created using wikitext and templates. However, this method could be cumbersome and limited in terms of customization and functionality.
The introduction of Lua scripting, through the Scribunto extension, allowed for more sophisticated and efficient processing of data, including the generation of userboxes. Module:Userbox utilizes Lua to provide a flexible framework for userbox creation, supporting a wide range of features such as variable parameters for text, background colors, border properties, and the inclusion of images and icons.
Usage
To use Module:Userbox, editors typically invoke the module in a template. This template can then be added to a user's page with customizable parameters defined by the user. The basic syntax for invoking a userbox module in a template is as follows:
{{#invoke:Userbox|main|parameter1=value1|parameter2=value2|...}}
Parameters can include aspects like the id (a short identifier for the userbox), id-background (the background color of the id cell), info-background (the background color of the information cell), and many others to control the appearance and content of the userbox.
Features
Module:Userbox offers a variety of features for the customization of userboxes, including but not limited to:
- Customizable text and links within the userbox
- Adjustable background and border colors
- Options for including images or icons
- Flexibility in defining the layout and size of the userbox
Examples
An example of a simple userbox created using Module:Userbox might look like this:
{{#invoke:Userbox|main |id=🌍 |id-background=#FFFFFF |info=This user is interested in [[Geography]] |info-background=#CCEEFF |border-color=#000000 }}
This would produce a userbox with a globe emoji as the identifier, a statement of interest in geography, and specified colors for the background and border.
