Template talk:Diff

URL to diff
Please could someone import w:Template:URL to diff (or d:Template:URL to diff)? The template takes a diff URL as a parameter, and makes a nicely formatted wikilink for the diff. Andy Mabbett ( Pigsonthewing ); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 13:41, 22 February 2018 (UTC)


 * Usually you can just extract the diff= parameter from the url and use label . The template is probably useful for url:s with diff=next (I usually go to the page history if needed to get the diff nr), and diffs over several revisions (is there a shortcut wikilink for those?). --LPfi (talk) 14:15, 22 February 2018 (UTC)
 * The point of the template is to do the clerical work for the user; and to save people from having to remember what needs doing. Andy Mabbett ( Pigsonthewing ); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 16:35, 22 February 2018 (UTC)
 * The English Wikivoyage is generally an anti-template wiki. Especially if it doesn't need to be done very often and it can be done any other way, then most people don't really want to have a template for it.  WhatamIdoing (talk) 22:15, 22 February 2018 (UTC)
 * It would help if there was a plain English explanation of what this does with some examples, and a clear explanation of why we need this. AlasdairW (talk) 23:33, 22 February 2018 (UTC)
 * Either of the two links I gave above, especially the former, will give you that. Andy Mabbett ( Pigsonthewing ); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 00:14, 23 February 2018 (UTC)
 * The template is always substituted. No one has to use the template, but it provides a great convenience for those who do choose to use it. Andy Mabbett ( Pigsonthewing ); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 00:14, 23 February 2018 (UTC)
 * This template appears to produce input for Template:Diff, which is used in 6 places on this site (as opposed to 17k on WP, and 1k on commons). So I am still lost as to why we need this. How often do people need to create links to "diffs"; that is, links to pages that show the differences between two versions of a wiki page? AlasdairW (talk) 14:59, 23 February 2018 (UTC)
 * I just did, in the section immediately above this one. I was hampered by the absence of the 'URL To Diff' template, which I am used to using on several sister projects. Hence this request. Plenty of other editors have cited diffs on this project. Andy Mabbett ( Pigsonthewing ); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 16:52, 23 February 2018 (UTC)
 * Sure, but why is this template easier / better than just copying the URL into a simple external link (like this)? The template looks more complicated to use to be honest; what advantages would it bring? ThunderingTyphoons! (talk) 16:55, 23 February 2018 (UTC)
 * Your method has two deficiencies. 1) It leaves the link looking like an external link, when it is not; and 2) it leaves more code in the source view, cluttering up the editig window for colleagues who wish to reply. Andy Mabbett ( Pigsonthewing ); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 17:46, 23 February 2018 (UTC)
 * Thanks for explaining. I'm not so sure those are really disadvantages per se, but I can see your line of thinking. --ThunderingTyphoons! (talk) 17:58, 23 February 2018 (UTC)

I must say I second the sentiment to not create templates unless their immediate usefulness can be shown and un this particular case I remain skeptical Hobbitschuster (talk) 18:14, 24 February 2018 (UTC)


 * I think we never have such links in article space. It would be very handy in edit summaries, where space is limited, but templates do not work there. On talk pages it might come handy for some, but I think some clutter because of explicit URLs is no real problem (you do not edit other people's comments anyway), and neither is it a problem that they looks like external links – or like raw URLs, which they are. --LPfi (talk) 06:43, 1 March 2018 (UTC)