Template talk:Convert/Archive November 2013

Tooltips, another option for "abbr"

To my knowledge, there are essentially two options for the abbr parameter of this template right now.

1. {{convert|12345|btu|MJ|abbr=off}} produces 12,345 British thermal units (13.025 megajoules)
2. {{convert|12345|btu|MJ|abbr=on}} produces 12,345 BTU (13.025 MJ)

So how about adding a third option that uses abbreviations but adds tooltips, i.e.

3. {{convert|12345|btu|MJ|abbr=tt}} produces 12,345 BTU (13.025 MJ)

Using template {{abbr}}. A good idea, or not? --bender235 (talk) 10:21, 2 November 2013 (UTC)

• People prefer lk=on as wikilink units: The tooltips option has been suggested before, and the comment was to just use "lk=on" to wikilink the unit symbols, for mouseover of names, but also consider "abbr=~" as follows:

• {{convert|20|BTU|MJ|abbr=on|lk=on}} → 20 BTU (0.021 MJ)
• {{convert|20|BTU|MJ|abbr=~|lk=out}} → 20 British thermal units [BTU] (0.021 MJ)

By using "abbr=~" in a prior conversion, then the reader will be prepared for the unit symbol later. However, the tooltips idea is an interesting concept for other cases. -Wikid77 00:38, 3 November 2013 (UTC)

(ec)There was a related discussion here. Included there is the fact that abbr can have values: off, on, in, out (and a couple of other rare values). The syntax for formatting needs some serious review, but abbr=tt would probably be ok as meaning abbr=on with a tooltip (both input and output units shown as symbols, with the unit names as a tooltip. We would need some enthusiastic support before trying to implement that. Johnuniq (talk) 00:47, 3 November 2013 (UTC)

C-change

Just curious but is {{Convert|3|-|4|C-change|0}} supposed to give 3–4 °C (5–7 °F)? In context, "He goes on to say that the temperature in the Arctic region has increased by 3–4 °C (5–7 °F) within the last half century.", it looks odd. CambridgeBayWeather (talk) 04:27, 2 November 2013 (UTC)

I don't know if this was a personal quirk of my chemistry teacher in high school or not, but she always taught us that 3°C was a temperature, but the change was 3C° (degrees Celcius vs. Celcius degrees). I've yet to find anyone else use that inverted format to denote a change, but we have to indicate it somehow to remove the ambiguity because the two scales have different zero points. Imzadi 1979 → 04:52, 2 November 2013 (UTC)

That seems logical, as an obvious difference between degrees C and C-change (reversed "C°"), so I have started searching sources for "Celsius degrees". Over the years, this topic has not been discussed much here. -Wikid77 06:04, 2 November 2013 (UTC)

Celcius#Temperatures and intervals mentions that the reversal of characters is sometimes used but that it is non-standard - so it doesn't help many readers for disambiguation and some editors may complain about it being non-standard. I don't think there is any need for change. As long as the text has something like 'increased by', 'decreased by', 'changed by' or similar then the reader knows we are talking about a change, ie an interval.  Stepho  talk  06:53, 2 November 2013 (UTC)

But if the word "change" is going to be used in the example above why is it not in {{Convert|100|C-change|0}} 100 °C (180 °F)? Ah, just thought if the convert is supposed to use the word "change" then I should be asking at the reference desk why it is done like that. CambridgeBayWeather (talk) 15:12, 2 November 2013 (UTC)

I'm sorry, I don't understand your question. Could you give a concrete example?  Stepho  talk  22:54, 2 November 2013 (UTC)

• Temperature ranges differ from single-amount format: The addition of the word "change" (in the output of a range) is a new development, not seen in the single-amount conversions. That is the difference:

• {{convert|20|C-change|0}}        → 20 °C (36 °F)
• {{convert|20|-|21|C-change|0}} → 20–21 °C (36–38 °F)

Again, over the years, this topic has not been discussed much here, so I just inserted the word "change" as a reminder. I have fixed "adj=mid" to allow more text, to note the interval:

• {{convert|20|-|21|C-change|0|adj=mid|higher}} → 20–21 °C higher (36–38 °F)
• {{convert|20|-|21|C-change|0|adj=mid|Δ}} → 20–21 °C Δ (36–38 °F)

Those are some possibilities. -Wikid77 00:38, 3 November 2013 (UTC)

Thanks. That makes more sense. CambridgeBayWeather (talk) 16:36, 3 November 2013 (UTC)

Refresh my memory, how is it done?

For Atlantic Shore Line Railway {{convert/spell|4|mi}} four miles (6.4 km) How does one get the upper case here as in "Four miles"? Peter Horn User talk 22:15, 5 November 2013 (UTC)

Four miles (6.4 km) is {{convert/spell|4|mi|case=u}} . Imzadi 1979 → 23:30, 5 November 2013 (UTC)

Thanks. Peter Horn User talk 23:44, 5 November 2013 (UTC)

Question

I have noticed that this template is unable to process signs such as "½". Would it be possible to change this? Toccata quarta (talk) 21:34, 6 November 2013 (UTC)

possible, but probably not worth the complexity to string replace them if {{#expr:}} cannot process these either. Frietjes (talk) 23:03, 6 November 2013 (UTC)

• Fractions of form 3+1/2 are recognized in most conversions: To improve readability of small-font fractions, and the consistency in format for rare denominators (such as "4/128"), the preferred format for mixed numbers is "3+1/2" (or "6,705+9/100"), and the number will be displayed in full-size numerals, although fractions in the results are rare, such as with unit-code "ftinfrac" to show feet-and-inches with fractions. -Wikid77 (talk) 01:16, 7 November 2013 (UTC)