Rapidspace52

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Magic words

Please don't replace hard coded words with magic words when unnecessary. –xeno^talk 18:24, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

{{helpme|When are those magic words usually used?}}

Mostly in templates, so that no matter when or where the template is applied, it returns a conditional type of data that isn't the same all the time. For example, if I create a template that should display the current time whenever someone looks at it, I can include {{CURRENTTIME}}. Whenever I look at that template it will always have the correct time if the template is transcluded. Or, say I am using a template that is supposed to be substituted, and I want it to display the time it was first posted. Then, I can use {{CURRENTTIME}} in it, and when it's substituted, it will permanently display the time at posting. The reason that example came to mind is because I used it in the first manner in the template {{hasty}} when I created it. Another example might be if you want a link to a page whose name changes by condition. For example, every day, the current Articles For Deletion page is listed with the current date in it. Today's, for example is Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Log/2009 June 27. Tomorrow's will be the first part plus "2009 June 28" So I can't make a link to that without a magic word. The link that will always go to today's log, no matter when today is, is [[Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Log/{{CURRENTYEAR}} {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTDAY}}]], which displays as Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Log/2024 November 5. Does that help clear up matters?--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 22:58, 27 June 2009 (UTC)