Template:S-start/doc

S-Start is the initial component in a template series for succession boxes. It replaces the previous formats for succession tables but still allows for most of their use indirectly. In the new format, every succession box begins with s-start, and thus it is an essential component of the new system. If you find a succession template not in this standard, please contact WT:SBS or Whaleyland.

Templates discussed on this page
This template is to be used in coordination with the following:


 * Template:start or Template:s-start — Opens a new Wikitable
 * Template:s-bef — For listing predecessors
 * Template:s-aft — For listing successors
 * Template:s-ttl — For listing titles and years
 * Template:end or Template:s-end — For closing Wikitables
 * Template:s-new — For new titles
 * Template:s-non — For no successors
 * Template:s-inc — For incumbents
 * Template:s-urp — For usurpers
 * Template:s-vac — For vacant titles (predecessor or successor)
 * Template:s-tul — For titular monarchs (legitimate but not ruling)
 * Template:s-hou — For royal house/individual information
 * Template:s-ref — For citations of succession boxes
 * Template:s-line — Used for succession boxes of rail and subway/underground railway networks

The functions and use of each one will be analysed in the following sections.

Instructions for use
There are many types of succession boxes, as the combinations of the various templates previously mentioned are virtually endless. We will begin by demonstrating the use of simple boxes, and proceed with the analysis of more complex boxes of many lines and multiple titles.

Simple boxes
For the purposes of this tutorial, we will call simple the boxes that follow the format "predecessor, title, successor", and essentially consist of one line. As they are by far the easiest and most fundamental, we will begin with them.

Basic format: s-start, s-bef, s-ttl, s-aft, end
The very purpose of a succession box is to show the place of the subject of the box (the person whose article the box is in) in a succession of people (henceforth referred to as a succession chain). Because of this, most boxes include three people, namely the subject, their predecessor, and their successor.

The quintessential succession box consists of three cells, which go from left to right in the same order that the three persons' terms succeeded each other: the left cell names the predecessor, the middle one names the title of the subject and the years that mark their term in an office (the person's name is already mentioned in the article's title and is thus not repeated here), and the right one names the successor.

Simply enough, the creation of a box follows the same order. First comes the predecessor (template s-bef), the title and years follow (template s-ttl), and then comes the successor (template s-aft). It should not be forgotten, of course, that any succession box opens with the s-start template, and ends with the end template. Each command should be given its own line.

Have a look at this diagram.


 * Enter the start field so that the program recognizes the table:
 * Enter the name of the predecessor:
 * Enter the title of the person on whose page you are working:
 * Enter the name of the successor:
 * Once everything is done, type:
 * Enter the name of the successor:
 * Once everything is done, type:
 * Once everything is done, type:
 * Once everything is done, type:

This is an example of the technique. Writing…











…will produce this:

Note the absence of double square brackets in the names of the predecessor and the successor and in the name of the title in this example; their presence allows for the names in the table to link to their respective articles, and were omitted here because these specific names do not correspond to articles in Wikipedia. Although it is strongly suggested that you do link the names in the tables even if they do not have their own article for the time being (resulting in a red link), there can be exceptions.

It is encouraged that you include the title-holder's date whenever possible; if a date is dubious or disputed, use the s-ref template to include references that will back up that date (see the relevant section for details). Please do not link the dates except in special cases described in the SBS Guidelines page.

Predecessors and successors
Titles and offices do not last forever; they have to begin somewhere, and sooner or later they end. As a result, there is not always a predecessor or a successor, as a person might be the first or the last holder of an office. In addition, various events might occur, disturbing the smooth succession in an office and causing vacancies or other changes in the chain. Because of this, the previously described templates s-bef and s-aft can be substituted to allow for special circumstances.

S-new
Titles can be created along with the birth of new states, during periods of governmental reform, or at the creation of new institutions. The mention of a title creation is necessary when the article containing the succession box is about the first holder of an office, in which case there is no predecessor and the template s-new is used instead of the usual s-bef.

There is the option of entering the reason behind the title's creation, using a short sentence. If you do not want to include the reason, write only instead of the full version used in the following example.

Template:s-new (with others)



Which looks like:

S-non
Many titles have expired, become extinct, or otherwise fallen into disuse. The last holders of these titles had no successors, and in such cases the template s-non is used. A short description of the reason for the discontinuation of the title's use is necessary (e.g. Extinct, Merged into crown, Lapsed, etc.).

The same template can be used for a title that needs description but does not fall under the other predecessor or successor forms.

This form requires |- if it is used in a complex table (see relevant section):

Template:s-non (with others)



Which looks like:

S-inc
Another occasion where there might be no successor to a title, is when the person in question is the current occupant of said office or position. To create a table for an incumbent (current title holder), use the template s-inc.

Note that instead of an end date you must enter the word "present", as the subject is still the holder of the title. The inclusion of an heir is optional.

Template:s-inc (with others)



Which looks like:

S-urp
Thrones and other titles can be usurped by people other than the rightful holder. In such cases, the holder of the title is not the rightful successor and may be recognised as such or not. They still undeniably exercise the powers of the title (de facto) and are part of the succession chain.

There are four versions of the s-urp template, created by use of an obligatory parameter (within parentheses): one to show that the subject of the succession box has usurped a title from another person (from), one to show that another person has usurped the subject's title (by), one to show that the subject has reclaimed a title from an usurper (refrom) and one to show that a title was reclaimed from the subject by someone else (reby). As can be understood, the "from" and "refrom" versions are to be used in the predecessor (left) cell, while the "by" and "reby" versions ought to be used in the successor (right) cell.

Template:s-urp (with others)

Example 1:



Which looks like:

Example 2:



Which looks like:

S-vac
Vacant titles are titles not held by anyone for a considerable length of time (a short period during which a title is unoccupied until a successor is chosen/elected does not count as a vacancy). For monarchs, such periods are often known as interregna, though vacancies can occur to most offices. In case of a vacancy, the s-vac template is used. It is a rather flexible template, as this table cell can go before or after the title of the individual and is meant to designate if they have no predecessor and/or successor, although the title is not extinct.

If the last or next title holder is known, that information can be filled into the form. There is also the option of giving a reason why the vacancy has occurred.

Template:s-vac (with others)

To create a table that begins with a vacant title, use this (example with reason):



Which looks like:

To create a table that ends with a vacant title, use this (example without reason):



Which looks like:

In multiple row tables (see the relevant section) it is necessary to add |- after a line that ends with this template, so that the computer can recognise the new row (unless the line that ends with s-vac is the last one in the Wikitable).

As (s-bef, s-aft)
Many a title has suffered a change of its name once or more often in its history. Although the title essentially remains the same, and the chain is not interrupted, this change must, nevertheless, be visible in a succession box, or confusion may arise.

Both s-bef and s-aft have a parameter that allows for this kind of adjustment. Using the as parameter in either template produces an extra line at the bottom of the cell in question which shows that person's version of the title's name. Like most others, this is an optional parameter.

Template:s-bef with as parameter (with other templates)



Which looks like:

Template:s-aft with as parameter (with other templates)



Which looks like:

Titles and offices
The s-bef and s-aft templates are not the only ones to be substituted in occasions. There are three basic alternatives to the simple s-ttl template, for the event when a person does not hold a title in the usual way.

Regents, colleagues (s-ttl)
Often in history, some offices have been held by more than one person at a time. The most common example of this is a regency, when a monarch rules with the aid of another person, like the joint occupation of the throne of England by Mary II and her husband, William III, from their accession in 1689 until her death in 1694. The standard s-ttl template is used in this case, and the regents are entered in the way demonstrated below.

The inclusion of the regents is always optional, as are the dates of their reign and even those of the title holder's reign. This template currently supports up to three regents, as there can be more than one regent at a time, or a regent may be succeeded by another. In order to allow the reader make sense from complex regencies, inclusion of dates is at least preferred in such cases. On the other hand, if a regent holds the office throughout the whole reign/term/tenure of the subject then no dates ought to be given for the regent at all.

Template:s-ttl with regents parameters (with other templates)


 * |regent2= Enter name of title of second regent |years2= Enter second regent's years }}
 * |regent3= Enter name or title of third regent |years3= Enter third regent's years }}
 * |regent2= Enter name of title of second regent |years2= Enter second regent's years }}
 * |regent3= Enter name or title of third regent |years3= Enter third regent's years }}
 * |regent3= Enter name or title of third regent |years3= Enter third regent's years }}

Which looks like:

There is also another optional field in template s-ttl: the alongside field. This is a milder version of the "regents" one, as in this case the person or persons listed are not holding the same office jointly with the subject but are the subject's colleagues, occupying identical posts but not the same one. The usage of this version of the template is most usual for parliamentary constituencies with more than one members, like in old British constituencies or in the United States Senate.

The alongside parameter makes the message "Served alongside:" appear at the bottom of the title cell, followed by the name or names (in the latter case separated by commas) of the subject's colleague(s) in a reduced font and without any dates whatsoever.

Template:s-ttl with alongside parameters (with other templates)



Which looks like:

Lords (s-ttl)
Members of the House of Lords, the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, have never been elected; instead, they have been hereditary for the greater part of the House's existence, and most of them are nowadays appointed. Although seats in the Lords cannot be tracked by succession boxes, the titles that used to grant them were (and, to an extent, still are), and so a label may be added to succession boxes of peers that were or are members of the House of Lords to indicate this membership.

As this label is only appropriate for (arch)bishops of the Church of England and hereditary peers, the succession boxes that use it ought to go either under the "Church of England titles" (s-rel|en) header or under one of the Peerage headers. (See the relevant section for headers for more details.)

This template is optional and works more or less like the template for regents described in the previous section.

Template:s-ttl with the lords parameter (with other templates)



Which looks like:

S-tul
There are two categories of people who have regnal titles but not the power connected to them: titular rulers and pretenders.

Titular rulers are people who legitimately deserve a title yet are somehow incapable of securing it, as in the case of Louis XVII of France, heir to the throne during the early years of the French Revolution. Generally, a titular ruler's title will again be inherited by someone with power and remains only temporarily suspended. There is generally only one titular claimant to a title.

Pretenders are people who may or may not have a rightful claim to a title, but regardless do not possess any legitimate authority. Perhaps the most famous pretenders were Prince James Francis Edward Stuart and his son, Bonnie Prince Charles, who were respectively known to the Jacobites as James III and VIII and Charles III but nicknamed by others the Old Pretender and the Young Pretender. While James Stuart was the legitimate heir to his father, the Glorious Revolution irrevocably overruled that power in favour of his half-sister. Therefore, he lost his legitimacy to govern but still claimed his hereditary titles, as did his son. Pretenders are not always successive, as titular leaders generally are, and there can be multiple pretenders at the same time (as in France's Legitimists and Orleanists).

In cases of titular rulers or pretenders, use the s-tul template. It is possible to include a reason for the inability of the title-holder to exercise their power, but this is something optional. The "reason" field removes the necessity for additional cells in the "before" or "after" fields to give information about important events causing a title to either start or stop being titular/in pretence.

Note that a title of a titular ruler should go under the same header as of all the other holders of that title (usually, but not always, s-reg), while any titles held in pretence should go under the appropriate header (s-pre).

Template:s-tul (with others)



Which looks like:

Optional s-related templates
In addition to the three basic templates (s-bef, s-ttl, and s-aft) and their substitutes, there are four kinds of templates that may be completely omitted from a succession box depending on the circumstances. These include templates s-hou, s-ref, and an assortment of header templates.

S-hou
This template is generally for use with monarchs or other rulers. It is placed at the top of a succession box, directly beneath the s-start, and establishes which royal house a person belongs to, giving their birth and death dates.

If you do not know the day and month, leave a | (a pipe) and fill out the rest (leaving the space for the unknown date blank). For unknown birth or death dates, type Unknown; for living people, type Living; if no dates or years are known whatsoever, leave all four fields blank and the date line will not appear in the box.

If there is such information available, you may also include the cadet branch information for the royal house. For more questions concerning this topic, see Cadet branch. Furthermore, the article title will normally appear at the top of the box as the name of the subject; if you believe that title is not the proper name for the subject, insert the alternative at the end of the template and it will appear in the box instead.

Template:s-hou (with others)



Which will look something like this:

S-ref
Template s-ref exists for the purpose of sourcing a succession table. Considering the effort put by Wikipedia to qualify all articles on the site, this template should be used in all succession boxes whenever possible. It is designed to host individual references based on whatever medium preferred, except, of course, other Wikipedia article links; Wikipedia should not be used to verify itself.

To use, type the following after completing a succession box (instead of or  ):



After adding, you do not need to add template end to close the succession box, as that is included in this template. The template can support up to 10 different sources.

It will result in the following added to the bottom of any succession box:

Sources should be written according to the instructions found in Citing sources.

For each source, add a superscript number (1, 2, and so on) at the name or date in the succession box that is referenced; you can do this by enclosing the number in undefined or, for numbers from 1 to 3, by using the numbers from the character box under the edit window.

Headers
There are various headers that can be placed in succession boxes to sort the various titles into categories. Although their main use is to distinguish the various titles and lessen the feeling of confusion created to the reader by a large and complex box (see Winston Churchill for an example), they are also used for plain, one-row tables (and are especially in succession boxes for regnal titles, titles of nobility, and parliamentary seats where the disambiguation information given in the header is important).

Some of these headers can be further specialised with the use of parameters (e.g. s-par|us-hs produces "United States House of Representatives", while s-par|eu produces "European Parliament"); some of those headers cannot work at all without the parameters. Further information about the use of headers and the categorisation of titles in general can be found in the Guidelines page of WikiProject Succession Box Standardization.

A list of header templates (in alphabetical order) follows. Any that have a strike through them have had their function replaced by another template.


 * s-aca — Academic offices (Positions like university provosts, chancellors, etc.)


 * s-ach — Awards and Achievements; requires one of the following parameters:
 * — Achievements
 * — Achievements
 * — Awards
 * — Awards
 * — Records
 * — Records


 * s-bus — Business positions


 * s-civ — Civic offices; can be further specialised:
 * — Police appointments, (Positions like police chiefs, commissioners etc.)
 * — Fire appointments, (Positions like fire chiefs, senior fire officers etc.)
 * — Medical appointments


 * s-court — Royal court positions (Chamberlains, Wardrobe Masters etc.)
 * s-culture — Cultural offices (Senior positions in major cultural institutions and organisations)
 * s-dip — Diplomatic posts (Ambassadors etc.)
 * s-edu — Cultural and educational offices
 * s-gov — Government offices (Appointed governors, civil servants etc.)
 * s-herald — Heraldic offices (Kings of Arms, Heralds etc.)
 * s-hon — Honorary offices (This is a vague description and should be used with caution)
 * s-legal — Legal offices (Solicitors general, district attorneys etc.)
 * s-lit — Literary series
 * s-media — Media offices (Important positions in large newspapers, TV channels etc.)
 * s-mil — Military offices (Chiefs of Staff, Commanders-in-Chief etc.) Used for army, navy and air force appointments.
 * s-off — Political offices


 * s-par — Parliamentary offices, requires one of the following parameters:
 * — Parliament of the United Kingdom (1801–present)
 * — Parliament of Great Britain (1707–1800)
 * — Parliament of England (to 1707)
 * — Scottish Parliament
 * — National Assembly for Wales
 * — Parliament of Northern Ireland
 * — Northern Ireland Assembly
 * — United States Senate
 * — United States House of Representatives
 * — Alabama Senate
 * — Alabama House of Representatives
 * — Alaska Senate
 * — Alaska House of Representatives
 * — American Samoa Senate
 * — American Samoa House of Representatives
 * — Arizona Senate
 * — Arizona House of Representatives
 * — Arkansas Senate
 * — Arkansas House of Representatives
 * — California Senate
 * — California Assembly
 * — Colorado Senate
 * — Colorado House of Representatives
 * — Connecticut Senate
 * — Connecticut House of Representatives
 * — Delaware Senate
 * — Council of the District of Columbia
 * — Delaware House of Representatives
 * — Florida Senate
 * — Florida House of Representatives
 * — Georgia Senate
 * — Georgia House of Representatives
 * — Legislature of Guam
 * — Hawaii Senate
 * — Hawaii House of Representatives
 * — Idaho Senate
 * — Idaho House of Representatives
 * — Illinois Senate
 * — Illinois House of Representatives
 * — Indiana Senate
 * — Indiana House of Representatives
 * — Iowa Senate
 * — Iowa House of Representatives
 * — Kansas Senate
 * — Kansas House of Representatives
 * — Kentucky Senate
 * — Kentucky House of Representatives
 * — Louisiana Senate
 * — Louisiana House of Representatives
 * — Maine Senate
 * — Maine Senate
 * — Northern Mariana Islands Senate
 * — Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives
 * — Maryland Senate
 * — Maryland House of Delegates
 * — Massachusetts Senate
 * — Massachusetts House of Representatives
 * — Michigan Senate
 * — Michigan State House of Representatives
 * — Minnesota Senate
 * — Minnesota House of Representatives
 * — Mississippi Senate
 * — Mississippi House of Representatives
 * — Missouri Senate
 * — Missouri House of Representatives
 * — Montana Senate
 * — Montana House of Representatives
 * — Nebraska Legislature
 * — Nevada Senate
 * — Nevada Assembly
 * — New Hampshire Senate
 * — New Hampshire House of Representatives
 * — New Jersey Senate
 * — New Jersey General Assembly
 * — New Mexico Senate
 * — New Mexico House of Representatives
 * — New York State Senate
 * — New York Assembly
 * — North Carolina Senate
 * — North Carolina House of Representatives
 * — North Dakota Senate
 * — North Dakota House of Representatives
 * — Ohio Senate
 * — Ohio House of Representatives
 * — Oklahoma Senate
 * — Oklahoma House of Representatives
 * — Oregon Senate
 * — Oregon House of Representatives
 * — Pennsylvania State Senate
 * — Pennsylvania House of Representatives
 * — Senate of Puerto Rico
 * — House of Representatives of Puerto Rico
 * — Rhode Island Senate
 * — Rhode Island House of Representatives
 * — South Carolina Senate
 * — South Carolina House of Representatives
 * — South Dakota House of Representatives
 * — South Dakota Senate
 * — Tennessee Senate
 * — Tennessee House of Representatives
 * — Texas Senate
 * — Texas House of Representatives
 * — Utah State Senate
 * — Utah House of Representatives
 * — Vermont Senate
 * — Vermont House of Representatives
 * — Senate of Virginia
 * — Virginia House of Delegates
 * — Legislature of the Virgin Islands
 * — Washington State Senate
 * — Washington House of Representatives
 * — West Virginia Senate
 * — West Virginia House of Delegates
 * — Wisconsin State Senate
 * — Wisconsin State Assembly
 * — Wyoming Senate
 * — Wyoming House of Representatives
 * — Parliament of Canada
 * — Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
 * — Legislative Assembly of Alberta
 * — Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan
 * — Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
 * — Legislative Assembly of Ontario
 * — National Assembly of Quebec
 * — Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick
 * — Nova Scotia House of Assembly
 * — Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island
 * — Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly
 * — Yukon Legislative Assembly
 * — Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories
 * — Legislative Assembly of Nunavut
 * — Parliament of Ireland
 * — Oireachtas
 * — House of Councillors of Japan
 * — House of Representatives of Japan
 * — European Parliament
 * — Parliament of Australia
 * — Parliament of Victoria
 * — Parliament of West Australia
 * — Folketinget
 * — Landstinget
 * — Parliament of Ghana
 * — Local Authority


 * s-ppo — Party political offices (Party leaders etc.)
 * s-pre — Titles in pretence (Includes all titles held in pretence)


 * s-prec — Order of precedence; can be further specialised:
 * — Order of precedence in England and Wales
 * — Order of precedence in Scotland
 * — Order of precedence in the United Kingdom
 * — Order of precedence in the United States of America


 * s-reg — Regnal titles; can be further specialised:
 * — Cambodian nobility
 * — Chinese nobility
 * — German nobility (Germany and the Holy Roman Empire)
 * — Peerage of England (before 1707)
 * — Baronetage of England (before 1707)
 * — Spanish nobility (after 1555)
 * — Nobility of France
 * — Peerage of Great Britain (1707–1801)
 * — Baronetage of Great Britain (1707–1801)
 * — Peerage of Ireland (until 1922)
 * — Baronetage of Ireland (before 1801)
 * — Head of State of the Isle of Man
 * — Nobility of Italy
 * — Japanese royalty
 * — Navarrese royalty
 * — Dutch nobility (for the Netherlands)
 * — Peerage of Scotland (before 1707)
 * — Baronetage of Nova Scotia (before 1707)
 * — Peerage of the United Kingdom (after 1801)
 * — Baronetage of the United Kingdom (after 1801)
 * — Vietnamese nobility
 * — Titles of nobility


 * s-rel — Religious offices; can be further specialised:
 * — Buddhist titles
 * — Catholic Church titles
 * — Church of England titles
 * — Church of Latter Day Saints titles
 * — Orthodox Church titles
 * — Islamic titles
 * — Jewish titles
 * — Church of Scotland titles
 * — Shī‘a Islam titles
 * — Sunni Islam titles


 * s-roy — Royalty; can be further specialised:
 * — Royalty of the United Arab Emirates
 * — Albanian royalty
 * — Andorran royalty
 * — Arnoran royalty
 * — Austro-Hungarian royalty
 * — Belgian royalty
 * — Bulgarian royalty
 * — Bruneian royalty
 * — Brazilian royalty
 * — Bhutanese royalty
 * — Central African royalty
 * — Cambodian royalty
 * — Chinese royalty
 * — German royalty
 * — Danish royalty
 * — Egyptian royalty
 * — Irish royalty
 * — English royalty
 * — Spanish royalty
 * — Ethiopian royalty
 * — French royalty
 * — British royalty
 * — Georgian royalty
 * — Gondorian royalty
 * — Greek royalty
 * — Hawaiian royalty
 * — Indonesian royalty
 * — Indian royalty
 * — Iraqi royalty
 * — Iranian royalty
 * — Italian royalty
 * — Japanese royalty
 * — Korean royalty
 * — Lao royalty
 * — Liechtenstein royalty
 * — Lesotho royalty
 * — Luxembourgian royalty
 * — Monegasque royalty (Monaco)
 * — Montenegrin royalty
 * — Mexican royalty
 * — Malaysian royalty
 * — Dutch royalty (Netherlands)
 * — Norwegian royalty
 * — Nepalese royalty
 * — Navarrese royalty
 * — Omani royalty
 * — Persian royalty
 * — Portuguese royalty
 * — Qatar royalty
 * — Romanian royalty
 * — Russian royalty
 * — Rwandan royalty
 * — Saudi Arabian royalty
 * — Scottish royalty
 * — Swedish royalty
 * — Samoan royalty
 * — Swazi royalty
 * — Thai royalty
 * — Tongan royalty
 * — Ottoman royalty (Turkey)
 * — Ugandan royalty
 * — British royalty
 * — Vietnamese royalty
 * — Yugoslavian royalty


 * — Nop-profit organizations
 * — Boy Scouts of America
 * — Girl Scouts of the USA


 * s-sports — Sporting positions (Champions, sport award winners, sport clubs' presidents etc.)
 * s-other — Other offices (Not belonging to any other category)


 * s-wea — Weather by year, requires one of the following parameters:
 * — Tornados by year
 * — Global weather by year
 * — United States weather by year
 * — Severe winter weather by year

Here are examples for each of the above templates (in order):























































Complex boxes
Many people, like monarchs and Prime Ministers, active businesspeople, prominent scientists and talented athletes have held more than one offices and/or titles in their life. As it would be unwieldy to create separate boxes for all those titles, we include all of them in a single succession box. Thus, each article has one box at the bottom, which is easier to manage and more aesthetically pleasing.

Complex boxes can be sorted into two groups. The first group contains boxes that consist of the plain lines examined in the previous sections. The second group contains more advanced boxes with a more complicated structure. For the purposes of this tutorial, the boxes of the first group will be called multiple-line boxes and the ones of the second group will be termed advanced boxes.

Multiple-line boxes
As has been mentioned, succession boxes that consist of many separate rows are made up of the previous section's simple boxes, and thus their creation follows more or less the same rules; the only difference is that special care should be given to the placement and relative order of said simple boxes.

Generally, in boxes with many lines, it is necessary to place |- between every row on the list. However, this text is already imbedded into most of the templates, so it is no longer necessary to add it to multiple-line boxes. The sole exception is the template s-vac: if a line ends with this template, you need to place this character or the computer will not recognize a new row.

An example of the way multiple-line boxes work is this:



Which will look something like this:



Advanced boxes
Sometimes, a person might inherit more than one titles from a single individual, and/or pass multiple titles on to one person. The several separate crowns of the Commonwealth Realms, held by the same Queen, are one good example (see Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom). It is also possible that someone might take over an office from two different people who had held it jointly until then, or join several different titles into one that will be inherited by a single heir.

For these, and other scenarios, it is possible to create succession boxes that can show clearly those connections by making use of the advanced features of the hereinbefore presented succession template model. The system for the advanced boxes is slightly different from the simple forms demonstrated in the previous sections, and it relies heavily on the |- character, as well as on the correct counting of the rows.

Basically, the format is the following: if a box is taking up more than one rows of the table, it can be specified how many rows exactly that will be by creating a row marker in the field immediately following the s-… field and before everything else, including parameters. That can be done by typing:



The number corresponds to the number of rows this name or title overlaps in regard to the other rows. Lists of title-holders are usually in order of the granting of the title, beginning with the oldest titles held. All successive titles should be noted, though titles tied together permanently can be listed in the same field.

Although multiple heirs can inherit a single title, and any person may be mentioned several times in a succession box (in case they take over several titles that cannot be placed into the same section of the box and thus cannot all lead into the same successor cell), no more than one successor cell should exist in a succession box for one person taking over a single title. That is, if a title passes on to one person, it should not lead into two successor cells one of which showing the successor and the other containing complementary information about the title transfer e.g. citing a reason for a title change. This arrangement has often been noted in occasions when vacancies have occurred because of an important event, and is wrong; the "reason" fields that exist in several of the templates (like s-tul and s-vac) are there just to eliminate such redundancies.

An example of the way advanced tables work is this:



Which will look something like this:





Complete example
Using the rows feature of the templates, very advanced tables can be created to help in situations with people who hold many posts, especially British Prime Ministers. The following is a hypothetical chart with at least one use of all the forms above:









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