Template:BCGNIS/doc

Purpose
To provide a simple format to linking to information in the BC Geographical Names Information System. This is specifically useful for linking information to either the "External links" or "References" sections of Wikipedia articles.

Usage
where:
 * is the "name" numeric id found from a database name, and
 * is the optional name to display (otherwise it will use the page name).

Example

 * 1) Search the geographic name in the BCGNIS database
 * 2) When you have the resulting "BCGNIS Query Result" for a successful search, look in the URL for the  field. For example, searching for Skaha Lake results in the following URL:
 * 3) Use the numeric value for  in the template:
 * 4) Here is the result:

If the article name ("Skaha Lake" in this example) and the desired display name are identical, you can omit the second parameter. Conversely, if the article name is not identical to the article name (e.g., Christina Lake (British Columbia)), you should use this parameter for proper display.

The  parameter can also be used to reference to geographic locations with different names in a single article. For example,  can be used in an article called Princess Louisa Inlet.

Where to use it
You may use this template in the external links section; for example: ==External links==

You may also use this template as a reference or footnote, for example: This is a fact. which will appear at the bottom of the article in the "References" section, using the  tag.

Coordinates
The BCGNIS entry is a quick source to establish geographic coordinates for a location's latitude and longitude. Users are encouraged to add coordinates to articles about locations using coordinate template.

The coord template is particularly flexible, and can be used in many ways; for example:
 * Using degree, minute:  will result in 49.11667°N, -118.25°W
 * Using degree, minute, seconds:  will result in 49.29167°N, -119.53333°W
 * Include the  parameter in the template (as the last argument) to modify how the coordinate is displayed:
 * (default; if this parameter can be omitted) shows the coordinate information where the template is used in the text
 * shows the coordinate information in the upper-right corner of the article; nothing is displayed where the template is used
 * shows coordinate information both where the template is used in the text, and in the upper-right corner

Locations with the same name
Searches on BCGNIS can result in several locations (lakes, communities, etc) that have the same or similar names. Users are advised to verify that they have the correct location, particularly when performing moves of articles. (For instance, copying content from a lake Christina Lake (British Columbia) into an article about a community Christina Lake, British Columbia.