Help:Templates

What is a template?
A template is a computer program that generates the same content on multiple pages. For example, the help menu that appears at the bottom of the page is a template that appears on all pages. If you edited a page, at the bottom of that page, you would see the code. This tells the software to insert the help menu at the bottom of the page.

Give an example of how and why I might want to create a template
Using a template can save you time so that you don't have to type the same text over and over again. Say you don't want to type the following text every time you add your name to a page as Editor-in-Chief:

Editor-In-Chief: Bill Smith, M.D.; Greater City Hospital, Anytown USA

Instead of typing this text every time, you could create a template with a short name like BS. When you type in then

Editor-In-Chief: Bill Smith, M.D.; Greater City Hospital, Anytown USA

would appear.

How do I create a template to put my name in on multiple pages?
Create a page named after the abbreviation you want to use. The word Template: must proceed the name of the page. For Bill Smith, this might be:

Template:BS

On this new page called Template:BS type in the text you want to appear:

Editor-In-Chief: Bill Smith, M.D.; Greater City Hospital, Anytown USA

Save the page.

When you want your name to appear as Editor-In-Chief, insert the template

It will then show up like this: