Template:Episode list/doc

This template creates a table row, for use in a list of episodes, primarily for television. The number, and use, of columns a table has, is defined by the beginning wikitext of that table (further explained below), and is not defined by this template. In order for this template to provide a table column for a given episode, parameters must either be included or excluded. An included parameter, although empty, will provide a cell for that field (and thus column), while excluding a parameter will not provide a cell for that field. Empty cells will be automatically filled with {{TableTBA}}.

Parameters

Episode list parameters and basic guidelines

Field name	Type	Description	Recommended values
EpisodeNumber	Optional, desirable	A number representing the episode's order in the series. For example, the first episode would be 1 or 01, and so on. When defined, the specified number also generates a link anchor, prefixed by "ep"; for example, "[[List of episodes#ep1]]" or "[[List of episodes#ep01]]". In creating the anchor, the text specified for the number is treated literally: to generate the most straightforward versions of anchors as previously exemplified, specify only a number, omitting any use of formatting, including bold. For double-episodes where two numbers are listed and are separated by "----", "<hr />", or "<br />", the link anchor will be only the first number; that is, if the double episode spans episode numbers 87 and 88, then [[List of episodes#ep87]] will link directly to the episode.	number - do not include additional content as this can break linking
EpisodeNumber2	Optional	A second episode number column. Useful for when a series aired in a different order, or only included certain episodes, etc. When used with multi-season series, this field is typically used to represent the episode's order in the season.	number
Title	Required	The title of the episode. The title will appear in "quotes" when rendered, so it is not necessary to place them in quotes beforehand. Only link to an episode article if it has already been created.	wikitext, may include links to valid articles.
RTitle	Optional	Unformatted parameter that can be used to add a reference after "Title", or can be used as a "raw title" to replace "Title" completely. Future episodes should include a reference in this field to comply with Wikipedia:Verifiability.	wikitext, references, etc.
AltTitle	Optional	An alternative title, such as the title of a foreign show's episode in its native language, or a title that was originally changed. It will be listed below Title and be presented in "quotes".	wikitext, may include links to valid articles.
RAltTitle	Optional	Unformatted parameter that can be used to add a reference after "AltTitle", or can be used as a "raw title" to replace "AltTitle" completely.	wikitext, references, etc.
Aux1	Optional	General purpose parameter. The meaning is specified by the column header.	wikitext, may include links
DirectedBy	Optional	Name of the episode's director
WrittenBy	Optional	Primary writer(s) of the episode
Aux2	Optional	General purpose parameter. The meaning is specified by the column header.
Aux3	Optional	General purpose parameter. The meaning is specified by the column header.
OriginalAirDate	Optional	This is the date the episode first aired on TV, or is scheduled to air.	date, formatted using {{start date}} use |df=y for day-first format; omit for month-first.
AltDate	Optional	The next notable air date, such as the first air date of an anime in English.	date, formatted per MOS:DATE. Do not use {{start date}} if OriginalAirDate is present.
ProdCode	Optional	The production code in the series. When defined, this parameter also creates a link anchor, prefixed by "pc"; for example, "[[List of episodes#pc01]]".	plain text
Viewers	Optional, desirable	Number of viewers who watched the episode. Should include a reference. The inclusion of viewer figures is supported by MOS:TV and provides encyclopaedic content beyond what might normally be found in a TV guide. It is therefore desirable to include referenced ratings information in an episode list. "Final" viewer numbers should be used.	Number, followed by a reference.
Aux4	Optional	Optional parameter. The meaning is specified by the table header.	wikitext, may include links
ShortSummary	Optional	A short 100–200 word plot summary of the episode. Make summaries specific to that episode (as in, a description that would normally not be confused with another episode). Episode summaries must not be copied from other sources, as this violates WP:COPYRIGHT. Further guidance on plot summaries may be found at WP:TVPLOT. Leaving this parameter empty will result in the summary row not appearing for this episode.
LineColor	Optional	Colors the separator line between episode entries. If not defined the color defaults to "#CCCCFF" and the article populates Category:Episode list using the default LineColor. Use of "#", or anything but a valid hex code will result in an invalid syntax.	Hex code, not preceded by "#". e.g. enter "00ff00" instead of "#00ff00"
TopColor	Optional	Colors the main row of information (that is, not the ShortSummary row). If not defined, it defaults to the wikitable standard background shading of "#F9F9F9", except when ShortSummary is used, and then it defaults to "#f2f2f2". The excessive use of the parameter is discouraged by Wikipedia's guideline on styles and markup options. Articles using this parameter are in Category:Episode lists with row deviations.
RowColor	Optional	This parameter is a "switch" that must only be defined when the EpisodeNumber= entry is not a regular number (e.g. "12–13" for two episodes described in one table entry). When transcluding the table from a season article into a main episode list article, irregular EpisodeNumber= entries break up the striping effect the template introduces. If the first episode number is even, define RowColor= as On. If the first episode number is odd, define RowColor= as Off. All further uses of Template:Episode list in the table must also have the RowColor= parameters defined to alternate between Off and On to avoid further breakages in the striping.	"On", "on", "Yes", "yes", "Y", or "y"; "Off", "off", "No", "no", "N", "n"

This is where information from the template is placed when rendered (|LineColor=, |TopColor=, and |RowColor= are not shown, since there's no text to display):

{{{EpisodeNumber}}}	{{{EpisodeNumber2}}}	"{{{Title}}}"{{{RTitle}}} "{{{AltTitle}}}"{{{RAltTitle}}}	{{{Aux1}}}	{{{DirectedBy}}}	{{{WrittenBy}}}	{{{Aux2}}}	{{{Aux3}}}	{{{OriginalAirDate}}}	{{{AltDate}}}	{{{ProdCode}}}	{{{Viewers}}}	{{{Aux4}}}
{{{ShortSummary}}}

TemplateData

This is the TemplateData documentation for this template used by VisualEditor and other tools; see the monthly error report for this template.

TemplateData for Episode list

This template creates a table row, for use in a list of episodes, primarily for television. The number, and use, of columns a table has, is defined by the beginning wikitext of that table (further explained below), and is not defined by this template. In order for this template to provide a table column for a given episode, parameters must either be included or excluded. An included parameter, although empty, will provide a cell for that field (and thus column), while excluding a parameter will not provide a cell for that field. Empty cells will be automatically filled with {{TableTBA}}. It is used within {{Episode table}}.

Template parameters

Parameter		Description	Type	Status
Episode number	EpisodeNumber	A number representing the episode's order in the series. For example, the first episode would be 1 or 01, and so on. When defined, the specified number also generates a link anchor, prefixed by "ep"; for example, "[[List of episodes#ep1]]" or "[[List of episodes#ep01]]". In creating the anchor, the text specified for the number is treated literally: to generate the most straightforward versions of anchors as previously exemplified, specify only a number, omitting any use of formatting, including bold. For double-episodes where two numbers are listed and are separated by "----", "<hr />", or "<br />", the link anchor will be only the first number; that is, if the double episode spans episode numbers 87 and 88, then [[List of episodes#ep87]] will link directly to the episode.	Number	suggested
Second episode number	EpisodeNumber2	A second episode number column. Useful for when a series aired in a different order, or only included certain episodes, etc. When used with multi-season series, this field is typically used to represent the episode's order in the season.	Number	optional
Title	Title	The title of the episode. The title will appear in "quotes" when rendered, so it is not necessary to place them in quotes beforehand. Only link to an episode article if it has already been created.	Content	required
Title reference, or title (raw)	RTitle	Unformatted parameter that can be used to add a reference after "Title", or can be used as a "raw title" to replace "Title" completely. Future episodes should include a reference in this field to comply with Wikipedia:Verifiability.	Content	optional
Alternative title	AltTitle	An alternative title, such as the title of a foreign show's episode in its native language, or a title that was originally changed. It will be listed below Title and be presented in "quotes".	Content	optional
Alternative title's reference, or alternative title (raw)	RAltTitle	Unformatted parameter that can be used to add a reference after "AltTitle", or can be used as a "raw title" to replace "AltTitle" completely.	Content	optional
Extra column 1	Aux1	Unformatted parameter that can be used to add a reference after "AltTitle", or can be used as a "raw title" to replace "AltTitle" completely.	Content	optional
Directed by	DirectedBy	Name of the episode's director. May contain links.	Content	optional
Written by	WrittenBy	Primary writer(s) of the episode. May include links.	Content	optional
Extra column 2	Aux2	General purpose parameter. The meaning is specified by the column header.	Content	optional
Extra column 3	Aux3	General purpose parameter. The meaning is specified by the column header.	Content	optional
Original air date	OriginalAirDate	This is the date the episode first aired on TV, or is scheduled to air. formatted using {{start date}} use |df=y for day-first format; omit for month-first.	Unknown	optional
Second notable air date	AltDate	The next notable air date, such as the first air date of an anime in English. Formatted per MOS:DATE. Do not use {{start date}} if OriginalAirDate is present.	Unknown	optional
Production code	ProdCode	The production code in the series. When defined, this parameter also creates a link anchor, prefixed by "pc"; for example, "[[List of episodes#pc01]]".	String	optional
Number of viewers	Viewers	Number of viewers who watched the episode. Should include a reference. The inclusion of viewer figures is supported by MOS:TV and provides encyclopaedic content beyond what might normally be found in a TV guide. It is therefore desirable to include referenced ratings information in an episode list. "Final" viewer numbers should be used.	Content	suggested
Extra column 4	Aux4	General purpose parameter. The meaning is specified by the column header.	Content	optional
Short summary	ShortSummary	A short 100–200 word plot summary of the episode. Make summaries specific to that episode (as in, a description that would normally not be confused with another episode). Episode summaries must not be copied from other sources, as this violates WP:COPYRIGHT. Further guidance on plot summaries may be found at WP:TVPLOT. Leaving this parameter empty will result in the summary row not appearing for this episode.	Content	optional
Border color	LineColor	Not usually needed. Colors the separator line between episode entries. If not defined the color defaults to "#CCCCFF" and the article populates Category:Episode list using the default LineColor. Use of "#", or anything but a valid hex code will result in an invalid syntax. Example "00ff00" is bright green.	String	optional
Top color	TopColor	Colors the main row of information (that is, not the ShortSummary row). The excessive use of the parameter is discouraged by Wikipedia's guideline on styles and markup options. Articles using this parameter are in Category:Episode lists with row deviations. Default If not defined, it defaults to the wikitable standard background shading of "#F9F9F9", except when ShortSummary is used, and then it defaults to "#f2f2f2". Example "00ff00" is bright green.	String	optional
Row banding color override	RowColor	This parameter is a "switch" that must only be defined when the EpisodeNumber= entry is not a regular number (e.g. "12–13" for two episodes described in one table entry). When transcluding the table from a season article into a main episode list article, irregular EpisodeNumber= entries break up the striping effect the template introduces. If the first episode number is even, define RowColor= as On. If the first episode number is odd, define RowColor= as Off. All further uses of Template:Episode list in the table must also have the RowColor= parameters defined to alternate between Off and On to avoid further breakages in the striping. Example "On", "on", "Yes", "yes", "Y", or "y"; "Off", "off", "No", "no", "N", "n"	Boolean	optional

Using the template

When using optional parameters (such as Aux1 or AltDate) only list the parameters that are being used, and adjust the table headers accordingly. This will help avoid confusion when one entry has a parameter filled out, and another does not. A table cell will be open for each listed parameter, whether it is filled out or not. Empty cells will be automatically filled with {{TableTBA}}.

To apply an entry to an episode listing, add this template where the episode would go in the List of episodes. The full syntax is as follows (remove the parameters that are not being used in the table):

{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 
| EpisodeNumber2  = 
| Title           = 
| RTitle          = 
| AltTitle        = 
| RAltTitle       = 
| Aux1            = 
| DirectedBy      = 
| WrittenBy       = 
| Aux2            = 
| Aux3            = 
| OriginalAirDate = <!-- {{Start date|YYYY|MM|DD|df=}} -->
| AltDate         = 
| ProdCode        = 
| Viewers         = 
| Aux4            = 
| ShortSummary    = <!-- Don't add copyrighted text, e.g. from the show's website -->
| LineColor       = 
}}

Because this is only part of a WikiTable, you must first create the "header" of the WikiTable. To do so, you should use {{Episode table}}. Please refer to that template's documentation for an in-depth description of how to use each of its parameters. An example here, to create a list with only EpisodeNumber, Title, OriginalAirDate, ProdCode, and ShortSummary parameters, open the table as follows:

{{Episode table |overall= |title= |airdate= |prodcode= |episodes=

The {{Episode list}} templates would then follow here:

{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 1
| Title           = Reborn
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1998|09|21}}
| ProdCode        = 98101-201
| ShortSummary    = Immortal thief Amanda is followed by detectives Nick Wolfe and Claudia Hoffmann.
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 2
| Title           = Full Disclosure
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|1998|09|28}}
| ProdCode        = 98102-202
| ShortSummary    = Wolfe and Amanda cannot prevent Navajo code talker Walter from being killed.
}}

After the final episode list template, you will close the {{Episode table}} with:

}}

Examples

The above code would appear as follows:

No.	Title	Original air date	Prod. code
1	"Reborn"	September 21, 1998 (1998-09-21)	98101-201
Immortal thief Amanda is followed by detectives Nick Wolfe and Claudia Hoffmann.
2	"Full Disclosure"	September 28, 1998 (1998-09-28)	98102-202
Wolfe and Amanda cannot prevent Navajo code talker Walter from being killed.

A more complex case would look like the following:

{{Episode table |background=#812f09 |overall= |season= |title= |director= |writer= |aux2= |aux2T=Ben's location |airdate= |prodcode= |viewers= |country=U.S. |episodes=
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 1
| EpisodeNumber2  = 1
| Title           = Milfay
| DirectedBy      = [[Rodrigo García (director)|Rodrigo García]]
| WrittenBy       = [[Daniel Knauf]]
| Aux2            = [[Milfay, Oklahoma]]
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2003|9|14}}
| ProdCode        = 1–01
| Viewers         = 5.3
| ShortSummary    = Ben suffers strange dreams about a trench war, and a tattooed man stalking in a cornfield.
| LineColor       = 812f09
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 2
| EpisodeNumber2  = 2
| Title           = After the Ball Is Over
| DirectedBy      = [[Jeremy Podeswa]]
| WrittenBy       = Daniel Knauf
| Aux2            = [[Tipton, Missouri]]
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2003|9|21}}
| ProdCode        = 1–02
| Viewers         = 3.49
| ShortSummary    = Ben is slowly setting in as a carnival roustabout.
| LineColor       = 812f09
}}
}}

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Ben's location	Original air date	Prod. code	U.S. viewers (millions)
1	1	"Milfay"	Rodrigo García	Daniel Knauf	Milfay, Oklahoma	September 14, 2003 (2003-09-14)	1–01	5.3
Ben suffers strange dreams about a trench war, and a tattooed man stalking in a cornfield.
2	2	"After the Ball Is Over"	Jeremy Podeswa	Daniel Knauf	Tipton, Missouri	September 21, 2003 (2003-09-21)	1–02	3.49
Ben is slowly setting in as a carnival roustabout.

Sublists

Occasionally, when dealing with a very long series, you may wish to break the list up into separate sublists, generally broken by season or years. See Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Television#Multiple pages for more info regarding when to split.

The name of the sublist should correspond with the article title where the episode table is located. For example, if you were working on List of Lost episodes, you would split it into Lost (season 1) and Lost (season 2), and each episode on the sublist would use {{Episode list/sublist|Lost (season 1)}} and {{Episode list/sublist|Lost (season 2)}} respectively.

When transcluded onto any other article, this template removes any summaries, and alternates the background row color between light and dark gray, depending on the value of |EpisodeNumber=. Occasionally, a multi-part episode will skew the pattern between odd and even EpisodeNumbers, to rectify this, use the RowColor parameter. A "On" input will color the row dark gray, like an even number normally would, on the "List of X episodes" page, while a "Off" input will color the row light gray, like an odd number normally would.

For the purpose of transclusion, each sublist must make use of <onlyinclude> tags, with the opening tag just before the WikiTable, and the closing tag at the very end of the table. This prevents the lead, external links, templates, categories, interwiki links, and all other unnecessary information from being transcluded onto the main list.

When transcluding onto the main list, you should make use of {{main}}. For example, referring to Lost again, the main list would have the following code under the "Episode list" header:

== Season 1 ==
{{main|Lost (season 1)}}
{{:Lost (season 1)}}
<!-- To edit the episodes in this section, you need to edit the article listed above. -->

== Season 2 ==
{{main|Lost (season 2)}}
{{:Lost (season 2)}}
<!-- To edit the episodes in this section, you need to edit the article listed above. -->

Note the colon (:) at the beginning of the transclusions; this is necessary when transcluding an article. If you tried to transclude Lost (season 1), without using the colon, you would get Template:Lost (season 1), a redlink to a nonexistent template.

Examples

If the following code is on Lost (season 3):

<onlyinclude>
{{Episode table |background=#2E5528 |overall= |season= |title= |director= |writer= |aux2= |aux2T=Featured<br />character(s) |airdate= |viewers= |country=U.S. |episodes=
{{Episode list/sublist|Lost (season 3)
| EpisodeNumber   = 69
| EpisodeNumber2  = 20
| Title           = The Man Behind the Curtain
| DirectedBy      = [[Bobby Roth]]
| WrittenBy       = Elizabeth Sarnoff & Drew Goddard
| Aux2            = [[Ben Linus|Ben]]
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2007|5|9}}
| Viewers         = 12.11<ref name="viewers"/>
| ShortSummary    = Locke meets the Others' mysterious leader Jacob.
| LineColor       = 2E5528
}}
{{Episode list/sublist|Lost (season 3)
| EpisodeNumber   = 70
| EpisodeNumber2  = 21
| Title           = Greatest Hits
| DirectedBy      = Stephen Williams
| WrittenBy       = Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz
| Aux2            = [[Charlie Pace|Charlie]]
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2007|5|16}}
| Viewers         = 12.32<ref name="viewers"/>
| ShortSummary    = Jack learns of the Others' plan.
| LineColor       = 2E5528
}}
{{Episode list/sublist|Lost (season 3)
| RowColor        = N
| EpisodeNumber   = 71–72
| EpisodeNumber2  = 22–23
| Title           = Through the Looking Glass
| DirectedBy      = Jack Bender
| WrittenBy       = Carlton Cuse & Damon Lindelof
| Aux2            = Jack
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2007|5|23}}
| Viewers         = 13.86<ref name="viewers"/>
| ShortSummary    = Sayid, Jin, and Bernard are held hostage by the Others at the beach.
| LineColor       = 2E5528
}}
}}</onlyinclude>

If the following code is on Lost (season 4):

<onlyinclude>
{{Episode table |background=#00549A |overall= |season= |title= |director= |writer= |aux2= |aux2T=Featured<br />character(s) |airdate= |viewers= |country=U.S. |episodes=
{{Episode list/sublist|Lost (season 4)
| RowColor        = Y
| EpisodeNumber   = 73
| EpisodeNumber2  = 1
| Title           = The Beginning of the End
| DirectedBy      = [[Jack Bender]]
| WrittenBy       = [[Damon Lindelof]] & [[Carlton Cuse]]
| Aux2            = [[Hugo "Hurley" Reyes|Hurley]]
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2008|1|31}}
| Viewers         = 17.77<ref name="rankings"/>
| ShortSummary    = The survivors of 815 split into two groups led by Jack and Locke.
| LineColor       = 00549A
}}
{{Episode list/sublist|Lost (season 4)
| RowColor        = N
| EpisodeNumber   = 74
| EpisodeNumber2  = 2
| Title           = Confirmed Dead
| DirectedBy      = [[Stephen Williams (director)|Stephen Williams]]
| WrittenBy       = [[Drew Goddard]] & [[Brian K. Vaughan]]
| Aux2            = [[Daniel Faraday|Faraday]]
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2008|2|7}}
| Viewers         = 16.96<ref name="rankings"/>
| ShortSummary    = A science team from the freighter arrives on the island.
| LineColor       = 00549A
}}
{{Episode list/sublist|Lost (season 4)
| RowColor        = Y
| EpisodeNumber   = 75
| EpisodeNumber2  = 3
| Title           = The Economist
| RTitle          = <ref name="episode titles"/>
| DirectedBy      = 
| WrittenBy       = 
| Aux2            = 
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2008|2|14}}<ref name="TV Guide"/>
| Viewers         = 
| ShortSummary    = Locke's group settles into the Barracks.<ref name="TV Guide"/>
| LineColor       = 00549A
}}
|}</onlyinclude>

And if the following code is on List of Lost episodes:

== Season 3 ==
{{main|Lost (season 3)}}
{{:Lost (season 3)}}
<!-- To edit the episodes in this section, you need to edit the article listed above. -->

== Season 4 ==
{{main|Lost (season 4)}}
{{:Lost (season 4)}}
<!-- To edit the episodes in this section, you need to edit the article listed above. -->

List of Lost episodes will appear as follows:

Season 3

Main article: Lost (season 3)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Featured character(s)	Original air date	U.S. viewers (millions)
69	20	"The Man Behind the Curtain"	Bobby Roth	Elizabeth Sarnoff & Drew Goddard	Ben	May 9, 2007 (2007-05-09)	12.11
70	21	"Greatest Hits"	Stephen Williams	Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz	Charlie	May 16, 2007 (2007-05-16)	12.32
71–72	22–23	"Through the Looking Glass"	Jack Bender	Carlton Cuse & Damon Lindelof	Jack	May 23, 2007 (2007-05-23)	13.86

Season 4

Main article: Lost (season 4)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Featured character(s)	Original air date	U.S. viewers (millions)
73	1	"The Beginning of the End"	Jack Bender	Damon Lindelof & Carlton Cuse	Hurley	January 31, 2008 (2008-01-31)	17.77
74	2	"Confirmed Dead"	Stephen Williams	Drew Goddard & Brian K. Vaughan	Faraday	February 7, 2008 (2008-02-07)	16.96
75	3	"The Economist"	TBA	TBA	TBA	February 14, 2008 (2008-02-14)	N/A

Tips

It may be helpful to include a hidden message that will appear when someone edits the article. Placed above the table headers and under the article section, such as:

==Episodes==
<!-- For help with this template see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Episode_list -->
<onlyinclude>
{{Episode table

This message won't be visible when normally viewing the article. A message such as this notes where one can get help for the template.

Microformat

The HTML markup produced by this template includes an hCalendar microformat, which makes the event details parsable by computers, either acting automatically to catalogue article across Wikipedia, or via a browser tool operated by a person, to (for example) add the subject to a calendar or diary application. For more information about the use of microformats on Wikipedia, please see the microformat project.

Dates will only be included if you use {{Start date}} or {{End date}} (use the former for single dates). As an alternative, you may use {{Start-date}} and {{End-date}}.

hCalendar uses HTML classes including:

• attendee
• contact
• description
• dtend
• dtstart
• location
• organiser
• summary
• vevent

Please do not rename or remove these classes; nor collapse nested elements which use them.

Pages which use multiple instances of this template can also use {{UF-timeline}}, in their external links section, to generate a SIMILE timeline. It renders as:

• Event data as RDF

For shows where each episode is from a different, single, specific place (for example, Time Team, one of the Aux fields can contain the coordinates, applied using {{coord}}.

Subpages

• Episode list
• Episode list/doc
• Episode list/sublist

"Hacks" of this template, also known as "forks", are discouraged. Any discussion regarding forks should occur on this template's, not the fork's or article's, talk page.

Episode list templates

• Wikipedia:WikiProject Television/Episode lists
• Template:Episode list
• Template:Japanese episode list
• Template:Television needs episode list

See also

• {{Episode table}}
• {{Infobox television}}
• {{Infobox television season}}
• {{Infobox television episode}}
• Wikipedia:WikiProject Television#More television templates