Template:Dialogue

Character: ...

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This is a complex template designed to make it easy to write out lines of dialogue. This template cannot be subst:'d. The template can handle most standard formats of writing dialogue, and can be indented, bulleted or numbered.

{{Dialogue}} facilitates the writing of dialogue in a standard format.

Syntax

This is how to write the template in wikitext onto your article:

{{dialogue
|short=full
|short=full
|short=full
...
|Character|Speech
|Character|Speech
|Character|Speech
...
}}

These parameters are explained more fully below.

Parameters

Named parameters specify name shortcuts. They are all optional. They are placed at the top of the template call, like this:

{{dialogue
|short=full
|short=full
|short=full
...

Name shortcuts apply to your main dialogue text. If you use a shortcut specified here for a character name, then the full name will be replaced for it.

Named parameters of the form "mood1", "mood2", "mood3", etc., up to "mood10", specify moods for the corresponding line number (e.g. "mood1" specifies line 1). They are placed in a line like this:

...
|Character|Speech|mood1=angry
|Character|Speech|mood2=quiet
|Character|Speech|mood3=ecstatic
...

Positional parameters form the text of the dialogue (i.e. any line not containing an "=" will be construed as part of the dialogue.

Parameter 1 (required)

Character name speaking

Parameter 2 (optional)

Line to speak

Parameter 3 (optional)

Next character

Parameter 4 (optional)

Next line

Parameter 5 (optional)

Next character

Parameter 6 (optional)

Next line

Parameter 7 (optional)

so on...

This extends for 10 lines at maximum. After that, unfortunately the template will have to be manually called again from the code.

Note: if any character is called "action" then that line will be construed as an action line. It still counts as a line nonetheless.

Examples

Here is an example of a full template usage:

{{dialogue
|officer=Officer
|chicolini=Chicolini
|firefly=[[Rufus T. Firefly|Firefly]]
|officer|Chicolini, you're charged with high treason, and if found guilty, you will be shot.
|chicolini|I object.
|officer|Oh, you object? On what grounds?|mood3=derisively
|chicolini|I couldn't think of anything else to say.
|firefly|Objection sustained.|mood5=interrupting
|officer|Your Excellency, you sustained the objection?!|mood6=surprised
|firefly|Sure, I couldn't think of anything else to say, either. Why don't you object?
}}

The above would generate:

Officer: Chicolini, you're charged with high treason, and if found guilty, you will be shot.
Chicolini: I object.
Officer (derisively): Oh, you object? On what grounds?
Chicolini: I couldn't think of anything else to say.
Firefly (interrupting): Objection sustained.
Officer (surprised): Your Excellency, you sustained the objection?!
Firefly: Sure, I couldn't think of anything else to say, either. Why don't you object?

The below code demonstrates examples of extended use:

{{dialogue
|george=George
|rachel=Rachel

|action|Enter: George and Rachel
|george|Good morrow dearest Rachel! And what a beautiful morning it is! The sun is shining, the birds are singing in the trees, why it is enough to make one feel as if...|mood2=happy
|action|Rachel turns to see him
|rachel|Oh, George, it's you!
|george|
|rachel|Is something wrong, George?|mood6=worried
|action|Enter: Guards
|Guards|We are announcing George's arrest!
|rachel|Oh my!|mood9=horrified
|action|George is dragged away.
}}

The above would generate:

[Enter: George and Rachel]
George (happy): Good morrow dearest Rachel! And what a beautiful morning it is! The sun is shining, the birds are singing in the trees, why it is enough to make one feel as if...
[Rachel turns to see him]
Rachel: Oh, George, it's you!
George: ...
Rachel (worried): Is something wrong, George?
[Enter: Guards]
Guards: We are announcing George's arrest!
Rachel (horrified): Oh my!
[George is dragged away.]

Notes

You can number, bullet or indent your dialogue:

<blockquote>{{dialogue|Alice|Hello.|Bob|Good morning!}}</blockquote>

Alice: Hello.
Bob: Good morning!

#{{dialogue|Alice|Hello.|Bob|Good morning!}}
#{{dialogue|Carol|What lovely weather we're having.|Dan|I quite agree.}}

1. Alice: Hello.
   Bob: Good morning!
2. Carol: What lovely weather we're having.
   Dan: I quite agree.

*{{dialogue
|angel=Fortitude
|angel|I am an angel!|Crowd|We don't believe you!}}
*{{dialogue
|angel=Fortitude
|angel|But I'm being quite serious!|Crowd|Too bad for you then!}}

• Fortitude: I am an angel!
  Crowd: We don't believe you!
• Fortitude: But I'm being quite serious!
  Crowd: Too bad for you then!

You will get the odd spacing error (e.g. "Speech<space>") if you lay out your dialogue on multiple lines. If you need 11 or more lines, you must split the template up. Otherwise you'll see this:

Line 10: ...
Sorry, this template can only support a maximum of 10 lines of dialogue. If you wish to write more, the code must be split into multiple template calls.

The above documentation is transcluded from Template:Dialogue/doc. (edit | history)
Editors can experiment in this template's sandbox (create | mirror) and testcases (create) pages.
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