Template:Version

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Usage

This template presents version history tables in a standardized format.

Many articles on Wikipedia use color-coded tables to illustrate the version or release history of software. The template has been imported from German Wikipedia, where it is used as the current standard for color-coding history tables.

This template is used within Wikitables, making use of the pipe syntax. Legends can be added as tables, as floating or non-floating containers. As colors are not visible to blind or visually-impaired readers, this template uses replacement information when necessary to improve accessibility, e.g. using the "title" attribute. (See Wikipedia:WikiProject Accessibility.)

When creating a version history, please note that less is more: Wikipedia is not a directory or changelog. Only important or major releases should be documented in Wikipedia. See the Manual of Style for Computing topics for further guidelines.

General look

Version	Year	Description
Old version, no longer supported: 1.0	2010	Old version
Older version, yet still supported: 1.8	2011	Older version, yet still supported
Current stable version: 2.0	2012	Current stable version
Future release: 3.0	2025	Future release
Legend: Old version Older version, still supported Latest version Latest preview version Future release

When to avoid

Discontinued products: For a product that is neither supported nor developed, each version would have the "old version, unsupported" description. Since no distinction would exist between version stages, the use of this template would lack any basis. A simple sentence or a |discontinued=yes in the infobox would do admirably well.

When there is always one stable supported version: When there are no supported previous versions, preview versions or announced future versions, the entire table would consist of red versions with a single green one at the very end. In such cases, the use of this template is discouraged.

Parameters

Legend box

Parameter	Description	Notes
`1`	Legend type	Either of the following generates a legend box. Acceptable values include: l: Horizontal legend lv: Vertical legend t: Horizontal legend, as a table tv: Vertical legend, as a table
`show`	Legend contents	This parameter is optional. By default the legend box contains the following six items: Legend: (appears bold when the legend type is either "l", "lv", or "t") Old version Older version, still supported Current version (appears bold) Latest preview version Future release This parameter allows each item to be displayed or hidden with digits. Each digit controls the state of its associated item in the above list. Acceptable digits are "1" (displays the associated legend item) and "0" (hides the associated legend item). The parameter is "show=XXX" where "XXX" is: a six-digit number when the legend type is either "l" or "lv" a five-digit number when the legend type is either "t" or "tv" because the first item ("Legend:") cannot be hidden. Additional digits on the left are ignored.
`style`	CSS styles	This parameter is optional. Use it to change the template's formatting, style and layout via CSS syntax. In combination with the legend the specified CSS applies to the entire block.

Table cells

Parameter	Description	Notes
`1`	Data type	Either of the following change the background color of the cell in which it is inserted: o: Denotes old version, unsupported co: Denotes old version, still supported c: Denotes latest stable version cp: Denotes preview version p: Denotes planned future version
`2`	Text	Specifies the text to display on screen, usually a version number or name of a specific version.
`style`	CSS styles	This parameter is optional. Use it to change the template's formatting, style and layout via CSS syntax. This parameter can be inserted into a table cell to enforce CSS definitions in that cell.
`sortKey`	Sorting key	This parameter is optional. A sortkey is an invisible string used to change the way a certain table cell is sorted. For instance, normally, the phrase "ACME's Bow" is sorted with phrases that start with A. Affixing a sortkey of "Bow" to the phrase causes the phrase to be sorted with other phrases that start with "B" (or, to be more accurate, with "Bow"). For general information on sorting tables, see Help:Tables.

Examples

Legend box

Description

What you type

What it looks like

Horizontal legend

{{Version |l |show=110111}}

Legend:

Old version

Latest version

Latest preview version

Future release

Vertical legend

{{Version |lv |show=011101}}

Old version
Older version, still supported
Current version
Future release

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

Horizontal legend table

{{Version |t |show=11110}}

Legend:	Old version	Older version, still supported	Current version	Latest preview version	Future release

Vertical legend table

{{Version |tv |show=01111}}

Legend:
Old version
Older version, still supported
Current version
Latest preview version
Future release

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

Table cells

Description	What you type	What it looks like
Old version, unsupported	{{Version \|o \|1.0}}	Old version, no longer supported: 1.0
Old version, still supported	{{Version \|co \|2.0}}	Older version, yet still supported: 2.0
Latest stable version	{{Version \|c \|3.0}}	Current stable version: 3.0
Preview version	{{Version \|cp \|4.0}}	4.0
Planned future version	{{Version \|p \|5.0}}	Future release: 5.0

Sortable tables

The template can be used in sortable tables. If the column version is sortable, the sort key defaults to the value of the version parameter. If you need differing sorting, add the sortKey parameter as follows:

What you type

What it looks like

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Version !! Date !! Description
|-
| {{Version  |o  |1.0    |sortKey=1.0}}
| 2010-07-23 || Old version, unsupported
|-
| {{Version  |co |2.0    |sortKey=2.0}}
| 2011-06-27 || Old version, still supported
|-
| {{Version  |cp |3.0 DP |sortKey=3.0 A}}
| 2012-03-02 || Developer's preview
|-
| {{Version  |cp |3.0 CP |sortKey=3.0 B}}
| 2012-04-01 || Consumers Preview
|-
| {{Version  |cp |3.0 RC |sortKey=3.0 C}}
| 2012-05-25 || Release candidate
|-
| {{Version  |c  |3.0    |sortKey=3.0 Z}}
| 2012-06-23 || Release to web
|-
| {{Version  |p  |4.0    |sortKey=4.0}}
| 2013-13-13 || Future version
|}

Version	Date	Description
Old version, no longer supported: 1.0	2010-07-23	Old version, unsupported
Older version, yet still supported: 2.0	2011-06-27	Old version, still supported
3.0 DP	2012-03-02	Developer's preview
3.0 CP	2012-04-01	Consumers Preview
3.0 RC	2012-05-25	Release candidate
Current stable version: 3.0	2012-06-23	Release to web
Future release: 4.0	2013-13-13	Future version