Template:Code

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This template is used on approximately 189,000 pages.
To avoid major disruption and server load, any changes should be tested in the template's /sandbox or /testcases subpages, or in your own user subpage. The tested changes can be added to this page in a single edit. Consider discussing changes on the talk page before implementing them.

Due to a server limit of 500 "expensive parser function" calls (e.g. #ifexist:, PAGESIZE:, and PAGESINCATEGORY:), this template will only work properly if the page using it has not already exceeded the limit. When the limit is exceeded, the page using this template or module is categorised in Category:Pages with too many expensive parser function calls. (further information)

Usage

Wraps a short span of text in <syntaxhighlight>...</syntaxhighlight> tags.

This template should only be used for short samples; longer content should use <syntaxhighlight> or {{syntaxhighlight}}. See Help:Wiki markup for an explanation of what the various tags do, for example {{code|some text}} will render:

If the content includes an equals sign (=), you should escape it using {{=}} or, if doing so is unworkable, specify the parameter explicitly (such as with {{code|1=int i = 0;}}).

The template uses the <syntaxhighlight> tag with the attribute inline=1. This works like the combination of the <code> and <nowiki> tags, applied to the expanded wikitext. For example, {{code|some '''wiki''' text}} will not render the word "wiki" in bold, and will render the tripled-single-quotes:

If the above example is declared as wikitext (via {{code|some '''wiki''' text|lang=wikitext}}), the output is rendered as follows:

However, {{code|a {{template}} call|lang=wikitext}} will still invoke the template:

<syntaxhighlight lang="wikitext" class="" style="" inline="1">a {{[[Template:{{{1}}}|{{{1}}}]]}} call</syntaxhighlight>

Use <nowiki>...</nowiki> around the template name to avoid this problem:

<syntaxhighlight lang="wikitext" class="" style="" inline="1">a <nowiki>{{template}}</nowiki> call</syntaxhighlight>

When used inline with regular text, {{code}} generally looks best and is easiest to read when it is explicitly spaced apart from the regular text:

is well spaced:

foo <syntaxhighlight lang="text" class="" style="" inline="1">bar baz</syntaxhighlight> quux.

versus:

which is less visually clear:

foo <syntaxhighlight lang="text" class="" style="" inline="1">bar baz</syntaxhighlight> quux.

because "foo" and "<syntaxhighlight lang="text" class="" style="" inline="1">bar</syntaxhighlight>" will seem more closely associated than "<syntaxhighlight lang="text" class="" style="" inline="1">bar</syntaxhighlight>" and "<syntaxhighlight lang="text" class="" style="" inline="1">baz</syntaxhighlight>"; the width of the space character in a monospaced font is almost always larger than in a proportional font.

Use unnamed parameter <syntaxhighlight lang="wikitext" inline style="display: none;" />|2=, or more explicitly as <syntaxhighlight lang="wikitext" inline style="display: none;" />|lang= to specify a language for mw:Extension:SyntaxHighlight. This option defaults to <syntaxhighlight lang="wikitext" inline style="display: none;" />|lang=text, i.e. no highlighting. Valid values include <syntaxhighlight lang="wikitext" inline style="display: none;" />|lang=wikitext for wikitext, <syntaxhighlight lang="wikitext" inline style="display: none;" />|lang=html for HTML, along with many other languages including <syntaxhighlight lang="text" class="" style="" inline="1">php</syntaxhighlight>, <syntaxhighlight lang="text" class="" style="" inline="1">perl</syntaxhighlight>, <syntaxhighlight lang="text" class="" style="" inline="1">css</syntaxhighlight>, <syntaxhighlight lang="text" class="" style="" inline="1">javascript</syntaxhighlight>, <syntaxhighlight lang="text" class="" style="" inline="1">mysql</syntaxhighlight>. Attempting to use an invalid value for lang will cause the page to be added to Category:Pages with syntax highlighting errors, and no syntax highlighting will be present in the output. <syntaxhighlight lang="text" class="" style="" inline="1">html4strict</syntaxhighlight> and <syntaxhighlight lang="text" class="" style="" inline="1">html5</syntaxhighlight> used to be valid values - however, <syntaxhighlight lang="wikitext" inline style="display: none;" />|lang=html should be used instead.

This template does not need to be substituted.

Examples

Markup	Renders as
Lorem {{code\|ipsum '''dolor'''}} sit amet	Lorem <syntaxhighlight lang="text" class="" style="" inline="1">ipsum dolor</syntaxhighlight> sit amet
Lorem {{code\|ipsum '''dolor'''\|wikitext}} sit amet	Lorem <syntaxhighlight lang="wikitext" class="" style="" inline="1">ipsum dolor</syntaxhighlight> sit amet
The declaration {{code\|lang=cpp \|int foo(const std::string& bar, const std::vector<long double*>& baz);}} is the prototype for a function defined later.	The declaration <syntaxhighlight lang="cpp" class="" style="" inline="1">int foo(const std::string& bar, const std::vector<long double*>& baz);</syntaxhighlight> is the prototype for a function defined later.
If the code contains an [[equals sign]], such as {{code \|lang=javascript \|code=var img = document.getElementsByTagName("img");}}, you must identify the first parameter explicitly as {{{1}}} or {{{code}}}; see also [[:bugzilla:5138]].	If the code contains an equals sign, such as <syntaxhighlight lang="javascript" class="" style="" inline="1">var img = document.getElementsByTagName("img");</syntaxhighlight>, you must identify the first parameter explicitly as {{{1}}} or {{{code}}}; see also bugzilla:5138.

Included templates

Embedded templates do not function as expected inside {{code}}; for longer, free-form blocks of code, which can contain templates such as {{var}} and {{samp}}, use <code>...</code> as a wrapper instead of this template.

Templates used inside {{code}} expose the rendered HTML— this can be useful. For example:

Markup	Renders as
{{code\| {{cite web \|title=Title \|url=http://example.org}} \|lang=html }}	<syntaxhighlight lang="html" class="" style="" inline="1"> "Title". </syntaxhighlight>

The above example shows the HTML rendered by the citation template, including the hidden metadata.

Expensive Parser Function warning

This template internally uses mw:Extension:SyntaxHighlight, which is considered an 'expensive parser function' (see WP:EXPENSIVE). If used on a page which uses more than 500 expensive parser functions, the output of subsequent uses of this template will be presented using <code>...</code> formatting (without any syntax highlighting) instead.

TemplateData

This is the TemplateData for this template used by TemplateWizard, VisualEditor and other tools. See a monthly parameter usage report for Template:Code in articles based on its TemplateData.

TemplateData for Code

An inline source code string with automatic syntax highlighting.

Parameter		Description	Type	Status
Code	`1` code	The code to display.	Content	required
Language	`2` lang	The programming language of the source code. List of valid values is at: mw:Extension:SyntaxHighlight#Supported_languages. The suggested values are a subset of those. Suggested values `asm` `bash` `batch` `c` `cmake` `cobol` `csv` `csharp` `css` `delphi` `diff` `docker` `go` `graphql` `haskell` `html` `ini` `java` `javascript` `json` `latex` `lua` `makefile` `markdown` `matlab` `objective-c` `perl` `php` `postscript` `powershell` `python` `qsharp` `r` `reg` `ruby` `rust` `shell` `sql` `swift` `text` `typescript` `visualbasic` `wikitext` `xml` `yaml` Default text	String	suggested
Class attribute	`class`		String	optional
CSS style attribute	`style`		String	optional

Usage

Examples

Included templates

Expensive Parser Function warning

TemplateData

See also