This page mainly describes the {{BS-map}} template and its auxiliary templates. For the {{Routemap}} template and how to compile BS-maps into Routemaps, see Template:Routemap. Use of {{Routemap}} is currently preferred as it displays correctly on the mobile site.
The route diagram templates encompass a main container, named {{Routemap}} or {{BS-map}}, and its auxiliary templates[1], most of them having BS (German: BahnStrecke) at the root of their name. This system provides a uniform layout for route-map infoboxes, mainly for railway lines but also for other modes of transport such as waterways. Such a map is built as a stack of rows, whose most significant part is a cell lining up one or several square icons. There are more than 3,000 of these elementary pictograms. Several methods are provided to add text to each row and comments to individual graphic cells.
வார்ப்புரு:Rdt demo
as shown in the diagram to the right. Currently (2016), this format is still used in many maps. However, this format is deprecated and only the {{BS-map}} template, which employs identical syntax, should be used as global container. The more efficient {{Routemap}} template should be considered when creating new diagrams.
{{Routemap
<<stack of params>>
|map=
<<stack of text! !icons~~text>>
}}
Template {{BS-map}} acts as a container for a stack of BSn, BSn-2 templates (described below), each of them describing a row of the resulting structure. This stack is given to the template as the value of the |map= parameter. Beside this stack of row describers, various parameters can be given to describe the global behavior of the resulting map. They are:
Note re width: No default value because it will void the tw parameter in the BSn row template which is applied to override the text column width of BSn row collapsible section.
If you are creating table from scratch rather than by using templates, the vertical bar| – which is heavily used in Wiki table syntax – must be replaced by {{!}}. For example, {| is coded as {{{!}}, and |- as {{!}}-. Otherwise, the presence of the bar will corrupt the structure of the template and following article content. This is because when processing a template, the bar functions as a parameter separating entries, which overrides other functions.
When a visual separator is desired in text fields, the UnicodeBox Drawing character ┃ should be used. (It is visually identical to the vertical bar, but ignored by Wiki markup.) This character can be coded in HTML by ে. In Microsoft Windows it can be input directly from the keyboard by holding down Alt, followed by +2503 on the numeric keypad; or the sequence 2503Alt+x.
If an editor wishes to place an RDT inside an {{Infobox}} instead of having it stand alone, it is recommended that the {{Infobox rdt}} template be used instead of direct transclusion in order to prevent the diagram from "breaking apart". A complete explanation is at Template:Infobox rdt/doc.
Besides standalone BS-map, row templates can be transcluded in other infobox templates such as {{Infobox rail line}} or {{Infobox public transit}}. The map syntax by BS row templates needs to be written in a separate template page and then transcluded in the said infobox and usually requires the help of other templates.
The real meat of designing the map are the templates BSn and BSn-2. Here BS is the German abbreviation of Bahnstrecke for stretch of track, and the number n indicate how many horizontal icons are put side by side to form the required picture. Templates BSn and BSn-2 differ by the number of text parameters that are given after the n icon names. We have:
{{BSn|
icons
|
Margin
|
Right Text
|
Right Text2
|
Comment
}}
n
n+1
n+2
n+3
n+4
and
{{BSn-2|
icons
|
Left Text
|
Right Text
|
Left Text2
|
Right Text2
|
Comment
}}
n
n+1
n+2
n+3
n+4
n+5
Both kind of templates result in a row made of four cells (and, at the end, in a <tr>...</tr> structure containing four <td>...</td> structures). However, these structures are not the same for the BSn and the BSn-2 templates: they cannot be mixed in the same map.
When n>1, the unnamed parameters describing the text areas are shifted to make way for extra icon grids sequentially. Therefore, the unnamed (sequential) parameters of {{BS}}, {{BS2}}, {{BS3}} are as follows:
{{BS|
Icon ID
|
Margin
|
Right Text
|
Right Text2
|
Comment
}}
1
2
3
4
5
{{BS2|
Icon 1 ID
|
Icon 2 ID
|
Margin
|
Right Text
|
Right Text2
|
Comment
}}
1
2
3
4
5
6
{{BS3|
Icon 1 ID
|
Icon 2 ID
|
Icon 3 ID
|
Margin
|
Right Text
|
Right Text2
|
Comment
}}
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
These parameters are used to build four columns as follows:
1..n
Icon ID the name of the n icons that will be put side by side to form the first column of the map. The result is centered, allowing to mix BSn with various values of n. For no icon to be shown leave blank (or use leer).
n+1
Margin. Left aligned column. Can be used to give the distance along track or traveling time from the starting point (displayed in small size).
n+2
Right Text. Left aligned column. Can be used to give the name of a station or other feature (displayed in usual size).
n+3
Right Text2. Displayed in small size, just after Right Text (with a leading space when Right_Text is not empty). In other words, Right_Text and Right_Text2 are in the same column, left aligned.
n+4
Comment. Right aligned self standing column. Displayed in small size. Can be used to display as another Dist./Time case.
When adding special styling in the text columns, be careful because the equals sign = will generate unexpected result because it functions exclusively as part of the named parameter syntax in the template (as text columns apply unnamed parameters). This can be bypassed by replacing the equals sign with {{=}} as in the case with vertical bar (pipe) that must be coded as {{!}}.
Sometimes applying both main text and Comment in the same row may cause the whole map to stretch too wide because there is some very long Comment text in another row regardless whether the main text and note 1 cells of that row are applied or not. This can be fixed by moving the Comment to note 1. If aligning to right is still highly desired, nest the note 1 text with {{float|top=-17px|...}}.
Remark: at present, this doesn't always work well with some web browsers. Some further research has to be done before this feature can be reused safely.
BSn-2 templates place text on both sides of the diagram, without the Distance/Time column, as opposed to the previously-introduced BSn row templates which only has text displayed to the right of the icon column(s). All named parameters of the BSn row templates are also applicable here. These templates should not be used with other "right-Text only" BSn row templates in the same diagram. An example is the demonstration at the top of this project page.
The unnamed parameters are:
{{BS-2|
Icon ID
|
Left Text
|
Right Text
|
Left Text2
|
Right Text2
|
Comment
}}
1
2
3
4
5
6
{{BSn-2|
Icon 1 ID
|
…
|
Icon n ID
|
Left Text
|
Right Text
|
Left Text2
|
Right Text2
|
Comment
}}
1
n
n+1
n+2
n+3
n+4
n+5
These parameters are used to build four columns, in the following order:
n+1
Left Text. Right aligned column. Can be used to give the name of a station or other feature (displayed in usual size).
n+3
Left Text2. Displayed in small size, just before Left Text (with a trailing space when Left_Text is not empty). In other words, Left_Text2 and Left_Text are in the same first column, right aligned.
1..n
Icon ID the name of the n icons that will be put side by side to form the second column of the map. The result is centered, allowing to mix BSn-2 with various values of n. For no icon to be shown leave blank (or use leer).
n+2
Right Text. Left aligned column. Can be used to give the name of a station or other feature (displayed in usual size).
n+4
Right Text2. Displayed in small size, just after Right Text (with a leading space when Right_Text is not empty). In other words, Right_Text and Right_Text2 are in the same third column, left aligned.
n+5
Comment. Right aligned self standing fourth column. Displayed in small size. Can be used to display Dist./Time (or anything else).
All BS row templates have named (designated) parameters, providing advanced functions (beware of the uppercase/lowercase alphabets of the parameter names). They are the same for the BSn and the BSn-2 templates (except for tw-left). For a given n, letter p designs a non greater integer, i.e. 1≤p≤n. Most of the time, p=1 is coded by nothing, rather than by "1".
bg: Use color name or HTML RGB hex code (with prefix #) as background to "highlight" or to emphasize certain sections, transparent by default
tw: Width of the Right Text column. This is especially required for joining the icons cohesively when the text length in the "normal" BS row template text column is not wide enough to override the BS row collapsible sections.
tw-left: Width of the Left Text column. This is especially required for joining the icons cohesively when the text length in the "normal" BS row template text column is not wide enough to override the BS row collapsible sections.
PX, PX2,... PXp: size of the icon (e.g. PX=50px). Parameter PX is the default value of the PX2...PXp, while {{BSpx}} is the default value of PX (actually, this amounts to x20px, coding for 20px high. This parameter acts only on its row.
O(p)(q) (Oh,p,q, not zero,p,q). These parameters are user to describe the icons overlay. For more details, see the overlay section.
alt1, alt2,... altp: User-defined alt attribute for the icon image to override the alt text generated by {{BS-alt}}. See also Wikipedia:Alternative text for images. Note that this parameter has been deprecated and is no longer in use.
L1, L2,... Lp, etc.: User-defined internal link for the icon image to override the default link to file description page of the icon.
Except for {{BS}} and {{BS-2}}, all BSn row templates will join the icons in the same row cohesively, unless separated by an empty entry. To join the icons vertically, just open the same new BS row template and continue. (Example 1)
Editor can also line up different BSn row templates, because their icon column is set to align to center. This is usually done by joining odd number row template by odd number row template, even number row template by even number row template, in order to omit the need of empty entry to stack up grid space. In examples 2 and 3, the only icon of {{BS}} joins the 2nd icon of {{BS3}} vertically; and the 2nd and 3rd icons of {{BS4}} join the 1st and 2nd icons of {{BS2}} respectively.
When joining odd and even number row templates (example 4), specialized icons such as வார்ப்புரு:Bs-q and வார்ப்புரு:Bs-q (supplementary corner) are required to patch the seam smoothly. (See branching icons catalog.)
The same rules applies for BSn-2 templates, where the icon columns also align to center. However, mixing BSn and BSn-2 rows should be avoided because it will ruin the layout of the whole map.
These two pages describe the pictograms which are currently available. Page waterways pictograms lists separately the icons to be used for watercourses. Another directory of icons can be found at Wikimedia Commons.
The conventional file name format for image of this project is as follow: BSicon_(pictogram ID).svg. In BSn row templates, editor only needs to type the ID for the desired icon. The name of a pictogram, or ID, is constructed by prefix, ROOT and suffix jointly (e.g. வார்ப்புரு:Bs-q forming by u-STR-lg). Prefix and suffix are always lowercase but ROOT is all caps to distinguish from the affixes. All icons contain at least one ROOT, but may combine two or more to form some complex icons. Affixes mostly variate the "base" icon in color, directionality, structure, etc and may not apply to simple icons.
Because of the number of projects using these icons, additional codes have been created for special uses, including parallel routes and type changes.
If a required icon does not exist it may be produced from two to six existing icons using the overlay parameter to superimpose one icon over another. Add the overlay parameters in the BSn or BSn-2 row template. O1 corresponds to the first (leftmost) place in the cell (icon grid), O2 to the second place in the cell, etc. More precisely, for a cell comprising n icons side by side, we have:
O1 (Letter O one, not zero one), O12, O13, O14, O15: ID of an icon to overlay on the leftmost (p=1) icon of the cell, with five overlapping layers in maximum. The greater index of the parameter indicates the upper layer which is over the smaller (the base icon, described by |1= being at the bottom of the pile).
O2, O22, O23, O24, O25: ID of an icon to overlay on the 2nd leftmost (p=2) icon of the cell (the base icon, described by |2= being at the bottom of the pile).
Op, Op2, Op3, Op4, Op5: ID of an icon to overlay on the pth icon of the cell, etc.
For rows of 11 or more icons ({{BS11}}, {{BS12}}, {{BS11-2}}, {{BS12-2}}, etc): use two digits to reference p, the icon number. In other words, use O01, O012, O013, O014, O015 for 1st icon, together with O12, O122, O123, O124, O125 for 12th icon, etc. In fact this is not logically required when n=11, but the doc was written that way. So we have {{BS11-2|O03= |O032=| already in use, and this can not be changed.
Overlay parameters require a valid entry for the corresponding base icon cell. Otherwise the overlay icons will not be loaded, and the page will be categorized in பகுப்பு:RDTs with overlaps but no base icon.
In order to allow the other editors to edit the diagram code more easily, it is a good practice to list the overlay icons immediately following the corresponding “base” icon entry. That way we humans do not need to look back and forth at the codes.
The following examples A and B give the same result, but example B is recommended:
It is possible to make sections of BSn rows collapsible as if it were in a NavFrame. The collapsible section begins with a BSn-startCollapsible row template (lacking the parameters Right Text2, Comment and tw), then include other "ordinary" BSn row templates which are set to be collapsible in the map, finally a table closing syntax {{!}}} to end the collapsible section.
If the map has a combined use of different BS# row templates, the editor should choose the startCollapsible template which provides the same icon grids quantity as the greatest BS# row template used in the map (e.g., use {{BS5-startCollapsible}} when {{BS5}} is the largest row template used in the map).
In the startCollapsible template the color parameter bg colors the background of the entire collapsible section rather than its effect in ordinary BSn row templates which is confined to a single row. This clearly distinguishes between the non-collapsible and expanded collapsible sections.
BS-replace templates are supplementary to the BS-startCollapsible (BS-sc) row template that they replace, or more accurately, overlap over, the original BS-sc row template after expansion. The design aim is to make maps correct, both when collapsed and expanded. Because most maps use வார்ப்புரு:Bsq or வார்ப்புரு:Bsq to indicate the section being collapsed, but these icons might not make sense when expanded. It works simply by placing the BS-replace (child) template under the BS-sc (parent) template to be replaced. The available parameters are same as the BS-sc templates. These templates are experimental and still require testing in various browsers. It might not work properly in IE7 or older browsers because they might shift BS-replace templates incorrectly after expansion.
Since BS-replace does not actually hide its parent BS-sc, if you have changed the background color of the BS-sc template with parameter bg, you should do the same for the child BS-replace template. If you want to hide the text in BS-sc (which is unnecessary in most case), you can use {{pad}} in the text cell of BS-replace and adjust the width that completely cover the text. Since the April 2013 update, if you want to cover the base icon with empty entry, you still need to use the வார்ப்புரு:Bsq icon to fill in the BS-replace icon cell manually, otherwise the BS-sc icon will still show up after expansion.
StartCollapsible and its replacement row templates are available for BSn-2 maps. When using these templates, entries for new parameter tw-left (width of left text cell) are required. It should be applied at any conventional BSn-2 template outside of the collapsible section, every startcollapsible and replace (if any) templates with exact same value otherwise the icon cells will be unable to align themselves correctly.
Caveat: Older versions of Google Chrome cannot line up the BSn-2sc and BSn-2replace templates correctly.
This requires parameter |tw= (and |tw-left=) to fix the width of the Right_Text column (and Left_Text column). They are naturally present in the collapsible templates. The way they are used in the ordinary bBSn, BSn-2 templates is to be rewritten.
The {{Navbar}} template can be used to place view • talk • edit links in a route diagram that does not automatically insert them (for example, when formatted for use in an {{infobox}}). See Template:Navbar/doc for usage and options.
The |navbar= parameter of {{BS-map}} and the second parameter of {{BS-header}} perform the same function. These should be given the name of the RDT, omitting the Template: prefix.
The {{BS#text}} template is used to place a centered row of text in the area where icons are normally displayed. In all cases, the last three fields are the same as regular BS# templates, providing for Right Text, Right Text2 and Comment (but no Margin column).
This template displays a distance as two lines of text in a text field. The default input is miles, and the template calculates the kilometre equivalent.
Inserting the optional second parameter (any character) reverses the units.
Decimal values are supported.
The template automatically adds the units "mi" and "km" after the values.
BSsplit displays two lines of text in a single row table.
The first two parameters are the two lines.
The third parameter (alternatively |L=) defines a shared wikilink for both lines of text (no [[ or ]] are needed).
The fourth parameter (alternatively |4=anything) will change both lines to italic text. Any character or text can be used.
The fifth parameter (alternatively |5=anything) will change both lines to bold text. Any character or text can be used.
Named parameter |line=anything forces a separating line to appear. Any character or text can be used.
Named parameter align=left or align=right overrides the alignment inherited from the parent cell
Named parameters |bg1= (top line) and |bg2= (bottom line) are used to specify the background colors of the two displayed lines. They can be specified by providing a valid html color or a hex triplet.
The template also adjusts the text height so that it will not cause spaces to appear between the rows of icons.
The BSto template is intended for labeling connecting routes or adding other secondary information, as the second line is smaller and italicized. It also lacks a separating line. The optional align parameter will left- or right-justify text; if omitted it will default to “inherit”. The optional it parameter controls italicization.
BSsrws displays a railway station name split over two lines of text in a single table row. The first and second parameters are the two lines, which are combined to form the station name. The words railway station are not needed. All the formatting options of {{BSsplit}} also apply to this template.
Do not use BSsplit, BSto or BSsrws inside the {{BS-collapsible}} row template. Due to their table-based design they will absorb the entire collapsible section and become completely invisible.
Stnlnk (shortcut: {{rws}}) expands its parameter to link to the appropriate railway station article, without displaying the text "railway station". It is generally preferred to use the station, unless there is a specific reason to link to the place itself.
The {{RouteBox}} (shortcut:{{rbox}}) template displays a borderless box with colorable wikilinked text, suitable for displaying a route or line name in its own color.
The {{RoutemapRoute}} (shortcut: {{rmr}}) template can be used to indicate routes and connecting lines. It places directional arrow(s) and one or two text fields in a map row, optionally enclosed by parentheses. A complete explanation is at Template:RoutemapRoute/doc.
City-specific icon with links and optional colour change
The {{Rail-interchange}} (shortcut:{{rint}}) template is used to indicate types of connections. It places the appropriate icon (in some cases with a link) in a map row. Some cities have additional arguments for individual services, and sometimes options for modifying the display. A complete list of icons is at Template:Rail-interchange/doc.
Times shown are fastest timetabled journey from London St Pancras.
Note: The code here produces the adjoining map. It does not mean to reflect the current situation.
{{BS-map
|title=Eurostar route map
|title-color=white
|title-bg=#27404E
|width=370px
|map=
{{BS||km|||hour}}
{{BS|KBHFa|0|[[St Pancras railway station|St. Pancras International]] [[File:Underground no-text.svg|10px]]||0:00}}
{{BS|eHST||[[Stratford International station|Stratford International]] [[File:DLR no-text roundel.svg|10px]]|(opening 2010)}}
{{BS|HST|37|[[Ebbsfleet International railway station|Ebbsfleet International]]||0:15}}
{{BS3|exCONTgq|eABZg+r||||[[Fawkham Junction]] {{RoutemapRoute|Licon=L|[[Chatham Main Line]]|enclosed=yes|}}|}}
{{BS|HST|90|[[Ashford International railway station|Ashford International]]||0:30}}
{{BS|tSTRa}}
{{BS3||tZOLL||||[[United Kingdom|GB]]-[[France|FR]] border ([[Channel Tunnel]] across [[Strait of Dover]])|bg=#558cd3}}
{{BS|tSTRe}}
{{BS|HST||[[Gare de Calais-Fréthun|Calais-Fréthun]]||0:54}}
{{BS|BHF||[[Gare de Lille-Europe|Lille-Europe]]||1:20}}
{{BS3||KRWgl|KRW+r|||}}
{{BS3||STR|GRENZE|||[[France]]-[[Belgium]] border}}
{{BS3|KRW+l|KRWgr|KBHFe||[[Brussels-South|Bruxelles Midi/Brussel-Zuid]]||1:51}}
{{BS3|KBHFe|KRWgl|KRW+r|492|[[Gare du Nord|Paris Gare du Nord]]||2:15}}
{{BS3||STR|KHSTe||[[Marne la Vallée-Chessy railway station|Marne la Vallée-Chessy]]|([[Disneyland Resort Paris|Disneyland]])|2:33}}
{{BS3|KRW+l|KRWgr}}
{{BS3|KHSTe|STR|||[[Avignon]] Centre||5:40}}
{{BS|HST||[[Moûtiers]]|(ski)|6:27}}
{{BS|eHST||[[La Plagne|Aime la Plagne]]|(ski, set down only)|6:59}}
{{BS|KHSTe||[[Bourg Saint Maurice]]|(ski)|7:17}}
|bottom=Times shown are fastest timetabled journey from London St Pancras.
}}
If a station has a Wikipedia article, link to that rather than the town.
Avoid overlinkage to a city or railway when its occurrences are close together on the route map.
Connects lines should be linked to their own articles, particularly if there is a connection for passengers.
For vee stations, show the lines as already joined in the station to show the connection or use the interchange set. The inclusion of a vee station shows that it has not been overlooked.
Template {{RoutemapRoute}} (shortcut: {{rmr}}) is an option to help describing in the text column with arrow icons ) .
Crossing and connecting lines which are shown more than once can be connected with interruptions (வார்ப்புரு:Bsq), but it should not normally be necessary to have more than two interruption icons in a row.
Note that WikiProject UK Waterways uses dotted lines வார்ப்புரு:Bsq to denote routes that are planned or under construction, in which case there is no restriction on the number needed.
At intermodal interchanges, it is not desirable to list all the routes of the other modes, just the mode(s). For example, at a central railway station it is enough to show , rather than AB1011, etc.
When a map grows too large (such as this), it is recommended to not transclude the map inside an infobox or table which floats or aligns to the left or right, otherwise it would compress the adjacent main text into too narrow a space. This problem is exaggerated for user with low screen resolution. It is a good idea to center align the standalone table (as explained in BS-map). If a left- or right-aligned table is desired, adjust the map width for a minimum of 1024px display width in Monobook or Vector Wiki style. Setting the table to “collapsed” by default (by applying the parameter collapse=yes in BS-map) also helps.
In rapid transit/light rail diagrams that show both canals and non-navigable waterways, the similarly-coloured cerulean icons (வார்ப்புரு:Bsq) can be used to distinguish the former from the latter (வார்ப்புரு:Bsq.
If an unusual situation requires using an icon in a non-standard manner, give an explanation either on the text row with the icon, or by a note at the top or bottom of the map—separated by an empty row or horizontal line—showing the “misused” icon and its meaning.
In most case the icons available in Wikimedia Commons should be sufficient. However, if you think you need to create an icon of your own, please take note of the following points:
Think if the icon you need can be displayed by overlaying two to six existing icons.
Use SVG file format only. This can be done by using CORELDraw, Inkscape, Adobe Illustrator or an html/xml (text) editor.
Graphic size is not restricted, but it should be in square shape, usually 500 by 500px (half-width icons rectangular 250 by 500px; double-width icons 1000 by 500px). Keep in mind how the image will look like when resized in the diagram to the default height of 20 pixels.
The SVG file should not contain any raster graphic and all of its shapes should be done by vector tools.
Never use copyrighted materials such as creatively designed logo per the Wikipedia:Non-free content policy. The copyright status of an image can be checked on the file's description page. If you think a logo should be reclassified as copyright-ineligible due to being solely composed of typeface and/or simple geometry (to allow the logo to be used in a diagram), you may post a request or comment at Wikipedia:Media copyright questions.
Preview your SVG image using SVG Check. Your SVG image may not look the same in Wikimedia from your SVG application or browser due to different font library and SVG rendering engine.
Upload files to Wikimedia Commons into Icons for railway descriptions or one of its sub-categories. The more specific the category the better. If you are uncertain, just apply the general category BSicon and wait for another editor to change it.
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
.
, rather than A B 10 11 , etc.
