Template:•
•
This is the bullet template; it looks like this: [ • ]
It works similarly to the HTML markup sequence: [ •
], that is, a non-breaking space, a bullet and a normal space.
This template is used when you want a larger bullet than a bold middot [·], but something smaller than an en dash [–] or em dash [—].
This template's use for dotted lists is now deprecated. use {{Flatlist}} or class="hlist"
instead; see WP:HLIST.
Normal usage[edit source]
The recommended usage is to use no space before the template and one space after the template, like this:
[[Salt]]{{•}} [[Pepper]]
Because the template contains a non-breaking space on the left side, the text will render one space on each side of the bullet, like this:
The purpose of this is to ensure that, if the line breaks, it will do so on the right side of the bullet.
Incorrect usage[edit source]
If the template is used slightly wrong, it will, in some cases, still behave well. For instance, if there are no or several spaces after the template, like these examples:
[[Salt]]{{•}}[[Pepper]] [[Salt]]{{•}} [[Pepper]]
Both of them will render exactly as before, with just one space on each side of the bullet, like this:
And it will still only line break after the bullet, like this:
But putting one or more spaces before the template will cause problems, like these examples:
[[Salt]] {{•}}[[Pepper]] [[Salt]] {{•}}[[Pepper]] [[Salt]] {{•}} [[Pepper]] [[Salt]] {{•}} [[Pepper]]
Then it will render with two spaces before the bullet and one after, like this:
And if it line breaks it might break before the bullet, like this:
Technical details[edit source]
The space before the bullet is a non-breaking space. That means it will not line break and will not collapse together with normal spaces that come before the template.
The space after the bullet is a normal space. That means it wraps (allows line breaks) and it will collapse together with normal spaces that come after the template to form one single space.
Under some circumstances, dotted link lists misbehave. They might get unexpected line wraps or they might expand outside the box they are enclosed in. The how-to guide: Wikipedia:Line break handling, explains when that happens and how to fix it.
- The bullet used is Template:Error.
- Not to be confused with Template:Error, used in
{{·}}
.
Redirects[edit source]
See also[edit source]
There are several other templates with similar stream formatting purposes and such (or related) functionality:
- {{·}} – bold middot or (·)
- {{ndash}} – en dash or "–", a short dash
- {{mdash}} – em dash or "—", a long dash
- {{\}} – for the occasional slash or "/" in lists
Wrap control templates[edit source]
- You might need to handle proper word wrapping (line breaking):
- {{nowraplinks}} – Prevents wraps inside links and only allows wraps between the links and in normal text, very useful for link lists and easy to use.
- {{nowrap begin}} – Prevents wraps in both text and links. For the really tricky wrapping cases when you need full control, for instance in very complex link lists.
- For further information, see: Wikipedia:Line break handling – The how-to guide detailing how to handle line wrapping on Wikipedia.
Dot size reference list[edit source]
· | small middot |
· | middot |
· | small bold middot |
· | bold middot |
• | small bullet |
• | bullet |
• | bold bullet |
– | en dash |
— | em dash |