Template:BCGNIS/doc

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This is a documentation subpage for Template:BCGNIS (see that page for the template itself).
It contains usage information, categories and other content that is not part of the original template page.

[edit] Purpose

To provide a simple format to linking to information in the BC Geographical Names Information System. This is specifically useful for linking information to either the "External links" or "References" sections of Wikipedia articles.

[edit] Usage

{{BCGNIS|id|name}}

where:

id is the "name" numeric id found from a database name, and
name is the optional name to display (otherwise it will use the page name).

[edit] Example

Search the geographic name in the BCGNIS database
When you have the resulting "BCGNIS Query Result" for a successful search, look in the URL for the name field. For example, searching for Skaha Lake results in the following URL: http://ilmbwww.gov.bc.ca/bcgn-bin/bcg10?name=21460
Use the numeric value for name in the template:
```
{{BCGNIS|21460|Skaha Lake}}
```
Here is the result:
Skaha Lake in the BC Geographical Names Information System

If the article name ("Skaha Lake" in this example) and the desired display name are identical, you can omit the second parameter. Conversely, if the article name is not identical to the article name (e.g., Christina Lake (British Columbia)), you should use this parameter for proper display.

The name parameter can also be used to reference to geographic locations with different names in a single article. For example, {{BCGNIS|4968|Chatterbox Falls}} can be used in an article called Princess Louisa Inlet.

[edit] Where to use it

You may use this template in the external links section; for example:

==External links==
*{{BCGNIS|21460}}

You may also use this template as a reference or footnote, for example:

This is a fact.<ref>{{BCGNIS|21460}}</ref>

which will appear at the bottom of the article in the "References" section, using the <references/> tag.

[edit] Coordinates

The BCGNIS entry is a quick source to establish geographic coordinates for a location's latitude and longitude. Users are encouraged to add coordinates to articles about locations using coordinate template.

The {{coord}} template is particularly flexible, and can be used in many ways; for example:

Using degree, minute: {{coord|49|07|N|118|15|W}} will result in 49°07′N 118°15′W / 49.117, -118.25
Using degree, minute, seconds: {{coord|49|17|30|N|119|32|00|W}} will result in 49°17′30″N 119°32′00″W / 49.29167, -119.533333
Include the |display=... parameter in the template (as the last argument) to modify how the coordinate is displayed:

|display=inline (default; if this parameter can be omitted) shows the coordinate information where the template is used in the text
|display=title shows the coordinate information in the upper-right corner of the article; nothing is displayed where the template is used
|display=inline,title shows coordinate information both where the template is used in the text, and in the upper-right corner

[edit] Locations with the same name

Searches on BCGNIS can result in several locations (lakes, communities, etc) that have the same or similar names. Users are advised to verify that they have the correct location, particularly when performing moves of articles. (For instance, copying content from a lake Christina Lake (British Columbia) into an article about a community Christina Lake, British Columbia.