Template:Stable version/doc

Usage

This template is designed to help prevent article rot, that is, the tendency for an unsupported article to lose quality. For articles that are stable, meaning articles that are generally of a decent, usable quality, you can use this template on that article's talk page, linking to the permanent revision ID of that version. It is to be applied to pages that are currently well-supported, useful pages so that if, in the future, the stability and support of the article is to wane, the stable version will be readily available. The revision ID should generally not be updated to reflect every minor edit.

Some specific times to consider updating the permanent revision ID could include (but by no means are limited to):

• Being found to meet new article criteria (for example, when a C-class article becomes B-class, or a B-class gains featured status)
• After the article is updated to reflect significant current events (for example, the biography of someone who is elected to Prime Minister). There's no rush; in general, it may be better to allow the article to restabilize with the new information than to update the revision ID a day after the elections.
• If a dispute over significant content or neutrality issues affecting the permanent ID are satisfactorily resolved.
• Significant vandalism is discovered in the permanent revision.

Times when it may not be best to update the revision ID:

• Fixing grammar or spelling mistakes
• Adding/removing non-crucial information
• Reverting vandalism (unless said vandalism was also present in permanent revision)
• When the article is of lower quality than the revision ID (for example, a featured article has been downgraded to a B-class)
• When the article is not stable. This could include:
  • Frequent and widespread sweeping changes
  • Edit wars
  • The article is currently undergoing a transformation, to account for major current events, major improvements, etc.

The most important thing to ask before updating the revision id is : Is this version of the article better than the version in the revision ID? If in doubt, feel free to ask.

Syntax

The most basic syntax is simply:

• {{Stable version|465130355}}

Where "465130355" is the version ID of the permanent link. To work properly, the version ID should always be included as the first parameter.

This gives you:

There are four additional parameters that may optionally be used in any combination.

• Date: can be entered in many formats. Note, however, that 10-12-2011 will be considered 12 October 2011, not 10 December 2011.
• Class: The article assessment of the stable version (FA, B, C, GA, etc.)
• Assessed by: Which project did the assessment? (note, won't be displayed without the article assessment) You only need to enter the project name, for example: WikiProject Aviation, not Wikipedia:WikiProject Aviation, as the "Wikipedia:" is inserted automatically.
• Expanded=yes: The template will be expanded by default. If this is not included, or if Expanded is set to any value other than "yes", the template will be collapsed by default.

Here are four examples of this syntax:

1. {{Stable version|465130355|date=dec-10-2011|class=C|assessed by=MadeUp_WikiProject|expanded=yes}}
2. {{Stable version|465130355|class=C|assessed by=MadeUp_WikiProject|expanded=yes}}
3. {{Stable version|465130355|date=dec-10-2011|class=C|expanded=yes}}
4. {{Stable version|465130355|date=dec-10-2011|expanded=yes}}

These give, respectively: