Help:Infobox/picture

If an article already has an infobox at the top right, then the usual place for the article's first picture is within the infobox. This page describes how to add that picture. Confusingly, the proper syntax to do this varies from one infobox to another.

This page assumes that the picture has already been uploaded to Wikipedia or to Wikimedia Commons; see Uploading images.

Using three or four parameters
In these infoboxes, the image information is split up into three or four different parameters. This is the syntax used by, , and others. Here are the image parameters for :


 * image is the name of the image, abc.jpg, xpz.png, 123.gif, etc. Do not include the File: or Image: prefix, do not enclose the name in brackets, but do remember to include the filename extension.
 * image_upright should normally be left blank, so that the size defaults to the size set in a user's preferences.
 * alt should be set to a description of the image for visually impaired readers. See WP:ALT. Do not use this for another copy of the caption or of the article title, as the reader will already be aware of these.
 * caption, if set, displays just below the image. Remember that the person's name is typically displayed just above the image anyway, so only include a caption if it has something extra to say. It may be helpful to include the year or place of the photo.

Example
A real example would have other parameters as well.

Variations
Some infoboxes use a syntax similar to this, but with different names for the parameters. For example, uses "Cover" instead of "image" and "Caption" instead of "caption".

Using one or two parameters
In these infoboxes, the image information is combined into only one or two parameters. This is the syntax used by, and others. Here are the image parameters for :


 * image is a complete image placement specification as described in the Picture tutorial or at Extended image syntax. The size should typically be set to 200px, and the image should be centred. Alt text should be included for visually impaired readers.
 * caption is displayed below the image.

I can't work out which set of parameters to use
When you edit the article, you should be able to find the text  somewhere near the top. That line, without the pair of curly brackets, is the name of the infobox (If there's a vertical bar "|", then stop before that).

If you've found "Infobox connector", as an example, then type "Template:Infobox connector" into the Wikipedia search box to display the template definition and documentation.

The template documentation is unclear or missing
It happens. When you are on the template definition page, select "What links here" from within the Toolbox section on the left-hand side. This displays a list of articles that use the same infobox; some of these may help you work out what to do.

My image is displayed, but with extra square brackets and other nonsense
This typically happens when  is used within an infobox that expects.

My image is displayed, but is inside an extra frame
This occurs when the "thumb" keyword is included in the file specification.

I'm seeing the image name as plain black text
This may be because you have used the  syntax within an infobox that expects.

My edits to a parameter are ignored
This could be a sign that the parameter name is not one of those recognized by the infobox that you are using. You should also check that the parameter is not being specified more than once, as only the last mention of a parameter has any effect.

I'm still stuck
Ask a question at the Help desk, including the names of the article and the image.