Template:Contentious topics/alert/common doc

Alerts ensure a user knows what is expected of them. Alerts are a neutral courtesy; never use them to intimidate, coerce, or shame another editor.

To alert a user, open a new section on their user talk page. Paste the following code into it, replacing  with the corresponding code from the table below. Type an appropriate subject line, then save the page.

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You also should not issue alerts to editors who have posted a Contentious topics/aware notice on their talk page for a particular topic area, thus declaring they are already aware of the topic sanctions. If that is the case, the filter will remind you that leaving an alert for this user is not necessary.

The template is flexible through the parameters 2, which adds text to the box, and sig, which adds your signature.

topic code here – select from list

Logging
Using this template will trigger EditFilter 602. As a result, your edit containing the alert will be tagged with "contentious topics alert". Edits with this tag can be searched for in user contributions, user talk page histories, Special:RecentChanges, and the log of EditFilter 602.

Therefore, an automatic system log of all alerts is maintained. You need not do anything except leave the alert.

To see whether a user has been Alerted for a contentious topic, load the history of their user talk page and search for  under the 'tag filter' field. You can use the Contentious topics/log template (usually alongside user in noticeboard reports) to quickly generate links for conducting searches of issued alerts.

If your alert does not log, please seek assistance at Template talk:Contentious topics.

Codes
When leaving a user an Alert, you must replace  with the relevant topic code:

Advanced users' notes

 * Edits containing a substituted instance of this template will trigger AbuseFilter 602. The exact text which triggers the AbuseFilter are declared in the publicly viewable filter conditions.
 * If the parameter 1 fails to display, topic or t can be used instead.
 * This template will return an error if:
 * 1 or an equivalent is not declared;
 * the template is not substituted; or
 * the template is used outside the user talk or user namespaces.
 * Template:Alert is a redirect to Template:Contentious topics/alert. Instructions for this template, Contentious topics/alert, are often given with reference to the template name Alert. This is for brevity's sake; the two template names refer to the same actual template.
 * Information on adding topic areas to the index above is given at the bottom of Template:Contentious topics/list/single notice, which is displayed.
 * This template is included in Category:Wikipedia templates to be automatically substituted, so AnomieBOT will automatically substitute it. (As the template returns an error if used unsubstituted, AnomieBOT will not have to frequently, if ever, do this.)