Template talk:BirthDeathAge

Documentation and template name
Please write some documentation for this template, as there's currently no explanation as to how this template should be used. Also, the template name looks a bit odd. Why is "DOD" in capital letters but "Dob" not? Perhaps the template name should be changed to something like "AgeDOBDOD", "AgeDoBDoD" or "BirthDeathAge" (I prefer the last one). Finally, instead of creating a new template, perhaps it would have been better simply to merge "Birth date", "Birth date and age", "Birth year and age", "Death date", "Death date and age" and "Death year and age" together. In fact, if the template effectively combines the functions of all those templates, I would suggest that you consider making a proposal on the talk pages of those templates to replace them with your template. &mdash; Cheers, Jack Lee  –talk– 02:16, 12 March 2008 (UTC)
 * Will do some documentation tonight ,and I like your suggested name,merging isn't possible as the death template puts the death year first where as the birth one have the birth year first but replacing them is doable Gnevin (talk) 11:37, 12 March 2008 (UTC)

Cool. &mdash; Cheers, Jack Lee  –talk– 13:15, 12 March 2008 (UTC)
 * Is this ok ? will add the df switch and document it in a bit Gnevin (talk) 14:26, 12 March 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for creating this template – I think it's fantastic! It's exactly what I've previously suggested, which is to merge all the templates relating to birth and death dates and age. I've got one suggestion for improving the template. You've designed the template so that any unknown information can simply be omitted. However, typing " 1975 " can be a bit tricky as you have to carefully count the number of pipes ("|") to insert. What about making it possible to also enter "D" for a death date, and to type zeroes instead of leaving the parameters blank, like this: " undefined 0, 1975 "? Do you think that's helpful? For more flexibility, you may also want it possible for people to enter "b" and "d" into the template instead of "B" and "D".

By the way, I've created a shortcut to this template called "BDA". I wanted to make "bda" redirect to this template too, but that currently redirects to "Birth date and age". &mdash; Cheers, Jack Lee  –talk– 19:28, 12 March 2008 (UTC)
 * OK wiki doesnt compare chars like normal programming language all it does it see it the field is empty i've tried very think i can think of including

1975 (note i know &nbsp needs to be followed by a comma this is just to show_ but that doesn't work. As for the B it doesn't have to be a B it can be b or jibberish or 22sdsde, once again all it's doing it making it so the field isn't empty Gnevin (talk) 20:49, 12 March 2008 (UTC)
 * ` created to help with this issue Gnevin (talk) 23:18, 10 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Having BDA and bda be different but similar things is a Bad Idea. Rich Farmbrough, 18:16 19 January 2009 (UTC).

Template doesn't have functionality of Birth year and age
Hi, Gnevin. I've noticed that the template doesn't have the functionality of Birth year and age. Can this be fixed? &mdash; Cheers, Jack Lee  –talk– 19:28, 16 March 2008 (UTC)
 * I have added that, didn't know that template existed Gnevin (talk) 19:44, 16 March 2008 (UTC)
 * What's the point of two separate templates? Why not merge this into Birth year and age? -- Brown HairedGirl (talk) • (contribs) 23:12, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Depending on the parameters specified, this template displays a person's birth or death year, or full birth or death date, with or without the person's age. It therefore combines the functionality of the following templates:

* Birth date * Birth date and age – same as Birth date, except that "(age ##)" appears after the birth date * Birth year and age – year of birth and approximate age * Death date * Death date and age – same as Death date, except that "(aged ##)" appears after the death date * Death year and age – year of death and approximate age at death

So it's 5 templates + other features in one Gnevin (talk) 23:54, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Class="bday"
Does this template output the birth date in YYYY-MM-DD format, hidden by CSS, and wrapped with, as done by birth date and birth date and age? If not, it should not be used to replace those templates until it does, as that functionality is used by hCard microformats (usually, but not always, in infoboxes). If it does, that needs to be clearly documented. Thank you. Andy Mabbett (User:Pigsonthewing); Andy's talk; Andy's edits 15:15, 11 October 2008 (UTC).
 * Currently used on 70 pages. A lot less than the other ones (e.g. Template:Death date and age has over 5000 transclusions - not sure what the total it, probably in the hundreds of thousands). Carcharoth (talk) 15:20, 11 October 2008 (UTC)
 * This template output's what ever the base template use's . So if birth date does what your asking this template should too Gnevin (talk) 17:26, 11 October 2008 (UTC)
 * Thank you; in that case, my comment about documentation applies. Andy Mabbett (User:Pigsonthewing); Andy's talk; Andy's edits 18:23, 17 October 2008 (UTC)

Purpose of this template
How does this template help? It looks like it simply interposes a bunch of stuff between the template you should be using and selects that by parameters instead of template name.

Should the "cleverness" about which are left blank be injected into the original templates?

And if we wanted to be thorough there are many different combinations to be taken into account (such as disputed or approximate dates).

What is the best way forward, without multiplying templates or parameters?

Rich Farmbrough, 18:14 19 January 2009 (UTC).
 * Sorry but I'm not sure I understand your questions . The template helps by combining the functionality of several templates. Disputed and approximate ages would need an entirely new template Gnevin (talk) 18:35, 19 January 2009 (UTC)
 * OK let me explain. When you want birth date you can use the birth date template - easy enough to remember. However this template could provide help if I want some combination not already covered.  For example I would like to have someone's age at a given date, and their birthdate.  I can use this template, in theory, setting the death date  to the date of the event .  However because it is driven by selection of functionality from other templates it in fact fails - if you use "B" you don't always get the age. Rich Farmbrough, 18:49, 3 August 2009 (UTC).
 * Well the template was never intended to cover events and you'd be calling a death template which I believe would affect the micro carding. Gnevin (talk) 01:12, 14 January 2010 (UTC)
 * P.S Of course if you use B with a DOD you don't get an age, dead people don't have an age they died aged x which this template handles Gnevin (talk) 01:14, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

Full birth date + only death year
Can you add that example (the reverse situation already has an example)? -82.80.19.45 (talk) 11:13, 2 October 2009 (UTC)

Please do not use January 1, June 6 or August 8 in the examples
I've just come across an article (Charles F. Kettering) where I had to fix WRONGLY placed day and month. Can you please change it so that you can clearly see what to put first? The fact that I know it myself, does not mean that other users will get it in the first instant. I would like to do this myself, but the page code looks like some cryptic Lisp to me - I'm not going to touch THAT. -andy 77.191.219.90 (talk) 19:45, 15 November 2011 (UTC)

Error in calculation
This template has problems in calculation. When you type May 2, 1772 you get "2 May 1772 (aged 49–50)", while it is sure that the people is 50 (not 49-50), being May after February. A ntv (talk) 14:10, 9 December 2011 (UTC)

Error when omitting date of death
I'm trying to use January 2014 to indicate that someone who was born on 29 November, 1962 died on an unspecified date in January 2014. However, it gives me the result "January 2014 (aged Expression error: Missing operand for -.)". -- Gyrofrog (talk) 15:19, 21 January 2014 (UTC)