Template talk:Comets

New Mega-Template Versions
New Mega-Template Versions

Several new (and more useful?) mega-template versions of the { {Comets}} template are now available - and are copied below.

(PLEASE NOTE: The currently "active" { {Comets}} template may contain several adds/adjs not in the "Proof of concept" examples posted below.)

The "FULL" VERSION:

The "COLLAPSED" VERSION (show/hide concerns?):

The "ORIGINAL" VERSION:

FWIW - my preference atm is the "FULL" version since this version tries to display all related Comet articles on Wikipedia in one-glance - in any case - Enjoy! :) Drbogdan (talk) 21:32, 30 November 2013 (UTC)


 * The COLLAPSED version - best & solves the purpose, the template looks decent.

The FULL Version is good but more like a listing & covers more than a screen.

So, my choice would be COLLAPSED ... Let the template Comets collapse.

& Thanks, for all the hard work. - Ninney (talk) 23:49, 30 November 2013 (UTC)


 * @ - Thanks for your comments - added the "Collapsed" version to the "active" { {Comets}} template as suggested - should be ok (for starters perhaps) - please let me know if otherwise - I thoroughly enjoyed doing the project - *entirely* ok w/ me to rv/mv/ce of course - in any regards - Thanks again - and - Enjoy! :) Drbogdan (talk) 00:43, 1 December 2013 (UTC)

"Full" or "Collapsed" version?
Several editors (other than myself) have differing views on this: one prefers the "Full" (open) version - the other prefers the "Collapsed" version - as before, I prefer the "Full" version, but either version is *entirely* ok w/ me - other viewpoints are welcome - maybe one view will clearly be preferred? - in any regards - Enjoy! :) Drbogdan (talk) 05:20, 1 December 2013 (UTC)
 * I am ok with any format, your call. I am glad with the job done so perfect, for me such a listing of comets always come handy. My only request is can we have a segregation/bifurcation of celestial objects like 2060 Chiron a.k.a. 95P/Chiron who is both Asteroid as well as Comet. Check, it has both templates - Minor planets navigator as well as PeriodicComets Navigator & their might be many other which can be listed down ... separately. At present, there are atleast 5 other objects that are cross-listed as both comets and asteroids: 2060 Chiron (95P/Chiron), 7968 Elst–Pizarro (133P/Elst–Pizarro), 4015 Wilson-Harrington (107P/Wilson-Harrington), 60558 Echeclus (174P/Echeclus), & 118401 LINEAR (176P/LINEAR, previously 1999 RE70). As a dual status object, their astrometric observations of should be reported under the minor planet designation. Thanks ! - Ninney (talk) 06:18, 1 December 2013 (UTC)
 * ✅ - ok - added an "asteroid comets" subgroup w/ noted items - should be ok - let me know if otherwise of course - Enjoy! :) Drbogdan (talk) 13:17, 1 December 2013 (UTC)


 * @ - Thanks for your comments - seems made some needed adjs w/ the template code - the display *may* now be more open as a result(?) - yes, *entirely* ok w/ me to add any relevant Asteroids (and related) to the template listings - may look into this more later - Thanks again for your comments - and - Enjoy! :) Drbogdan (talk) 12:31, 1 December 2013 (UTC)
 * If you don't mind can you put the Full version back as the main showing but not the added boxes at the bottom, with an option for collapsed if someone really doesn't want to see any of it on a page they love. Otherwise, the Full version seems much more handy for the reader's discovery or easy-reading, and is interesting visually. By collapsed I don't mean uncollapse the new extra tabs at the bottom, those look fine as is and are identifiable quite well. Drbogdan has done very well here, knows his stuff, and can dance on the head of a pin with many angels as he's earned the right to waltz with the goddesses. Thanks Drbogdan, and Ninney for your fine jobs here. Before and after the template was changed I was putting it on the pages of the Great Comets and the better known comets, and it looked really nice! Randy Kryn 12:31 1 December 2013 (UTC)
 * @ - Thanks for your comments - they're *greatly* appreciated - as it is, some newer template code has been recently added - I may have to study this more to understand how to adj the template display - any help w/ this welcome of course - in any case - thanks again for your comments - and - Enjoy! :) Drbogdan (talk) 12:43, 1 December 2013 (UTC)
 * I didn't read the top earlier, I meant the 'Collapsed' version above is preferable, but the template is showing totally collapsed on the pages I put it on where it stands alone. The Full version as you have it is too long, but the Collapsed is fully seen as regards the old and now outdated version. Thanks again Drbogdan (with the new alert system I guess the user name has to be linked). Randy Kryn 12:48 1 December 2013 (UTC)
 * @ - yes - may have to study the newly added template code more to understand the best way to display the template - ok w/ me if you (or others) would like to try doing this of course -
 * UPDATE NOTES:
 * adding { {Comets|state=expanded}} displays the "Collapsed" version on an individual article page => may like to view the { {Comets|state=expanded}} template on the Comet ISON article as an example.
 * adding { {Comets|Lists|state=expanded}} displays the "Full" version].
 * in any case - Enjoy! :) Drbogdan (talk) 13:03, 1 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Can't we just keep it at always expanded, and make the option to close it up? This way it would be available at first glance and catch people's interest (but not the bottom lists expanded, they are fine as they are). Would anybody mind that? Thanks Drbogdan Randy Kryn 18:45 1 December 2013 (UTC)
 * - @ - unable, so far, to figure out how to do this w/ the newly updated coding - may have to use the { {Comets|state=expanded}} coding on each individual article page for now - a solution from any one w/ the wherewithal welcome of course - in any case - Enjoy! :) Drbogdan (talk) 21:48, 1 December 2013 (UTC)

@ - You are currently more bright than Comet ISON, hats off to your efforts.


 * Thank you - Enjoy! :) Drbogdan (talk) 21:48, 1 December 2013 (UTC)

Few more assignments ... points to ponder ... listed for your kind perusal.

"✅ - 01. Features - O.K.

✅ - 02. Types - Add Category:Halley-type comets & Category:Encke-type Comets

✅ - 03. Notable Persons - Enlist key people here, say Edmond Halle, (we just remember him when the topic of Comets are discussed) ... For more details refer, Category:Discoverers of comets the top 5 listed are worthy enough to be displayed.

✅ - 04. Lists - List of comets discovered by the LINEAR project, List of comets with no meaningful orbit

✅ - 05. Related - Remove Comets in fiction & Comet vintages

✅ - 06. See Also - Add Comets in fiction, Category:Fictional comets, Comet vintages

(help welcome) - 07. Space Missions - { {Template:Comet spacecraft}} lists all Missions to comets; so if possible involve this template in our Parent template { {Template:Comets}} with hide status. Then, we need to add/update a particular mission only at one place instead of two templates.

✅ - 08. Current - O. K.|undefined" Cheers ! - Ninney (talk) 20:37, 1 December 2013 (UTC)


 * @ - Thanks for your comments - Great ideas imo - added a few items to the template - at least for starters atm - thanks again - and - Enjoy! :) - UPDATE: added ✅s (& related) to listing - Drbogdan (talk) 17:12, 2 December 2013 (UTC)

Collapsible groups
(in reply to your enquiry on my talk page) Unfortunately, I don't think there is a way of doing exactly what you want, but the documentation I added does say what you can do. So if you have a page with only the one navbox on it (this one), you can just edit the page to specify expanded. (Although this refers to the whole template, it won't open the bottom section, because of the coding in the template.) If at some future date someone adds another navbox, then either you'll have to edit the page manually, or you might decide it's better as it is anyway, and just leave it. Up to you.

Note that Navbox with collapsible groups behaves differently from its siblings, because it thinks each of its daughter navboxes already constitutes a separate navbox, so it decides to collapse itself, unless told otherwise. That's why there's specific coding in the template, within "noinclude" tags, to expand itself for easier editing - this only affects the way it appears when editing, not the way it appears when transcluded.

You can specify a default state within the code by replacing   with    except that for Navbox with collapsible groups, "autocollapse" doesn't have the desired effect - it's going to collapse anyway, because of its baby navboxes. Note that the coding state =   evaluates the parameter you give it (the triple parentheses say "evaluate the parameter") and passes the result to Navbox - this is called "pass-through". The part following the vertical separator lets you specify a default if the parameter is not specified in the function call.

The clutter around it in the coding is to allow different behaviours to be specified for editing ("noinclude") and for transclusion ("includeonly").

Hope this helps you understand what is going on. --NSH002 (talk) 22:03, 1 December 2013 (UTC)


 * @ - EXCELLENT Comments - Thank you *very much* for the explanation - yes, I now have a much better understanding of this - may have to specify template code (ie, { {Comets|state=expanded}}) for each article page individually to display the "Collapsed" version (or equivalent) similar to the one posted above - Thanks again for your comments - and - Enjoy! :) Drbogdan (talk) 22:50, 1 December 2013 (UTC)

Antimatter comet?
The "types" includes "antimatter comet". I'm not an astronomer. But the topic of antimatter comet feels rather WP:Fringe. Is the topic fringe or genuine? Should it be included or removed from this template? Feline Hymnic (talk) 11:18, 28 June 2014 (UTC)


 * I am also inclined to think antimatter comets are too fringe for a template. The article is likely only going go confuse the average reader. -- Kheider (talk) 14:34, 28 June 2014 (UTC)


 * Does one of us have the confidence to remove it from the template? Or, if that is too bold, to move it into the 'misc' section near the bottom? My own gut feeling is for straight removal. Feline Hymnic (talk) 14:44, 28 June 2014 (UTC)


 * ✅ - agreed - moved "Antimatter comet" item to template Lists/misc/related subgroup - at least for now - in any case - Enjoy! :)Drbogdan (talk) 16:07, 28 June 2014 (UTC)


 * Followup - also - moved to the newly created template misc/related subgroup => * See also ** Comet vintages ** Comets in fiction ** Fictional comets - maybe better - in any regards - Enjoy! :) Drbogdan (talk) 16:33, 28 June 2014 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 21 August 2023
Change C/2014 UN271 (Bernardinelli–Bernstein) to (Bernardinelli–Bernstein)112.120.56.203 (talk) 09:28, 21 August 2023 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: Per WP:NOTBROKEN. Neither does your proposed link rendered correctly.  — Paper9oll  (🔔 • 📝)  15:22, 21 August 2023 (UTC)

Cometary objects category
it is allowed to use a template to populate a maintenance category, see WP:TEMPLATECAT. Category:Cometary object articles isn't a content category and it is also hidden, as the guideline requests. C messier (talk) 13:09, 20 November 2023 (UTC)


 * Yes, but still not appropriate in a navbox, this is for templates such as stub etc. -- wooden superman  15:22, 20 November 2023 (UTC)
 * There is no such restriction in the guidelines. C messier (talk) 16:14, 20 November 2023 (UTC)
 * I think it's fairly obvious common sense that populating categories is not the function of a navbox. -- wooden superman  09:42, 21 November 2023 (UTC)
 * Then you should proceed to start a deletion discussion about the Category:Cometary object articles, as its description mentions it is populated by the template. C messier (talk) 13:47, 21 November 2023 (UTC)
 * No, I shouldn't proceed to do anything of the sort. These should have been populated properly in the first place.  However, I have removed the descriptive text giving incorrect instruction on how to populate categories. -- wooden  superman  15:53, 21 November 2023 (UTC)
 * But this is a maintenance category about comet articles using the template. There is no other reason for it to exist. The articles in it should already be in a content category about comets (and they already are). C messier (talk) 16:56, 21 November 2023 (UTC)
 * It seems to have been intended as a complement to Category:Cometary object redirects (primary)‎ and Category:Cometary object redirects (non-primary)‎. Anyway, it's gone now (see Categories for discussion/Log/2023 November 21). For info, various other infoboxes generate categories, including rollercoasters (categorised by manufacturer), former countries (categorised as establishments by date) and comics articles. I have added an example at WP:TEMPLATECAT.
 * please also update the /doc pages when you alter templates. – Fayenatic  L ondon 10:50, 6 December 2023 (UTC)