Template:Cautionbox/doc

This is a documentation subpage for Template:Cautionbox.
It contains usage information, categories and other content that is not part of the original template page.

This template is meant for non-life-threatening warnings that could affect a traveller's possessions, finances, or health, and other notices that need presentation in an attention-grabbing format. It should be used sparingly—only if normal prose is insufficient for some reason. Appropriate uses include:

Cautions:

"airport transport scams are very common"
"public displays of affection could result in jail time"
"do not let your bags out of your sight"

Notices:

"young children frequently get underfoot"
"travel to this area is restricted"
"passport rules have changed recently"

Do not use this for minor announcements ("closed for repairs"), tangential factoids ("George Washington slept here"), organizational disclaimers ("The exclusion of Region X from the regional hierarchy is not..."), proper life-threatening dangers ("death penalty for drug possession", "civil war active") or obvious dangers ("do not walk on expressways", "do not wander down dark alleys while intoxicated").

If the danger affects the entire region, the caution box can be placed at the very top of the article. If the danger is localized or avoidable, place it under "Stay safe".

This template adds mainspace pages with warnings to Category:Has caution box.

If no lastedit value is provided the page will also appear on Category:Has caution box with no date.
Specify lastedit=permanent to prevent warnings that are not time-limited from appearing under the maintenance category.
If the lastedit date is more than 6 months in the past then the page will appear on Category:Has caution box with out of date warning

Travel advisories

To add advisories, insert full, direct URLs of a specific information using one or more of the following template parameters:

Australia: australia
Belgium: be
Canada: canada
Germany: de
France: fr
Hong Kong: hk
Ireland: ie
India: india
Netherlands: nl
New Zealand: nz
China: prc
Singapore: sg
South Africa: southafrica
United Kingdom: uk
United States: us

lastedit

To add last updated dates, insert a date in the YYYY-MM-DD format after adding a lastedit template parameter. You should update the lastedit date every time you change the information in the warning or check the information and it is still accurate.

Only add a lastedit parameter on warning boxes with information likely to change or go out of date quickly. For example, a destination with a war that ongoing, like Syria or where there has been a natural disaster recently, like a major flood or hurricane.

Syntax

Use the following syntax (copy, paste and fill out empty fields):

{{cautionbox | | lastedit=2024-10-17 }}

or

{{cautionbox | boldtext= | | lastedit=2024-10-17 }}

Examples

{{cautionbox
| To avoid the unsavory, corrupt, and thoroughly untrustworthy booking services based in [[Mordor|Minas Morgul]], it is best to get a place to stay on arrival without advance reservation.
| lastedit=2023-12-31
}}

It displays the following:

	Note: To avoid the unsavory, corrupt, and thoroughly untrustworthy booking services based in Minas Morgul, it is best to get a place to stay on arrival without advance reservation.

	(Information last updated 31 Dec 2023)

Parameter

You can change the bold text by using the "boldtext=" parameter. For example,

{{cautionbox|boldtext=CAUTION|Scams are very common in this city.}}

displays:

	CAUTION: Scams are very common in this city.

To add last updated dates, insert a date in the YYYY-MM-DD (example: 2020-09-13) format after adding a lastedit template parameter. You should update the lastedit date every time you change the information in the box or check the information and it is still accurate.

Only add a lastedit parameter on caution boxes with information likely to change or go out of date quickly. For example, a destination where important infrastructure might have been temporarily damaged, or an economic crisis might be causing temporary challenges for visitors.