Template:Cleanup image captions

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Usage

The {{Cleanup image captions|date=December 2025}} template helps track articles with image captions in need of cleanup. This template will auto-categorize tagged articles into Category:Image captions for cleanup, and the subsequent bot edit will place it into a dated subcategory, as well. The auto-categorization includes variations, like Category:Image captions for cleanup/With examples and Category:Image captions for cleanup/Without examples, and dated variants, like Category:Image captions for cleanup from November 2020.

See all of the scheme's categories below:

Click on "►" below to display subcategories:
Image captions for cleanup

Syntax

The basic syntax uses {{Cleanup image captions|date=December 2025}} with the current month and year.

Parameters

|date= is the only required parameter – dated subcategories depend on its use; for example: Image captions for cleanup from December 2020 – if the template is used without "|date=", a bot will append it in place and correct the omission

Required

|date= value should be set in "Month year" form; for example: "December 2025" – if missing or blank a bot will add it later

Optional

The following parameters are available for optional use, subject to the user's best discretion and clue (parameters shown on the same line are aliases and may be used interchangeably):

|link= using y or yes turns the camera icon into an active link to its File:page – all other values transclude through {{{link}}} which allows for a custom URL

|shrink= any value reduces the {{ambox}}'s size, location, and text rendered – from a width of 80%, centered on page, to a width of 25% aligned left, the image icon reduces from 40px to 20px, the output of |fix= is hidden, and Category:Articles using small message boxes is added to page. Set this parameter's value to "file" to tag a specific image's caption and place the tag directly before the caption itself (the "criteria specific" parameters may also be used). See "examples five and six" for more information

|onefile=, |of=, and |o= when the article, or section thereof (when tag is placed therein), has only one image, this parameter, using any value, modifies the prose to speak of the caption as being the only one and places the tagged page in Category:Image captions for cleanup/With examples

|allfiles=, |all=, and |af= when all of the files in the article, or section thereof (when tag is placed therein), have problematic captions, this parameter modifies the prose to speak of the captions as all being in need and places the tagged page in Category:Image captions for cleanup/With examples

|subset=, |sub=, and |su= using any value which is a subset of an article, (for example, "section", "list", or "gallery"), changes the tag's prose from article specific to section, list, or gallery specific verbiage

|example=, |1=, and |e= for listing only one example, add its file page name without "File:" or extension to show the file name as an example of a caption in need of the clean-up specified and places the tagged page in Category:Image captions for cleanup/With examples

|examples= and |es= when listing more than one example – add file page names without "File:" or extension for examples with captions in need of clean-up and places the tagged page in Category:Image captions for cleanup/With examples

The following parameters modify the tag's prose from "generalized verbiage" to "criteria specific verbiage"; for example: where the default text says: "... to comply with Wikipedia guidelines, the parameters modify it as shown:

|clarify=, |cl=, and |c= using any value adds: for clearly identifying the image's subject. ..."

|succinct=, |sc=, and |s= using any value adds: for succinctness. ..."

|relevance=, |re=, and |r= using any value adds: for establishing an image's relevance to the article. ..."

|context=, |con=, and |ct= using any value adds: for providing context for the picture. ..."

|allure=, |al=, and |a= using any value adds: for drawing readers into the article. ..."

|wording=, |wo=, and |w= using any value adds: for trivial wording. ..."

|format=, |fm=, and |f= using any value adds: for formatting and punctuating image captions. ..."

Examples

Example 1

This example assumes an article has two or more image captions spread over two or more sections of the article, some of which are needing cleanup, and that the tag will be placed atop the article without giving specific examples. The syntax added atop the page would appear, in edit mode, as:

{{Cleanup image captions|date=December 2020}}

Example 2

This example assumes that a section of the article has only one file within, and its caption needs cleanup. The tag uses generalized language, is placed atop the section, and shrunk in size. The syntax atop the section appears in edit mode as:

{{Cleanup image captions |onefile=yes |subset=section |shrink=yes |date=December 2020}}

Example 3

This example assumes a section of the article has three or more captions where at least two, given as examples, are in need of cleanup and they specifically are problematic for being trivial. The syntax placed atop the section appears, in edit mode, as:

{{Cleanup image captions |subset=section |wording=trivial |examples=Example 1 ''''' and''''' Example 2 |date=December 2020}}

Example 4

This example assumes an article has two or more captions within and that they all are problematic. Using generalized terms, the syntax placed atop the article appears, in edit mode, as:

{{Cleanup image captions |allfiles=yes |date=December 2020}}

Example 5

This example assumes the tag, using "generalized verbiage", will be placed in the caption field of a file whose caption needs cleanup (other files in the article can also be tagged as is appropriate). The syntax appears, in edit mode, as:

[[File:1976 Fender Stratocaster.jpg |thumb |center |{{Cleanup image captions |shrink=file |date=December 2020}} Guitar]]

Example 6

This example assumes the tag, using "criteria specific verbiage", will be placed in the caption field of a file whose caption uses trivial wording. The syntax appears, in edit mode, as:

[[File:1976 Fender Stratocaster.jpg |thumb |center |{{Cleanup image captions |shrink=file |wording=trivial |date=December 2020}} Guitar]]

Tracking categories

Category:All image captions for cleanup (43)