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I have a template that is generating external links ([ ...])

If part of the link includes an {{#if:}} construct, some characters are not parsed correctly, but actually terminate the link construct.

I have seen two different cases:

1. a '#' in the replacement text ends the link.

[http://somesite.com#anchor My site]
 correctly shows 'My site', with a link to http://somesite.com#anchor

but
 [http://somesite.com{{#if:anchor|#anchor}} My site]
expands to
    * http://somesite.com 
   1. anchor My site]
as though it were
  [http://somesite.com]
  #anchor My site ]
(including treating the '#' as a numbered list item).

Using nowiki helps, but still gives a different wrong result:
 [http://somesite.com{{#if:anchor|<nowiki>#</nowiki>anchor}} My site
expands as though it were 
 [http:somesite.com <nowiki>#</nowiki>anchor My site]

The workround I have is to put the # outside the #if:
 [http://somesite.com#{{#if:anchor|anchor}} My site]
This works, but of course it always generates the # on the link.


2. a ':' has similar problems, but not quite so bad, presumably because it is not so special to Mediawiki. The nowiki trick works here.

MW 1.13.2, ParseFunctions 1.1.1