Last modified: 2011-03-13 18:05:25 UTC
Right now there are three general methods used to describe how to use a template: 1) Put the documentation inside <noinclude> tags in the template page itself (Template:Foo) 2) Put the documentation on the talk page (Template talk:Foo#Usage) 3) Put the documentation on a sub-page (Template:Foo/Usage) Method 1 has the potential to add strain on the server when transcluding a template, and if [[Wikipedia:Template limits]] are enabled, the template will likely hit the size limit sooner. For methods 2 and 3, a message describing where to find the documentation is still generally needed on the template itself in a <noinclude> section. While this is an improvement, it still clutters up the template code itself and adds to the transclusion size. The talk page, which is currently the generally preferred location, does not seem to be the correct place for documenting a template, either. Besides, people who come to discuss the template have to worry about editing around the documentation. (I'm not sure if threaded talk pages will help or hinder the situation). Using sub-pages has the problem of discover-ability. Without an explicit link on the template or talk page, it would be almost impossible to find the documentation page. By adding a "Template usage" namespace, the description of the template can be put in a well-defined place, and all of these problems avoided. A new tab could appear between "Template" and "Discussion", making it more obvious where to find usage help.
The three existing methods mentioned (which aren't the only options) suffice fine.
