CZ Talk:Chemistry style guide

Name/location

This should probably be a subpage of the chemistry workgroup or a CZ: page. --Robert W King 11:49, 22 February 2008 (CST)

I thought about calling it CZ:Chemistry style guide, but I wasn't sure if I had permission to so name a file. I have no objection to that name or to it being a subpage of the Chemistry Workgroup homepage. I will leave the final placement of the article up to those with better judgement concerning what is the best place for it. David E. Volk 13:43, 22 February 2008 (CST)

I concur that CZ: is the right place for it. You should be able to just move it (and this talk page). (Don't forget to speedy the left-behind redirects! :-) J. Noel Chiappa 00:22, 22 March 2008 (CDT)

Let's hold off on final location until the EC votes on my style guide proposal. If they agree that all workgroups should have them, then we will want to coordinate the location for all of them. I will take care of moving the page when the time is right. David E. Volk 08:06, 22 March 2008 (CDT)

Please do move it sooner rather than later. This isn't an article, therefore it doesn't belong in the main namespace. It's OK if it's in the CZ: namespace. That fact alone doesn't make it "official policy." --Larry Sanger 14:24, 1 April 2008 (CDT)

subpage template

I removed the template since it is only meant to be for pages that are part of a cluster. You might want to put the Chemistry workgroup header on the top though since this will probably be referred to a lot by its members. Chris Day 14:38, 1 April 2008 (CDT)

Properties Templates

The current Physical Properties template seems to work fine...until it gets big. Then it pukes. Clearly, this needs to be rethought...:-(...--David Yamakuchi 13:25, 20 May 2008 (CDT)

Can you give an example? Chris Day 13:51, 20 May 2008 (CDT)

The problem is that the wiki "server" appears to need to load the whole template when any element is needed. So for example, when we need to list the melting point, all the data in the template is loaded. Then, if we want boiling point the entire template is loaded...again. I'm not real sure why it would need to do this, but it might work for a few data points in a large template. The problem is when we go to list the entire template...it's bad...--David Yamakuchi 13:04, 27 May 2008 (CDT)

Scary guide

I'm afraid this guide will scare people away. At least it scares me, I find sentences like:

Pages for chemical elements should include the element infobox.

The box should be filled in completely.

Be sure to fill in the hazards in the element infobox.

very intimidating. I don't know how to include and fill in the element infobox, so I won't start another article on a chemical element before I find the time and inspiration to study the "infobox" (which may be never).--Paul Wormer 06:41, 7 July 2008 (CDT)

Scariness removed

Thanks Paul, that was a great change in the text! It is certainly much more pleasant than the old version. David E. Volk 11:25, 7 July 2008 (CDT)

Explanation of my edits of the section about the Elem Infobox template

David, the user has no control over the background or element color, the atomic mass, the element's class, the element's symbol, or the atomic number. In other words, the user of the Elem Infobox template cannot change those parameters. Once the element's name is entered, the template automatically generates those items ... and that is a good ides, assuming that what the template generates is correct and it does in fact seems to be correct.

So I removed those parameters from the text that you provided for using the template. If not removed, they would lead the reader to think that user could change those values when, in reality, the user cannot change them. That is proven by the fact that I completely deleted those parameters on the Edit page and the example Phosphorus infobox display did not change.

I think that we could also remove the element's period (elperiod) and block (elblock) because they serve no useful function. The template automatically locates the element in the miniature periodic table by coloring it black, and the template automatically creates the class and displays it just above the miniature periodic table (see "Non-Metal in the Phosphorus example infobox). With the automatic display of the element's class and the automatic locating of the element in the periodic table, there is no need to display the element's period and block (see "3,p" the Phosphorus example infobox). It is just another set of numbers for readers to wonder what the heck they mean. - Milton Beychok 20:36, 15 April 2011 (UTC)

If you disagree with what I did, feel free to revert my edits. If you agree with my comment about also removing the elperiod and elblock parameters, please let me know and I will remove them. - Milton Beychok 20:36, 15 April 2011 (UTC)