Template:Hidden ping

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This template is used on approximately 4,700 pages and changes may be widely noticed. Test changes in the template's /sandbox or /testcases subpages, or in your own user subpage. Consider discussing changes on the talk page before implementing them.

Shortcuts

This template uses Lua:

Module:Hidden ping

This template is used to trigger a notification to one or several registered user(s) you are replying to in a discussion without displaying any text. The notification will only work successfully if you sign your post in the same edit in which you use this template. If you make a mistake in placing this template or in signing, see Help:Fixing failed pings. It is an alternative to the {{Reply to}} template. It works on any talk page or Wikipedia namespace page.

IP addresses are only notified if you post to their user talk page.

For transparency reasons, please be cautious and judicious when using this template, and make sure you are familiar with the guideline on canvassing.

Usage

{{Hidden ping|Username}}Message text. ~~~~

The edit that adds this template must be signed with new signature tildes at a minimum, or the notification(s) will not work. See Wikipedia:Notifications and mw:Help:Echo § Technical details for more information.

It is not necessary to use this template to ping the user if you are already linking to the username from your post, neither is it necessary when posting on their own talk page.

Single recipient

Use the following syntax:

{{Hidden ping|Username}}Message text. ~~~~

For example, {{hidden ping|Jimbo Wales}}This is a message that Jimbo might be interested in. would display "This is a message that Jimbo might be interested in." and notify Jimbo Wales.

The comment must be signed and belong to a named section of a "Talk" or "Wikipedia" namespace page in order for the notification to work.

Multiple recipients

You can reply to up to 50 people at once. Use the following syntax:

{{hidden ping|User1|User2|User3|User4|User5|User6|User7|User8|User9|User10|...}}Message text. ~~~~

For example, {{hidden ping|Example|Jimbo Wales}} would notify User:Example and User:Jimbo Wales if used in a signed comment.

Warning: If the total number of detected to-be-pinged users in an edit exceeds 50, no notifications will be delivered. An error message will be displayed when previewing the page, but not once the page has been saved.

Error messages

As the intention of this template is that it not produce any output, error messages are only displayed when previewing a page. Once the page has been saved, this template will not display any output.

Error in Template:Hidden ping: Input contains forbidden characters.

This error indicates that one or more of the usernames specified contained a character that is not allowed in Wikipedia usernames.

Error in Template:Hidden ping: Username not given.

This indicates that no usernames were specified. This error can also be produced when the recipient's username contains an equal sign, for example {{hidden ping|test=test}}. To fix this, simply add 1= at the beginning of the username, 2= at the second username, 3= at the third username and so on: {{hidden ping|1=test=test}}

Error in Template:Hidden ping: More than 50 names specified.

If the total number of detected to-be-pinged users in an edit exceeds 50, no notifications will be delivered. An error message will be displayed when previewing the page, but not once the page has been saved. This is a limitation of the Echo software that provides the notifications (as of August 2015^[update]).

Module:Hidden ping – the Lua module on which this template is based
{{Reply to}} – Links to one or more users names preceded by the @ sign and followed by a colon
{{user link}} – Links to a single user's page (without the @ sign and colon)
{{no ping}} – Links a user's name without triggering the echo notification system
{{to}} – Uses "To " (with a space) at the beginning instead of the @ sign
{{talkback}} – Allows a user to direct the attention of another user to a discussion via a notification
Manual:Echo – the manual page for the underlying Echo feature that provides the notifications
Help:Fixing failed pings

Inline talk templates

Template P? Example shortcut Output Notes

Thread level

{{Moved talk}} Y {{Moved talk|Dresden}} Moved: was at Talk:Dresden Used at the thread's current ___location

{{Moved talk to}} Y {{Moved talk to|Berlin}} Moved to: Talk:Berlin Used at the thread's former ___location

{{Thread retitled}}

{{Thread retitled|Old title}}

Thread retitled from Old title.

Per Wikipedia:Talk page guidelines#Section headings

Opening

{{Summoned by bot}} N {{sbb}} (Summoned by bot) Can be used in requests for comment

{{Buttinsky}} N {{Buttinsky}} ^{( Buttinsky)} A variation of {{Talk page stalker}}

{{Edit conflict}} {{ec}} (edit conflict) To indicate that you encountered an edit conflict

{{Interrupted}} Y {{Interrupted|User|17:46, 30 August 2025 (UTC)}} — User 17:46, 30 August 2025 (UTC) — continues after insertion below Used to identify the contributor of the upper fragment(s) of a comment that was broken up by a different contributor's insertion of text

{{Non-admin comment}} {{nacmt}} (Non-administrator comment) Optional and only for own comments, see doc

{{Pinged}} N {{Pinged}} (pinged) Indicates a notification was received

{{Responding to ping}} N {{rtp}} (responding to ping) Similar to {{pinged}}

{{Talk page stalker}} {{tps}} (talk page stalker) Cf. Wikipedia:Talk page stalker

{{Talk page watcher}} {{tpw}} (talk page watcher) Ditto

Notifications N

{{Hidden ping}} Y {{hp|Username}} Invisible notification utilizing the zero-width space character

{{Ping group}} Y {{pinggroup|Example:|User 1|User 2|...}} Example: (User 1—User 2—...) Up to 10 usernames

{{Pong}} Y {{pong|Username}} Username: In reply to a ping

{{Reply to}} Y {{re|Username}}/
{{ping|Username}} @Username: Sends a notification; up to 50 names

{{To}} Y {{To|Username}} To editor Username: Sends a notification

During

{{subst:Arbitrary break}} N {{subst: Arbitrarybreak}} ======(arbitrary break)====== Requires substitution

{{subst:Bump}} N {{subst:Bump}} Bumping thread ~~~~ Requires subst. A wrapper for {{do not archive until}}

{{FBDB}} N {{FBDB}} ^[FBDB] An initialism for Friendly Banter – Don't Block

{{KISS}} N {{KISS}} KISS References the KISS principle politely

{{No ping}} Y {{np|Username}} Username Works like {{U}} but without triggering a notification

{{No ping2}} Y {{np2|Username}} Username (talk · contribs) Works like {{User}} but without triggering a notification

{{Notelist-talk}} {{tnote}} _{[not shown here]} Creates a list of footnotes for a talk page discussion

{{Outdent}}

{{od|:::::}}

For out-denting a reply when indention gets too deep

{{Outdent2}} {{od2}} (←) Alternative out-denting

{{Reflist-talk}} {{tref}} _{[not shown here]} Creates a list of references for a talk page discussion

{{Relevant discussion}}

{{reldis|Talk:Berlin}}

Relevant discussion at

→ Talk:Berlin

Creates links to related discussions in a visually unique way

{{Sock vote}} Y {{sock vote|Username}} ( Blocked sockpuppet of Username) To mark a vote/comment cast by sockpuppet. More parameters exist and can be viewed at the template documentation.

{{Sources-talk}} N {{Sources-talk}} _{[not shown here]} A convenience wrapper around {{Reflist-talk}}

{{Talkfact}} "Example"{{talkfact}} "Example"^{[citation needed]} Used to quickly ask an editor to back up their claims

{{Talk quote inline}} Y {{tq|"Example"}} "Example" To highlight a short excerpt of quoted material

{{Talk quote inline italic}} Y {{tqi|"Example"}} "Example" "

{{Not talk quote inline}} Y {{!tq|"Example"}} "Example" To highlight a short excerpt of quoted material someone didn't say but could have, or perhaps, should have

{{Not talk quote inline italic}} Y {{!tqi|"Example"}} "Example" "

{{Talk quote block}}

{{tqb|"Example"}}

"Example"

To highlight a longer excerpt of quoted material

{{Talk quote block
minimalist}}

{{tqbm|Example}}

Example

A longer excerpt of quoted material, with less highlighting

End

{{Please sign inline}} N {{please}} (Please remember to sign your posts on talk pages by typing four keyboard tildes like this: ~~~~. Or, you can use the [ reply ] button, which automatically signs posts.)

{{subst:Please ping}} {{Please ping}} (please mention me on reply) Includes your username if substituted, but can be transcluded. Use {{Please ping|no}} to ask not to be pinged.

{{Not watching}} N {{nw}} (I am not watching this page, so please ping me if you want my attention.)

{{subst:Notifyme}} N {{subst:pingme}} If you reply here, please put {{reply|your username will show up here}} in front of your message so I get a notification. Thank you! Requires substitution. Will automatically add your username by substituting {{REVISIONUSER}} when you save.

{{subst:Request ping}} Y {{subst:repi|Example}} If you reply here, please ping me by adding {{u|Example}} to your message, and signing it. Requires subst

{{Signote}} {{sg}} _{Please leave me a note if you reply}

{{Watching}} N {{Watching}} (I am watching this page, so please reply here.)

Humor disclosure (See the humor disclosure templates here.)

TemplateData

This is the TemplateData for this template used by TemplateWizard, VisualEditor and other tools. See a monthly parameter usage report for Template:Hidden ping in articles based on its TemplateData.

TemplateData for Hidden ping

Trigger a notification to one or several registered user(s) you are replying to in a discussion without displaying any text.

Template parameters[Edit template data]
Parameter		Description	Type	Status
Username	`1`	The name of a user that you want to notify	User	required
Additional username	`2`	The name of an additional user you want to notify	User	optional
Additional username	`3`	The name of an additional user you want to notify	User	optional
Additional username	`4`	The name of an additional user you want to notify	User	optional
Additional username	`5`	The name of an additional user you want to notify	User	optional
Additional username	`6`	The name of an additional user you want to notify	User	optional
Additional username	`7`	The name of an additional user you want to notify	User	optional
Additional username	`8`	The name of an additional user you want to notify	User	optional
Additional username	`9`	The name of an additional user you want to notify	User	optional
Additional username	`10`	The name of an additional user you want to notify	User	optional

The above documentation is transcluded from Template:Hidden ping/doc.
Editors can experiment in this template's sandbox and testcases pages.
Add categories to the /doc subpage. Subpages of this template.