Template documentationPurpose
Part of this:
 | Deadlines (UTC) Current time is 2025-08-25 15:29:56 () |
Convenience wrapper around {{Signpost/Deadline/core}} to generate formatted template parameters. This template primarily operates on two date/time input parameters, which may be defined using any standard notation supported by the #time parser function. Several other passthrough parameters are also accepted.
Input parameters
previous-issue
- Recommended format:
previous-issue=YYYY-MM-DD
The date when the most recent Signpost issue was released. (Year, month, and day; time components may be included but will be silently ignored.)
next-issue
- Recommended format:
next-issue=YYYY-MM-DD HH:NN UTC
The future date on which the next Signpost will be released (the deadline). (Should include time of release, in 24-hour format with timezone identifier.)
template
- Name of template to call. Optional, defaults to
Signpost/Deadline/core.
Passthrough parameters
Defined by Template:Signpost/Deadline/core. Forwarded unchanged by this wrapper.
- draft
- short
- refresh
- previous-issue
- next-issue
Output parameters
Additional parameters are generated from the |previous-issue= and |next-issue= inputs.
writing-previous, writing-next
Computed from |previous-issue= and |next-issue=, respectively, by subtracting "1 day" using the {{#time:}} parser function.
next-year, next-month, next-day, next-hour, next-minute
Individual component values split out from |next-issue= using the {{#time:}} mw:parser function. Passed to {{countdown}} by {{Signpost/Deadline/core}}.
writing-next-year, writing-next-month, writing-next-day, writing-next-hour, writing-next-minute
The same as the above, but for the writing deadline (one day before) instead of the publication deadline.
History
{{Signpost/Deadline/core}} previously required separate parameters for each year, month, day, hour, minute parameter, then manipulated them into other values or formats required. This created huge redundancy in the template code and made updating its parameters tedious. This wrapper accepts concise, human-friendly parameters, then manipulates them in advance to produce the values required for {{Signpost/Deadline/core}}, leaving its own code much cleaner and simpler.