Module talk:Message box

CSS instead of tables

Moved from Template talk:Ambox § CSS instead of tables

 – Sapphaline (talk) 10:25, 20 August 2025 (UTC)

Could this thing use <div style="display:table;"> and <div style="display:table-cell;"> instead of literal tables and table cells (<table>, <td>)?

Were the any previous attempts to remake this using <div>? If so, what was the consensus? Sapphaline (talk) 09:46, 20 August 2025 (UTC)

A long time ago this would have been converted to divs but apparently IE sucked (this should not be news).

Today, I have User:Izno/Sandbox/Ambox with what are some skimmings and started a sandbox at Module:Message box/div. I have just done a very bad job of finishing this work. Izno (talk) 22:09, 24 August 2025 (UTC)

Which might be closer to done than not, honestly. I think what it currently needs is to

1. Double check the ambox work
2. Add "soft" support for the other kinds of boxes (where soft is defined as module-supports but config disabled)
3. Merge tested /div version but not CSS into main
4. Enable boxes of each kind one by one.
   • Leave ambox for penultimate as the most likely to cause some mass noise in a way
   • Probably somewhere around here do ombox, that has some needed coordination
   • Leave tmbox for ultimate, there is work to coordinate
5. Fix bugs that are identified
6. Move CSS over to better-named stylesheet
7. Delete the /div CSS (I won't be too sad)
8. Remove main support for table versions, possibly rename some things

Izno (talk) 22:42, 24 August 2025 (UTC)

I have now put this plan in a publicly editable place at Module:Message box/div/doc. IznoPublic (talk) 00:26, 26 August 2025 (UTC)

Hi! I didn't know you were doing this, so I made something similar. It seems to work:

• Module:
• Styles:

Iniquity (talk) 16:57, 11 September 2025 (UTC)

Yes, I did it in its own sandbox because it's a longterm enough project not to be done in the main sandbox, which should generally be releasable ad hoc for trivial issues. Izno (talk) 17:03, 11 September 2025 (UTC)

And also, there are enough other dependencies that "just change the two or three places" isn't going to fly. Izno (talk) 17:06, 11 September 2025 (UTC)

Where else do you think this will affect? ​​It seems that only the mobile version is oriented towards table.ambox, which can also be corrected by CSS Iniquity (talk) 17:09, 11 September 2025 (UTC)

I have already documented in Module:Message box/div/doc multiple places that will need careful work, ambox among them. Please feel free to peruse and ask questions about what's there and why. Izno (talk) 17:41, 11 September 2025 (UTC)

Thanks! Iniquity (talk) 17:47, 11 September 2025 (UTC)

What's broken here? I've probably wrong but AFAIK for accessibility the existing role="presentation" should suffice. Aaron Liu (talk) 23:21, 28 August 2025 (UTC)

You should always endeavor to use the default aria role element. In this case, that's not a table. Ignoring that, tables are shit for doing other presentation with. Izno (talk) 03:20, 29 August 2025 (UTC)

This /div work is great work, thanks for this waddie96 ★ (talk) 19:49, 8 September 2025 (UTC)

Ok, I think we can do {{cmbox}} now. Based on what I wrote down before, the process of a rollout is:

1. Alert some key pages. Has to include some verbiage like

   A change is occurring to how {{cmbox}} is implemented to support mobile resolutions better. It may cause some temporary display weirdness. Further information is available at Module talk:Message box#cmbox migration.

   with some text at the specific section

   A change is planned to occur in how {{cmbox}} is implemented. It should help improve display at mobile resolutions now, and accessibility later. cmbox was chosen because it has lower reader-facing impact than most other message box types and it's fairly self-contained. The change to cmbox will likely pave the way for other message boxes ({{fmbox}} is probably next).

   You can expect some difference in styling from previous for a small period due to the job queue, after which it should return to "normal". You should be able to correct it manually if you want with one of the usual steps (purge, null edit, or dummy edit). If an issue with display persists, leave a comment here (this scenario may be possible with some unexpected setup cmboxes).

   • Here (here, here is the warning)
   • WP:VPT
   • MediaWiki talk:Common.css
   • Maybe WT:CAT and WT:CFD
2. Sync Module:Message box/sandbox to Module:Message box (first time only)
3. Within quick succession to next step, sync Module:Message box/configuration/sandbox to Module:Message box/configuration
4. Within quick succession to previous step, sync Module:Message box/div/cmbox.css to Module:Message box/cmbox.css

Izno (talk) 17:08, 1 October 2025 (UTC)

The /div main and config modules have got some other adjustments that now make it different from what will end up going live, so they shouldn't generally be synced directly. For future me. Izno (talk) 21:59, 1 October 2025 (UTC)

Also messages now posted to VPT and Common.css. Izno (talk) 22:00, 1 October 2025 (UTC)

cmbox is deployed. Izno (talk) 20:30, 2 October 2025 (UTC)

Ok, cmbox has been basically quiet besides notes from the below. I will now work on fmbox, which should also be relatively low impact. I'm also starting to sketch out imbox which may need to interact with template content from Commons as well as c:MediaWiki:Filepage.css. Izno (talk) 20:44, 7 October 2025 (UTC)

Turns out I don't currently have to worry about commons names, which is something I should have noted when I split message box CSS during the TemplateStylization. Izno (talk) 01:03, 17 October 2025 (UTC)

What does split message box CSS during the TemplateStylization mean exactly?

Also, what can I help with. waddie96 ★ (talk) 03:56, 17 October 2025 (UTC)

All of the CSS for the message boxes was once in MediaWiki:Common.css. I moved it to TemplateStyles with some effort because of reasons.

This effort now that I've got my feet under me probably doesn't need much assistance. If you want to spend time on something, working on the problems listed at MediaWiki talk:Common.css/to do#Infobox would be excellent. If you want to spend some time on stuff, crafting an infobox (using Lua or template) to fix our career statistics pages would be super helpful. Izno (talk) 00:27, 19 October 2025 (UTC)

@Izno: any progress? sapphaline (talk) 13:20, 18 December 2025 (UTC)

You can see the progress at Module:Message box/div/doc. Izno (talk) 18:08, 18 December 2025 (UTC)

Protected edit request on 12 September 2026

−

border: 1px solid #a2a9b1; /* Default "notice" gray */

+

border: 1px solid var(--border-color-base, #a2a9b1); /* Default "notice" gray */

−

.ombox-protection { border: 2px solid #a2a9b1; /* Gray-gold */ }

+

.ombox-protection { border: 2px solid var(--border-color-base, #a2a9b1); /* Gray-gold */ }

Change instances of the color #a2a9b1 to use Codex variables for dark mode appearance. This is the same color in light mode, while improving appearance on dark mode. Axolitl (talk | contribs) 17:35, 12 September 2026 (UTC)

−

border: 1px solid #a2a9b1;

+

border: 1px solid var(--border-color-base, #a2a9b1);

For dark mode, use Codex variables for border. It looks the same on light mode, while looking more consistent with other borders on dark mode. Axolitl (talk | contribs) 17:49, 12 September 2026 (UTC)

−

border: 1px solid #a2a9b1;

+

border: 1px solid var(--border-color-base, #a2a9b1);

Like my above edit requests, by using Codex variables, the color will look the same on light mode while appearing nicer on dark mode. Axolitl (talk | contribs) 17:52, 12 September 2026 (UTC)

Could have been a single section of edit request. Izno (talk) 20:39, 13 September 2026 (UTC)

Oh, wasn't sure. I'll make sure to combine them if/when I make multiple edit requests on one talk page. Axolitl (talk | contribs) 23:55, 13 September 2026 (UTC)

Protected edit request on 23 September 2026

Please copy my changes from Module:Message box/ambox.css (diff), where I have modified the colors to support dark mode a bit better. Axolitl (talk | contribs) 03:53, 23 September 2026 (UTC)