Template talk:Table vertical alignment/doc

I think specific column classes should only be counted from the left

I was confused earlier because of this. I see no reason why all specific column classes should be counted from two directions.

It would be good to fix this now so there is less to fix. --Timeshifter (talk) 13:41, 1 October 2026 (UTC)

Counting columns from left and/or right is a feature of the template. The example showcases both options. It is a feature of {{table alignment}} too, which this template is based on. If I recall, the feature was requested there in talk. Jroberson108 (talk) 13:51, 1 October 2026 (UTC)

I didn't see it requested on the talk page there. ArdWar just went ahead and added the classes to the doc here in August 2025. And to the CSS in the same month here. --Timeshifter (talk) 14:01, 1 October 2026 (UTC)

Template talk:Table alignment#Classes with nth-last-child selector. Jroberson108 (talk) 14:06, 1 October 2026 (UTC)

I saw that too but it doesn't mention counting columns from the right. --Timeshifter (talk) 14:09, 1 October 2026 (UTC)

Limitations edit

@Timeshifter: The limitation you added back in is not specific to this template, as I mentioned in the edit summary. It is a limitation of all templates that have a styles include and should instead be mentioned at Wikipedia:TemplateStyles. Jroberson108 (talk) 16:27, 1 October 2026 (UTC)

Preview will not work unless {{table vertical alignment}} is in that section. But if it is placed anywhere on the page, then table alignment will occur upon publishing. So to avoid bafflement and confusion by editors previewing sections, put it directly above each table its classes are used in. This is true for any table template using TemplateStyles.

We talked about this before. Few people are going to go to WP:TemplateStyles to figure out why {{Table vertical alignment}} doesn't seem to be working. They will give up, or go to the doc page. WP:Wikipedia is not paper. There is plenty of room for a small paragraph like this. I experienced this problem myself, and it was baffling until I figured it out somehow. Let's not waste people's time, and let's just give them the answer in the first place they are likely to look. --Timeshifter (talk) 16:39, 1 October 2026 (UTC)

@Timeshifter: The issue isn't if there is room, so moot point. This is a fairly new template, so who exactly is looking for why it is not working due to the include placement? Not a single person has said anything. Give up, unlikely. The norm is to search or ask on a talk page, and something not working only in preview doesn't stop them from submitting. Are you going to add it to all templates that have a styles include? That info should be on Wikipedia:TemplateStyles where general info belongs, which is what this info is. At most, I would suggest adding a quick link to the explanation at Wikipedia:TemplateStyles like "If it doesn't work when previewed, see ____.". This way the general info can be managed efficiently. Jroberson108 (talk) 17:02, 1 October 2026 (UTC)

"If it doesn't work when previewed, see ____.".

This would work if the link goes directly to the correct section of WP:TemplateStyles. Maybe create a section called "Preview problems".

We could also mention the WP:PEIS limits, and server limit of 500 "expensive parser function" calls. Both of which caused my recent weird preview problem where the majority of the preview didn't show up. Just mention them, and then link to WP:PEIS and WP:EXPENSIVE for more info.

And yes, I believe that sentence should be on all table templates based on WP:TemplateStyles. It's one sentence, and I believe enough people have had the problem to merit it. I believe it is one of those problems where many people may notice that going ahead and publishing works. But many then go and work on something else, because glitches are common on Wikipedia, and stuff eventually gets fixed. So articles with such problems are not edited as much. I bet many, many people noticed the preview, and especially the time-to-publish problems at List of countries by infant and under-five mortality rates. For years. --Timeshifter (talk) 23:37, 1 October 2026 (UTC)

@Timeshifter: There is no way this template will cause a WP:PEIS issue. {{shade}} and similar templates being used 1000s of times on a single page is more likely.

Frankly, there is no preview issue if a user follows the doc's directions. If they see the include missing, then add it as the doc instructs. If I see a template isn't working, then I check to see if it was implemented correctly. There is an explanation I added in September 2025 to Help:Template#General (see edit). Feel free to update it. Jroberson108 (talk) 01:09, 2 October 2026 (UTC)