Template talk:Dialogue

Misunderstanding

@Trialpears: I reverted your change to make this template a redirect to Template:Line link per this TfD. The TfD seems to be based on a misunderstanding that the two templates are somehow related. In fact:

• {{dialogue}} generates a list of text lines showing which character spoke what
• {{line link}} generates a link to an article about a train line

I noticed this because every page using dialogue was in Category:Pages with script errors with an ugly red error message. Please do whatever is necessary to reverse the TfD and start a new one based on what the template does, if thought warranted. Johnuniq (talk) 00:20, 14 December 2019 (UTC)

Johnuniq, very sorry. The outcome was redirect {{line}} to {{line link}} as that was considered a more appropriate target then {{Dialogue}}. I forgot that {{dialogue}} was tagged in the TfD and didn't intend that to be redirected as well. I guess a  Self-trout and a thank you for fixing my mess is in order. I will make sure to have an extra look in the future so this doesn't happen again. ‑‑Trialpears (talk) 00:29, 14 December 2019 (UTC)

No problem, it's a wiki. Johnuniq (talk) 00:35, 14 December 2019 (UTC)

Action extra blank

Using the template's parameters each on a new line, as shown in the documentation, and as is customary, produces an unsightly extra space before the closing bracket in |action=. I don't know how to fix this. -- Michael Bednarek (talk) 01:41, 24 January 2022 (UTC)

Fixed ‑‑Neveselbert (talk · contribs · email) 10:53, 24 January 2022 (UTC)

Thank you very much for the swift response. -- Michael Bednarek (talk) 11:17, 24 January 2022 (UTC)

Use of bold

Putting the speaker names in boldface seems like it might go against MOS:NOBOLD ("Avoid using boldface for emphasis in article text"), and it doesn't really match any of the other quotation templates. Is there a strong theatrical precedent for quoting script dialogue like this? Belbury (talk) 12:29, 22 December 2025 (UTC)

@Ssilvers: Any thoughts on this? Examples of usage: ELIZA effect#History + Pareidolia#Literature. What might be used instead of bold? Johnuniq (talk) 23:20, 22 December 2025 (UTC)

I don't see any reason to bold the speaker names. Italics would help readers pick out who is speaking, though. -- Ssilvers (talk) 04:44, 23 December 2025 (UTC)

Here is a demo of the current bold and a possible italic:

Hamlet: Do you see yonder cloud that's almost in the shape of a camel?
Polonius: By th'Mass and 'tis, like a camel indeed.
Hamlet: Methinks it is a weasel.
Polonius: It is backed like a weasel.
Hamlet: Or a whale.
Polonius: Very like a whale.

Hamlet: Do you see yonder cloud that's almost in the shape of a camel?
Polonius: By th'Mass and 'tis, like a camel indeed.
Hamlet: Methinks it is a weasel.
Polonius: It is backed like a weasel.
Hamlet: Or a whale.
Polonius: Very like a whale.

Italic looks good. Johnuniq (talk) 08:17, 23 December 2025 (UTC)

Good idea, that looks much better. Belbury (talk) 11:30, 23 December 2025 (UTC)

Agreed. -- Ssilvers (talk) 18:19, 23 December 2025 (UTC)

I took a move to implement this change, but on seeing how italicised names look in an extract that includes stage directions, they become a little lost:

Rachel (worried): "Is something wrong, George?"
[Enter: Guards]
Guards: "Arrest that man!"
Rachel (horrified): "Oh my!"

The current implementation of the template renders as:

Rachel (worried): "Is something wrong, George?"
[Enter: Guards]
Guards: "Arrest that man!"
Rachel (horrified): "Oh my!"

Another approach to consider would be capitalising the names, and possibly small-capsing them in stage directions, as some script style guides do:

RACHEL (worried): "Is something wrong, George?"
[Enter: Guards]
GUARDS: "Arrest that man!"
RACHEL (horrified): "Oh my!"

Any thoughts? Belbury (talk) 16:10, 24 March 2026 (UTC)

I like the italics. The worst one is the caps. -- Ssilvers (talk) 00:04, 25 March 2026 (UTC)

I think the caps are more legible when there are bracketed stage directions in there, but yes, they don't look great in the more common, simpler extracts. Since direction lines seem rare in articles - the only usage I see is The Two Gentlemen of Verona#Foolishness of lovers, and I can't find any untemplated script extracts in other play articles - it may be overkill to do it all the time by default. (I suppose we could provide a style=script option.)

I'll update the template to use italics. Belbury (talk) 09:25, 25 March 2026 (UTC)