Template:Circa

c.

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Usage

This template generates an abbreviation for circa: ‹See TfM›c. By default the abbreviation is marked with <abbr>.

Examples

Syntax	What it looks like	Notes
{{circa}} 1325	‹See TfM›c. 1325	Default style; line break allowed between "‹See TfM›c." and "1325"; normal-width space
{{circa|1325}}	‹See TfM›c. 1325	Default style: no line break allowed; thin space
{{circa|1325|i=yes}}	‹See TfM›c. 1325	With italic "c.", though italics are discouraged at MOS:CIRCA
{{circa|1325|lk=abbr}}	‹See TfM›c. 1325	With abbreviation marking only (default)
{{circa|1325|lk=yes}}	‹See TfM›c. 1325	With link only
{{circa|1325|lk=no}}	‹See TfM›c. 1325	With neither link nor abbreviation marking
{{circa|1000|1050}}	‹See TfM›c. 1000 – c. 1050	For ranges

Parameters

Using the date itself as parameter (for example, "{{circa|1956}}", giving "‹See TfM›c. 1956"), web browsers do not insert a line break anywhere in the string. By contrast, "{{circa}} 1956" allows a line break between the "‹See TfM›c." and the number. Also, with the date as a parameter a thinner space is used with many browsers:

• "‹See TfM›c. 1956" is generated by "{{circa|1956}}".
• "‹See TfM›c. 1956" is generated by "{{circa}} 1956".

If the parameter |i= is set to a non-empty value, the "c." is put in italics: for example, "{{circa|i=''}}" generates "‹See TfM›c." instead of "‹See TfM›c.".

If the parameter |lk= (for "link") is set as "|lk=no" or "|lk=off", the abbreviation is rendered as "‹See TfM›c.", without a wikilink or abbreviation element. If it is set to "|lk=abbr", it is rendered with the abbreviation element but without the wikilink. If it is set to "|lk=yes" or "|lk=on", it is rendered as "‹See TfM›c.", with a wikilink to the circa article and not an abbreviation element. Otherwise, the abbreviation is marked with the "<abbr>" element, as in "‹See TfM›c.", and linked to the circa article. The lk parameter can be used to avoid overuse of "<abbr>" or overlinking when this template is used repeatedly in the body of an article. For example:

• [[Dionysius Exiguus]] was born {{circa|470}}, lived in Rome from {{circa|lk=no|500}}, and died {{circa|lk=no|544}}.

  → Dionysius Exiguus was born ‹See TfM›c. 470, lived in Rome from ‹See TfM›c. 500, and died ‹See TfM›c. 544.

If the parameter "cap=yes" is specified, the result starts with a capital letter.

If the parameter "sortable=yes" is specified, the template generates invisible text that will cause the output to work in sortable tables, at the cost of causing problems for visually-impaired readers. Compare "Col 1" and "Col 2" in the following table:

Title	Col 1	Col 2
Foo	1066	1066
Bar	‹See TfM›c. 1510	‹See TfM›1510 c. 1510
Baz	1956	1956
Jaz	‹See TfM›c. 410	‹See TfM›0410 c. 410

"Col 1" uses {{Circa}} 1510, and does not sort correctly. "Col 2" uses {{Circa|1510|sortable=yes}}, and does sort correctly. This works because {{Circa|1510|sortable=yes}} inserts an invisible span element at the start of the cell: <span style="display:none;">1510</span>. Although it is not rendered, it is still seen by the sorting code and makes sorting work.

The downside of this approach is that the invisible text is still rendered by screen readers that are used by visually impaired readers, and by text browsers such as Lynx, so the table will become garbled for readers who are using assistive technology or text browsers.

See also

• Tempore
• {{Floruit}}
• {{Reign}}

No description.

Template parameters[Edit template data]

Parameter		Description	Type	Status
sortable	sortable	no description	Unknown	optional
year	1	no description	String	suggested
italicize?	i	If non-empty, italicizes 'c.' Example yes	String	optional
link?	lk	If 'yes' or 'on', links to 'circa' article. If 'no' or 'off', does not title 'circa'. Example no	String	optional
end year	2	no description	String	optional

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