Template:In use/doc

Usage
The In use template message is for pages actively undergoing a major edit.

To use, add   at the top of the article you want to work on. The five tildes converts to a datestamp of the current time (see WP:5TILDES).

If you want to reserve it for a more specific length of time and/or provide any message, you can use the text parameter to tell visitors of your intentions:  (see examples below). Alternatively, if only one section of the page is being edited, you may place this template at the top of that section using.

The template is placed at the top of a page you are actively editing for a short period of time, no greater than a few hours at a time. The tag is intended to inform people that someone is currently working on the article, thereby reducing edit conflicts. Please do not leave it in place for longer than necessary, as doing so may unnecessarily discourage others from contributing to the article. Specifying periods of several days or longer for this template goes against the spirit of simply avoiding edit conflicts; please only use it for sessions where you are actively editing the article. If you plan to take a break from your major edit activity longer than two hours, please remove it during the break.

Using this template will place the including article in Category:Pages actively undergoing a major edit.

Usage on talk pages
To mention this template on a talk page, don't use this template directly, but reference it with markup such as, which displays as.

Alternatives
If the page instead is actively undergoing construction, please use Under construction.

If you wish to indicate that an article is being rebuilt over a longer period of time consider the template. That template encourages others to edit the article while indicating that it is a work in progress.

Accessing a "frozen" or stable page version
If you need to "freeze" a page from further edits, please be aware that this template does not actually prevent further edits or lock out other editors. Consider instead using the Help:Permanent link functionality, where you are assured page stability. For instance, if you are creating a spoken Wikipedia reading of the article, you may want to "freeze" the page by accessing its permanent link. If the article is so long —or your reading requires the time— that it would be inconvenient to leave the browser page in place (maybe you need to take a break and turn off the computer) consider instead creating your spoken reader from the "Permanent link" you will find in the sidebar to the left of each Wikipedia article.

Removal
If this template has been left in place for more than two hours since the last edit, you may assume the placing editor has forgotten to remove it, and you may remove it yourself.