Template:Find a Grave/doc

This is a documentation subpage for Template:Find a Grave.
It contains usage information, categories and other content that is not part of the original template page.

This template is used on approximately 36,000 pages and changes may be widely noticed. Test changes in the template's /sandbox or /testcases subpages, or in your own user subpage. Consider discussing changes on the talk page before implementing them.

This template uses Lua:

Template:Find a Grave displays an external link or a reference to a memorial on the Find a Grave website.

Usage

External link

Unnamed parameters:

* {{Find a Grave | ID }}

* {{Find a Grave | ID | NAME }}

Named parameters:

* {{Find a Grave | id= }}

* {{Find a Grave | id= | name= }}

* {{Find a Grave | id= | name= | work= }}

Using Wikidata property (P535):

* {{Find a Grave}}

* {{Find a Grave | name= }}

* {{Find a Grave | name= | work= }}

Reference

Two unnamed parameters:

{{Find a Grave | ID | NAME | work= | last= | first= | date= | access-date= }}

Named parameters:

{{Find a Grave | id= | name= | work= | last= | first= | date= | access-date= }}

Using Wikidata property P535:

{{Find a Grave | work= | last= | first= | date= | access-date= }}

{{Find a Grave | name= | work= | last= | first= | date= | access-date= }}

Usage guidance

Care should be taken when deciding to make a link to the Find a Grave website. While photographs of gravestones provide useful information, the biographical and other additional details may not be reliable. If there are fully reliable sources which may be used, then the Find a Grave link should not be used, or should be removed in place of the more reliable source.

As an WP:External link

To comply with WP:ELNO, only place in External links section if the website contains unique information not already mentioned and cited in the body of the article and is not a WP:COPYLINK violation. Remove from External links if Find a Grave is already cited in main body, if burial information is provided in main body by a more reliable source, or if the page contains any unlicensed copyrighted information (e.g., professional portrait photography or copies of obituaries from a newspaper).

As a reference for article content

With rare exceptions, do not use Find a Grave as a source. Find a Grave is not reliable because it relies on user-generated input without vetting by an editorial body.

If any of the parameters:

access-date
author
date
last

are specified, this template will produce a citation with {{Cite web}}. Otherwise, it produces a format for use in an "External links" section. If used as a reference, it should not be duplicated in the "External links" section.

Parameters

id or grid (parameter 1, required unless using Wikidata) – The Find a Grave Memorial number, found at the bottom of the Find a Grave article or in the URL (e.g., "1234" for https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=1234). This parameter is optional if Wikidata property P535 exists, but required if not.
name (parameter 2, optional) – The name of the deceased. Defaults to {{PAGENAME}} if not specified.
work – A group or category within the Find a Grave site.
Parameters for {{Cite web}}
- last – The surname of the original author of the Find a Grave article.
  - author – Alias for last. If both last and author are specified, last takes precedence.
- first – The given name of the original author of the Find a Grave article. Requires last.
- display-authors – If the Find a Grave article has more than one author, use |display-authors=et al to display "et al." after the name of the first author.
- date – The date of the Find a Grave article.
- access-date – The date this citation was added or last updated.

Examples

External link with unnamed parameters

* {{Find a Grave | 1234 | Henri Langlois }}

displays as:

Henri Langlois at Find a Grave

External link with named parameters

* {{Find a Grave | id= 94078737 | name= Sally Kristen Ride | work= American Astronaut }}

displays as:

Sally Kristen Ride, American Astronaut at Find a Grave

External link using Wikidata property P535

* {{Find a Grave}}

pulls the Grave ID from Wikidata and uses the page title. On the Henri Langlois article, it will display as:

Henri Langlois at Find a Grave

Missing ID and no Wikidata: {{Find a Grave}}; if the article's Wikidata item does not have the Find a Grave property, this will display as:; Find a Grave/doc at Find a GraveLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).

Reference using all of the parameters: {{Find a Grave | id = 94078737 | name = Sally Kristen Ride | work = American Astronaut | last = Daniluke | first = Marc J. | display-authors = et al | date = July 23, 2012 | access-date = May 20, 2024 }}; displays as:; Daniluke, Marc J.; et al. (July 23, 2012). "Sally Kristen Ride". American Astronaut. Find a Grave. Retrieved May 20, 2024.

TemplateData

TemplateData documentation used by VisualEditor and other tools

Click here to see a monthly parameter usage report for this template based on this TemplateData.

TemplateData for Find a Grave

This template displays an external link or a reference to a memorial on the Find a Grave website.

Template parameters
Parameter		Description	Type	Status
GRid #	`id` `grid` `1`	The Find a Grave Memorial number, found at the bottom of the Find a Grave article or in the URL (e.g., '1234' for https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=1234). This parameter is optional if Wikidata property P535 exists, but required if not. Default Wikidata property P2601	Number	optional
Name of deceased	`name` `2`	The name of the deceased. This parameter is optional; it defaults to the Wikipedia article name, without any disambiguation. Default {{PAGENAMEBASE}}	Line	suggested
work	`work`	A group or category within the Find a Grave site	Line	optional
Author surname	`last` `author`	The surname of the original author of the Find a Grave article.	Line	optional
Author given name	`first`	The given name of the original author of the Find a Grave article. Requires <code>last</code>.	Line	optional
Display authors	`display-authors`	If the Find a Grave article has more than one author, use \|display-authors=et al to display 'et al.' after the name of the first author. Example et al	String	optional
date	`date`	The date of the Find a Grave article.	Date	optional
Access date	`access-date` `accessdate`	The date this citation was added or last updated.	Date	optional

Tracking categories

template with ID

template missing ID

Category:Find a Grave template missing ID and not in Wikidata (0)