Template:Article thumbnail

Article thumbnail

What this does

Displays a small, consistent article thumbnail card: an image that links to a page, with a caption under it. This version performs no existence checks (no #ifexist) to avoid expensive parser calls. Styling is provided via TemplateStyles (Article thumbnail/styles.css). Images are centered and scaled to fit the fixed thumbnail area.

Parameters

• image – Optional. File name of the image without the File: prefix (e.g., Atomic Habits cover.jpg).

 If omitted, it defaults to work-in-progress-book.jpg. No existence check is performed—if the specified file does not exist, MediaWiki will render it as a missing image link/icon as per your wiki configuration.

• page – Optional. Target page for the image link and caption. Defaults to Article thumbnail.
• width – Optional. Width passed to the file thumbnail (numeric only, no units). Defaults to 180.

 Note: The card itself is fixed at 150 px wide by CSS; the image is scaled to fit inside the 150×180 area.

• alt – Optional. Alt text for accessibility. Defaults to Thumbnail for {page}.

Examples

Basic (links to the current page):

{{Article thumbnail
 | image = Atomic Habits cover.jpg
}}

Link to a specific page:

{{Article thumbnail
 | image = Atomic Habits cover.jpg
 | page  = Atomic Habits
}}

Custom image width (number only):

{{Article thumbnail
 | image = Atomic Habits cover.jpg
 | width = 200
}}

Custom alt text:

{{Article thumbnail
 | image = Atomic Habits cover.jpg
 | alt   = Atomic Habits by James Clear, book cover
}}

Two thumbnails side by side (inline cards):

{{Article thumbnail
 | image = Atomic Habits cover.jpg
 | page  = Atomic Habits
}}
{{Article thumbnail
 | image = How to Win Friends.jpg
 | page  = How to Win Friends and Influence People
}}

Notes

• Provide the exact file name, including extension, but do not include the File: prefix in |image=.
• This template intentionally avoids expensive parser functions. There is no automatic fallback if the file is missing; pass a known placeholder (e.g., work-in-progress-book.jpg) from the caller if you want a guaranteed image.
• The CSS fixes the card width (150 px) and image area height (180 px). The image is centered and constrained with max-width:100% and max-height:100%.
• For grid layouts, place multiple template calls on the same line or separated by spaces; each card is display:inline-block and will wrap as needed.