Latest revision as of 18:54, 10 May 2026

How to Use the Payphone Template

This page explains the {{Payphone}} template. Most payphone pages are bot-seeded — you'll only need this page if you're hand-editing or hand-creating a page.

Page title convention

Page titles use the Telstra cabinet ID, in the form Payphone:03524808X2. The bot also creates a redirect from Payphone:1234 (the loadtalk numeric ID) so links from the game site keep working.

Page structure

A bot-seeded payphone page looks like this:

{{Payphone
| phone                 = 0436020131
| cab                   = 02624108X2
| id                    = 4
... (more bot-supplied params)
}}

== Description ==
<!-- Short description, history, anything worth recording. -->

== Location ==
<!-- Where is it? Nearby landmarks, street corners, accessibility. -->

== Gallery ==
<!-- Upload photos via Special:Upload then embed [[File:Foo.jpg|thumb]] -->

The template renders the static infobox (right rail) and a live Status section pulled from the game on every page view. The Description, Location, and Gallery sections are plain wikitext on the page itself — click any section's edit link to edit that section directly.

Bot-populated parameters

These come from the game API. Don't edit them — they'll be overwritten on the next resync run.

Parameter	Description
`phone`	Phone number of the payphone.
`cab`	Telstra cabinet ID — also the page title.
`id`	Internal loadtalk numeric ID. Used to embed the live status widget.
`address`, `state`, `postcode`	Postal address fields.
`lat`, `lng`	Coordinates.
`status`	`active` or `inoperable`.
`tty_messaging_enabled`	In-game flag — whether the Baudot message board is enabled at this phone.
`wifi_hotspot`, `card_payment`, `incoming_calls`, `tty_hardware`, `adsl`, `fibre`, `lte`	Telstra reported capabilities. Each is `yes`, `no`, or `unknown`.

Tips

The live "Status" section pulls owner / capture state from the game on every page view, with a 5-minute cache.
To add references, use standard MediaWiki <ref> tags and add <references /> at the bottom of the page.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 = How to Use the Payphone Template =
-This page explains how to create a new payphone article using the {{[[Template:Payphone|Payphone]]}} template.
+This page explains the {{[[Template:Payphone|Payphone]]}} template. Most payphone pages are bot-seeded — you'll only need this page if you're hand-editing or hand-creating a page.
-== Creating a new page ==
+== Page title convention ==
-# Navigate to the page title for the payphone you want to document. Page titles should follow the format '''Payphones:5922''' where 5922 is the payphone ID. Do not include a # symbol.
+Page titles use the Telstra cabinet ID, in the form '''Payphone:03524808X2'''. The bot also creates a redirect from '''Payphone:1234''' (the loadtalk numeric ID) so links from the game site keep working.
-# Paste the template call below into the page and fill in the parameters.
-== Basic usage ==
+== Page structure ==
-<pre>{{Payphone
+A bot-seeded payphone page looks like this:
-| phone = 0298765432
-| cab   = CAB-001
+<pre>
-| id    = 5922
+{{Payphone
-}}</pre>
+| phone                 = 0436020131
+| cab                   = 02624108X2
+| id                    = 4
+... (more bot-supplied params)
+}}
+== Description ==
+&lt;!-- Short description, history, anything worth recording. --&gt;
+== Location ==
+&lt;!-- Where is it? Nearby landmarks, street corners, accessibility. --&gt;
+== Gallery ==
+&lt;!-- Upload photos via Special:Upload then embed [[File:Foo.jpg|thumb]] --&gt;
+</pre>
+The template renders the static [[Template:Infobox/Payphone|infobox]] (right rail) and a live ''Status'' section pulled from the game on every page view. The '''Description''', '''Location''', and '''Gallery''' sections are plain wikitext on the page itself — click any section's edit link to edit that section directly.
+== Bot-populated parameters ==
+These come from the game API. Don't edit them — they'll be overwritten on the next resync run.
-== All parameters ==
 {| class="wikitable"
 |-
-! Parameter !! Description !! Required?
+! Parameter !! Description
+|-
+| <code>phone</code> || Phone number of the payphone.
+|-
+| <code>cab</code> || Telstra cabinet ID — also the page title.
 |-
-| <code>phone</code> || The payphone's full phone number. Also used as the page heading. || Yes
+| <code>id</code> || Internal loadtalk numeric ID. Used to embed the live status widget.
 |-
-| <code>cab</code> || The cabinet ID for the payphone unit. || No
+| <code>address</code>, <code>state</code>, <code>postcode</code> || Postal address fields.
 |-
-| <code>id</code> || The unique payphone ID number. Used to embed the live status widget. || Yes
+| <code>lat</code>, <code>lng</code> || Coordinates.
 |-
-| <code>locationnotes</code> || A written description of where the payphone is. Include nearby landmarks, street corners, or notable features. || No
+| <code>status</code> || <code>active</code> or <code>inoperable</code>.
 |-
-| <code>gallery</code> || One or more image tags, e.g. <code><nowiki>[[File:Example.jpg|thumb|Caption]]</nowiki></code> || No
+| <code>tty_messaging_enabled</code> || In-game flag — whether the Baudot message board is enabled at this phone.
 |-
-| <code>notes</code> || Any other relevant information about this payphone. || No
+| <code>wifi_hotspot</code>, <code>card_payment</code>, <code>incoming_calls</code>, <code>tty_hardware</code>, <code>adsl</code>, <code>fibre</code>, <code>lte</code> || Telstra reported capabilities. Each is <code>yes</code>, <code>no</code>, or <code>unknown</code>.
 |}
-== Full example ==
+== Categories ==
-<pre>
+The template auto-categorises pages based on the bot-supplied parameters:
-{{Payphone
-| phone         = 0298765432
-| cab           = CAB-042
-| id            = 5922
-| locationnotes = Corner of Church Street and Darcy Street, next to Parramatta train station's western entrance.
-| gallery       = [[File:Payphone-5922.jpg|thumb|Payphone 5922, Church St Parramatta]]
-| notes         = One of the few remaining operational booths in the Parramatta CBD.
-}}
-</pre>
-== What the template displays ==
-The template renders the following sections on the page:
-* '''Details''' - a table showing the phone number, cabinet ID, and payphone ID.
+* [[:Category:Payphones]] — root category, every page.
-* '''Status''' - a live status widget pulled automatically from the game using the payphone ID.
+* [[:Category:Payphones in NSW]] / VIC / QLD / WA / SA / TAS / ACT / NT — by state.
-* '''Location''' - the contents of <code>locationnotes</code>, or a placeholder if omitted.
+* [[:Category:Wi-Fi hotspot payphones]], [[:Category:Card payphones]], [[:Category:Incoming-call payphones]], [[:Category:TTY-equipped payphones]], [[:Category:ADSL payphones]], [[:Category:Fibre payphones]], [[:Category:LTE payphones]] — by capability.
-* '''Gallery''' - any images provided, or a placeholder if omitted.
+* [[:Category:Payphones with messaging enabled]] — when the in-game Baudot board is on.
-* '''Notes''' - any extra notes provided, or a placeholder if omitted.
+* [[:Category:Inoperable payphones]] — when status is <code>inoperable</code>.
 == Tips ==
-* If you do not know a value, leave the parameter out entirely. The template will display "Unknown" or a placeholder in its place.
+* The live "Status" section pulls owner / capture state from the game on every page view, with a 5-minute cache.
-* The payphone ID can be found in the URL when viewing a payphone on [[https://payphonetag.com|payphonetag.com]], or on the map popup.
+* To add references, use standard MediaWiki <code><nowiki><ref></nowiki></code> tags and add <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code> at the bottom of the page.
-* To add references, use standard MediaWiki <code><nowiki><ref></nowiki></code> tags anywhere in the parameters and add <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code> at the bottom of the page.
-* Photos can be uploaded via [[Special:Upload]] and then referenced in the <code>gallery</code> parameter.