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 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.
-This page explains how to create a new payphone article using the {{[[Template:Payphone|Payphone]]}} template.
+== 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.
-== Creating a new page ==
+== Page structure ==
+A bot-seeded payphone page looks like this:
-# 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.
-# Paste the template call below into the page and fill in the parameters.
-== Basic usage ==
 <pre>
 {{Payphone
-| phone    = 0298765432
+| phone                 = 0436020131
-| id       = 5922
+| cab                   = 02624108X2
-| suburb   = Parramatta
+| id                    = 4
-| state    = NSW
+... (more bot-supplied params)
-| postcode = 2150
-| lat      = -33.8136
-| lng      = 150.9986
-| status   = Operational
 }}
+== 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>
-== All parameters ==
+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.
 {| class="wikitable"
 |-
-! Parameter !! Description !! Required?
+! Parameter !! Description
-|-
-| <code>phone</code> || The payphone's full phone number || Yes
-|-
-| <code>display</code> || Override for the displayed phone number (e.g. formatted differently). Defaults to <code>phone</code> if not set. || No
-|-
-| <code>id</code> || The unique payphone ID number || Yes
-|-
-| <code>suburb</code> || Suburb where the payphone is located || Yes
-|-
-| <code>state</code> || Australian state or territory (e.g. NSW, VIC, QLD) || Yes
 |-
-| <code>postcode</code> || Postcode || Yes
+| <code>phone</code> || Phone number of the payphone.
 |-
-| <code>lat</code> || Latitude coordinate || Yes
+| <code>cab</code> || Telstra cabinet ID — also the page title.
 |-
-| <code>lng</code> || Longitude coordinate || Yes
+| <code>id</code> || Internal loadtalk numeric ID. Used to embed the live status widget.
 |-
-| <code>status</code> || Current status of the payphone. Common values: '''Operational''', '''Removed''', '''Damaged''', '''Unknown''' || Yes
+| <code>address</code>, <code>state</code>, <code>postcode</code> || Postal address fields.
 |-
-| <code>location</code> || A written description of where the payphone is. Include nearby landmarks, street corners, or notable features. || No
+| <code>lat</code>, <code>lng</code> || Coordinates.
 |-
-| <code>history</code> || Any known history about this payphone. || 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. || 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 ==
+The template auto-categorises pages based on the bot-supplied parameters:
-<pre>
+* [[:Category:Payphones]] — root category, every page.
-{{Payphone
+* [[:Category:Payphones in NSW]] / VIC / QLD / WA / SA / TAS / ACT / NT — by state.
-| phone    = 0298765432
+* [[: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.
-| id       = 5922
+* [[:Category:Payphones with messaging enabled]] — when the in-game Baudot board is on.
-| suburb   = Parramatta
+* [[:Category:Inoperable payphones]] — when status is <code>inoperable</code>.
-| state    = NSW
-| postcode = 2150
-| lat      = -33.8136
-| lng      = 150.9986
-| status   = Operational
-| location = Located on the corner of Church Street and Darcy Street, adjacent to Parramatta train station's western entrance.
-| history  = Installed circa 2003. Reported as still active as of 2024.
-| gallery  = [[File:Payphone-5922.jpg|thumb|Payphone 5922, Church St Parramatta]]
-| notes    = This payphone is one of the few remaining operational booths in the Parramatta CBD.
-}}
-</pre>
 == Tips ==
+* The live "Status" section pulls owner / capture state from the game on every page view, with a 5-minute cache.
-* If you do not know a value, you can leave the parameter out entirely. The template will display "Unknown" in its place.
+* 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.
-* Coordinates can be found using Google Maps. Right-click a location and copy the latitude/longitude values shown.
-* The <code>status</code> field is freeform but try to use consistent values across articles so they can be categorised easily later.
-* To add references, use standard MediaWiki <code><nowiki><ref></nowiki></code> tags anywhere in the parameters and they will appear under the References section automatically.