Thread:Talk:Flow Portal/Wikiformat in threads/reply (4)

Yet I'm under the impression from the "Avatars" thread and others (see Thread:Talk:Flow/Avatars/reply (23)) that templates wouldn't be parsed, at least as planed (even though old LQT can), and that if we want some particular template-like functionality within threads, we'd need to make a specific feature request. It's just impossible, considering the time it takes for bugs to be addressed, and the constant need to tweak, deprecate and renew those templates on short notice. Not including demonstrations, on en.wp there are literally thousands of templates in active use on talk pages in-threads (tens of thousands if we include templates that are little used or deprecated), so even the possibility of putting templates in the header of threads would not work. Just to give a few examples: the series: edit protected, w:Template:EP, ESP, UAA, AIV, RFPP, w:Category:Image with comment templates (291 there), w:Template:User and numerous variants (136 at least, see w:Category:Username internal link templates), plenty of linking templates as well (w:template:bug for an ironic one) and the multitude of citation templates (thousands, often used in comments), of course the thousands of user message templates - see w:Category:User namespace templates and subcategories (warnings, blocking, welcoming, awards, etc), various hiding templates to hide some of the message(s), miscellaneous formatting, workaround and shortcut templates, etc. And it's just thinking about it for a few minutes, the search on wp is down again so I can't refresh my memory.

Not supporting template transclusion is definitely a blocker that even in user talk namespace would fatally disrupt critical user interaction processes, scripts and bots, and the need for flexibility and reactivity excludes a 'just ask over at bugzilla' strategy, which wouldn't work for the varied inline/linking templates anyway. It would monumentally increase the workload for experienced users, mechanically many of them would reduce their involvement, and consequently, it would very badly affect inexperienced users since experienced users would have less time for being helpful to them. It's without a doubt something the community could not accept at any time for any duration (that is, even with the assurance that transclusion might potentially be eventually tentatively supported in some unspecified projected future release). And when I'm talking about the community, I don't mean just the en.wp community, but the whole wikimedia community. Other wikipedias and other projects intensively use templates in-threads as well (to the extent that this has led to 'wars' on commons and meta between competing discussion templates...).