Template:Update after

Template documentation

Usage

{{Update after|year|month|day|category|reason=...}} (all parameters are optional)

• Parameters 1, 2, and 3 are respectively the year, month, and day that the template should activate. If the day is omitted, the template will activate on the first day of the specified month. If the month is also omitted, the template will activate on 1 January of the specified year. If the year is also omitted, the template will activate immediately. One should try to specify month and year. If parameters 1, 2, and 3 are left blank, a bot will add it later.
• Parameter 4 is a custom category, such as a WikiProject's article maintenance category. The article will be placed in the specified category when the template is activated (but only if the template is used in an article in the main namespace, not if it is used on a talk page or in any other non-main namespace). The category name must be specified without square brackets and without the "Category:" prefix. In addition to any category specified here, articles are automatically placed in Category:Wikipedia articles in need of updating or one of its dated subcategories, when the date is specified. To use this parameter even when the first three parameters are omitted, you can write |4=.
  • Examples: Specifying |4=United States articles in need of updating places the article in Category:United States articles in need of updating as well as Category:Wikipedia articles in need of updating. Note: at present this parameter is not being used on Wikipedia.
• Named parameter |reason= is used to leave a note for future editors about what exactly needs to be changed or where to find the new information. it has no effect on the template itself.

Please read Wikipedia:Avoid statements that will date quickly; use {{Update after}} only in exceptional cases. Do not use this template on pages which simply need to be reviewed later to see if they might need updating; it should only be used when there is a certainty or very high probability that an update is needed. Do not use this template on talk pages; it is intended for inline usage, like {{Citation needed}}. It is probably not necessary to use this template on frequently edited articles such as for current events, as they will be being updated on a regular basis. Do not use this template within section heading (i.e., between the opening and closing == or == of a section heading), as it will break the heading.

Examples

Description	Code	Result
{{Update after}} immediately places an inline tag marking a passage as dated.	Some text that was already outdated when the tag was added.{{Update after}}	Some text that was already outdated when the tag was added.
{{Update after|year|month|day}} would cause the tag to appear on the specified date. Before the specified date, the tag would not be displayed at all (but the template and its parameters would be visible when editing the page).	Some text that became outdated today.{{Update after|2023|02|7}}	Some text that became outdated today.
	Some text that should be checked next year.{{Update after|2024}}	Some text that should be checked next year.
{{Update after|year|month|day|category}} also adds the article to the specified category (which should be specified without square brackets and without the "Category:" prefix).	Some text that became outdated today.{{Update after|2023|02|7|United States articles in need of updating}}	Some text that became outdated today.
An optional reason may be used as a comment to future editors.	Some text that should be checked with stated reason.{{Update after|2023|02|reason=check for population growth}}	Some text that should be checked.

Effects

When the template is activated in an article, the phrase "dated info" appears in the text of the article at the indicated spot. The page will also appear in Category:Wikipedia articles in need of updating or one of its dated subcategories, when the date is specified, and also any category specified in the 4th parameter.

See Category:Wikipedia articles in need of updating for a list of pages currently needing updates, and Wikipedia:As of for a list of 'As of' pages.

Related templates

• {{Update}} can be used to mark an entire article or section needing to be updated. Like {{Update after}}, this template adds the article to Category:Wikipedia articles in need of updating.
• {{Out of date}} is used to mark an article whose factual accuracy may be compromised (although this may be disputed) due to out of date information. This template adds the article to Category:Articles with obsolete information.
• {{As of}}
• {{Show by date}}