User blog:JoshuaJSlone/Better ways to start pages, add complicated infoboxes

Hey guys. Usually when I'm making a new page or trying to modify an existing one into a more proper format, I find some existing page like it, copy it, and then change/delete/add as necessary. It works, but takes a bit of time and sometimes I'll forget to delete or change something so a bit of bad information will end up left behind. I went searching and asking for a better way, and actually found [b]two[/b] pretty decent methods.

Preloading
It's possible to make a new page that starts with the contents of an existing page, using an URL like http://helloproject.wikia.com/wiki/Special:CreatePage?action=edit&preload=WHATEVERPAGENAME It's further possible to give links like these in a section that sits under the buttons when creating a new page. If you go to create a new page right now, you should see links that will give you blank Single and Album pages with the most common infobox options and section titles ready to go, but without content. Anyone can create more of these blanks for the use of everyone or just themselves. Only admins can alter the page that controls what options are shown to everyone when creating a new page, though.

Custom Edit Buttons
I haven't put this one to the test yet, but here's Wikia Community Central's page about them. When editing in source mode it's possible to add extra buttons to sit next to the existing ones and that will add chunks of text. So it would be possible to have a CD Infobox button that would add an empty CD Infobox to the page. Or any other template, or any other chunk of text. It's possible to add buttons that will be shown to all users of the site, but it's also possible for individual users to add whatever buttons they want that will only be seen by them. Of course a big plus of this method versus preloading is you don't have to be starting a page from scratch to take advantage of it.