Template:Mdash/doc

This is the mdash template, it looks like this " — ".

It works similarly to the html markup sequence " — ". That is, a non-breaking space, a long dash (known as an em dash) and a normal space.

{{—}} and {{emdash}} redirect here and can be used as alternative names for this template.

This template is used when you want something a lot stronger than a bold middot "·", a bullet "•" or a ndash "–".

Normal usage

The recommended usage is to use no space before the template and one space after the template, like this:

[[Salt]]{{mdash}} [[Pepper]]

It will render one space on each side of the dash, like this:

Salt — Pepper

If it line breaks then the line break will come after the dash, not before, like this:

Salt —

Pepper

For long dashed lists each list item can be put on its own line, with no spaces between each item and the template. Like this:

 [[Salt]]{{mdash}}
 [[Pepper]]{{mdash}}
 [[Curry]]{{mdash}}
 [[Saffron]]

(It doesn't matter if there are no or some spaces at the end of the lines, after the templates.)

As before it will render one space on each side of the dashes, like this:

Salt — Pepper — Curry — Saffron

And if it line breaks then the line break will come after one of the dashes, not before, like this:

Salt — Pepper —

Curry — Saffron

But really, you should use bold middots "·" or ndashes "–" for such lists.

Incorrect usage

If the template is used slightly wrong it will in some cases still behave well. For instance if there are no or several spaces after the template. Like these examples:

[[Salt]]{{mdash}}[[Pepper]]
[[Salt]]{{mdash}}   [[Pepper]]

Both of them will render exactly as before, with just one space on each side of the dash, like this:

Salt — Pepper

And it will still only line break after the dash, like this:

Salt —

Pepper

But putting one or more spaces before the template will cause problems, like these examples:

[[Salt]] {{mdash}}[[Pepper]]
[[Salt]]   {{mdash}}[[Pepper]]
[[Salt]] {{mdash}} [[Pepper]]
[[Salt]]   {{mdash}}   [[Pepper]]

Then it will render with two spaces before the dash, and one after, like this:

Salt  — Pepper

And if it line breaks it might break before the dash, like this:

Salt

 — Pepper

Because Wikipedia suppresses the contents of templates in tool tip preview when the user hovers the pointer over a Wikilink, one should avoid using the Mdash template in an article's lead section. Using the template will cause a confusing blank space to appear in the tool tip preview instead of the expected em-dash character. Instead, use  — or  — , and be sure to add the trailing space.

Technical details

The space before the dash is a non-breaking space. That means it will not line break and will not collapse together with normal spaces that come before the template.

The space after the dash is a normal space. That means it wraps (allows line breaks) and it will collapse together with normal spaces that come after the template to form one single space.

Dot size reference list

·	<small> middot
·	middot
·	<small> bold middot
·	bold middot
•	<small> bullet
•	bullet
•	bold bullet
–	ndash
—	mdash

See also

There are several other templates with similar functionality:

• {{·}} – Bold middot "·" is mostly used for dotted lists.
• {{•}} – Bullet "•" is mostly used for dotted lists that use small font sizes.
• − – Minus "−" is a mathematical symbol.
• {{ndash}} – Ndash "–" is a short dash, one half the width of an em dash.