Majestix: 1 revision imported: Initial Setup

2026-04-10T06:21:32Z

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en>SMcCandlish: markup fix

2016-07-25T05:16:31Z

markup fix

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{{Documentation subpage}}


This template is to help facilitate the displaying of variable names (in mathematics, computer source code, etc.) with the semantically correct <code><nowiki><var>...</var></nowiki></code>, which also renders the variable in italics, as is customary, ''and'' to do so in a serif font. This is ''specifically'' for the use of the characters "I" (upper-case i) and "l" (lower-case L), which in many sans-serif fonts can be difficult to distinguish. The template also very slightly adjusts the font size of the enclosed variable, to account for typical difference in [[:en:w:X-height|x-height]] between non-fancy serif (e.g., Times and Times New Roman) and sans-serif (e.g. Arial and Helvetica) typefaces. The template should not be used generally, but only for "I" and "l", and perhaps other cases where a known visual ambiguity can be shown to exist in common sans-serif fonts for readers without acute vision. It is recommended to use {{tlx|var|1}} rather than {{tlx|varserif|1}} for "1" (numeral one), as it is usually more clearly distinguishable from "I" and "l" in sans-serif than serif fonts.

{{tlx|Varserif}} need not be used for variables that simply ''contain'' "I" or "l", only for cases in which readers are likely to be unable to distinguish them visually.

The {{tlx|varserif}} method is preferred to simply italicizing and using inline style to specify the font, for [[:en:w:WP:Accessibility|accessibility]], [[:en:wpSeparation of presentation and content|content/presentation separation]], [[:en:w:Semantic Web|semantic Web]], and [[:en:w:WP:METADATA|metadata]] reasons; XHTML's <code><nowiki><var></nowiki></code> element has semantic meaning, while simple font changes like italicizing does not.

Because the font styling in the template is done entirely with [[:en:w:Cascading Style Sheets|CSS]], it has no effect at all upon content semantics, nor does it change the output for users of [[:en:w:Screen reader|screen reader]] software.

Example:
: <code><nowiki>{{varserif|I}}</nowiki></code>
outputs:
: <code><nowiki><var style="font-size:118%;font-family:serif;">I</var></nowiki></code>
which renders as:
: {{varserif|I}}

;Comparisons:
: <code><nowiki>{{var|I}}</nowiki></code> = {{var|I}}
: <code><nowiki>{{var|l}}</nowiki></code> = {{var|l}}
: <code><nowiki>{{var|1}}</nowiki></code> = {{var|1}}
: <code><nowiki>{{varserif|I}}</nowiki></code> = {{varserif|I}}
: <code><nowiki>{{varserif|l}}</nowiki></code> = {{varserif|l}}
: <code><nowiki>{{varserif|1}}</nowiki></code> = {{varserif|1}}

Please note that {{tnull|varserif}} is not a panacea; its treatment of the numeral "1" is easily mistaken for the letter "l" (lower-case "L") in many serif fonts.

; Recommended usage:
: <code><nowiki>{{varserif|I}}</nowiki></code> = {{varserif|I}}
: <code><nowiki>{{varserif|l}}</nowiki></code> = {{varserif|l}}
: <code><nowiki>{{var|1}}</nowiki></code> = {{var|1}}
: <code><nowiki>{{var|</nowiki>{{var|variable}}<nowiki>}}</nowiki></code> for any other variable

<includeonly>

[[Category:Semantic markup templates]]
</includeonly>

Template:Varserif/doc - Revision history

Majestix: 1 revision imported: Initial Setup

en>SMcCandlish: markup fix