Contents

Template:ISBN

This template is used on 465,000+ pages, or roughly 1% of all pages. To avoid major disruption and server load, any changes should be tested in the template's /sandboxor/testcases subpages, or in your own user subpage. The tested changes can be added to this page in a single edit. Consider discussing changes on the talk page before implementing them.

Usage

Use this template to create a link (or list of links) to Special:BookSources for one or more International Standard Book Numbers with the usual "ISBN" prefix. The template supports 10- and 13-digit ISBNs (with or without hyphens).

{{ISBN|0-7475-3269-9}}

results in:

ISBN 0-7475-3269-9

And:

{{ISBN|978-1-4133-0454-1}}

results in:

ISBN 978-1-4133-0454-1

If more than one ISBN is given, the template will separate them using a comma:

{{ISBN|978-1-4133-0454-1|978-1-4133-0454-1|978-1-4133-0454-1}}

results in:

ISBN 978-1-4133-0454-1, 978-1-4133-0454-1, 978-1-4133-0454-1

Alternatively the conjunction between the last two list items can be defined using the leadout= parameter:

{{ISBN|978-1-4133-0454-1|978-1-4133-0454-1|978-1-4133-0454-1|leadout=, and}}

results in:

ISBN 978-1-4133-0454-1, 978-1-4133-0454-1, and 978-1-4133-0454-1

If the leading "ISBN" should not be a link (for example because it is already linked in the article), the link can be suppressed using the link=no parameter:

{{ISBN|978-1-4133-0454-1|978-1-4133-0454-1|978-1-4133-0454-1|link=no}}

results in:

ISBN 978-1-4133-0454-1, 978-1-4133-0454-1, 978-1-4133-0454-1

If the leading "ISBN" link should not occur (for example in longer lists), it can be suppressed using the plainlink=yes parameter:

{{ISBN|978-1-4133-0454-1|978-1-4133-0454-1|978-1-4133-0454-1|plainlink=yes}}

results in:

978-1-4133-0454-1, 978-1-4133-0454-1, 978-1-4133-0454-1

(Alternatively the {{ISBNT}} template can be used.)

The plainlink and leadout parameter can be used at the same time:

{{ISBN|978-1-4133-0454-1|978-1-4133-0454-1|978-1-4133-0454-1|plainlink=yes|leadout=as well as}}

results in:

978-1-4133-0454-1, 978-1-4133-0454-1 as well as 978-1-4133-0454-1

Formatting

The template preserves the formatting of the input values, for example:

{{ISBN|978-1-4133-0454-1|978141330454-1|978 1-41330-454-1}}

results in:

ISBN 978-1-4133-0454-1, 978141330454-1, 978 1-41330-454-1

Error checking

This template uses Module:Check isxn to validate the ISBN. If the ISBN is not valid, this subtemplate will still generate the link, and it will add the article to Category:Pages with ISBN errors.

Since invalid ISBNs are sometimes used in publications, it is possible to disable the validity check for individual ISBNs given as parameters. In order to do so, add invalid?=yes (with ? replaced by the parameter number 1 to 9) to the template. In this case, the article will be added to Category:Pages with listed invalid ISBNs.

• {{ISBN|1-4133-0451-0}}   produces ISBN 1-4133-0451-0 Parameter error in {{ISBN}}: checksum
• {{ISBN|1-4133-0451-0|invalid1=yes}}   produces ISBN 1-4133-0451-0
• {{ISBN}}   produces Parameter error in {{ISBN}}: Missing ISBN. (the first unnamed parameter is required)
• {{ISBN|979-0-2600-0043-8}}   produces ISBN 979-0-2600-0043-8 Parameter error in {{ISBN}}: invalid group id (979 with group id 0 should use {{ISMN}} instead)
• {{ISBN|123456789}}   produces ISBN 123456789 Parameter error in {{ISBN}}: length (ISBN must be 10 or 13 digits)

Tracking categories

• Category:Pages with ISBN errors (82)
• Category:Pages with listed invalid ISBNs (632)
• Category:Pages using ISBN template with unknown parameters (1)

See also

• Wikipedia:ISBN
• {{SBN}}, similar template for SBNs rather than ISBNs
• {{ISBNT}}, to make an ISBN link without a visible prefix
• {{Listed Invalid ISBN}}, to link an ISBN that is invalid but printed in a source publication.
• {{OCLC}}, to link directly to Worldcat; useful for books with no ISBN.
• {{PMID}}
• {{IETF RFC}}
• {{ISMN}}
• {{ISSN}}
• {{Catalog lookup link}}
• {{ISBN missing}}

Template Data