This template is used on many pages and changes may be widely noticed. Test changes in the template's /sandbox or /testcases subpages, or in your own user subpage. Consider discussing changes on the talk page before implementing them.
This template is used to link one or more users' names, in the form "@Username:", to trigger a notification for user(s) you are replying to in a discussion. The notification will work successfully only if you sign your post in the same edit in which you use this template. If you make a mistake in placing this template or in signing, see Help:Fixing failed pings. It is an alternative to the {{talkback}} template. It works on any talk page or Wikipedia namespace page.
For registered users, the {{talkback}} template is obsolete as it has been superseded by Notifications and this template.
You cannot directly type the "@" symbol to notify a user of your reply, you must use the template documented here or manually create a wikilink to their user page. The "@" symbol is used by this template for display purposes only. Note that typing @ in the DiscussionTools rich text editor will convert it to a ping.
This template is particularly helpful in discussions that are not threaded, to indicate which user's comment is referenced. If you feel that this template unnecessarily personalizes the discussion, you may still use the {{talkback}} template on the user's talk page to indicate that you have replied to a comment. IP addresses are only notified if you post to their user talk page.
Usage
{{reply to|Username}} Message text. ~~~~
The edit that adds this template must meet the following requirement for notifications to work:
The edit must add new lines of text, not just edit existing lines.
The edit must be signed by adding ~~~~ to the end of the message.
If you have specified a custom signature, it must contain a plain wiki link ([[ ]]) to your user page, user talk page, or contributions page; it cannot be embedded in a template.
The edit must either be entirely within an existing section (it cannot have new section headers in the middle) or start a new section (starts with a new section header).
Only sections of level 2 and above count.
If the number of detected to-be-pinged users exceeds 50, no notifications will be delivered.
It is not necessary to use this template to ping the user if you are already linking to the username from your post, neither is it necessary when posting on their own talk page.
Note: Wikipedia does not support using the at sign in a reply to notify the user you are replying to, as many discussion boards do. While Wikipedia shows the results of using this template with an at sign, you must either use a template or directly link to the user's user page (e.g. [[User:Example|@Example]]) to ping them.
@Username Message text. ~~~~DOES NOT WORK
Single recipient
Use the following syntax:
{{reply to|Username}} Message text. ~~~~
For example, {{Reply to|Jimbo Wales}} generates "@ਫਰਮਾ:Noping:" and notifies ਫਰਮਾ:Noping.
The comment must be signed and belong to a named section of a "Talk" or "Wikipedia" namespace page in order for the notification to work.
Multiple recipients
You can reply to up to 50 people at once.
Warning: If the total number of detected to-be-pinged users in an edit exceeds 50, no notifications will be delivered. This is a software limit, and applies to the entire edit, even if the mentions are split between multiple templates. If you need to ping more than 50 users, it will need to be spread across multiple edits, and each edit needs to add new lines and be signed by you.
By default, the template will insert a colon after the final name. To change this, specify the required character using the |p= parameter. For example:
By default, the template will use the word "and" between multiple names. To change this, specify the required conjunction using the |c= parameter. For example:
"{{reply to|Example|Example2|c=or}}" produces "@Example or Example2:"
"Neither {{reply to|Example|Example2|Example3|c=nor}}" produces "Neither @Example, Example2, nor Example3:"
To simply remove the conjunction, use the parameter with an empty value:
If you are using the |prefix= and |p= together to just display one user name, then there is no need to use this template. Simply code [[User:username|]] or {{u|username}}. This will generate the same notifications as are generated by the template.
Error messages
Username not given
Sometimes, when the recipient's username contains an equal sign, for example {{reply to|test=test}}, it will show:
This is a limitation of the notification system, as documented at mw:Manual:Echo. Note that the system limitation is per edit, so while splitting a longer list between two templates will avoid this error message, none of the notifications will be sent. In the rare case you need to notify more than 50 people, it will need to be done in multiple edits.
{{Talkback}} – the original, large "you have new messages" notice to put on other users' talk pages
{{subst:Mytalk}} – invokes the talkback template and automatically fills in your username
{{Talkbacktiny}} – a somewhat smaller version of {{talkback}}
{{Interwiki talkback}} – a "you have new messages" notice to put on other users' talk pages for interwiki purposes
{{Whisperback}} – a less obtrusive template than {{talkback}}, with more features and without the box
{{You've got mail}} – like {{talkback}} but to notify of an offsite e-mail
{{Please see}} – similar to {{whisperback}}, but notifying others of a topic they may wish to participate in
{{WikiProject please see}} – similar to {{please see}}, but for use on WikiProject talk pages
{{Discussion notice}} – an alternative to {{please see}}, similar to {{ANI-notice}}
{{Usertalkback}} and {{Userwhisperback}} – notices for the top of one's own user talk page, so as to inform your interlocutors of your user discussion preferences
{{FYI}} – icon box to give a visual hint to readers of talk page items
{{Notified}} – disclosure indicating that a notification has been posted on another page
