Template:Show by date/doc

Usage
This template will automatically display one of two statements based on whether a particular date has been reached.


 * Parameters 1, 2, and 3 are the Year, Month, and Day that the template should show the text after. Until that date, the text before is shown. If the day is omitted, the template will activate on the first day of the specified month. If the month is also omitted, the template will activate on 1 January of the specified year.  If the year is also omitted, the template will activate immediately.
 * Parameter 4 (text before) is the text to be shown if the current date is before the date specified in the previous parameters; it may be left empty if only the text after needs to be displayed at the specified date
 * Parameter 5 (text after) is the text to be shown if the current date is on or after the date specified in the previous parameters; it may be left empty if only the text before needs to be displayed until the specified date

The template is particularly useful on low-activity articles where dated statements may not receive prompt attention. As the template's usage grows, a WP:BOT could be employed to substitute the template with just the text after as the given dates elapse and the particular uses of the template have served their purpose in each case.

Behaviour notes
In the current version of the template, statements will be switched on the date according to Wikipedia time (00:00 UTC). If the actual event point is a few hours before or after this, it probably makes little difference in the grander scheme of time. Tackling the complexities of a time-sensitive version of this template would be a good future research and development project, though.

Related templates

 * Update after - shows an inline upate maintenance tag when a specified date is reached
 * Out of date is used to mark an article whose factual accuracy may be compromised (although this may be disputed) due to out of date information. This template adds the article to Category:Articles with obsolete information.
 * As of