Template:USStatPension/doc
 | This is a documentation subpage for Template:USStatPension. It contains usage information, categories and other content that is not part of the original template page. |
About[edit]
{{USStatPension}} is the principal template of a small family designed to speed up and semi-automate the proofreading of certain Private Acts of Congress (each a "chapter") dealing with the grant or increase of pensions. The format has been derived with reference to Volume 33 of the United States Statutes at Large, which appears to use a consistent format throughout. A rapid scan shows that Volume 32 appears to use the same format, although no other volumes have been specifically reviewed.
The suite includes {{USStatPension}} and its derivatives:
USStatPension is used where the relevant chapter appears entirely on one page. The derivative templates listed above handle page breaks at different points within a given chapter. All templates in the family can accommodate considerable deviations from the standard text above, by using the optional parameters set out in the "Usage" section below.
Text structure of the main template[edit]
Acts of Congress granting or increasing pensions at this time are strictly formulaic, barring some limited variations and the vagaries of pagination. The standard boiler plate text is the following:
| {{{date}}} [{{{congress}}}] [Private, No. {{{serial}}}.] {{{grantee}}}. {{{type}}} Chap. {{{chapter}}}.—An Act Granting {{{type}}} to {{{grantee}}}.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of the Interior be, and he is hereby, authorized and directed to place on the pension roll, subject to the provisions and limitations of the pension laws, the name of {{{grantee}}}, {{{quality}}}, and pay {{{gender}}} a pension at the rate of {{{rate}}} dollars per month. Approved, {{{date}}}. |
Where {{{type}}} is set to =g, the title of the chapter will read "An Act Granting a pension to"; if set to =i, the title of the chapter will read "An Act Granting an increase of pension to", and in addition the body text of the chapter will conclude with the additional words "in lieu of that {{{gender}}} is now receiving."
Text structure of the derivatives[edit]
{{USStatPensionSplitStart}} and {{USStatPensionSplitEnd}} deal with the most common page break scenario (as shown below). With all the derivative templates, it is important to restate {{{type}}}, if the chapter concerns a woman, also {{{gender}}} (fairly obviously) and {{{chapter}}} (not obviously at all) in the End template of the pair - neither is carried forward from the prior page's Start template. The reason for restating {{{chapter}}} is to ensure correct closing of the section tagging for named section transclusion.
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{{{date}}} Chap. {{{chapter}}}.—An Act Granting {{{type}}} to {{{grantee}}}.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of the Interior be, and he is hereby, authorized and directed to place on the pension roll, subject to the provisions and limitations of the pension <page breaks here> laws, the name of {{{grantee}}}, {{{quality}}}, and pay {{{gender}}} a pension at the rate of {{{rate}}} dollars per month. Approved, {{{date}}}. |
{{USStatPensionSplitShortStart}} and {{USStatPensionSplitShortEnd}} deal with the next most common page break scenario (as shown below). Do not forget to restate {{{type}}}, {{{gender}}} (if required) and {{{chapter}}}.
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{{{date}}} Chap. {{{chapter}}}.—An Act Granting {{{type}}} to {{{grantee}}}.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of the Interior be, and he is hereby, authorized and directed to place on the <page breaks here> pension roll, subject to the provisions and limitations of the pension laws, the name of {{{grantee}}}, {{{quality}}}, and pay {{{gender}}} a pension at the rate of {{{rate}}} dollars per month. Approved, {{{date}}}. |
{{USStatPensionLongStart}} and {{USStatPensionLongEnd}} deal with vanishingly uncommon page break scenarios, such as double provisos and similar complexities. {{USStatPensionSplitLongEnd}} in particular looks weird - it just produces the approval date. In practice, non-standard text will always be inserted before the approval date using the {{{preamble}}} parameter. As usual, do not forget to restate {{{type}}}, {{{gender}}} (if required) and {{{chapter}}}.
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{{{date}}} Chap. {{{chapter}}}.—An Act Granting {{{type}}} to {{{grantee}}}.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of the Interior be, and he is hereby, authorized and directed to place on the pension roll, subject to the provisions and limitations of the pension laws, the name of {{{grantee}}}, {{{quality}}}, and pay {{{gender}}} a pension at the rate of {{{rate}}} dollars per month.<page breaks here> Approved, {{{date}}}. |
The final derivative template {{USStatPensionSplitLateEnd}} doesn't have a matching pair because one of the other derivative start templates will suffice on the prior page. The page break is shown here:
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{{{date}}} Chap. {{{chapter}}}.—An Act Granting {{{type}}} to {{{grantee}}}.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of the Interior be, and he is hereby, authorized and directed to place on the pension roll, subject to the provisions and limitations of the pension laws, the name of {{{grantee}}}, {{{quality}}}, <page breaks here> and pay {{{gender}}} a pension at the rate of {{{rate}}} dollars per month. Approved, {{{date}}}. |
Usage[edit]
The template assumes that sidenotes in the Page namespace are on the right unless the side parameter is set to left. All sidenotes display on the right in other namespaces regardless of the side parameter. Horizontal lines suppressed in the Page namespace by setting the topchap parameter to y are no longer suppressed in other namespaces either.
Mandatory parameters are:
- date: the date given in the sidenote, and in the last line of the Chapter as the date of approval, no final period
- serial: the number only - the text "Private, No. " and the final period are supplied by the template
- congress: supply the string without its final period - the original text will read S. or H.R. followed by a number and a period, e.g. H.R. 311.
- chapter: the number of the Chapter
- type: the only permitted values are g for grant and i for increase
- grantee: name of grantee as given in the text
- quality: as given in the text, usually veteran or widow of veteran
- gender: omit entirely or leave empty for a male pensioner, otherwise the only permitted values are m for male or f for female
- rate: amount in words - "dollars per month" is supplied by the template, and in the case of increases, so is "in lieu of that [s]he is now receiving."
Optional parameters are:
- topchap: set to y to suppress the horizontal line at the start of the first chapter of a page; this is effective in the Page namespace only
- side: for sidenotes on the left set to left; this is effective in the Page namespace only
- override: in a microscopic number of cases (chapter 2134 the only one found so far), the name in the sidenote is not identical to the name in the chapter heading. This parameter overrides the sidenote text
- proviso: leave blank if no proviso; this is the body text of the proviso. "Provided," is supplied by the template, as is the final period; in very rare instances, double provisos are found - these can usually be dealt with by employing the {{{additional}}} and {{{addsidenote}}} parameters below
- sidenote: leave blank if no proviso; this is the sidenote text of the proviso. "Proviso." is supplied by the template
- additional: used to insert any non-standard text which follows the words "per month" or "in lieu of that [s]he is now receiving."
- addsidenote: this is the sidenote text of any additional sidenote. No text or punctuation is supplied by the template
- coda: used with {{USStatPensionSplitShortStart}} to supply whatever words precede the words "and pay"
- preamble: used with {{USStatPensionSplitLateEnd}} to supply whatever words precede the words "and pay"
The template automatically formats the text, as well as providing section tags in the form <Chap##> for the entire template output, and <Chap##title> for the Chapter heading line and short title, where ## is the number defined in the chapter parameter.
Examples[edit]
March 12, 2009. Chap. 4321.—An Act Granting a pension to The Fonz.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of the Interior be, and he is hereby, authorized and directed to place on the pension roll, subject to the provisions and limitations of the pension laws, the name of The Fonz, friend of Mr. C., and pay him a pension at the rate of thirty dollars per month. Approved, March 12, 2009. |
March 12, 2009. Chap. 1234.—An Act Granting an increase of pension to Mrs. C..
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of the Interior be, and he is hereby, authorized and directed to place on the pension roll, subject to the provisions and limitations of the pension laws, the name of Mrs. C., widow of Mr. C., and pay her a pension at the rate of forty dollars per month in lieu of that she is now receivingProviso. Approved, March 12, 2009.
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