Template talk:NTS link
This template should be used for linking any NTS map sheets reference in the wiki to the canmatrix ftp site. Using a template protects use in case the location of these files ever changes. In that case, we would only have to update the template, and not all the pages that use the template.
Usage
The template uses numbered parameters for the mapsheet number. For example, use
{{NTS link|092|j|03}} to link to NTS mapsheet 92 J/3, generating the following link:
Note that you must use the fully padded mapsheet numbers 092 and 03 and not simply 92 and 3 when calling the template. The template will remove the leading 0s for the link text using a call to the #expr parser function. I have not yet figured out how to make it add the leading 0 if you don't have specify it in the parameter. The template is insensitive to the case of the letter by using parser functions UC and LC.
Cool
Thanks for writing this template Scott. You realised exactly where I was thinking of going with it.
Link to zip?
It isn't clear to me that linking to the zip file on the ftp site is really the best thing to do. Once you download it (which could take a while) you need to extract it and then open it... Since I already have a bunch of these maps downloaded I'm more likely to look at the number and just go open the file. Perhaps another option would be to link to a lower resolution jpg version of the map? or a portion of the mapsheet? I'm not sure if these are the best either... but usually when I'm browsing a site with links I like to be able to click on the link and look at something in my browser. Anyway, I'm not sure if there is really a good solution, these are just my 2 cents. Scott Webster 17:13, 24 July 2007 (PDT)
