-[[if test="enabled(template)"
-then="This wiki has templates **enabled**."
-else="This wiki has templates **disabled**."
-]]
+[[Ikiwiki]] uses many templates for many purposes. By editing its templates,
+you can fully customise this site.
-[[if test="enabled(template) and enabled(inline)" then="""
-These templates are available for inclusion onto other pages in this
-wiki:
+Templates are located in `/usr/share/ikiwiki/templates` by default;
+the `templatedir` setting can be used to make another directory be
+searched first. Customised templates can also be placed inside the
+"templates/" directory in your wiki's source.
-[[inline pages="templates/* and !*/discussion" feeds=no archive=yes
-sort=title template=titlepage]]
+Ikiwiki uses the HTML::Template module as its template engine. This
+supports things like conditionals and loops in templates and is pretty
+easy to learn. All you really need to know to modify templates is this:
+
+* To insert the value of a template variable, use `<TMPL_VAR variable>`.
+* To make a block of text conditional on a variable being set use
+ `<TMPL_IF variable>text</TMPL_IF>`.
+* To use one block of text if a variable is set and a second if it's not,
+ use `<TMPL_IF variable>text<TMPL_ELSE>other text</TMPL_IF>`
+
+[[!if test="enabled(template)" then="""
+## template pages
+
+The [[!iki ikiwiki/directive/template desc="template directive"]] allows
+wiki pages to be used as templates, filled out and inserted into other
+pages in the wiki.
+"""]]
+
+[[!if test="enabled(edittemplate)" then="""
+## default content for new pages
+
+The [[!iki ikiwiki/directive/edittemplate desc="edittemplate directive"]] can
+be used to make new pages default to containing text from a template
+page, which can be filled out as the page is edited.
"""]]
+
+[[!if test="(enabled(template) or enabled(edittemplate))
+and enabled(inline)" then="""
+[[!inline pages="templates/* and !*.tmpl and !templates/*/* and !*/discussion"
+feeds=no archive=yes sort=title template=titlepage
+rootpage=templates postformtext="Add a new template named:"]]
+"""]]
+
+## wiki templates
+
+These templates are used to build the wiki. The aim is to keep almost all
+html out of ikiwiki and in the templates.
+
+* `page.tmpl` - Used for displaying all regular wiki pages. This is the
+ key template to customise. [[!if test="enabled(pagetemplate)" then="""
+ (The [[!iki ikiwiki/directive/pagetemplate desc="pagetemplate directive"]]
+ can be used to make a page use a different template than `page.tmpl`.)"""]]
+* `rsspage.tmpl` - Used for generating rss feeds for blogs.
+* `rssitem.tmpl` - Used for generating individual items on rss feeds.
+* `atompage.tmpl` - Used for generating atom feeds for blogs.
+* `atomitem.tmpl` - Used for generating individual items on atom feeds.
+* `inlinepage.tmpl` - Used for displaying a post in a blog.
+* `archivepage.tmpl` - Used for listing a page in a blog archive page.
+* `titlepage.tmpl` - Used for listing a page by title in a blog archive page.
+* `microblog.tmpl` - Used for showing a microblogging post inline.
+* `blogpost.tmpl` - Used for a form to add a post to a blog (and rss/atom links)
+* `feedlink.tmpl` - Used to add rss/atom links if `blogpost.tmpl` is not used.
+* `aggregatepost.tmpl` - Used by the aggregate plugin to create
+ a page for a post.
+* `searchform.tmpl`, `googleform.tmpl` - Used by the search plugin
+ and google plugin to add search forms to wiki pages.
+* `searchquery.tmpl` - This is a Omega template, used by the
+ search plugin.
+* `comment.tmpl` - Used by the comments plugin to display a comment.
+* `change.tmpl` - Used to create a page describing a change made to the wiki.
+* `recentchanges.tmpl` - Used for listing a change on the RecentChanges page.
+* `autoindex.tmpl` - Filled in by the autoindex plugin to make index pages.
+* `autotag.tmpl` - Filled in by the tag plugin to make tag pages.
+* `calendarmonth.tmpl`, `calendaryear.tmpl` - Used by ikiwiki-calendar to
+ make calendar archive pages.
+* `editpage.tmpl`, `editconflict.tmpl`, `editcreationconflict.tmpl`,
+ `editfailedsave.tmpl`, `editpagegone.tmpl`, `pocreatepage.tmpl`,
+ `editcomment.tmpl` `commentmoderation.tmpl`, `renamesummary.tmpl`,
+ `passwordmail.tmpl`, `openid-selector.tmpl` - Parts of ikiwiki's user
+ interface; do not normally need to be customised.
+
+[[!meta robots="noindex, follow"]]