More user suggestions:


    After selecting a template and clicking "Add template", the left side of the box should read (in descending order): (1) Dialog box name (which should be "New template", not "Transclusion"); (2) the name of the new template [done now, but this should not be clickable - see (6)]; (3) A title, "Required parameters" [new], (4) a list of the required parameters [done now; done now], (5) a title, "Added parameters" [new], (6) A button, "Add a parameter", which when clicked, changes the right side of the box to the "Add parameter" dialog; and (7) a list of added parameters [done now; may be blank]. The button should be greyed out if the editor cannot add any new parameters (the only allowed parameters are required; all possible added parameters have been added)

    After clicking "Add template", the left side of the dialog box highlights the template name, and always shows, on the right side, the "Add parameter" dialog. This is wrong if there are any required parameters. What should be highlighted on the left is the first required parameter. Editors should be completing the required parameters first, then turning to adding optional parameters.

    When a editor clicks, on the left side, on a parameter, the right side shows an input box. It isn't clear, after the editor has added the desired information, what to do. Pressing [Enter] (or [Return]) just puts a newline character into the box (starts a new line). Clicking on "Apply changes", which seems like a possible solution, actually saves the template and exits the dialog box - that's frustrating. There should be a "Done" button that closes the edit window, and moves the left-side focus to (a) the top-most required parameter without information, or (b) the "Add a parameter" button/option.

    When a parameter listed in the left side of the box gets its information added by the editor, the visible format of the parameter does not change. This is a particular problem if there are a lot of mandatory parameters, and the editor is not adding information linearly. It would be helpful if the text of the name of the parameter were to turn green once the parameter has been filled out; that's also positive feedback to an editor looking at anything with more than a few required parameters.

    How to add a parameter is not obvious, as indicated by the frustration voiced by an editor previously. It looks like an editor can click on a parameter in the list, and then click the boxed parameter name towards the right side of the areas that has turned blue (that is, to click on what appears to be a button with the parameter name within it). But clicking on that "button" does nothing. Nor does clicking on a parameter result in the name of that parameter being put into the search box. The secret of adding a parameter [I guess; I've not been able to figure out anything else] is to ignore the fact that parameter names can be selected by clicking on them, instead (a) typing the parameter name into the search box, and (b) pressing [Enter]. I admit to being baffled by the rationale here: why make (the parameter name) clickable, yet have the click do absolutely nothing useful? Clicking on a small button within the parameter description, or double-clicking (or best, either way) is much more what editors would expect. [I also note that the user guide is not helpful, saying in its entirety, on this issue: "You can add parameters or edit those already listed."]

    What makes the "type in the parameter name and press enter" approach particularly problematical is that if you misspell the name of an optional parameter, you get no feedback that you have done so. That's because VE assumes you're adding a parameter that's not covered by templatedata, but still is valid. That's a necessary assumption now, but clicking to add a parameter, rather than typing to add one, would remove the potential for this problem.

    When adding a parameter, the list of parameters includes a description (e.g., "Full date when the source was published; if unknown, use accessdate ..."). It would be extremely useful if this description was also visible when the enter enters information for that parameter. (Bug exists for this, I believe.)

    VE should prevent an editor from adding a template to the page text unless information has been entered for all required parameters. This could be done by greying out the final button (currently "Apply changes"), or by an appropriate error message if that button were clicked while a required parameter was still blank. If the first approach is taken, then it's particularly important to show the editor his/her progress in filling out parameters (the fourth suggestion, above), perhaps even turning red the required parameters that still require information.

    The final step, for a different process, adding images, is to click a button labeled "Insert media". Similarly, the final step for the template process should be a button labeled "Insert template", rather than "Apply changes".