This is a documentation subpage for Template:Area code box. It may contain usage information, categories and other content that is not part of the original template page.

There are two ways to use this template, when the area code doesn't touch another jurisdiction (another U.S. State, Canadian Province or Caribbean Country, like Chicago's 312 or Los Angeles' 213)) and when the area code does touch another jurisdiction (New York City's 212, New Mexico's 575).

Usage in all cases

To use this template in all cases. you will code

{{Area code box|State=|This=|N=|S=|E=|W=}}

where you want the table. If the area code does not touch another jurisdiction (a different U.S. State, Canadian Province or Caribbean country), this is all you will need to use. If the area code does touch another jurisdiction, then you use the format

{{Area code box|State=| This=|N=|S=|E=|W=| S1=| S2=| S3= |S4=|S5= |S6=|S7=|S8=}}

where S1= through S8= is the 2-letter U.S. State or Canadian Province abbreviation, or the full name of the Caribbean Country. (The exact values to use are listed below under How the macro works.) In any case, for the N=, S=, E=, and W= parameters you list the area codes that are north, south, east and west, respectively, of this area code. If an area code is not precisely one of these directions, like an area code that was northwest of this area code, then list it in both, e.g. list it in N= and W=. If the direction has no area code because it's on the Mexican border or a country not in the North American Numbering Plan or because it's an ocean, put the country and its code, or the ocean, as a link.

Note that the parameter names are case sensitive, so you must use such parameters as State= or This=, not state= nor this=.

If you want the box to be a different size on the page from 80% of the page's width, use the optional parameter Width=. (See How the Macro Works below.)

Usage when the area code is completely surrounded by one area code from same jurisdiction

Here are a couple of examples where an area code is completely surrounded by another from the same state, province or Caribbean country. Area codes 385 and 801 in Salt Lake City, Utah is surrounded by 435; Area code 210 in San Antonio, Texas is surrounded by 830):

This one is from combined area codes 617 and 857 in Massachusetts, which would be surrounded by 339 and 781 except there are no area codes to the east as that leads to Europe:

{{Area code box|State=MA
| This=Area codes 617/857
| N=[[area codes 781 and 339|339/781]]
| S=[[area codes 781 and 339|339/781]]
| E=[[Atlantic Ocean]]
| W=[[area codes 781 and 339|339/781]]
}}

Usage when the area code is surrounded by two or more area codes from the same jurisdiction

Here's an example where one area code is surrounded by several others, but all of the surrounding area codes are in the same state (863 is in the middle of Florida):

{{Area code box|This=Area code 863|State=FL
|N=[[area code 321|321]]/[[area code 407|407]], [[area code 352|352]]
|S=[[area code 239|239]], [[area codes 754 and 954|754/954]]
|E=[[Area code 561|561]], [[Area code 772|772]]
|W=[[area code 813|813]], [[area code 941|941]]
}}

Usage when area code touches another jurisdiction

In those cases, you will code

{{Area code box |State= |This= |N=|S=|E=|W= |S1=|S2=|S3=|S4=|S5=|S6=|S7=|S8=}}

where S1 to S8 are abbreviated names of border states/provinces/Caribbean countries the area code touches. You only need to use as many of these as are necessary, e.g. if the area code only touches one other jurisdiction, you only need to include S1= and you don't include S2= through S8=.

The following is from the combined California area codes 442 and 760, which touches Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, and the Mexican Border:

{{Area code box | State = CA | This = area code 442/760
| N = [[Area code 530|530]], [[area code 702|702]], [[area code 775|775]]
| S = [[area code 619|619]], [[area code 858|858]], [[List of country calling codes#Zone_5_.E2.80.93_Mostly_Latin_America|Country code]] [[Telephone numbers in Mexico|+52 in Mexico]]
| E = [[area code 928|928]]
| W = [[area code 209|209]], [[area code 559|559]], [[area code 619|619]], [[area code 626|626]], [[area code 661|661]], [[area code 808|808]], [[area code 858|858]], [[area code 909|909]], [[area code 951|951]], [[area code 949|949]]
| S1=AZ|S2=NV|S3=HI}}

Here is an example for area code 867 which is primarily the Northwest Territories in Canada but also includes the Yukon Territory and Nunavut. This area code also has the unique situation of actually touching eight different jurisdictions (Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario, Saskatchewan and Quebec):

{{Area code box|This=Area Code 867|State=NT
| N=[[Arctic Ocean]], [[List of country calling codes#Zone 7 – Russia and Kazakhstan|Country code]] [[+7]] in [[Russia]]
| S=[[Area code 204|204]], [[Area code 250|250]]/[[area code 778|778]], [[Area code 306|306]], [[Area code 705|705]], [[Area code 709|709]], [[Area code 780|780]]/[[area code 587|587]], [[Area code 807|807]], [[Area code 819|819]]
| E=[[Atlantic Ocean]], [[List of country calling codes#Zone 2 – Mostly Africa, some Atlantic islands|Country code]] [[+299]] in [[Greenland]]
| W=[[Area code 907|907]]
|S1=AK|S2=AB|S3=BC|S4=MB|S5=NL|S6=ON|S7=SK|S8=QC}}

Usage for Caribbean Countries

Here's one for the Caribbean country of the Dominican Republic:

{{Area code box|State=Dominican Republic
| This= Area code 809/829/849
| N= [[area code 649|649]]
| S= [[Caribbean Sea]]
| E= [[area code 787|787]]/[[area code 939|939]]
| W= [[List of country calling codes#Zone 5 – Mexico, Central America, South America and the French American dependencies|Country code]] [[+509]] in [[Haiti]]
| S1=Puerto Rico|S2=Turks and Caicos Islands}}

How to code the parameters

The value to give for State=, is the 2-letter abbreviation to include the area code template for this state or Canadian province, or is the full name of the Caribbean country that this area code is located within, e.g. State=NY, State=QC, State=Turks and Caicos Islands. (For the purposes of this template, Puerto Rico is considered a Caribbean country.)

The parameters S1, ..., S8 (if this area code touches another jurisdiction,) are the border states/provinces that it touches that are to appear at the bottom, according to the box number. Usually these are entered in Alphabetical Order, e.g. if an area code in California touched Arizona and Nevada, you'd use S1=AZ, S2=NV.

The parameter This is this area code, used for the center box. N=, S=, E= and W= are the area codes (or oceans) that border this area code in those compass directions. If another area code borders on more than one direction put it in multiple directions. If an area code borders on an odd direction such as northwest, code both N=and W=. To make them clickable links, include the description surrounded by link brackets, e.g. if the area code to the north of this area code is 710, you'd code N=[[Area code 710]].

How the macro works

Usage: {{Area code box|State=|This=|N=|S=|E=|W=|S1=|S2=|S3=}} etc., where S1 to S8 are abbreviated names of border states/provinces the area code touches. The values to give for State, S1, ..., S8 are the area code lists for border states/provinces to appear at the bottom, according to the box number.

The parameters are used as follows:

State= is the 2-letter abbreviation to include the area code template for this state or Canadian province, or is the full name of the Caribbean country.

This= is this area code, used for the center box.

N=, S=, E= and W= are the area codes (or oceans) that border this area code in those compass directions.

Optional Parameters:

S1=XX for the first nearby state, province or Caribbean country to this area code, where XX is the two letter state/province abbreviation or the full name of the country.

S2=XX for the second nearby state,

...

S8=XX for the eighth nearby state,

for as many states as border this area code,

Width= to indicate the width of the page the macro should use; it defaults to 80%

Values for State or S1 through S8:

The abbreviations for the Canadian Provinces are: AB BC MB NS NT NU ON PE QC SK YK YT (Recommendation: for NU and YT, as long as they are using the same area code as NT, use NT; for PE use NS)

The abbreviations for the values for U.S. States are: AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE DC FL GA HA ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY

The names to use for Caribbean countries are: American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guam, Jamaica, Montserrat, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands.

For an area code where all surrounding area codes are in the same state/province use {{Area code box|State=|This=|N=|S=|E=|W=}} where you want the table.