@Codename Lisa, Hyacinth, and Michael Bednarek: As the three contributors of Template:Listen MIDI's Edit history, can any of you suggest a way to make this template printable from articles? (For non-MIDI formats, Template:Listen prints just fine, but apparently it still doesn't handle MIDI files.)

As an example of the problem, the biography Louis-Claude Daquin includes two sound files, side-by-side on the viewing screen: an OGG file using "Template:Listen" and a MIDI file using "Template:Listen MIDI". When I print the article, either from my browser directly or by clicking "Printable version" from the left column of the article page, the first template prints with its descriptive text, but the second doesn't appear at all.

Or compare Prayer of Saint Francis with O Sanctissima. The first article has a single OGG file using "Template:Listen" and it prints fine. The second article has a single MIDI file using "Template:Listen MIDI" and it doesn't print.

Thanks very much if you can offer a fix or a work-around. —Patrug (talk) 07:18, 3 April 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Hello, Patrug

I can see it. There is a CSS rule that makes it hidden on print, namely .ns-0 .metadata in MediaWiki:Print.css. This rule is deliberately associated with the sidebox. The solution would be to de-associate this rule. More specifically, adding |metadata=no to this template's {{sidebox}} code fixes the problem. But that would need a rationale and community permission. In the mean time, you can invoke your browser's developer tools (with F12) and de-activate the rule so that the box appears in your prints.

Best regards,
Codename Lisa (talk) 10:34, 3 April 2017 (UTC)[reply]

@Codename Lisa: Ah, thanks for the quick sleuthing & reply. I know almost nothing about these coding details, but I assumed printable OGGs & unprintable MIDIs were just an accidental inconsistency. Do you really think there's a community "rationale" for why an article like Louis-Claude Daquin should absurdly print one but not the other? Where's the right place to request a fix, if not here at "Template talk:Listen MIDI"? —Patrug (talk) 11:07, 3 April 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Actually, the right place is right here. Or in template talk:Listen. It depends on which one you want to fix. Start an WP:RFC. But please don't discuss the irony of one appearing and the other not. Instead, discuss the benefits of your change. Focus on showing the people how great the world in which your change has taken place is. —Codename Lisa (talk) 11:23, 3 April 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Codename Lisa, thank you for your explanation. IMO, not printing these audio templates/boxes is reasonable – they are non-functional in a printed version. The part I don't understand is why {{Listen}} prints as it is member of Category:Exclude in print. Maybe that category doesn't do what I expect, but that box shouldn't print, either. -- Michael Bednarek (talk) 13:56, 3 April 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Even though people can't listen to a sound file on a printout, it can still be quite helpful to have it appear. Especially for articles on musical topics, sound files are often key components of the encyclopedic content. When someone prints a musical article from WP to read on a flight, it's good to see consistently that sound files of any format will be available when s/he's back online – this is helpful for the general reader, and it reflects well on Wikipedia. Conversely, when the main text for an article includes a reference to an accompanying sound file and it's invisible on a printout, the text looks careless & incorrect. When the references for an article include a footnote from a sound file description and it's invisible on a printout, the reference list looks incorrect. So, although {{Audio}} and {{Listen}} and {{Listen MIDI}} can never be fully functional in hardcopy form, it's actually not true to say "they are non-functional in a printed version." If fixing the printability is as straightforward as Codename Lisa described above, I think it would help significantly more than it hurts. (And since {{Audio}} and {{Listen}} have apparently been printable for awhile without complaints, this is further evidence that there's no substantive downside.) Thanks very much for your consideration. —Patrug (talk) 06:26, 6 April 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Check out my new Template:Synthlisten -- works just like Listen, but allows MIDI files to play with the mediawiki player. Hope you enjoy. D. Benjamin Miller (talk) 05:44, 1 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]