Template:FIAV/doc

This template can be used to put vexillological symbols in flag descriptions. Furthermore, when this template is used, some explanation text will be shown when the mouse pointer is placed over the displayed symbol. A bug in WP:Navigation popups will prevent this.

Usage

The symbols exist as SVG-files at commons:Category:Vexillological symbols.

Usage symbols

Usage symbols are created from a 6-figure combination of ones and zeros. The symbols are a map of the following information:

Caption text

	Civil	State	War
Flags	Flown by private citizens on land. ()	Flown by governments on land. ()	Flown by military forces on land. ()
Ensigns	Flown by private citizens at sea. ()	Flown by governments at sea. ()	Flown by military forces at sea. ()

OOC

Some nations, such as the United States, use one of these flags for all purposes (). Others, like Peru, have the "regular" flag (), sometimes called the "national flag," but one used when flown by the government on both land and sea (), often with the addition of the coat of arms. War flags and ensigns are seen especially in Scandinavian countries, such as Sweden, who add a swallowtail to the regular flag (). Sometimes, as with Peru, the civil and state flags may be regularly confused and shown for the opposite or both purposes.

When a single flag is used as the flag for every use of a nation, it is technically called the "national flag" (). Similarly, a single ensign for every use of a nation at sea is a "national ensign" (). However, as with Peru again, the actual designation of a "national flag" may vary. The national flag of a nation is often designated as the regular flag, or the one generally used whenever a nation is represented in the abstract, even when it has limited use (e.g. ).

The easiest example between private, state and war flags and ensigns is seen in the ensigns of the United Kingdom. The Red Ensign is flown by private citizens at sea (), the Blue Ensign is flown by official services in the UK on the water (), and the White Ensign is used by British naval vessels (). At the same time, the Union Jack serves as the national flag for all purposes on land ().

Flags and ensigns that go beyond these simple categories can be documented in two ways, fitting in with similar-enough categories, or marked as other (). "Other" flags include things like air force and civil air ensigns, like the New Zealand Civil Air Ensign and the Royal Australian Air Force Ensign (both based on the UK ensigns). Types of flags not regularly marked as such under the system, but apply to the categories, would be the historical use of the U.S. Coast Guard Ensign as a state and war ensign (), and yacht ensign as a civil ensign (). It would be best to say that that the U.S. yacht ensign is a civil ensign rather than the civil ensign of the U.S. However, flags which do not stand as an ensign or flag on their own, such as naval jacks like that of the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway, are best marked as other ().

Many, if not the majority, of the symbols do not apply to any OOC flags. Traditionally, either one flag serves all purposes, or purposes are often reduced in a similar order (because flags were first commonly used as identification at sea, naval ensigns and other ensigns are often separate from a national flag). Unusual flag uses include the alternate flag of El Salvador (; not used as a naval ensign, but also not used as the civil flag) and the Flag of New Zealand (; no separate state ensign because the flag is already based on the UK Blue Ensign).

FIAV Symbols

Symbol	Meaning	Code	Symbol	Meaning	Code
	Civil flag	{{FIAV|100000}}		National flag	{{FIAV|111000}}
	State flag	{{FIAV|010000}}		National ensign	{{FIAV|000111}}
	War flag	{{FIAV|001000}}		State and war flag, war ensign	{{FIAV|011001}}
	Civil ensign	{{FIAV|000100}}		State flag, civil and war ensign	{{FIAV|010101}}
	State ensign	{{FIAV|000010}}		Civil and state flags and ensigns	{{FIAV|110110}}
	War ensign	{{FIAV|000001}}		State and war flags and ensigns	{{FIAV|011011}}
	Civil and state flag	{{FIAV|110000}}		National flag, civil ensign	{{FIAV|111100}}
	State and war flag	{{FIAV|011000}}		National flag, state ensign	{{FIAV|111010}}
	Civil and state ensign	{{FIAV|000110}}		National flag, civil and state ensign	{{FIAV|111110}}
	State and war ensign	{{FIAV|000011}}		National flag, state and war ensign	{{FIAV|111011}}
	Civil flag and ensign	{{FIAV|100100}}		State and war flag, national ensign	{{FIAV|011111}}
	State flag and ensign	{{FIAV|010010}}		Civil and state flag, national ensign	{{FIAV|110111}}
	War flag and ensign	{{FIAV|001001}}		National flag and ensign	{{FIAV|111111}}
	Civil and war ensign	{{FIAV|000101}}		Civil flag, war ensign	{{FIAV|100001}}
	Civil flag, state ensign	{{FIAV|100010}}		Civil flag, state and war ensign	{{FIAV|100011}}
	Civil flag, civil and war ensign	{{FIAV|100101}}		Civil flag, civil and state ensign	{{FIAV|100110}}
	Civil flag, national ensign	{{FIAV|100111}}		Civil and war flag	{{FIAV|101000}}
	Civil and war flag, war ensign	{{FIAV|101001}}		Civil and war flag, state ensign	{{FIAV|101010}}
	Civil and war flag, state and war ensign	{{FIAV|101011}}		Civil and war flag, civil ensign	{{FIAV|101100}}
	Civil and war flags and ensigns	{{FIAV|101101}}		Civil and war flag, civil and state ensign	{{FIAV|101110}}
	Civil and war flag, national ensign	{{FIAV|101111}}		Civil and state flag, war ensign	{{FIAV|110001}}
	Civil and state flag, state ensign	{{FIAV|110010}}		Civil and state flag, state and war ensign	{{FIAV|110011}}
	Civil and state flag, civil ensign	{{FIAV|110100}}		Civil and state flag, civil and war ensign	{{FIAV|110101}}
	State flag, war ensign	{{FIAV|010001}}		State flag, state and war ensign	{{FIAV|010011}}
	State flag, civil ensign	{{FIAV|010100}}		State flag, state and civil ensign	{{FIAV|010110}}
	State flag, national ensign	{{FIAV|010111}}		State flag and ensign, war flag	{{FIAV|011010}}
	State and war flag, civil ensign	{{FIAV|011100}}		State and war flag, civil and war ensign	{{FIAV|011101}}
	State and war flag, civil and state ensign	{{FIAV|011110}}		War flag, state ensign	{{FIAV|001010}}
	War flag, state and war ensign	{{FIAV|001011}}		War flag, civil ensign	{{FIAV|001100}}
	War flag, civil and war ensign	{{FIAV|001101}}		War flag, civil and state ensign	{{FIAV|001110}}
	War flag, national ensign	{{FIAV|001111}}		National flag, war ensign	{{FIAV|111001}}
	National flag, civil and war ensign	{{FIAV|111101}}		Other	{{FIAV|000000}}

Property symbols

	Description	Code
	Normal or de jure version of flag, or obverse side	{{FIAV|normal}}
	Design was proposed in the past, but never officially adopted	{{FIAV|proposal}}
	Design is a reconstruction, based on past observations	{{FIAV|reconstructed}}
	Reverse side of flag	{{FIAV|reverse}}
	Design is an acceptable variant	{{FIAV|variant}}
	Alternate version of flag	{{FIAV|alternate}}
	De facto version of flag	{{FIAV|defacto}}
	Flag has different designs on its obverse side and its reverse side	{{FIAV|twosided}}
	Obverse side meant to be hoisted with pole to the observer's right	{{FIAV|sinister}}
	Design used in the past, but now abandoned	{{FIAV|historical}}
	Flag is not authorized to represent the group or country	{{FIAV|noflag}}
	Design officially authorized to represent nation by government of that nation	{{FIAV|authorised}}
	Flag can be hung vertically by hoisting on a normal pole, then turning the pole 90°	{{FIAV|vertnormal}}
	Flag can be hung vertically by rotating the design first	{{FIAV|vertrotate}}
	Flag can be hoisted vertically only	{{FIAV|vertexclusive}}

Examples

Former flag of Batavia

• {{FIAV|111111}} gives this:
• [[File:Batavia flag old.png|thumb|{{FIAV|historical}} Former flag of Batavia]] gives the flag as shown on the right.