Difference between revisions of "WikiDB"

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{{ExtensionCheck}}
 
[[Image:WikiDB icon.png|right]]
 
[[Image:WikiDB icon.png|right]]
 
'''WikiDB''' is a MediaWiki extension which can be used to add database functionality to your wiki.  Its core principal is to do this whilst still following a wiki-like workflow for creating and managing data.  Data is therefore defined in-page via the standard editing process and, just as you can create links to pages that don't exist, you can put data into a table that doesn't exist, and you are able to display and query that data without requiring any formal structure to be defined.
 
'''WikiDB''' is a MediaWiki extension which can be used to add database functionality to your wiki.  Its core principal is to do this whilst still following a wiki-like workflow for creating and managing data.  Data is therefore defined in-page via the standard editing process and, just as you can create links to pages that don't exist, you can put data into a table that doesn't exist, and you are able to display and query that data without requiring any formal structure to be defined.
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== News ==
 
== News ==
  
=== Version 3 is now available ===
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<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">'''[[Media:WikiDB.zip|Download WikiDB Here!]]'''<br>
* '''[[Media:WikiDB.zip|Click here to download (zip file)]]'''
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<span style="font-size: 0.8em;">[[/Installation/|Installation instructions]] &bull; [[/CHANGELOG/|CHANGELOG]] &bull; [[:Image:WikiDB.zip|Older versions]]</span>
* '''[[/Installation/|Installation instructions]]'''
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This is the first update to WikiDB for about a year and a half, partly due to a very busy life, and partly due to this being quite a major reworking of some of the core internals. This new version includes the following new features:
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=== v5.0.4 released ===
  
* Proper alias resolution (you can now rename tables and watch as the data magically follows the redirect).
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WikiDB v5.0.4 is a compatibility release, to fix some issues introduced by MediaWiki 1.36There are no changes that will affect users of MediaWiki 1.35 or below.
* An extension of the &lt;data&gt; tag which allows you to define multiple data rows within a single tag.
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* Fixes to the sorting/filtering algorithm so that the &lt;repeat&gt; tag now works a lot better (and hopefully a lot faster!).
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* Updated the way parsing works when saving a page.  It is now a lot less hacky and less likely to break if the MW parser object is updated.  It also now ensures the article is parsed consistently in all cases (previously it was done differently when saving to when viewing the page, which in some rare cases could result in a mismatch between the data you see and what is actually in the DB).
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* A number of display bugs are now fixed, particularly in relation to the way the SourceArticle field was output.
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* Much less chance of SQL injection.
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* We now have maintenance scripts! No more copy/paste SQL!  No more null edits to fix parsing issues!
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* A whole load of other little bug fixes, and a general code cleanup.
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* No doubt some other little bits I've forgotten.
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The documentation on this wiki has not yet been updated (apart from the [[/Installation/|installation instructions]]), but I am working on it... In the meantime, you're advised to check the last edit date of any information, before treating it as gospel! :-)
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-- [[User:HappyDog|HappyDog]] ([[User talk:HappyDog|talk]]) 17:52, 17 July 2021 (BST)
  
-- 00:30, 12 September 2010 (BST)
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=== v5.0.3 released ===
  
=== &lt;repeat&gt; syntax ===
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WikiDB v5.0.3 has just released, which fixes a number of long-standing issues that affect more recent MediaWiki versions.  It is anticipated that the extension will now work on all MediaWiki versions up to 1.35, but please [[/Bugs|let me know]] if you encounter anything I've missed.  There are no new features introduced in this release.
  
I am holding a consultation about the syntax of the repeat tag, as the more I think about it the more I realise that there is probably not a 'perfect' solution, but instead a 'best compromise' between simplicity, brevity, flexibility and readability. Anyone who would like to input on this should do so on the [[/Repeat tag syntax/]] page. --[[User:HappyDog|HappyDog]] 23:50, 9 December 2008 (GMT)
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See the [[/CHANGELOG#5.0.3|release notes]] for full details.
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-- [[User:HappyDog|HappyDog]] ([[User talk:HappyDog|talk]]) 00:38, 8 April 2021 (BST)
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=== v5.0.0 released ===
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I am pleased to announce the release of WikiDB v5.0.0.  This is the first release to use the new [[/Versioning|versioning scheme]].
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See the [[/CHANGELOG#5.0.0|release notes]] for full details.
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One major change is that this release drops support for MediaWiki < 1.16.  I have always striven to maximise the compatibility of my extensions, and up until now WikiDB has proudly supported all MediaWiki versions back to v1.7.  However, some of the features of WikiDB have been impossible to support in older MediaWiki versions, so for some time now there has been a minimum requirement of MediaWiki 1.16 in order to experience the full set of features that WikiDB provides.
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As I continue to add features to the extension, I am increasingly finding that there are things which are not possible without the parser rewrite that came in MediaWiki 1.16.  Therefore, rather than spending my energies trying to wring as much functionality as possible out of these older versions, I decided to raise my minimum version requirement for the extension to 1.16 and above.
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This is a very conservative step - MediaWiki 1.16 was released in 2010 and is no longer officially supported.  However, as yet, I have not encountered any features that I need for WikiDB which are not supported by this version of MediaWiki, and therefore I see no reason to raise the bar any higher at this time.
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If there are any users of MediaWiki < 1.16 who are unable to upgrade, the [[/Legacy versions|older versions of WikiDB]] remain available.
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Thank you for your understanding and support.
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--[[User:HappyDog|HappyDog]] ([[User talk:HappyDog|talk]]) 20:57, 30 March 2019 (GMT)
  
 
== Documentation ==
 
== Documentation ==
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** '''[[/Installation/]] - Everything you need to know to get the extension working.'''
 
** '''[[/Installation/]] - Everything you need to know to get the extension working.'''
 
** [[/Versioning/]] - What the version numbers mean.
 
** [[/Versioning/]] - What the version numbers mean.
** [[/License/|License]] - CC-BY-SA 2.0
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** [[/License/|License]] - CC BY-SA 2.0 UK
 
* '''Using WikiDB:'''
 
* '''Using WikiDB:'''
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** [[/Defining data/]]
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** [[/Defining tables/]]
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** [[/Querying data/]]
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* '''Reference:'''
 
** [[/Syntax/]] - Current syntax for all elements of the extension.
 
** [[/Syntax/]] - Current syntax for all elements of the extension.
 
** [[/Data types/]] - A list of currently supported data types.
 
** [[/Data types/]] - A list of currently supported data types.
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** [[/Tutorial: Creating your own data type/]]
 
* '''Administering WikiDB:'''
 
* '''Administering WikiDB:'''
 
** [[/Configuration settings/]]
 
** [[/Configuration settings/]]
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** [[/Bugs/|Bugs]] - Please report any bugs here.
 
** [[/Bugs/|Bugs]] - Please report any bugs here.
 
** [[/Feature requests/]] - Add any suggestions for new features to this page.
 
** [[/Feature requests/]] - Add any suggestions for new features to this page.
** [[/ToDo/|ToDo List]] - My list of planned features, and general (non-bug) issues that need fixing.
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** [[/Roadmap|Roadmap]] - My list of planned features, and general (non-bug) issues that need fixing.
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* '''[[/Index/]]'''
 
<br clear="right">
 
<br clear="right">
 
 
  
 
== Technical Info ==
 
== Technical Info ==
* [[/Tables/]] - Details about the new tables that are required by the extension.
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* [[/Files/]] - Listings of all the files required by the extension.
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* [[/Unit testing/]] - Information about the unit tests included in the extension, including how to run them on your own wiki.
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* [[/Tables/]] - Details about the database tables that will be created by the extension.
  
 
__NOTOC__
 
__NOTOC__

Revision as of 18:24, 9 August 2021

This extension is currently installed on this wiki. Feel free to experiment with it!
WikiDB icon.png

WikiDB is a MediaWiki extension which can be used to add database functionality to your wiki. Its core principal is to do this whilst still following a wiki-like workflow for creating and managing data. Data is therefore defined in-page via the standard editing process and, just as you can create links to pages that don't exist, you can put data into a table that doesn't exist, and you are able to display and query that data without requiring any formal structure to be defined.

By creating a table definition, however, you get to force fields to a certain data-type, define fields as aliases of each other (e.g. if different articles use a different name to refer to the same field) and easily flag up unexpected fields that may have been added in error. Changing the field definition instantly updates all data output on the wiki, however the original data is left unmodified. This means that schema changes will never result in data being lost or corrupted.

Because WikiDB allows you to define data on any page, the data can be located directly within the article it relates to. It is therefore easy to find, and there is no problem ensuring it stays up-to-date as the article changes. By default, WikiDB hides the raw data at the point that it is defined, on the assumption that you will output it in aggregated form elsewhere. However you also have the option of outputting it in a standard tabular form or to pass the fields as parameters to a template for in-line display (so if your wiki makes extensive use of infoboxes, it will be easy to update it so this data goes into a table as well).

For more information, see the documentation, below.

News

Download WikiDB Here!
Installation instructionsCHANGELOGOlder versions

v5.0.4 released

WikiDB v5.0.4 is a compatibility release, to fix some issues introduced by MediaWiki 1.36. There are no changes that will affect users of MediaWiki 1.35 or below.

-- HappyDog (talk) 17:52, 17 July 2021 (BST)

v5.0.3 released

WikiDB v5.0.3 has just released, which fixes a number of long-standing issues that affect more recent MediaWiki versions. It is anticipated that the extension will now work on all MediaWiki versions up to 1.35, but please let me know if you encounter anything I've missed. There are no new features introduced in this release.

See the release notes for full details.

-- HappyDog (talk) 00:38, 8 April 2021 (BST)

v5.0.0 released

I am pleased to announce the release of WikiDB v5.0.0. This is the first release to use the new versioning scheme.

See the release notes for full details.

One major change is that this release drops support for MediaWiki < 1.16. I have always striven to maximise the compatibility of my extensions, and up until now WikiDB has proudly supported all MediaWiki versions back to v1.7. However, some of the features of WikiDB have been impossible to support in older MediaWiki versions, so for some time now there has been a minimum requirement of MediaWiki 1.16 in order to experience the full set of features that WikiDB provides.

As I continue to add features to the extension, I am increasingly finding that there are things which are not possible without the parser rewrite that came in MediaWiki 1.16. Therefore, rather than spending my energies trying to wring as much functionality as possible out of these older versions, I decided to raise my minimum version requirement for the extension to 1.16 and above.

This is a very conservative step - MediaWiki 1.16 was released in 2010 and is no longer officially supported. However, as yet, I have not encountered any features that I need for WikiDB which are not supported by this version of MediaWiki, and therefore I see no reason to raise the bar any higher at this time.

If there are any users of MediaWiki < 1.16 who are unable to upgrade, the older versions of WikiDB remain available.

Thank you for your understanding and support.

--HappyDog (talk) 20:57, 30 March 2019 (GMT)

Documentation

MediaWiki logo.png
This extension is also documented at
Extension:WikiDB
on MediaWiki.org.

If the pages are not in sync. then this version on my test wiki is always the most up-to-date.


Technical Info

  • Unit testing - Information about the unit tests included in the extension, including how to run them on your own wiki.
  • Tables - Details about the database tables that will be created by the extension.