Last modified: 2014-09-10 02:57:25 UTC
We need a central repository of Scribunto modules and templates. Currently they are spread all over. It has been broadly requested/discussed in many places and this is an attempt to have a URL to watch a contribute to this topic. Scribunto upstream is in mediawiki.org and therefore I think such central repository should also be in mediawiki.org, to satisfy equally Wikimedia and MediaWiki centric projects.
What would this central repository need, apart from deciding where will it be? I mean, mediawiki.org only misses a category for Lua based templates and another one for Scribunto modules (very easy) and just a bit of love putting together the documentation and support channels. The rest (e.g. announcing new templates, review processes...) will come or not based on the community activity. All this is kind of happening at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Lua but that is really not the right place, so other Wikimedia projects are starting their own Lua corners, and just wait when MediaWiki 3rd party admins start adding to the mix. We could just tell all these people that mediawiki.org is the right place, their commons place, just like it is for extensions, and the rest would come. PS: I know it's not that simple, but it's not that complicated either. The more time we let this pass the more difficult it will be to undo changes.
(In reply to comment #1) > What would this central repository need, apart from deciding where will it > be? Support in software so that it would work something like Commons does for media. The idea is that the code would exist in one place and be available to all without it having to be copied and pasted to each one. Note that Commons itself will not be the place for this; the Commons community doesn't want it, and various others wouldn't want it there either.
In the roadmap, we want to get to this in October of 2013 (as of right now, could change in priority between now and then): https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Roadmap#Lua
To me sharing code cross-project seems rather useful too. Maybe MediaWiki.org? Meta? If we are looking at the grand scheme of things, I would really like it if there were a 'special' place for this, and all modules in this 'special' space would be injected in the mw table. This way, when such modules turn out to be much used and generally useful, they could possibly in time be 'adopted' into the Scribunto core mw tables without breaking existing usage.
See also https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Requests_for_comment/Global_scripts and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Requests_for_comment/Global_bits_and_pieces
Do you think that this is a good candidate for an internship program? I'm considering adding it to https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Mentorship_programs/Possible_projects
(In reply to comment #6) > Do you think that this is a good candidate for an internship program? No.
Right. :) Do you mind explaining why? If it's too big or complex, could a first phase be split as a research or prototyping project? I'm just trying to see whether we can get external help starting this project that we all seem to be too busy to kick off. As far as I know there is no roadmap including a plan or a date for this repository.
See also this thread from may 2013: "[Wikitech-l] Centralized Lua modules for Wikisource (OPW mentor needed)" http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikitech-l/2013-May/069658.html
(In reply to comment #8) > Right. :) Do you mind explaining why? If it's too big or complex, could a > first phase be split as a research or prototyping project? Not to be rude, but you seem to be exhibiting a lack of research yourself. You're aware of the interwiki transclusion GSoC project and its outcome? You also seem to have not researched current requests for comment (linked in comment 5) before filing this bug. Large, abstract, and technically complex projects such as implementing a central code repository are terrible for inexperienced users, in my opinion. Discrete tasks that can be implemented in production are a much better use of resources.
I fail to see how this bug is not a duplicate of bug 39610.
I've proposed https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Global-Wiki
(In reply to comment #11) > I fail to see how this bug is not a duplicate of bug 39610. That bug report says: "Depending on which model is chosen, additional bugs may need to be filed. In particular, if a central repository model is chosen, there needs to be a discussion about where to host such modules (for example, scripts.mediawiki.org or scripts.wikimedia.org) and what to host alongside them (for example, JavaScript gadgets)." This report is about the central repository model.
(In reply to comment #13) > (In reply to comment #11) >> I fail to see how this bug is not a duplicate of bug 39610. > > That bug report says: > > "Depending on which model is chosen, additional bugs may need to be filed. In > particular, if a central repository model is chosen, there needs to be a > discussion about where to host such modules (for example, > scripts.mediawiki.org or scripts.wikimedia.org) and what to host alongside > them (for example, JavaScript gadgets)." > > This report is about the central repository model. The comment you copied and pasted suggests the need for a discussion. This would mean using the mailing list(s) or the wiki(s) to have such a discussion, not Bugzilla. In my view, this bug continues to be a direct duplicate of bug 39610.
Will the repository also include non-Lua templates?
(In reply to comment #15) > Will the repository also include non-Lua templates? I don't know if this proposal by Quim Gil covers that case, but mine at Comment 12 certainly does.
*** Bug 64421 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
The modules to centralize must speak any language. To support this evolution, the Module:ControlArgs can: * adapt any calling module for international use i18n in argument names, error messages, wikitext and categories. * provide to many small wikis the same modules as the main wikis, only by adding translations tables in the sub modules .../I18N. * help users, when he/she edit any page, by a documentation panel, like Mediawiki do this for modules. See Bug 51660. * help administrators to support wikis in other languages, by translating error messages. See Bug 66051. See the live demo (in debug phase): https://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/Module:ControlArgs
Rical, please don't spam your pet module on every tangentially-related bug report. Thanks.
Posted as a draft RFC https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Requests_for_comment/A_central_repository_for_templates
Moved from MediaWiki.org to https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Requests_for_comment/Global_bits_and_pieces and proposed at https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Global_bits_and_pieces
