Mastering MediaWiki's Parser Functions: A Developer's Guide
Why parser functions matter
Topic
setup
A collection of 112 articles
Mastering ParserFunctions in MediaWiki: Logical and String Functions for Dynamic Content
ParserFunctions Unleashed: From Simple Logic to String Sorcery
Ever stared at a wiki page that felt as static as a marble statue? Then you probably missed the hidden gears of ParserFunctions humming underneath. Imagine you could ask, “Show this text only if the user is logged in,” or “Trim a
Building Custom Reports in MediaWiki Using Lua Modules
Why Lua modules matter for MediaWiki reporting
At first glance a MediaWiki installation looks like a giant collection of wikitext pages, nothing more than a glorified blog. In practice, though, the platform hides a surprisingly powerful scripting layer called Scribunto. With Scribunto you can write Lua code that lives inside
Implementing a Custom Search Index in MediaWiki with Elasticsearch
Why a Custom Search Index?
MediaWiki ships with a simple MySQL‑based search engine that works for tiny wikis, but it quickly becomes a bottleneck as the amount of content grows. Extension:CirrusSearch replaces the native engine with Elasticsearch, giving you full‑text relevance, fast autocomplete, and the ability to
Integrating REST API in MediaWiki: Building Dynamic Applications
Why the MediaWiki REST API matters (and why you might care)
Picture this: you’re building a mobile app that lets people browse Wikipedia articles offline, or a dashboard that pulls the latest revision stats for a set of internal wiki pages. You could hack together a bunch of action=
Best Practices for Backing Up MediaWiki Installations
Why a MediaWiki Backup Is More Than Just “Copy‑Paste”
Imagine you’ve spent months curating a niche wiki about vintage arcade cabinets. One night a power surge knocks the server offline and, when it boots, the latest articles have vanished. The feeling is a bit like watching a favorite
How to Create a Custom CSS Theme in MediaWiki
How to Create a Custom CSS Theme in MediaWiki
MediaWiki separates the skin (the PHP/HTML structure) from the theme (a bundle of CSS that decorates a skin). If you want a unique look for your wiki without touching core files, the recommended path is to create a custom CSS
How to Upgrade Your MediaWiki to 1.45
Upgrading to 1.45 follows the same disciplined process used for any major MediaWiki upgrade, but there are a few version‑specific details you should be aware of
Mastering the Cargo Extension for Structured Data in MediaWiki
Why Structured Data Matters in a Wiki
Ever opened a wiki page and thought, “This could be a spreadsheet, but I’m stuck with plain text”? Yeah, I’ve been there. MediaWiki, at first glance, feels like a giant notebook – you scribble, you link, you hope the reader gets the
Automating Bulk Edits in MediaWiki Using the REST API
Automating Bulk Edits in MediaWiki Using the REST API
When you need to apply the same change to dozens or thousands of pages – for example adding a template, fixing a recurring typo, or inserting a tracking tag – doing it manually is impractical. MediaWiki provides a modern REST API that can