There are various ways to build scripts. You can use browserify, webpack, TypeScript compiler, etc., or even choose not to build at all. Wikiploy doesn't force the use of any specific tool (you are free to choose whatever you are comfortable with). However, not all solutions are equally well-suited for the wiki world, and choosing the right solution takes time.
Let me save you some time. Below is a recommended project setup based on some of my real scripts and years of experience building gadgets. If you're interested, you can take a look at a real-world script: wikibot-jsbot-core (it's a bit experimental, but you might find some interesting constructs there). For a more stable example, you might want to explore the template repository for Wikiploy: wikiploy-rollout-example.
Example .gitignore for your project:
/node_modules
*.lnk
*.priv.*
bot.config.*
Your package.json (crucial part being scripts):
{
"name": "wiki-gadget-yourgadgetname",
"type": "commonjs",
"scripts": {
"test": "mocha",
"build-less": "lessc src/less/main.less dist/yourGadgetName.css",
"build-js": "browserify src/main.js -o dist/yourGadgetName.js",
"build": "npm run build-less && npm run build-js && node -e \"console.log('Build done');\" ",
"deploy-dev": "node wikiploy-dev.mjs",
"deploy": "node wikiploy.mjs",
"rollout-dev": "npm run build && npm run deploy-dev",
"rollout": "npm run build && npm run deploy"
},
"devDependencies": {
"browserify": "17.x",
"chai": "4.x",
"eslint": "8.x",
"less": "4.x",
"mocha": "10.x",
"wikiploy": "2.x"
},
}Your src/main.js could look something like this:
var { MyGadget } = require("./MyGadget");
// instance
var gadget = new MyGadget();
// init elements
$(function(){
gadget.init();
})Your src/MyGadget.js could look something like this:
function MyGadget() {
/** Initialize things when DOM is ready. */
this.init = function() {
console.log("init done");
}
}
module.exports = { MyGadget };Also should also create a starting point for your CSS src/less/main.less:
@primary-color: darken(#3498db, 10%);
@secondary-color: darken(#e74c3c, 20%);
.yourGadgetName {
background-color: @primary-color;
color: white;
.header {
background-color: @secondary-color;
text-align: center;
}
}Remember to install tools after changing package.json:
npm iAnd now you should already be able to build the script:
npm run buildNow we just need to setup things so that we don't have to build and deploy things manually.
VSC is a free editor that has evolved over the years to become almost like an IDE. It is great for developing JS scripts.
Add .vscode/extensions.json to help install a set of extensions:
{
"recommendations": [
"gsppvo.vscode-commandbar",
"hbenl.vscode-test-explorer",
"hbenl.vscode-mocha-test-adapter"
]
}VSC settings .vscode/settings.json:
{
"editor.detectIndentation": false,
"editor.useTabStops": true,
"editor.insertSpaces": false,
"search.exclude": {
"package-lock.json": true,
"**/dist/": true,
},
}Using tabs vs spaces is obviously your preference. People tend to have conflicting opinions on that. The simple truth is that a tab is one byte, and 4 spaces are 4 bytes, but use whatever works for your project. Just remember to enforce it at the project level so that the style is consistent.
VSC tasks .vscode/tasks.json:
{
"version": "2.0.0",
"tasks": [
{
"type": "npm",
"script": "test",
"group": "test",
"problemMatcher": [],
"label": "Run tests",
"detail": "mocha"
},
{
"type": "npm",
"script": "deploy-dev",
"group": "none",
"problemMatcher": [],
"label": "Run dev deploy",
"detail": "Run deploy script (wikiploy)"
},
{
"type": "npm",
"script": "deploy",
"group": "none",
"problemMatcher": [],
"label": "Run deploy",
"detail": "Run deploy script (wikiploy)"
},
{
"type": "npm",
"script": "rollout-dev",
"group": "none",
"problemMatcher": [],
"label": "Run dev rollout",
"detail": "Run rollout script (browserify & wikiploy)"
},
{
"type": "npm",
"script": "rollout",
"group": "none",
"problemMatcher": [],
"label": "Run rollout",
"detail": "Run rollout script (browserify & wikiploy)"
},
{
"type": "npm",
"script": "install",
"group": "none",
"problemMatcher": [],
"label": "npm install",
"detail": "install dependencies from package"
}
]
}When you use tasks, VSC runs an interactive terminal. This makes some scripts work better:
- Any scripts that use colors in the terminal will work with tasks.
- An interactive shell is required for the
userPrompthelper (see Deploy script). - Text progress (like in npm install) looks much better with tasks.
VCS commandbar .vscode/commandbar.json:
// Remember to change VSC settings (UI): in `files.associations` add `commandbar.json: jsonc`
{
"skipTerminateQuickPick": true,
"skipSwitchToOutput": false,
"skipErrorMessage": true,
"commands": [
// "commandType": "script" runs npm script directly
{
"text": "test",
"tooltip": "Run mocha tests.",
"color": "lightgreen",
"commandType": "script",
"command": "test",
"priority": 0
},
{
"text": "build",
"tooltip": "Run the browserify build.",
"color": "lightgreen",
"commandType": "script",
"command": "build",
"priority": 0
},
// running deployment as a task (so that prompts work)
// note that "Run dev deploy" is a label from tasks.json
{
"text": "wikiploy-dev",
"tooltip": "Deploy pre-built script.",
"color": "lightgreen",
"commandType": "palette",
"command": "workbench.action.tasks.runTask|Run dev deploy",
"priority": 0
},
// this our one-click rollout
{
"text": "build & deploy-dev",
"tooltip": "Build (browserify) and deploy (wikiploy).",
"color": "lightgreen",
"commandType": "palette",
"command": "workbench.action.tasks.runTask|Run dev rollout",
"priority": 0
}
]
}Note: You should also change VSC settings (UI) under files.associations to add commandbar.json: jsonc (JSON with comments). This allows comments in JSON, making it more understandable. Otherwise, VSC will complain about inline comments.
Also, note: Above, we only added dev tasks to the command bar. This is just for brevity. The same commands can be added for other tasks.
Your bot password configuration bot.config.mjs:
/**
Bot with edit&create rights.
https://test.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BotPasswords/Wikiploy
The new password to log in with Nux@Wikiploy.
Where "Nux" is a Wikipedia username and "Wikiploy" is a bot name choosen in [[Special:BotPasswords]].
*/
export const username = 'Nux@Wikiploy';
export const password = '0abc...fckgw';Your common deployment script wikiploy-common.mjs:
import { DeployConfig, userPrompt } from 'wikiploy';
/**
* Add config.
* @param {Array} configs DeployConfig array.
* @param {String} site Domian of a MW site.
*/
export function addConfig(configs, site) {
configs.push(new DeployConfig({
src: 'dist/yourGadgetName.js',
dst: '~/yourGadgetName.js',
site,
nowiki: true,
}));
configs.push(new DeployConfig({
src: 'dist/yourGadgetName.css',
dst: '~/yourGadgetName.css',
site,
}));
}
/**
* Read and setup summary.
* @param {WikiployLite} ployBot
*/
export async function setupSummary(ployBot) {
const summary = await userPrompt('Summary of changes (empty for default summary):');
if (typeof summary === 'string' && summary.length) {
ployBot.summary = () => {
return summary;
};
}
}We use a separate file to define common functions, making changes to both release and dev Wikiploy scripts simpler.
Note that ~ in dst properties will be replaced with User:SomeName, representing the user space of the currently logged-in user (your user space). For more details about this basic code and DeployConfig properties, refer to the Wikiploy rollout example.
Your minimal developer deployment script wikiploy-dev.mjs:
import { WikiployLite } from 'wikiploy';
import * as botpass from './bot.config.mjs';
const ployBot = new WikiployLite(botpass);
// common deploy function(s)
import { addConfig, setupSummary } from './wikiploy-common.mjs';
// run asynchronously to be able to wait for results
(async () => {
// custom summary from a prompt
await setupSummary(ployBot);
// push out file(s) to wiki
const configs = [];
addConfig(configs, 'en.wikipedia.org');
await ployBot.deploy(configs);
})().catch(err => {
console.error(err);
process.exit(1);
});Your main deployment script wikiploy.mjs:
import { WikiployLite } from 'wikiploy';
import * as botpass from './bot.config.mjs';
const ployBot = new WikiployLite(botpass);
// common deploy function(s)
import { addConfig, setupSummary } from './wikiploy-common.mjs';
// run asynchronously to be able to wait for results
(async () => {
// custom summary from a prompt
await setupSummary(ployBot);
// push out file(s) to wiki
const configs = [];
addConfig(configs, 'pl.wikipedia.org');
addConfig(configs, 'en.wikipedia.org');
addConfig(configs, 'pl.wikisource.org');
await ployBot.deploy(configs);
})().catch(err => {
console.error(err);
process.exit(1);
});There are various ways you could develop gadgets. The most standard way would be to deploy to the MediaWiki:Gadget- namespace.
In wikiploy-common.mjs add:
export function addConfigRelease(configs, site) {
configs.push(new DeployConfig({
src: 'dist/yourGadgetName.js',
dst: 'MediaWiki:Gadget-yourGadgetName.js',
site,
nowiki: true,
}));
configs.push(new DeployConfig({
src: 'dist/yourGadgetName.css',
dst: 'MediaWiki:Gadget-yourGadgetName.css',
site,
}));
}In your main deployment script you could have something like (wikiploy.mjs):
// dev version
addConfig(configs, 'en.wikipedia.org');
// release versions
addConfigRelease(configs, 'pl.wikipedia.org');
addConfigRelease(configs, 'pl.wikisource.org');
addConfigRelease(configs, 'en.wikipedia.org');The script doesn't have any limits. However, you do need interface-admin rights to deploy to the MediaWiki:Gadget- namespace. So, you might need to use ~/ to deploy to your user-space.
If you do not have interface-admin rights, the functions could look like this:
export function addConfig(configs, site, isRelease) {
let deploymentName = isRelease ? '~/yourGadgetName' : '~/yourGadgetName-dev';
configs.push(new DeployConfig({
src: 'dist/yourGadgetName.js',
dst: `${deploymentName}.js`,
site,
nowiki: true,
}));
configs.push(new DeployConfig({
src: 'dist/yourGadgetName.css',
dst: `${deploymentName}.css`,
site,
}));
}
export function addConfigRelease(configs, site) {
addConfig(configs, site, true);
}In this case, you have both dev and release versions in your user space. Frankly, this might be the best choice, even if you have admin rights, especially if you use the loader pattern.
Even if you have all administrative rights on a wiki, you might still want to load the main script from a small loader. The loader pattern allows you to provide conditions for loading the main script from the gadget file.
The loader pattern is most useful when you want to test specific capabilities of a device and only then load the script. This is how you could load popups (which don't work well on touch devices, i.e., devices that cannot hover).
Example of what MediaWiki:Gadget-Popups.js could look like:
// only on devices that can hover (not on touch-only, so not on smartphones)
if (window.matchMedia && !window.matchMedia("(hover: none)").matches) {
importScript('User:Nux/Popups.js');
}You could also have a gadget that is default, but only works on specific pages:
// load config
var config = mw.config.get( [
'wgNamespaceNumber',
'wgTitle',
] );
// only on AfD subpages
if ( config.wgNamespaceNumber == 4 && config.wgTitle.startsWith('Articles for deletion/') ) {
importScript('User:Nux/AfD-helper.js');
}The loader pattern is beneficial because it improves website performance. In this pattern, the main gadget code is only loaded when it can be useful.
Loading from the User namespace might also help make it clear who is responsible for the gadget. However, it might not work when there is no single user responsible, such as when the main author becomes inactive. The community can always decide to fork the script, so that should not be a problem in practice.
Note that browserify will wrap your code with a function automatically, so you don't have to worry about leaking variables to the global scope (you should still remember to define variables with var, let, or const).
If you want to intentionally expose a variable, there are two ways to do that:
- Use the
windowobject (only if you have to). - Use userjs hooks (
mw.hook).
Exposing things in main.js could look something like this:
var { MyGadget } = require("./MyGadget");
// instance
var gadget = new MyGadget();
// expose for external usage (*not* recommended)
window.yourGadgetName = gadget;
// hook when object is ready
mw.hook('userjs.yourGadgetName.loaded').fire(gadget);
$(function(){
// load Mediwiki core dependency
// (in this case util is for `mw.util.addPortletLink`)
mw.loader.using(["mediawiki.util"]).then( function() {
gadget.init();
// hook when initial elements are ready
mw.hook('userjs.yourGadgetName.ready').fire(gadget);
});
});As you can see, hooks are better because you can keep the name of the variable short. It's also much easier to make sure each dependency is loaded so other devs can use your hooks in other gadgets, and your users can customize the script.
User options:
mw.hook('userjs.yourGadgetName.loaded').add(function (gadget) {
gadget.options.createTool = false;
});
importScript('User:Nux/yourGadgetName.js');A more advanced customization:
mw.hook('userjs.yourGadgetName.ready').add(function (gadget) {
var $tool = $('#some-unique-gadget-tool a');
$tool.text($tool.text() + ' & plugin');
});JS has classes for a long time. They don't work in IE and you cannot use them in default gadgets on Wikipedia. If you are building a default gadget you might want to add babeljs as a build step.
# install
npm install --save-dev babelify @babel/core
# build
browserify script.js -t babelify --outfile bundle.jsIf the gadget is intended for advanced users it is safe to assume they won't use IE. So for most scripts you can probably skip babelify. But as of 2023 you will need requiresES6 option in the gadget definition.
yourClassyGadgetName [ResourceLoader | requiresES6 | dependencies = mediawiki.util] | yourGadgetName.js | yourGadgetName.css
Example MyGadget.js with a link in the toolbar:
/**
* Wikiploy gadget example.
*
* History and docs:
* https://github.com/Eccenux/wikiploy-rollout-example
*
* Deployed using: [[Wikipedia:Wikiploy]]
*/
class MyGadget {
constructor() {
this.options = {
createTool: true,
};
}
/** Initialize things when DOM is ready. */
init() {
// Example link in the tools sidebar
if (this.options.createTool) {
var portletId = mw.config.get('skin') === 'timeless' ? 'p-pagemisc' : 'p-tb';
var linkLabel = 'My gadget dialog';
var itemId = 'some-unique-gadget-tool';
var item = mw.util.addPortletLink(portletId, '#', linkLabel, itemId);
$(item).on('click', (evt) => {
evt.preventDefault();
this.openDialog();
});
}
}
/** Open some dialog. */
openDialog() {
// Open a dialog window here
}
}
module.exports = { MyGadget };This MyGadget class will work with the main.js example from the section above.
Unit testing is important for the stability of tools. Not everything needs to be unit tested, but if you perform any kind of parsing or other complicated tasks, it is a good habit to add automatic tests.
There are many testing frameworks, but I mostly use Mocha/Chai. This is mainly because the Chai assert API is very functional.
Below is an example test of imdb.redir() function. The test file test/imdb.test.js:
/* global require, describe, it */
const { assert } = require('chai');
const imdb = require('../src/imdb');
describe('imdb', function () {
describe('imdb redir', function () {
// test function specific to *imdb redir*
function test(text, expected) {
// wrap
let result = imdb.redir(text);
if (result !== expected) {
console.log({text, result, expected});
}
assert.equal(result, expected);
}
// actual test
it('should resolve redirs', function () {
test(`[[IMDb.com]]`, `[[IMDb]]`);
test(`[[IMDb.com|abc]]`, `[[IMDb|abc]]`);
});
});
});You don't have to define a test function, but having a function like that can help test many different cases quickly.
Visual Studio Code will let you run or even debug each it function separately, thanks to the Vscode Test Explorer extension.
So now that we have everthing setup we need code right? If you already have a gadget you might to import it from Wikipedia.
# install
npm i -g wiki-to-git
# get metadata and insert commits to `src/NavFrame.js`
wiki2git-load --site pl.wikipedia.org -p "MediaWiki:Gadget-NavFrame.js"
wiki2git-commit --site pl.wikipedia.org --repo "gadget-NavFrame" -o "src/NavFrame.js"
# get metadata and insert commits to `src/NavFrame.css`
wiki2git-load --site pl.wikipedia.org -p "MediaWiki:Gadget-NavFrame.css"
wiki2git-commit --site pl.wikipedia.org --repo "gadget-NavFrame" -o "src/NavFrame.css"Note that in the example above gadget-NavFrame is a repository folder.
This can be a repo that already exists or something that you've already setup.