Disable the jQuery library built into the MediaWiki 1.16.x engine, and replace it with a fresh one, updated and updated by the wiki administrators

As it is not difficult to read on MediaWiki , the current line of stable versions (1.16.x) comes with the built-in jQuery library, the code of which lies at skins / common / jquery.min.js. This is a jQuery of a relatively old version (1.3.2, released in February 2009), slightly patched to overcome one of its bugs, and it runs in compatibility mode (“ noConflict () ”) so as to fit into the $ j variable instead of $ . This jQuery code does not contain any plugins and is, in essence, optional, connecting to the page only if the MediaWiki code contains a call to the $ wgOut-> includeJQuery () method. Say, the UsabilityInitiative extension contains just such a call on line 128 of its “UsabilityInitiative.hooks.php” file , so that jQuery appears in some skin themes (for example, in Vector) when the UsabilityInitiative extension is connected to a wiki.

I suggest that you get to the point of view of the wiki technician, that is, the administrator of the MediaWiki server with direct access (like SSH) and the ability to change the settings of the wiki (LocalSettings.php), install MediaWiki extensions and carry out other similar actions. What circumstances might cause a wiki MediaWiki 1.16.x desire to change for the better the state of affairs mentioned in the previous paragraph? Which way is most appropriate for a wiki technique to translate this aspiration?
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The first impetus of such a striving is the natural and almost inevitable realization of how inconvenient is the appearance of jQuery in the page code, which is configured by default. Any wiki technician, if he has enough leisure for reflection, sooner or later comprehends that the simplicity and power of the $ ( ... ) function , if it were always at the disposal of administrators who compose scripts for a wiki, would definitely create a JS code that is more compact than the former. Take for example the May 22nd, 2011 version of the “MediaWiki: Common.js” page from the Russian-language Wikipedia. It is not difficult to notice the function code here:

function editZeroSection(){ var body = document.getElementById('bodyContent') if (!body) return var h2s = body.getElementsByTagName('H2') var h2 = h2s[0] if (!h2) return if (h2.parentNode.id == 'toctitle') h2 = h2s[1] if (!h2) return var span = h2.firstChild if (!span || span.className != 'editsection') return var zero = span.cloneNode(true) body.insertBefore(zero, body.firstChild) var a = zero.getElementsByTagName('a')[0] if (a.href.indexOf('§ion=T') == -1 ) a.title = a.title.replace(/:.*$/,': 0') else a.title = ' : 0' a.setAttribute('href', wgScript + '?title='+encodeURIComponent(wgPageName) + '&action=edit§ion=0') } 

Any jQuery fan is well aware of how this library would completely spare the function authors from having to resort to getElementById () and getElementsByTagName () , and would also provide abbreviated analogs of some other methods and fields. But such a function is not there alone. Not one and such a wiki: it is not difficult to see similar bulkiness, for example, in the version of May 28, 2011, the page “MediaWiki: Common.js” from “Absurdopedia”.

Assume that the wiki technician ensured the rigorous appearance of jQuery in the page code, following the official instructions and adding to the LocalSettings.php file with the appropriate code:

 // Include jQuery function wfIncludeJQuery() { global $wgOut; $wgOut->includeJQuery(); } $wgExtensionFunctions[] = 'wfIncludeJQuery'; 

The wiki administrators, with rights to edit the MediaWiki: Common.js page, began rewriting the functions on jQuery, using $ ( ... ) instead of addOnloadHook ( ... ) , and so on. What two stumbling blocks await this process in the future?

Firstly, when meeting jQuery history, it will certainly reveal that version 1.3.2 (as I mentioned a little higher) appeared quite a while ago - as early as February 2009 . There is no need to tell the regular readers of the habrahabrovsky jQuery blog how great and significant has been the development of the library over the past 2⅓ years; for everyone else, I’ll just give an example of accelerating animation in version 1.4.3, new interfaces deferred ([ 1 ], [ 2 ]) in version 1.5, full support for IE9 in version 1.5.1 ... and changes in version 1.4 are 14 pages in general set out.

Secondly, hardly having finished transferring existing scripts to the jQ-basis, wiki administrators will naturally think about what other possibilities open up for automation (scripting) of the wiki for the better. Almost inevitably, their acquaintance with such an amazing tool as jQuery plug-ins serve, allowing in a simple way (“copy-paste”) in an instant to provide the site with significant, impressive improvements. For example, it is enough to add jQuery.ScrollTo and jQuery.LocalScroll - and immediately immediately all the inside - page hyperlinks can be provided with a spectacular page scrolling animation, using a simple script:

 $(function(){ $.localScroll({ hash: true, onAfter: function(target){ location = '#' + ( target.id || target.name ); } }); }); 

For a wiki on the MediaWiki engine, with its automatic table of contents articles, such an improvement in behavior is invaluable.

We see: at this stage, the course of events inexorably pushes the wiki technician to create a file (best of all, one file, so that time is not wasted on unnecessary requests to the server) containing both the new jQuery version of the library and all the desired plugins for it . Will skins / common / jquery.min.js fit the role of such a file? It is unlikely and there are two reasons. First, as you know , any transition to a new version of MediaWiki (even from version 1.16.x to version 1.16.x + 1) is associated with writing new files on top of old ones - the slightest inattention of the update may lead to the fact that the file “skins / common /jquery.min.js ” will be replaced again by the jQuery version shipped with MediaWiki (1.3.2, without plug-ins). Secondly, it’s generally not very logical to assign jQuery updates and wiki technology plug - ins and require direct access to the wiki server for this , since many other MediaWiki javascripts (such as the aforementioned MediaWiki: Common.js, for example ) any administrator can edit through the wiki interface itself, besides equipped with a convenient built-in version control system and viewing the difference of edits. It turns out that it would be more logical for jQuery, along with all relevant plugins in a specific wiki, to be placed on a page with the name “MediaWiki: jQuery.js”, but calm down.

Is this placement technically feasible? Yes, it is quite achievable; all you need to do is remove the code from the LocalSettings.php file with the call to the includeJQuery () method that was added there in the previous step - and instead invoke a call to the MediaWiki extension that would enable the connection of the MediaWiki: jQuery.js script , yes, in addition, it would bite the call to the “skins / common / jquery.min.js” script in case the call to the includeJQuery () method still comes from some other extension.

The task of writing such a MediaWiki extension code that would connect “MediaWiki: jQuery.js” to each wiki page was solved by me long ago - its answer (its code) looks like this (including the MIT license):

 <?php /* * jQuery.php - Adds jQuery script to the <head> . . . </head> * @author Mithgol the Webmaster * @version 0.2 * @copyright Copyright (C) 2010 Mithgol the Webmaster * @license The MIT License - http://www.opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php * --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Copyright (c) 2010 Mithgol the Webmaster * * Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy * of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal * in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to * use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of * the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do * so, subject to the following conditions: * * The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all * copies or substantial portions of the Software. * * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, * EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES * OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND * NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT * HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, * WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING * FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR * OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE. * ----------------------------------------------------------------------- * Version notes: * version 0.2: * erase MediaWiki's internal jQuery call, which lacks plugins * version 0.1: * initial release * ----------------------------------------------------------------------- */ # Confirm MW environment if (defined('MEDIAWIKI')) { # Credits $wgExtensionCredits['other'][] = array( 'name' => 'jQuery', 'author' => 'Mithgol the Webmaster', 'url' => 'http://traditio.ru/wiki/JQuery_%D0%B4%D0%BB%D1%8F_MediaWiki', 'description' => 'Adds jQuery to the list of scripts (HEAD element).', 'version' => '0.2' ); function jQueryMyHook( &$output, &$skin ) { $output->mScripts = "\t\t". '<script type="text/javascript" src="/w/index.php?title=MediaWiki:jQuery.js&action=raw&ctype=text/javascript"></script>'. "\n" . preg_replace('/<script src="\/w\/skins\/common\/jquery\.min\.js\?\d+"><\/script>/', '<!-- jQuery double, erased -->', $output->mScripts); return true; } $wgHooks['BeforePageDisplay'][] = 'jQueryMyHook'; } # End MW Environment wrapper ?> 

Please note that the “skins / common / jquery.min.js” file clipper takes into account the MediaWiki style of adding “?” And the number to the script URL.

When filling in the MediaWiki: jQuery.js file, it is appropriate to provide backward compatibility with skins / common / jquery.min.js in the jQuery name format. For this purpose, it is quite enough to place the following code in the MediaWiki: jQuery.js file:

 /*      MediaWiki: * 1) /skins/common/edit.js * 2) /skins/common/preview.js *   ,  jQuery    $j. *     : */ $j=$; 

Obviously, I hope that this synonym should be created after the code of the jQuery library itself.

The above expansion was introduced in the Russian “Tradition” wiki-encyclopedia in 2010 and managed to fully prove its suitability. Some of the improvements and conveniences created by the scripts that the use of jQuery in MediaWiki makes possible deserve, perhaps, separate blogs in Habrahabr, but my current story is over.