----- Original Message ----- > From: Sumurai8 (DD) <[email protected]> > To: [email protected] > Cc: > Sent: Saturday, August 20, 2011 11:15 PM > Subject: Re: [Wikitech-l] Mediawiki and a standard template library > >> On Sat, Aug 20, 2011 at 8:35 PM, Max Semenik <[email protected]> > wrote: >>> On 20.08.2011, 22:23 Martijn wrote: >>> >>>> On wikimedia projects that are not Wikipedia (Wikia in specific > comes >>>> to mind) I often find myself using templates that have not been >>>> defined on that installation. The English Wikipedia (which I am > most >>>> familiar with) has many very usefull templates, especially the >>>> {{citeFoo}} templates, but numerous others as well. Trying to > 'import' >>>> one is a bit of a pain though. Many templates depend on other >>>> templates, and it is not often very clear how (as a fun exercise > for >>>> the reader, try to import the {{convert}} template to a new wiki, > and >>>> see how easy it is!). I was wondering if it might be a good idea to >>>> include a standard template library to Wikimedia installations, >>>> containing a set of utility templates along with the Wikimedia >>>> distribution. I'm cross-posting foudation, for possible > discussion if >>>> this is desirable, and wikitech, for possible discussion if this is >>>> feasable. >>> >>> Don't forget, English is one of 300-something languages we support. >>> And users of other languages typically don't feel comfortable with >>> using English templates, because words like "cite book", > "author" and >>> "link" are meaningless to them. So we're speaking about > 300+ sets of >>> templates. This is both unmaintainable and burdensome. And don't >>> forget, not every MediaWiki (that's how our software is called, not >>> Wikimedia!) will want them. I would suppport a system that downloads >>> them on-demand, however shipping zillion templates out of the box is >>> simply out of the question. >>> >>> >>> -- >>> Best regards, >>> ?Max Semenik ([[User:MaxSem]]) >>> >> >> eh, Derp on the MediaWiki/Wikimedia, dunno where that came from. Also >> I'm not proposing to export all the en.wiki templates, but rather >> establish a core set of templates that could be exported (and >> translated!) on demand. >> >> >> Regards, >> >> Martijn > > The English Wikipedia has useful templates for an encyclopedia. > MediaWiki-software is useful for making an encyclopedia, but doesn't > have to be forced to be one. If someone wants a template from en.wp, > they will export it and import it at their own MediaWiki-install. If > that takes two hours, it says more about the total mess of the en.wp > template structure, then about the 'lack of standard templates' in a > MediaWiki-install. It will still take a considerable amount of time to > import a template with standard templates in place. > > Then there will be a discussion what will be useful templates for a > new MediaWiki install. If you decide to ship a MediaWiki install with > a set of templates, the best case is that they will use all templates. > Every worse case is that they will end up with a few templates they > can use/want to use and lots and lots of junk. > > Furthermore I am wondering who wants to maintain such an arbitrary > bunch of templates for 200 languages? It's not only the name of the > templates that need to be translated. The contents of every template, > including transclusions of other templates and language-specific > outcome of 'magic words' (for example in {{#ifeq: }}-statements) need > to be translated. If one wants to import a template from en.wp, he/she > has to import templates and templates where that template is depending > on like before. Now they have to translate the inclusion of standard > templates too, because on their wiki these standard templates now have > names in their custom language. > > Sumurai8
So, if I can express some simple opinion, perhaps what would be useful is a mean to easily export/import a template and all those which are necessary for it to work properly. I don't know if such a tool exist, but could it bea (partial) solution? G. Moko (Forgive my poor english...) _______________________________________________ Wikitech-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikitech-l
