Latest *tech news <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Tech/News>* from the Wikimedia technical community. Please tell other users about these changes. Not all changes will affect you. Translations <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Tech/News/2026/25> are available.
*Weekly highlight* - The Reader Growth team <https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Readers/Reader_Growth> has launched an Image Browsing <https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Readers/Reader_Growth/Image_Browsing> beta feature on the mobile web version of all Wikipedias. The feature shows an image carousel at the top of articles with 3 or more images. Editors can configure this feature with the following controls: to hide a specific image from a page, either use class=notpageimage excluding it from thumbnail previews, or class=noviewer excluding it from MediaViewer. The carousel can also be disabled from a page entirely, with the magic word __NOMEDIAVIEWERCAROUSEL__. To submit feedback or flag bugs, please visit the project page <https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Talk:Readers/Reader_Growth/Image_Browsing> . - Wikitables <https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Help:Tables#class=%22wikitable%22> can now be sorted in descending order <https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Help:Sortable_tables#Forcing_the_initial_sort_direction> on the first click by adding data-sort-order="desc" to the header cell. Previously, by default, clicking a column header for the first time sorts it in ascending order. This addition to a Wikitable gives it more control and flexibility, while the default behavior for subsequent clicks remains unchanged. [1] <https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T398416> *Updates for editors* - The Article guidance <https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Article_guidance> feature is currently being tested with some editors creating new articles on the Simple English, French, and Turkish Wikipedias. The experiment will soon begin on the Arabic and Bangla Wikipedias as well. This feature <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/simple:Special:NewArticle> gives editors community-curated guidance to help them create articles that follow community standards. Experienced editors can continue creating or adapting outlines for specific article types that are commonly created by less experienced contributors. The outlines guide less experienced editors in creating high-quality articles. A quick guide to markups used in outlines can be found on this page <https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Article_guidance/Test_feature_guide#Markups_in_outlines> . Example outlines <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/simple:Wikipedia:Article_Guidance> that can be adapted and instructions for how to adapt them are on this section <https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Article_guidance#Adapting_a_sample_outline_in_a_Wikipedia> of the project page. - Wikis that wish to replace the "indefinitely" button in Special:Block for temporary accounts (for example, wikis that block temporary users only until account expiration) will be able to do so by creating MediaWiki:ipb-indefinite-expiry-temporary-account <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/MediaWiki:Ipb-indefinite-expiry-temporary-account> with the block duration they want. [2] <https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T427125> - View all 41 community-submitted tasks that were resolved last week <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Tech/News/Recently_resolved_community_tasks> . *Updates for technical contributors* - By the end of June, a valid user-agent string will be required for automated dumps downloads from the dumps.wikimedia.org website. Automated requests that provide a generic or empty user-agent will be blocked. This extends enforcement <https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T400119> of the long standing user-agent policy <https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Policy:Wikimedia_Foundation_User-Agent_Policy>. Access to dumps through Wikimedia Cloud Services will not change. - The roll out of global API rate limits <https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_APIs/Rate_limits> is now complete, with limits enforced across all APIs and at the documented levels for all groups. Bots running in Toolforge/WMCS or with the bot user right on any wiki remain exempt. All bots should continue to follow the documented best practices to avoid being rate limited. - The API Portal wiki <https://api.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page> will be read only starting this week (June 15-18). The following week (June 22-25), all API Portal wiki URLs will redirect to Wikimedia APIs on mediawiki.org <https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_APIs>. Learn more on the project page <https://wikitech.wikimedia.org/wiki/API_Portal/Deprecation>. - Detailed code updates later this week: MediaWiki <https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/MediaWiki_1.47/wmf.7> *Meetings and events* - On June 17th at 6pm UTC the WMF will be holding Discord call focused on a code review. We've heard through the Developer Satisfaction Survey <https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Developer_Satisfaction_Survey/2026> that volunteers are struggling with code review and we'd like to discuss these experiences with the goal of surfacing workable solutions. You can join the call via the Wikimedia Community Discord server <https://discord.gg/wikipedia?event=1514727511102062664>. - The Latin American Wikimedia Conference <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Conferencia_Wikimedia_de_Am%C3%A9rica_Latina_2026> will host a regional hackathon that will bring together the Wikimedia movement’s technical community including developers, system administrators, data scientists, and users with extended rights. Interested technical contributors can apply for a scholarship <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf4osJzTHBJjQbYJk7TMVEJjTEQv7IgtsUDfP-o-qTgeRQQxw/viewform> to participate until June 21 at midnight (Bolivia time, UTC-4). - Sign up for Wikimania Team Challenges to join this special event. The Team challenges will take place online and in person from July 21 to 22, before Wikimania conference. Everyone is welcome, regardless of skills or Wikimania registration. Teams will work on 10 important challenges supporting the Wikimedia community. For details, visit the Team Challenges page <https://wikimania.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/2026:Team_challenges> and register there <https://wikimedia.eventyay.com/wm/teamchallenges/>. Registration closes on June 20th at 11pm UTC. *Tech news <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Tech/News> prepared by Tech News writers <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Tech/News/Writers> and posted by bot <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/User:MediaWiki_message_delivery> • Contribute <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Tech/News#contribute> • Translate <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Tech/News/2026/25> • Get help <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Tech> • Give feedback <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Tech/News> • Subscribe or unsubscribe <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Global_message_delivery/Targets/Tech_ambassadors>.* -- Uzoma Ozurumba (She/her) Movement Communications Specialist (Product and Tech) meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:UOzurumba_(WMF)
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