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Maniphest T241709

Normalize $infinityValues before write to logging table when blocking
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Description

MediaWiki's blocking code should normalize the four accepted strings denoting infinity to a single value before they are written to the logging table. One consequence is this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/api.php?action=query&list=logevents&letype=block&letitle=User:Quickcare123
https://en.wikipedia.org/w/api.php?action=query&list=logevents&letype=block&letitle=User:GothSpell
https://en.wikipedia.org/w/api.php?action=query&list=logevents&letype=block&letitle=User:Raunaqpvc
https://en.wikipedia.org/w/api.php?action=query&list=logevents&letype=block&letitle=User:Safetycardmaniceland

The API returns these values without normalization as the expiry parameter. Therefore I need to test against all four allowed values - "indefinite", "infinity", "infinite" and "never" - if I am looking in the block log for indefinite blocks. The workaround is to do the normalization in the API, but that still leaves Technical-Debt.

Details

SubjectRepoBranchLines +/-
logging: Normalize "infinity" in BlockLogFormatter for pre-T241709 rowsmediawiki/coremaster+53 -24
Log indefinite blocks as `infinity` rather than `indefinite`mediawiki/extensions/AbuseFiltermaster+1 -1
Use normalized block duration in block log entriesmediawiki/coremaster+5 -1
Customize query in gerrit

Event Timeline

MER-C created this task.Jan 2 2020, 8:11 AM
Restricted Application added a project: Platform Engineering. · View Herald TranscriptJan 2 2020, 8:11 AM
Restricted Application added a subscriber: Aklapper. · View Herald Transcript
DannyS712 claimed this task.Jan 2 2020, 8:35 AM
DannyS712 added a project: MediaWiki-Logevents.
DannyS712 subscribed.

At least at Special:Block, there is already normalization applied:

SpecialBlock::processForm
$expiryTime = self::parseExpiryInput( $data['Expiry'] );
...
$block->setExpiry( $expiryTime );
SpecialBlock::parseExpiryInput
public static function parseExpiryInput( $expiry ) {
	if ( wfIsInfinity( $expiry ) ) {
		return 'infinity';
	}
	$expiry = strtotime( $expiry );
	if ( $expiry < 0 || $expiry === false ) {
		return false;
	}
	return wfTimestamp( TS_MW, $expiry );
}
GlobalFunctions wfIsInfinity
function wfIsInfinity( $str ) {
	// These are hardcoded elsewhere in MediaWiki (e.g. mediawiki.special.block.js).
	$infinityValues = [ 'infinite', 'indefinite', 'infinity', 'never' ];
	return in_array( $str, $infinityValues );
}

That being said, the logging table's parameters are not normalized:

SpecialBlock::processForm
$logParams['5::duration'] = $data['Expiry'];
Restricted Application added a project: User-DannyS712. · View Herald TranscriptJan 2 2020, 8:35 AM
gerritbot added a comment.Jan 2 2020, 8:36 AM

Change 561574 had a related patch set uploaded (by DannyS712; owner: DannyS712):
[mediawiki/core@master] Use normalized block duration in block log entries

https://gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/561574

gerritbot added a project: Patch-For-Review.Jan 2 2020, 8:36 AM
DannyS712 moved this task from Unsorted to Awaiting review and deployment on the User-DannyS712 board.Jan 2 2020, 8:40 AM

@MER-C do you think this warrants a maintenance script to normalize old entries?

MER-C added a comment.EditedJan 2 2020, 11:27 AM

Yes please. I'm slightly concerned that this problem may cause silent quantitative inaccuracies or bugs elsewhere. Not normalising the past entries is unnecessarily incurring technical debt. In the long term this information should be stored in a more structured way - but the WMF will only get around to doing that decades after this bug is forgotten about.

But if you're content for this to be Someone Else's Problem, that's also OK. You shouldn't be cleaning up the WMF's technical debt.

Anomie moved this task from Unsorted to Non-core-API stuff on the MediaWiki-Action-API board.Jan 2 2020, 3:00 PM
Anomie moved this task from Inbox to Triage Meeting Inbox on the Platform Engineering board.Jan 2 2020, 3:02 PM
gerritbot added a comment.Jan 2 2020, 9:18 PM

Change 561574 merged by jenkins-bot:
[mediawiki/core@master] Use normalized block duration in block log entries

https://gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/561574

ReleaseTaggerBot added a project: MW-1.35-notes (1.35.0-wmf.14; 2020-01-07).Jan 2 2020, 10:00 PM
Maintenance_bot removed a project: Patch-For-Review.Jan 2 2020, 10:10 PM
DannyS712 removed DannyS712 as the assignee of this task.Jan 2 2020, 11:34 PM
DannyS712 moved this task from Backlog to User blocking on the MediaWiki-User-management board.
DannyS712 moved this task from Awaiting review and deployment to In progress on the User-DannyS712 board.
DannyS712 added a project: MediaWiki-Maintenance-system.
DannyS712 moved this task from Backlog to Requested scripts on the MediaWiki-Maintenance-system board.

Unlicking this cookie - going forward, log entries should use infinity for all durations that pass wfIsInfinity(). A maintenance script should update existing log entries

• WDoranWMF triaged this task as Low priority.Jan 22 2020, 6:37 PM
• WDoranWMF edited projects, added Platform Team Workboards (Clinic Duty Team); removed Platform Engineering.
• WDoranWMF moved this task from Inbox to Backlog on the Platform Team Workboards (Clinic Duty Team) board.
DannyS712 added a project: AbuseFilter.Mar 11 2020, 6:39 AM

Abuse filter hardcodes using indefinite

gerritbot added a comment.Mar 11 2020, 6:40 AM

Change 578721 had a related patch set uploaded (by DannyS712; owner: DannyS712):
[mediawiki/extensions/AbuseFilter@master] Log indefinite blocks as infinity rather than indefinite

https://gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/578721

gerritbot added a project: Patch-For-Review.Mar 11 2020, 6:40 AM
• AMooney moved this task from Backlog to Teleport on the Platform Team Workboards (Clinic Duty Team) board.Mar 24 2020, 1:48 PM
• WDoranWMF edited projects, added Platform Engineering (Icebox); removed Platform Team Workboards (Clinic Duty Team).Mar 24 2020, 9:48 PM
Krinkle removed a project: MediaWiki-Maintenance-system.Apr 3 2020, 3:12 PM
DannyS712 edited projects, added MediaWiki-Blocks; removed MediaWiki-User-management.Apr 25 2020, 12:13 AM
Restricted Application added a project: MediaWiki-User-management. · View Herald TranscriptApr 25 2020, 12:13 AM
JJMC89 removed a project: MediaWiki-User-management.Apr 25 2020, 6:09 PM
gerritbot added a comment.Dec 4 2021, 9:15 PM

Change 743601 had a related patch set uploaded (by Umherirrender; author: Umherirrender):

[mediawiki/core@master] Normalize infinity block duration for pre-T241709 log entries

https://gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/743601

gerritbot added a comment.Dec 4 2021, 9:19 PM

Change 578721 abandoned by Umherirrender:

[mediawiki/extensions/AbuseFilter@master] Log indefinite blocks as `infinity` rather than `indefinite`

Reason:

AbuseFilter no longer build the log entry by its own - Ib7c1dc107a169b575f7021e64b6a8fee09529548

https://gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/578721

Umherirrender claimed this task.Apr 11 2022, 7:49 PM
Umherirrender removed a project: AbuseFilter.
gerritbot added a comment.Apr 12 2022, 9:12 PM

Change 743601 merged by jenkins-bot:

[mediawiki/core@master] logging: Normalize "infinity" in BlockLogFormatter for pre-T241709 rows

https://gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/743601

ReleaseTaggerBot added a project: MW-1.39-notes (1.39.0-wmf.8; 2022-04-18).Apr 12 2022, 10:00 PM
Umherirrender closed this task as Resolved.Apr 13 2022, 4:42 PM
Umherirrender removed a project: Patch-For-Review.
Novem_Linguae subscribed.Jul 29 2023, 12:48 PM
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