Graphical configuration interface
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	Qgil
	Aug 28 2014, 8:11 AM

Description

NOTE: this was originally created as a technical RFC. It is now tracked as a feature request.

This is a request for comments for MediaWiki to have a sane and easy to use configuration interface through the wiki user interface. This RfC is based off a previous RfC and the Configure MediaWiki extension.

Goal

Many of the various MediaWiki settings should be adjustable by local administrators/bureaucrats without requiring sysadmin intervention. Additionally, this would make those configuration values public to all users without requiring the LocalSettings.php file being uploaded somewhere.

Requirements

Overall goal: Site administrators should be able to configure various global settings via a web interface instead of editing a PHP file.
Performant: should not slow down the site
Backwards compatible: should work fine with existing code and extensions
Farm support: Work for both single-wiki installations and large farms like Wikimedia
Cross-wiki support: should be able to access another wiki's settings

Implementation

There are three major steps in implementing this:

An interface and internal API for accessing and setting various configuration options (see Accessing settings in RFC)
An actual "configuration database"
A graphical configuration interface

For details, see Graphical configuration interface in the wiki RfC.

Details

Reference: fl581

Related Objects
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Status	Assigned	Task
Open	None	T388 Graphical configuration interface
Open	None	T155155 Implement a way to view (extension) configuration options and its value on-wiki
Open	None	T155154 Don't require extensions to set ConfigRegistry
Resolved	Florian	T155156 Extensions should be able to define a configuration option as "public"
Resolved	Florian	T155157 Allow to define a localized description message to be added to extension configs
Resolved	Florian	T155908 There should be a way to process config options in ExtensionRegistry

Event Timeline

• flimport raised the priority of this task from to Needs Triage.Sep 12 2014, 1:47 AM

• flimport added a project: Architecture.

• flimport set Reference to fl581.

Qgil triaged this task as Low priority.Sep 21 2014, 2:07 PM

Qgil subscribed.

• flimport added a subscriber: Legoktm.Oct 2 2014, 9:58 PM

• flimport added a subscriber: Parent5446.Oct 7 2014, 5:00 PM

Qgil edited projects, added TechCom-RFC; removed Architecture.Oct 22 2014, 8:45 PM

tstarling added a project: TechCom.Nov 20 2014, 6:05 AM

tstarling set Security to None.

daniel updated the task description. (Show Details)Mar 2 2015, 11:51 AM

daniel moved this task from P1: Define to Under discussion on the TechCom-RFC board.

• Spage updated the task description. (Show Details)May 6 2015, 8:42 PM

We will discuss this in next week's RFC meeting. I mentioned this on Skizzers's talk page, I don't see him on Phab or IRC.@Legoktm prior to the meeting you can make any revisions you want to the wiki page and/or this task.

I'm not sure it really makes sense to discuss this right now. Not much has changed since the last time, and I'm not going to have time to do the full overhaul of the RfC that I want to do in a week. I'd much rather re-discuss T88596: Improving extension management now that extension registration is a reality and we've started identifying the pain points of the new system.

@Legoktm T88596 is currently marked as "draft" on the #MediaWiki-RfCs board. Go ahead and move it to "under discussion" if you think it's ready for that. I suppose we could then schedule that instead of this one. @tstarling, what do you think?

In T388#1266959, @daniel wrote:

I suppose we could then schedule that instead of this one. @tstarling, what do you think?

Done.

• Spage removed a project: TechCom.May 15 2015, 1:32 AM

daniel moved this task from Under discussion to Old on the TechCom-RFC board.Jun 17 2015, 8:32 PM

waldyrious subscribed.Aug 1 2015, 9:53 AM

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• RobLa-WMF mentioned this in E66: ArchCom RFC Meeting Wxx: <topic TBD> (<see "Starts" field>, #wikimedia-office).Sep 12 2015, 11:30 PM

• Spage updated the task description. (Show Details)Sep 22 2015, 9:57 PM

• Spage updated the task description. (Show Details)Sep 22 2015, 10:00 PM

Qgil unsubscribed.Sep 23 2015, 8:21 AM

Ricordisamoa awarded a token.Feb 20 2016, 5:53 AM

Ricordisamoa subscribed.

Danny_B added a project: Proposal.May 2 2016, 10:47 PM

• RobLa-WMF mentioned this in E187: RFC Meeting: triage meeting (2016-05-25, #wikimedia-office).May 25 2016, 7:03 AM

Skizzerz subscribed.Aug 12 2016, 4:28 PM

Jdforrester-WMF mentioned this in T143857: Use Extension:JsonConfig for storing the template param mapping between languages.Sep 7 2016, 3:56 PM

J5lx subscribed.Sep 30 2016, 11:25 AM

Krinkle removed a project: Proposal.Dec 21 2017, 11:39 PM

Tgr added a subtask: T155155: Implement a way to view (extension) configuration options and its value on-wiki.Apr 20 2019, 11:34 PM

Currently is a product question not a RFC, so moving to Growth for product decision/backlog

I don't understand why this has been tagged for the Growth Team? This is a Core Platform team / MediaWiki configuration suggestion.

@Jdforrester-WMF doesn't fit growth, that's true. But who owns UI that targets wiki owners?...

Anomie moved this task from Inbox to Triage Meeting Inbox on the Platform Engineering board.Jul 22 2019, 7:09 PM

In T388#5355065, @daniel wrote:

@Jdforrester-WMF doesn't fit growth, that's true. But who owns UI that targets wiki owners?...

CPT specifically hired a Product Owner to address this user segment (though priorities may have changed).

In T388#5355504, @Jdforrester-WMF wrote:

CPT specifically hired a Product Owner to address this user segment (though priorities may have changed).

Yea, but CPT doesn't have anyone for UI... I suppose you are right, the requirements and priorization would be up to @CCicalese_WMF.

I'm putting this into the CPT inbox for review.

This would be excellent functionality for third-party wiki owners, but it is not on the Core Platform Team roadmap, which is focused on the Wikimedia use case.

Bugreporter added a subtask: T234732: Add an on/off switch for project administrators to temporally disable MediaWiki extensions.Oct 5 2019, 10:46 PM

WDoranWMF edited projects, added Platform Engineering (Icebox); removed Platform Engineering.Mar 23 2020, 2:06 PM