Fix or deprecate wbsearchentities "props" param
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	Jakob_WMDE
	Apr 10 2026, 1:43 AM

Description

wbsearchentities has a "props" param with only one available value: “url”. The URL is already included in search results by default, which means that this parameter does nothing.

We should either fix the parameter, or remove it. Either is would be a breaking change, since existing clients might rely on the API returning the URL by default now, and removing the parameter is of course also a breaking change.

Example:
https://www.wikidata.org/w/api.php?action=wbsearchentities&format=json&search=potato&language=en
https://www.wikidata.org/w/api.php?action=wbsearchentities&format=json&search=potato&language=en&props=url

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Jakob_WMDE created this task.Apr 10 2026, 1:43 AM

Restricted Application added a subscriber: Aklapper. · View Herald TranscriptApr 10 2026, 1:43 AM

If I understand correctly, the default value is the same of the only possible value. This may have sense in this corner case.

Maybe we can "don't care" until a new prop added. For example we can add as sub-task the introduction of "prop=description" or "prop=label" or whatever other prop, to then activate only that property successfully, and omitting all the other properties.

Additionally, props surprisingly works! For example to remove the props.

Default, with prop URL:

https://www.wikidata.org/w/api.php?action=wbsearchentities&format=json&search=potato&language=en

And without props (without URL):

https://www.wikidata.org/w/api.php?action=wbsearchentities&format=json&search=potato&language=en&props=

So maybe we can keep and do not deprecate.

Fix or deprecate wbsearchentities "props" paramOpen, Needs TriagePublicActions

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Fix or deprecate wbsearchentities "props" param
Open, Needs TriagePublic
Actions