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Instrumentation for VE Citation templates in the TemplateDialog
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Description

Context

We want to improve the user experience around the TemplateDialog that's used for citation templates. To test assumptions around the usage of the citation template form we need to instrument it fully.

Since the TemplateDialog is also used when users edit and add templates outside of citation templates, we want to give context to the events tracked so that we're able to differentiate the usage with/without citation templates.

Task

This task is about adding missing instrumentation to citation templates and adding context to the all other instrumentation already present in the TemplateDialog so that we can conduct analysis in superset.

Wikipedias: all
Properties: all general VisualEditor featureuse properties should be sent with the instrumentation event (e.g. edit count, timestamps, wiki, session ids, etc.).

Additional buttons and interactions to instrument for editing citation templates:

  • Hide unused and show all (left hand side)
  • input in search bar (left hand side)
  • check/uncheck properties (left hand side)
  • Click on 'more' / 'less' (right side)
  • pop up ' Required field missing'
  • button in pop-up 'go back' and 'continue anyway'
  • Click on question mark (bottom right side)
  • Click on links in help pop-up in template dialog

Scope: All Wikipedias

Acceptance Criteria
  • Instrumentation events for the above items are available in Superset.
  • Create a table with the new event keys
  • Add the new events to https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/VisualEditor/FeatureUse_data_dictionary (Only transclusion, not transclusion-cite)
  • TemplateDialog events can be differentiated by origin
  • Create new patch demo for viewing events in the dev tools' console tab.
Tracking Events

transclusion = All templates
transclusion-cite = Citation templates

actionfeaturedescriptiondone?
required-field-warning-showntransclusionPop-up warning shown that a required field is missingyes
required-field-warning-showntransclusion-citePop-up warning shown that a required field is missingyes
required-field-go-backtransclusionUser clicked "Go back" on the required field missing pop-upyes
required-field-go-backtransclusion-citeUser clicked "Go back" on the required field missing pop-upyes
required-field-continuetransclusionUser clicked "Continue anyway" on the required field missing pop-upyes
required-field-continuetransclusion-citeUser clicked "Continue anyway" on the required field missing pop-upyes
link-click-keyboard-shortcutstransclusionUser clicked the "Keyboard shortcuts" link in the help pop-upyes
link-click-keyboard-shortcutstransclusion-citeUser clicked the "Keyboard shortcuts" link in the help pop-upyes
link-click-edit-templatestransclusionUser clicked the "Help for editing templates" link in the help pop-upyes
link-click-edit-templatestransclusion-citeUser clicked the "Help for editing templates" link in the help pop-upyes
parameter-expandtransclusionUser clicked "More" to expand additional parameter fieldyes
parameter-expandtransclusion-citeUser clicked "More" to expand additional parameter fieldyes
parameter-collapsetransclusionUser clicked "Less" to collapse additional parameter fieldyes
parameter-collapsetransclusion-citeUser clicked "Less" to collapse additional parameter fieldyes
help-dialog-opentransclusionUser clicked the question mark (help icon) to open the help dialogyes
help-dialog-opentransclusion-citeUser clicked the question mark (help icon) to open the help dialogyes
add-unknown-parametertransclusionUser added a parameter that was not listed in the templateyes
add-unknown-parametertransclusion-citeUser added a parameter that was not listed in the templateyes
edit-parameter-valuetransclusionUser typed or changed a value in a parameter input fieldyes
edit-parameter-valuetransclusion-citeUser typed or changed a value in a parameter input fieldyes
template-doc-link-clicktransclusionA user clicked the template dialog help link, leading to the template pageyes
template-doc-link-clicktransclusion-citeA user clicked the template dialog help link, leading to the template pageyes
parameter-checktransclusionUser selected a parameter checkboxyes
parameter-checktransclusion-citeUser selected a parameter checkboxyes
parameter-unchecktransclusionUser deselected a parameter checkboxyes
parameter-unchecktransclusion-citeUser deselected a parameter checkboxyes
search-inputtransclusionUser typed in the search bar to filter parametersyes
search-inputtransclusion-citeUser typed in the search bar to filter parametersyes
hide-unused-parameterstransclusionUser clicked "Hide unused" to hide deselected parametersyes
hide-unused-parameterstransclusion-citeUser clicked "Hide unused" to hide deselected parametersyes
show-all-parameterstransclusionUser clicked "Show all" to display all selected parametersyes
show-all-parameterstransclusion-citeUser clicked "Show all" to display all selected parametersyes
Patch Demo

https://172eca204d.catalyst.wmcloud.org/wiki/Main_Page

Event Timeline

Lina_Farid_WMDE renamed this task from Instrumentation for Citation Dialog to Instrumentation for VE Citation Template Form.Jun 30 2026, 2:20 PM
WMDE-Fisch renamed this task from Instrumentation for VE Citation Template Form to Instrumentation for VE Citation templates in the TemplateDialog.Jul 15 2026, 12:51 PM
WMDE-Fisch updated the task description. (Show Details)

Change #1314766 had a related patch set uploaded (by Mareike Heuer; author: Mareike Heuer):

[mediawiki/extensions/VisualEditor@master] Add instrumentation for Template Dialog events

https://gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/1314766

added one more acceptence criteria for creating a patch demo.

Change #1314766 merged by jenkins-bot:

[mediawiki/extensions/VisualEditor@master] Add instrumentation for Template Dialog events

https://gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/1314766

Change #1319054 had a related patch set uploaded (by Mareike Heuer; author: Mareike Heuer):

[mediawiki/extensions/VisualEditor@master] Instrumentation for TemplateDialog

https://gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/1319054

WMDE-Fisch updated the task description. (Show Details)
WMDE-Fisch subscribed.

Change #1319054 merged by jenkins-bot:

[mediawiki/extensions/VisualEditor@master] Distinguish TemplateDialog events with Cite origin

https://gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/1319054