In T247046, we publicized a request for volunteers to share their feedback about the proposal to codify signature requirements in Wikipedia's software. [1]
This task represents the resulting work involved with implementing the new requirements and making the people affected by these new requirements aware of them.
=== Final requirements
//The user signatures requirements that will be implemented as part of this project will be limited to those which //directly// affect the reliability of DiscussionTools. With this in mind, the changes that will be implemented are as follows://
| Requirement name | Description | Implementation ticket|
|---|---|---
| **1. Disallow unclosed HTML tags** | The scope of this requirement will be //narrower// than how it was defined in the [original proposal](https://www.mediawiki.org/w/index.php?title=New_requirements_for_user_signatures&oldid=3703338). Obsolete HTML tags within signatures will **not be affected** by the changes we are making as part of this proposal. A requirement to disallow obsolete HTML tags was present in the [original proposal](https://www.mediawiki.org/w/index.php?title=New_requirements_for_user_signatures&oldid=3703338) and have since been removed as they do not //directly// affect the reliability of DiscussionTools.| T140606 |
| **2. Disallow abuses of nested substitutions** | The scope of this requirement will be implemented in the //same way// it was defined in the [original proposal](https://www.mediawiki.org/w/index.php?title=New_requirements_for_user_signatures&oldid=3703338). | T230652|
| **3. Require a link to user page, talk page or contributions** | The scope of this requirement will be implemented in slightly more specific way than it was defined in the [original proposal](https://www.mediawiki.org/w/index.php?title=New_requirements_for_user_signatures&oldid=3703338): signatures will be required to contain at least one local link.|T237700|
=== Implementation plan
//The "Final requirements" will be implemented and communicated as follows://
| Step | Description | Ticket
|---|---|---|
|**1. Post final requirements and implementation plan to [proposal page](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/New_requirements_for_user_signatures)** | The contents of what should be posted to the [project page](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/New_requirements_for_user_signatures) are listed in the "Update contents" section above.**| T254613
|**2. Notify the people who are likely to get asked questions once the changes are implemented** | Post consultation outcomes to relevant technical spaces (e.g. tech news, village pump technical, bot operators' noticeboard, etc.) | T254614
|**3. Implement software changes**| Deploy T140606, T230652 and T237700. //Note: people with non-compliant signatures will not be affected at this point; they will still be able to use their signatures as they are, even after these changes are implemented.//|T140606 T230652 T237700
|**4. Post messages on the user talk pages of every person affected.** | Messages will be sent to every person whose signatures do not meet the new requirements. These messages will be sent in phases, so not as to overwhelm people likely to receive questions about these changes.| T254616
|**5. Remind people who have not yet updated their signature of upcoming changes**| This is the final message that will be sent to people notifying them that if they do not update their signatures by a to be determined date, the next time they attempt to sign a comment, their signature will be replaced with the default signature.| T254619
=== Open questions
- [x] How can changes be implemented gradually so we can A) identify unexpected issues and B) ensure we have the capacity to respond to peoples' questions?
-- See "Step 4" in "Implementation plan": messages will be sent in phases.
- [x] Will links to other WMF projects be allowed in signatures?
-- Yes, but signatures will need to contain at least one local link.
=== Done
- [ ] Implementation plan is finalized. //See: T248632#6159036.//
- [ ] "Open questions" are resolved
---
1. https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Talk:New_requirements_for_user_signatures
2. https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/New_requirements_for_user_signatures