Change Details

Descriptions have been removed from the `action=opensearch` API due to performance concerns and lack of use cases (see {T240691}, especially T240691#5757544 for performance and T240691#5742010 for how this is (not) used by browsers). See [[https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Opensearch#Response|API:Opensearch#Response]] for how the results used to look; the second array now holds empty strings.) While `action=opensearch` is an endpoint meant specifically for browsers, and only end-of-life browsers with low usage seem to make use of descriptions, it seems many other clients did use this endpoint, judging from the feedback on various support channels (e.g. [[https://discourse-mediawiki.wmflabs.org/t/bug-feedback-on-the-opensearch-api/1602|1]], [[https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/mediawiki-api/2019-December/004186.html|2]], [[https://stackoverflow.com/questions/59518708/no-content-from-wikipedia-api-search|3]], [[https://stackoverflow.com/questions/59524747/wikipedia-opensearch-api-no-longer-returns-summary-information|4]]. Non-browser clients which do not need OpenSearch response format specifically can use the [[https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Prefixsearch|prefixsearch API]] (e.g. `action=query&generator=prefixsearch&gpssearch=<search term>&prop=extracts&exintro=1&explaintext=1&redirects=1` ([[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:ApiSandbox#action=query&format=json&prop=extracts&generator=prefixsearch&redirects=1&converttitles=1&formatversion=2&exintro=1&explaintext=1&gpssearch=Hampi|sandbox]]) for extracts or `action=query&generator=prefixsearch&gpssearch=Hampi&prop=description&redirects=1` ([[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:ApiSandbox#action=query&format=json&prop=description&generator=prefixsearch&redirects=1&converttitles=1&formatversion=2&gpssearch=Hampi|sandbox]]) for Wikidata descriptions), but mostly this seems to have been used for mobile apps which do not have an easy means of updating the logic, so there might be value in restoring descriptions to `action=opensearch` if there's a performant way to do it.

Descriptions have been removed from the `action=opensearch` API due to performance concerns and lack of use cases (see {T240691}, especially T240691#5757544 for performance and T240691#5742010 for how this is (not) used by browsers). See [[https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Opensearch#Response|API:Opensearch#Response]] for how the results used to look; the second array now holds empty strings.) While `action=opensearch` is an endpoint meant specifically for browsers, and only end-of-life browsers with low usage seem to make use of descriptions, it seems many other clients did use this endpoint, judging from the feedback on various support channels (e.g. [[https://discourse-mediawiki.wmflabs.org/t/bug-feedback-on-the-opensearch-api/1602|1]], [[https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/mediawiki-api/2019-December/004186.html|2]], [[https://stackoverflow.com/questions/59518708/no-content-from-wikipedia-api-search|3]], [[https://stackoverflow.com/questions/59524747/wikipedia-opensearch-api-no-longer-returns-summary-information|4]]). Non-browser clients which do not need OpenSearch response format specifically can use the [[https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Prefixsearch|prefixsearch API]] (e.g. `action=query&generator=prefixsearch&gpssearch=<search term>&prop=extracts&exintro=1&explaintext=1&redirects=1` ([[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:ApiSandbox#action=query&format=json&prop=extracts&generator=prefixsearch&redirects=1&converttitles=1&formatversion=2&exintro=1&explaintext=1&gpssearch=Hampi|sandbox]]) for extracts or `action=query&generator=prefixsearch&gpssearch=Hampi&prop=description&redirects=1` ([[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:ApiSandbox#action=query&format=json&prop=description&generator=prefixsearch&redirects=1&converttitles=1&formatversion=2&gpssearch=Hampi|sandbox]]) for Wikidata descriptions), but mostly this seems to have been used for mobile apps which do not have an easy means of updating the logic, so there might be value in restoring descriptions to `action=opensearch` if there's a performant way to do it. Two options came up: * Use Wikidata descriptions, which are stored in `page_props` so can be retrieved with a single query. This is a different type of description but arguably more suitable to a search API (the Wikimedia apps display Wikidata descriptions for search, for example). * Wait for {T213505}, then build on it to use descriptions from the Page Content Service.

Descriptions have been removed from the `action=opensearch` API due to performance concerns and lack of use cases (see {T240691}, especially T240691#5757544 for performance and T240691#5742010 for how this is (not) used by browsers). See [[https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Opensearch#Response|API:Opensearch#Response]] for how the results used to look; the second array now holds empty strings.) While `action=opensearch` is an endpoint meant specifically for browsers, and only end-of-life browsers with low usage seem to make use of descriptions, it seems many other clients did use this endpoint, judging from the feedback on various support channels (e.g. [[https://discourse-mediawiki.wmflabs.org/t/bug-feedback-on-the-opensearch-api/1602|1]], [[https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/mediawiki-api/2019-December/004186.html|2]], [[https://stackoverflow.com/questions/59518708/no-content-from-wikipedia-api-search|3]], [[https://stackoverflow.com/questions/59524747/wikipedia-opensearch-api-no-longer-returns-summary-information|4]]). Non-browser clients which do not need OpenSearch response format specifically can use the [[https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Prefixsearch|prefixsearch API]] (e.g. `action=query&generator=prefixsearch&gpssearch=<search term>&prop=extracts&exintro=1&explaintext=1&redirects=1` ([[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:ApiSandbox#action=query&format=json&prop=extracts&generator=prefixsearch&redirects=1&converttitles=1&formatversion=2&exintro=1&explaintext=1&gpssearch=Hampi|sandbox]]) for extracts or `action=query&generator=prefixsearch&gpssearch=Hampi&prop=description&redirects=1` ([[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:ApiSandbox#action=query&format=json&prop=description&generator=prefixsearch&redirects=1&converttitles=1&formatversion=2&gpssearch=Hampi|sandbox]]) for Wikidata descriptions), but mostly this seems to have been used for mobile apps which do not have an easy means of updating the logic, so there might be value in restoring descriptions to `action=opensearch` if there's a performant way to do it. Two options came up: * Use Wikidata descriptions, which are stored in `page_props` so can be retrieved with a single query. This is a different type of description but arguably more suitable to a search API (the Wikimedia apps display Wikidata descriptions for search, for example). * Wait for {T213505}, then build on it to use descriptions from the Page Content Service.