Wikipedia talk:MediaWiki namespace/Archive

I like this stuff! If I understand this right, do we get to have like substitute-text with $1 and $2 and stuff? How is it done? (Perhaps I should have asked this first before creating MediaWiki:Vio :/// ) Dysprosia 06:38, 6 Dec 2003 (UTC)

I don't think there is a way to specify what $1 and $2 are, so the vio page isn't going to work. Also, that might be a bit too long to be allowed. Angela . 06:57, 6 Dec 2003 (UTC)~

Darn. Maybe it can be broken up, something like {{subst:vio1}}[site]{{subst:vio2}}...? Otherwise I'll get rid of it... Dysprosia 07:02, 6 Dec 2003 (UTC)

You could but I'm not convinced that makes things easier than they are now. I'd find it quicker to go and copy the boilerplate from somewhere than to remember and type three different SUBST messages, but if you think it would be easier then you could make them. Angela . 07:08, 6 Dec 2003 (UTC)

I think I'm gonna delete it until a developer makes happy-vfd-substitutey-stuff :) Dysprosia 07:14, 6 Dec 2003 (UTC)

I was also thinking about how it would be if we could specifyi parameters, like { {SUBST name|param1|param2} } in the article text, and use { {$1} }, { {$2} } in the message definitions. With some expansion it could become a useful templating tool for many things. But, that would probably require changes to software to keep it fast enough. OTOH, if the maximum number of parameters were to be kept down to a reasonable number for use in messages (say 5), it shouldn't be too hard to do. Zocky 19:22, 11 Dec 2003 (UTC)

Since this page is almost entirely about MediaWiki and not really about anything specific to Wikipedia, I think this page should be moved to meta and become part of the meta:MediaWiki User's Guide. --mav 07:36, 6 Dec 2003 (UTC)

You're right. I've moved most of it to m:Meta-Wikimedia:MediaWiki namespace. Angela . 07:43, 6 Dec 2003 (UTC)

Oh, I thought you would just copy it to meta. Are you going to delete Wikipedia:How to edit a page as well? -- Tim Starling 00:55, Dec 7, 2003 (UTC)

Yes. I think the aim is to move all the help pages over to Meta. If they are kept in both places, people tend to edit one and not the other and they end up out of sync. Angela . 01:07, 7 Dec 2003 (UTC)

I don't think that Wikipedia:How to edit a page should be moved to meta, only copied. The copy on meta should be more general and the one on wikipedia should be more wikipedia-specific, above all in examples. Also, I don't think new users should of wikipedia should be immediately bothered with the whole notion of meta, interwiki links, etc. Zocky 19:13, 11 Dec 2003 (UTC)

Powerful and handy stuff, now if only I could figure a way to keep track of all of them (that user's guide will become more important, no doubt). Or maybe I'll just wait until Angela adds them all to her stash :) Dori | Talk 00:07, Dec 7, 2003 (UTC)

I've been keeping a list at Wikipedia:MediaWiki custom messages but it does depend on people remembering to add any new ones they create. Angela . 01:10, 7 Dec 2003 (UTC)

Hmm, this is powerful. Where do we discuss changes? Martin 04:23, 7 Dec 2003 (UTC)

I would suggest Wikipedia talk:MediaWiki custom messages to discuss changes to custom messages and Wikipedia talk:MediaWiki namespace text for changes to the default messages. Angela . 04:32, 7 Dec 2003 (UTC)