Exploring the MediaWiki 1.43 LTS Release: Key Features and Changes

Strengthened Security for Password Resets in MediaWiki

MediaWiki now offers an extra layer of protection for password resets. Users can require a username and email address to trigger password reset emails in their preferences. This dual-verification approach reduces the risk of spam, username enumeration attacks, and unwanted resets. It’s a simple yet effective way to enhance security, particularly for wikis concerned with privacy or targeted attacks.

New “Special:TalkPage” – A Smarter Way to Link Discussion Pages

Linking to discussion pages became a whole lot easier. MediaWiki’s new “Special:TalkPage” utility makes namespace navigation effortless for everyone. This intelligent redirector seamlessly routes users to the correct discussion page, no matter the originating namespace.

For example, visiting “Special:TalkPage/PageName” redirects you to “Talk:PageName”, while “Special:TalkPage/Project:PageName” takes you to “Project_talk:PageName”. This simple feature solves a surprisingly tricky problem behind the scenes.

The real magic of “Special:TalkPage” lies in its benefits for template creators and tool developers. Previously, implementing logic to determine if a namespace had an associated talk page, and what its name would be, required considerable effort. Now, just point to “Special:TalkPage” with the target title, and MediaWiki does the heavy lifting.

Smarter Template Cleanup with New Magic Word

MediaWiki has made template maintenance easier and more efficient with the new __EXPECTUNUSEDTEMPLATE__ magic word, implemented as a behavior switch. This magic word allows editors to exclude specific templates from the list of unused templates on “Special:UnusedTemplates”, cutting down on noise and spotlighting genuinely abandoned templates.

This feature is ideal for template sandboxes, test cases in documentation, and substitution-only templates that aren’t directly used.

By adding __EXPECTUNUSEDTEMPLATE__ to a template, wiki gardeners can keep the list clean, making it easier to identify and manage unused templates. This enhancement streamlines workflows and improves tools for content curation while honoring valid use cases for templates.

Introducing “Special:NamespaceInfo” for Better Namespace Management

MediaWiki has rolled out “Special:NamespaceInfo”, a new special page designed to simplify namespace management. This page provides an organized table displaying essential details, including:

• Namespace IDs and canonical names
• Custom local names specific to your wiki
• Descriptions of each namespace's purpose and characteristics
• Configuration details like subpage support

This new special page is a handy reference for administrators and users. It centralizes information that you previously could only find by sifting through documentation or special pages.

“Special:NamespaceInfo” enhances site management tools, making technical details more accessible and manageable for everyone.

Temporary Accounts: Expanded Creation and Edit Insights

When the creation of temporary accounts on page save is turned on with configuration parameter $wgAutoCreateTempUser (disabled by default since it is still considered a beta feature), MediaWiki now creates temporary accounts for all edit attempts, including unsuccessful and null edits rather than just for successful edits.

For administrators, this means more complete logs and deeper insights into the edit patterns, even when no content changes occur. This change will significantly boost MediaWiki’s moderation capabilities and the understanding of its contributors. For more insights, have a look at the temporary accounts project page.

New Category Sorting Option on Pages

MediaWiki has introduced a new feature designed to give wiki communities more control over category sorting and better accommodate their diverse organizational needs. Wikis organize and display categories on pages in different ways, some treat categories as unordered sets, while others require a specific order. Until now, there hasn’t been a built-in solution to support both approaches.

This new feature allows wikis to customize how categories are sorted on pages, making it easier to adapt category organization to their preferences. Controlled by the $wgSortedCategories configuration parameter (defaulting to false and currently considered experimental), the feature enables the option to enforce alphabetical sorting of categories.

Enhancing Multilingual Wikis with New Magic Word

For multilingual wikis, delivering content tailored to each user’s language preference can significantly enhance the user experience. MediaWiki’s new configuration option, $wgParserEnableUserLanguage (turned off by default), empowers wikis by allowing the {{USERLANGUAGE}} magic word, implemented as a variable, to adapt dynamically based on the user’s preferred language.

This flexibility is a game-changer for wikis serving various language wiki communities, making it easier to provide personalized, accessible content. By default, the magic word reflects the page’s language, but enabling the new setting ensures that content aligns with individual user preferences.

However, this personalization comes with a trade-off: enabling the feature increases the burden on performance. Wikis focused on performance, likely large with a lot of traffic, may stick to the default setting, while those prioritizing a customized experience can adopt the feature with care.

Smarter Language Direction Handling in MediaWiki

MediaWiki continues to improve in multilingual support, and the introduction of two new parser functions, {{#dir}} and {{#bcp47}}, takes this even further by simplifying language direction and code management while improving performance.

• {{#dir}} parser function: It intuitively detects text direction based on language or script codes. For example:
  • {{#dir:en}} outputs "ltr," while {{#dir:ar}} outputs "rtl".
  • It also handles script codes like {{#dir:Arab}} and complex cases like {{#dir:und-arab}} seamlessly, outputting "rtl" when appropriate.
• {{#bcp47}} parser function: IT standardizes language code handling with full compliance to the so-called BCP47 standard, essential for multilingual wikis. For instance:
  • {{#bcp47:sr-ec}} transforms the input to "sr-Cyrl," indicating Serbian in Cyrillic script.
  • {{#bcp47:zh-yue}} simplifies the input to "yue", identifying Cantonese specifically.

These parser functions replace template-based solutions, significantly reducing server load, streamlining maintenance, and boosting overall performance.

By automating these processes, MediaWiki empowers editors to focus on creating content rather than managing technical complexities. Now, you can migrate or replace your templates using this new feature.

Accessibility Boost with Enhanced Color Schemes

MediaWiki has introduced thoughtful updates to enhance accessibility and text readability, creating a more consistent and intuitive user experience. These updates introduce a range of improvements to improve functionality and aesthetics, ensuring better usability across all viewing modes and skins, including those without dark mode support. The key highlights include:

• Enhanced Byte-Change Visibility in Diff Views: Updated background colors for byte-change numbers make reading and interpreting values easier, ensuring clarity across all themes and skins.
• Refined Link Colors for Accessibility: Adjustments to text colors for links—covering states such as visited, hover, and active—improve contrast and readability, enhancing navigation across light and dark modes.
• Refreshed Visual Design System: A harmonized color palette brings greater consistency and readability to the software, with improvements such as better contrast for dark-mode links, refined quiet button designs for a more streamlined appearance, clear differentiation for visited link states, and distinctive system message backgrounds to draw attention to essential notices.

These updates enhance the user experience by improving readability and accessibility and creating consistency across MediaWiki.

Improved Image Handling: WebP, Captions, and More Formats

MediaWiki fully supports WebP image metadata, extracting XMP and EXIF data alongside traditional formats. Wikis using the external images feature get support for modern formats like AVIF, SVG, and WebP, enhancing compatibility with web-optimized visuals. Additionally, captions retain intentional spacing, offering editors greater precision and control over their presentation.

Search Page Updated for a Modern Experience

MediaWiki’s search page got an upgrade. Further improvements may follow, switching from a table layout to a sleek CSS flexbox design. This isn’t just about aesthetics, it’s a big win for accessibility and usability. Screen readers now navigate search results more naturally, keyboard navigation feels smoother, and the page is far more responsive on mobile devices.

Clearer Visibility of Page Protection Status

The page protection status will be easier to identify in MediaWiki, thanks to a new feature controlled by the $wgEnableProtectionIndicators configuration parameter (disabled by default). This enhancement introduces visual protection indicators, such as lock icons at the top of protected pages, giving users a quick and intuitive clue about a page's protection.

• Flexible Implementation: The lock icon can be customized based on page content, allowing wikis to display protection uniquely.
• Customizable Styling: With a predictable ID system, wiki administrators can modify the icon's appearance via their “MediaWiki:Common.css” page, maintaining each wiki's visual identity.
• Configurable Help Link: By default, the icon links to MediaWiki’s protection help page, but wikis can customize this link to align with their own policies using simple configurations.

Improved Headings for Better Accessibility

MediaWiki has updated its HTML for wikitext headings, improving navigation for screen reader users and aligning with modern web standards. A new configuration parameter, $wgParserEnableLegacyHeadingDOM, lets administrators enable the updated markup. Legacy behavior remains the default, but this will be changed in future releases. Skins must explicitly support the new structure to ensure compatibility.

Previously, screen readers read out interface elements like edit links as part of headings, creating cluttered navigation. The new markup eliminates these issues, offering cleaner, more accessible browsing.