Wikidata For Wikimedia Projects/Projects/Move Wikidata item link - Meta-Wiki
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Task T66315
Move the Wikidata data object to the "In Other Projects" sidebar section
Background
Initially, the Wikidata data-object* link was added to the toolbox section of pages of the different Wikimedia projects. Later, the
In Other Projects
sidebar was created to store links to all Wikimedia projects utilising
Wikidata's sitelinks
, but it didn't include the Wikidata data object to avoid duplication. As this sidebar wasn't enabled everywhere, the link was kept in the toolbox.
Now that the "In Other Projects" sidebar is enabled across all Wikimedia projects, the Wikidata data object link can be moved there.
* data object is the multilingual technical name referring to the 'Wikidata Item' sitelink, as this term changes depending on language setting.
The Problem
Users may expect to see a Wikidata item link in the
In Other Projects
section of the toolbar, as this is where links to corresponding pages are kept for the Wikimedia sibling projects. Instead the link is kept under the
General
section.
The Solution
When a page is connected to a Wikidata item, the link to the Wikidata Item is displayed under the
In Other Projects
sidebar menu section.
Moving the Wikidata Item link to the
In Other Projects
may increase the discoverability and navigability.
Previous Wikidata item location
Current Wikidata item location
Please tell us what you think
. It is important that this change does not interrupt user workflows, is intuitive and works well for navigating from the page to the associated Wikidata item. To make sure of that, we need your feedback:
Available for testing on
Farsi
Hebrew
and
Ukrainian
Wikipedia.
Feedback for this task is gladly welcomed on the
Discussion page
Status and next steps
Below is a timeline of the progress of this task:
1.0
Defining tracking criteria
Scoping the requirements to build the tracking instrument.
1.1
Add changes to test environment
Listening triggers were deployed to the
Beta.Wikidata
cluster.
1.2
Add changes for listening triggers to Wikidata Deployment train
Triggers for tracking the
parameters
have been merged to MediaWiki Ver.
1.43.0-wmf20
and are awaiting
deployment
to the live Wiki projects.
1.3
Setup the Superset dashboard
1.4
Recruit pilot wikis to test the new sidebar layout
Contacted
Ukrainian
Farsi
and
Hebrew
Wikipedia's to request approval to deploy the changes there. This would allow us to see the changes on both a Left-To-Right and Right-To-Left script direction.
1.5
Schedule changes to Deployment Train
Pending approval of pilot wikis, the code slice will be be made for the train deployment.
Train adds (inactive) code changes to pilot wikis:
group0 - Tuesday, 27.08.2024
group1 - Wednesday, 28.08.2024
group2 - Thursday, 29.08.2024
Approximately 16:00 CEST (UTC+2), 29.08.2024 - Activate code segment via
mw-config
(changes to UI will take effect after this point).
1.6
Observation period and stress-testing
For a period of time (min. 1 week), we will collect usage data of the new
Wikidata item
data object location (see
Track data object usage
Global announcement: during this period, we will inform all Wiki communities and projects of the upcoming change.
A dedicated
Feedback page
has been created to receive editor's opinions on this change.
Bug-fixing: A patch to create an exception for the mobile skin:
MinervaNeue
to ensure the
Wikidata item
remains as is (as the skin does not contain an
In Other Projects
section.
Sub-Ticket: Centralise move Wikidata item code into Wikibase
T376389
We received a request to move the logic of the above bug fix into Wikibase to proof against future changes of the Minerva Sidebar.
1.7
Pass / Fail decision
If user-behaviour and interaction with the data object is not negatively impacted by the change, a final sign-off for global deployment will be given.
1.8
Global deployment
Activate code slice for all wikis via
mw-config
. This change was scheduled for 15:00 UTC-2, 04 October, 2024 but has been delayed due to a dependency in a follow-up ticket (see 1.6).
Activate code slice for all wikis via
mw-config
. This change is scheduled for 15:00 UTC-2, 22 October, 2024.
The
Wikidata item
has been moved to the
In Other Projects
section on all Wikimedia projects and all languages.
Affiliated Tasks & Sub-Tickets
Track data object usage (complete)
Centralize code for
Wikidata item
link in Wikibase codebase (complete)
Pre-Frequently Asked Questions
Questions we anticipate
I don't see any change, Wikidata item is still under
General
edit
In some rare cases, the change may require an additional nudge. If your
Wikidata item
link after
04.10.2024'
is not under
In Other Projects
, please try the following:
null-edit
- an 'empty' page edit.
Click "Edit" or "Edit Source" link on the page
Click "Publish changes" at the bottomof the edit box
without making any changes
Purge request
- use this Special page and enter the page link and click the button.
Refresh your browser
- try refreshing the page in your browser.
If none of these options work, please report your issue to us
here
What if we don’t want the location to change?
edit
As mentioned below, some Wikis already move the location of the Wikidata item using bespoke code. If your Wiki would prefer to keep the Wikidata item where it currently is (or to move it elsewhere in the Tools menu), this can be done by adding custom code to move the Wikidata item back to its original location.
Will
Wikidata Item
be renamed to
Wikidata
edit
No doubt you have noticed that the entries in the
In Other Projects
menu-section are only the sibling project’s name (Wikisource, Wikibooks, Wikivoyage etc.).
We do not currently have plans to rename the
Wikidata item
, our first priority is to move the link successfully. At a later stage, we will explore the utility and benefit of renaming the
Wikidata item
and
Wikidata
links but only in consultation with UX and the Wiki communities.
My Wiki already uses a gadget / JavaScript / CSS to move the Wikidata item
edit
We are implementing a new feature in the MediaWiki code that will replicate the functionality currently being handled by additional code, such as gadgets and user-scripts. While our update shouldn't disrupt those existing gadgets or scripts, it may make them unnecessary, as the new feature will provide the same functionality natively within MediaWiki.
Please be vigilant!
Although we have taken every care to ensure we do not introduce any bugs or errors, things happen, and we ask you to please report any bugs
here
Has this been attempted before?
edit
Yes, it has. In 2019, the Wikidata development team tried to resolve Phabricator task:
T66315
but unfortunately, the changes had to be rolled back shortly before deployment due to unforeseen technical issues that came from deleting the link from
General
and re-building it in the
In Other Projects
menu section.
The task languished in a state of limbo until February 2024 when the establishment of Wikimedia Deutschland's new software development team
Wikidata For Wikimedia Projects
adopted it.
Our approach is to move the link and the function underlying it and so the issues that arose previously should not happen again.
This task represents a chance for new software engineers to onboard to MediaWiki and finally provide a solution to this 10-year old ticket.
I view Wikimedia sites on mobile, will this affect me?
edit
The skin serving mobile traffic of the Wikimedia projects is called
MinervaNeue
and represents a much more streamlined UI. Notably, this means it does not have an "
In Other Projects
" menu section.
An exception to keep the
Wikidata item
link in the
MinervaNeue
skin unaffected in its placement has been included in the code slice.
Retrieved from "
Categories
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Wikidata For Wikimedia Projects/Projects/Move Wikidata item link
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