BlueSpiceWikiFarm

What is BlueSpiceWikiFarm?

BlueSpiceWikiFarm offers intuitive user inteface for creating and managing separate wiki instances directly from the wiki. All wiki instances are compeletely independent from one another.

Usage

Special:SimpleFarmer

Every WikiFarm has a root wiki and instance wikis. There is only one root wiki and it serves a management wiki for the instances. Root wiki is always accessible from {WIKI_DOMAIN}/w URL. The root wiki implements the Special:SimpleFarmer special page which is the main management page for the farm. All instances can be accessed using {WIKI_DOMAIN}/wiki_instance_path URL.

Creating new instance

Creating a new wiki instance

To create a new instance, go to Special:SimpleFarmer, and click on "Create Wiki" button in the user interface. This will open up a dialog to type in the wiki name and the wiki page.

• Wiki name is the name of the instance as it will be displayed in the management console
• Wiki path is the name of the wiki as it will be displayed in the URL. This name must be URL-valid, and will be created automatically based on Wiki name.

Once these fields are filled, click on "Done" to create the instance. A dialog showing the creation progress will appear. Some aspects of the wiki, like search index, dynamic data... take some time to be completely updated. Please allow for some time since the wiki is created to the time it is fully usable.

Cloning wiki instances

Any instance can be cloned. This will create an identical copy of the instance. To start the cloning process, click on "Clone Wiki" button. Rest of the process is almost identical to creating new wikis, insert the name and optionally the path, and click "Done".

Removing a wiki instance

To remove the wiki instance, select the instance to remove from the list and click on "Remove Wiki" button. In the dialog that opens, enter the exact path of the wiki, to confirm removal and click "Done". This process is irreversable.

Suspending a wiki

In order to temporarely disable the wiki, without actually removing it, wiki can be suspended. In order to do so, select the wiki to suspend from the list and click on "Suspend Wiki" button. Suspended wikis can be re-enabled at any time.

Other functions

• Searchability - this option will only be present if the root wiki is equipped with BlueSpiceInterwikiSearch extension. When performing a search, any wiki of the farm, can, and will by default, also show the results from other wikis in the farm. Using this option, wiki admins can determine which wikis will be available to be searched from other wikis and which not. In order to change this option, select the wiki from the list and click on "Set not searchable"/"Set searchable" buttons.
• Meta data - this enabled entering additional information about the instance. This information will be visible only in the management console in the root wiki. Change wiki instance metadata by selecting the wiki from the list and clicking on "Edit wiki meta" button.
  • Description - short descriptions of the wiki instance
  • Group - Wiki instances can be grouped into arbitrary groups in the management console. Enter the group name in this field.
  • Keywords - a list of keywords related to this wiki instance.

Folder structure

All the wikis (root and individual instances) share the same codebase. Every instance will be given individual folder in {WIKI_ROOT}/w/_sf_instances. This folder contains LocalSettings file that is specific for the wiki instance, and all changes to it will only apply to that particualar instance only. This folder also contains images folder for the instance as well as other specific configuration files.

Using ShortURLs with WikiFarm

Taking advantage of Short URL is possible in WikiFarm, by following these rules:

• root wiki must have set: $wgArticlePath = "/wiki/$1";
• wiki instances must have set: $wgArticlePath = "/instancePath/wiki/$1";

Default instance

WikiFarm can be configured so that navigating to the base URL without specifying any instance (root or wiki instance) can redirect to a particular wiki intance (default is redirecting to root wiki). To set this option, wiki administartors must set $bsgSimpleFarmer_defaultRedirect = "/wiki_instance_path"; in the LocalSettings.php of the root wiki.

See also

Reference page for this extension.