Extension:CountingMarker

MediaWiki extensions manual
CountingMarker
Release status: stable
Implementation Database , Data extraction, Special page
Description Adds special pages to view and assign the counting markers
Author(s) WikiMANNia (WikiForMentalk)
Latest version 0.7.0 (2024-10-07)
MediaWiki 1.35+ (REL1_35 branch, 7.3.19 ≤ PHP ≤ 8)

1.25-1.35 (REL1_25 branch, 5.6 ≤ PHP ≤ 7)

1.23-1.35 (REL1_23 branch, 5.6 ≤ PHP ≤ 7)
Database changes Yes
Tables countingmarker_author
countingmarker_counter
countingmarker_extension
countingmarker_marker
countingmarker_page
License COPYRIGHTED
Download No link
About
Example vgwort.wikimannia.org/Special:CountingMarker
  • $wmCountingMarkerStatus
  • $wmDefaultCountLimitVGWort1
  • $wmDefaultCountLimitVGWort2
  • $wmDefaultCountThreshold1
  • $wmDefaultCountThreshold2
  • $wmDefaultTextLengthVGWort1
  • $wmDefaultTextLengthVGWort2
  • $wmDefaultTextThreshold1
  • $wmDefaultTextThreshold2
  • $wmDefaultServerSubdomain
  • $wmCountingMarkerRemoveLinkMarks
  • $wmCountingMarkerRemoveRefs
  • $wmCountingMarkerRemoveSeeAlso
  • $wmCountingMarkerRemoveWeblinks
  • $wmCountingMarkerContactURL
  • $wmCountingMarkerVgwortURL
  • $wmVgwortServerSubdomains
  • $wmVgwortStatusCategories
  • $wmDefaultBatchSize
  • $wmExportPagelistLimit
novgwort
countingmarker_admin, countingmarker_assign, countingmarker_import, countingmarker_report, countingmarker_save, countingmarker_statistic

The CountingMarker extension provides functionality for monetising a wiki with the Verwertungs­gesellschaft Wort (Copyright collective).

Description

Anyone who is a member of the Verwertungs­gesellschaft Wort (Copyright collective) and operates a wiki faces several problems when they want to participate in the METIS programme, i.e. registering their online texts for monetization.

METIS stands for „Meldesystem für Texte auf Internet­seiten“ (“Reporting System for Texts on Internet Pages”). VG Wort requires a minimum length of the texts as well as a minimum number of article views (“hits”), which must be proven by the installation of “counting pixels” on the article page. For the installation of these pixels you can order “counting markers” from VG Wort, each of which consists of a set of public and private keys and a URL to a counting pixel on a VG Wort server.

A snippet of HTML code on how to include this counter in an HTML page is included. For web pages from the 1980s, which consisted of self-made HTML pages, it is a simple matter to insert this HTML code via copy and paste into the HTML code of the page. But how can these counters be integrated into modern content management systems, which in a very complex way assemble the pages finally delivered to the reader from database queries, templates and skins?

This task, as well as the administration of the counter marks, the assignment of the counter marks to the articles and the annual report to VG Wort are part of the functional scope of this enhancement.

Installation

  • Download and place the file(s) in a directory called CountingMarker in your extensions/ folder.
  • Add the following code at the bottom of your LocalSettings.php file:
    wfLoadExtension( 'CountingMarker' );
    
  • Run the update script which will automatically create the necessary database tables that this extension needs.
  •   Done – Navigate to Special:Version on your wiki to verify that the extension is successfully installed.

Since MediaWiki 1.25 the extension HitCounters should be installed to use the full range of functions. However, there is a basic version in which the HitCounters extension is not required.

Tested

The branches REL1_23 and REL1_25 were tested with MediaWiki versions: 1.23, 1.25, (1.27), 1.31, (1.33), 1.35.14

The branch REL1_35 was tested with MediaWiki versions: 1.35.14, 1.39.10, 1.41.2, 1.42.3

Localisation

The extension is provided in "de", "en", "es".

Functional scope of the versions
Function Basic version Single-author version Multi-author version
Upload counting markers from CSV file      
Manage counting markers and assign to articles      
Change assignment of counting markers      
Create annual report      
<novgwort> tags supported      
Test mode      
Statistical functions
(in connection with the extension “HitCounters”)
     
Save and archive count readings      
Extrapolate page views up to the end of the year      
Switch off the counting markers individually      
Block counting markers      
Author management (assign articles and counting markers to an author)      
Assign contribution type
(draft, article, poetry)
     

Version history

Version 0.2.0
MediaWiki v1.23-1.33
First public release
Version 0.2.3/0.3.3
Multi-author support added und user groups with individual rights defined.
Version 0.4.0
MediaWiki v1.35+
Adaptations regarding MediaWiki 1.37.
Added the ability for the author to select his articles in the statistics table.
Version 0.5.0
Add a ‎<novgwort> tag.
Version 0.5.1/0.5.2/0.5.3/0.5.4/0.5.5/0.5.6/0.5.7/0.6.1
See Change log
Version 0.5.8
Add hook GetPreferences , offering custom settings to the user.
Version 0.5.9
Changed the prefix of the configuration variables from default to wm.
Changed "configuration schema", replaced manifest version 1 with version 2. (REL1_35 branch only)
Replaced class “CountingMarkerHooks” (extends “Hooks”) with “HookHandler” with implementation of interfaces. (REL1_35 branch only)
Version 0.6.0
New database support for “sqlite”.
Version 0.6.2
Avoid a warning with MediaWiki 1.41.x. (REL1_35 branch only)
Version 0.6.3
Changing user rights: “AddGroups” and “RemoveGroups” added in “extension.json”. (Version “Multi-author” only)
Version 0.6.4
Compatibility with MediaWiki 1.42.x. (REL1_35 branch only)
Version 0.6.5
Refacturing (all branches)
Version 0.7.0
Maintenance for database issues on 'countingmarker_page' table (all branches)

Issues

Other issues

If you run a Wiki family and manage the extensions centrally (via soft links), you have the problem that the Maintenance scripts of this extension are not found. Currently, to solve this problem, these maintenance scripts can be copy & paste into the maintenance folders of the MediaWiki installations.

Backward compatibility

REL1_23
This branch (current version 0.6.5) is compatible up to MediaWiki 1.35.x with PHP versions 5.6-7.x.
This branch in all its versions is fully backwards compatible with MediaWiki 1.24, and except for a helping function even compatible with MediaWiki 1.23.
REL1_25
This branch (current version 0.6.5) is compatible up to MediaWiki 1.35.x with PHP versions 5.6-7.x.
Removed backward compatibility with versions prior to MediaWiki 1.25 is removed.
REL1_35
This branch (current version 0.6.5) is tested up to MediaWiki 1.42.1 with PHP versions 7.3-8.2.
Removed backward compatibility with versions prior to MediaWiki 1.35.3 is removed.