Extension:SmartComments

MediaWiki extensions manual

SmartComments Release status: beta
Author(s)	Youri van den Bogert, Erwin Oord, Robin van der Wiel
Maintainer(s)	ArchiXL
Latest version	1.5.4 (18 June 2024)
Compatibility policy	Master maintains backward compatibility.
MediaWiki	1.39
PHP	7.4
Database changes	Yes
Tables	sic_anchor sic_data
License	GNU General Public License 2.0 or later
Download	GitHub: project page git repository URL [help ] commit history Note: No localisation updates are provided by translatewiki.net .
Added rights add-inlinecomments, manage-inlinecomments
Hooks used LoadExtensionSchemaUpdates BeforePageDisplay SkinTemplateNavigation::Universal ResourceLoaderGetConfigVars SMW::Property::initProperties SMW::Store::BeforeDataUpdateComplete SMWStore::updateDataBefore ParserCacheSaveComplete MediaWikiServices PageHistoryPager::getQueryInfo ModifyExportQuery ArticleDeleteAfterSuccess ResourceLoaderRegisterModules

The SmartComments extension enables wiki users to post inline comments attached to text fragments on wiki pages, comparable to posting review comments in Microsoft Word and other word processors.

Installation

• Download and move the extracted SmartComments folder to your extensions/ directory.
  Developers and code contributors should install the extension from Git instead, using:cd extensions/
git clone https://gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/mediawiki/extensions/SmartComments
• Add the following code at the bottom of your LocalSettings.php file:

  wfLoadExtension( 'SmartComments' );
  

• Run the MediaWiki update.php maintenance script to add the database tables
• Manage user permissions if needed (see below)
•  Done – Navigate to Special:Version on your wiki to verify that the extension is successfully installed.

Usage

Usage is fairly straightforward. Users can post comments by selecting a text fragment on any wiki page and entering comment text in the popup window. Commented text on a wiki page is highlighted in light yellow. Upon clicking such a text fragment, the posted comment is displayed on the right edge of the page. Users can reply to posted comments.

In addition to posting and viewing comments, users with the "manage-inlinecomments" permission can delete other users' comments and toggle comments' status between "open" and "completed". Comments can be managed from the page on which they have been posted or from the "Special:SmartComments" special page.

SemanticMediaWiki

If SemanticMediaWiki has been installed, comments are (additionally) available as subobjects on the page where they have been posted and can be queried accordingly.

Version history

• 1.5.4 - Jul 18, 2024 - (SpecialPage)
  • Removed the use of SMW\HtmlTabs and created custom tabs
• 1.5.3 - Jul 17, 2024 - Removed hard requirement of SemanticMediaWiki in extension.json
• 1.5.2 - Jul 2, 2024 - Several improvements on the admin page (Special:SmartComments)
• 1.5.1 - Jun 25, 2024 - Fixed missing i18n-strings and replaced deprecated SMW hooks
• 1.5.0 - May 31, 2024 - Allow comments to be made on HTML selections
• 1.4.4 - May 3, 2024 - Initial version (beta release)

See also

• Extension:InlineComments