Manual:User preferences

Retrieving user preferences

To retrieve all of a user's preferences, use UserOptionsLookup::getOptions() with a user identity object as a parameter.

To retrieve a specific preference of a user, use UserOptionsLookup::getOption() with a user identity and the name of the preference as a parameter, for example:

$emailFrequency = MediaWikiServices::getInstance()->getUserOptionsLookup()->getOption( $this->getUser(), 'echo-email-frequency' );

If the preference is of the multiselect or checkmatrix type, the parameter will be <preference-name><option-value>. For example, if the preference name is 'searchNs' and the option value is '2', the parameter for getOption will be 'searchNs2'. There is an exception to this, however: If the preference specifies an explicit option prefix, that prefix will be used instead of the preference name (<prefix-name><option-name>). See the Gadgets extension for an example.

To retrieve it in JavaScript, use the user.options module.

Setting default preferences

For information about how to set default preferences for all users, see Manual:$wgDefaultUserOptions .

Changing a preference

Preferences can be changed through the Options API action.

Creating a preferences interface

For information about creating a preferences interface for your features, see Manual:Hooks/GetPreferences .

Gadget and user script preferences

Any gadget or user script can define a preference, the name of which must start with "userjs-". Such a preference will not appear in Special:Preferences or in API:Userinfo responses, and it will not be validated. It can be read from user.options , and set through API:Options .

Hidden API preferences

API preferences are also defined through the GetPreferences hook, with the type set to 'api'. They are validated and readable the normal ways, but are not part of the Special:Preferences form.

Disabling user preferences

By preference

MediaWiki version:

≥ 1.16

To disable individual preferences for all users, add preference names to the $wgHiddenPrefs configuration variable. For example, to prevent everyone from being able to mark their edits minor by default, set the following in your LocalSettings.php:

$wgHiddenPrefs[] = 'minordefault';

By user group

MediaWiki version:

≥ 1.22

To prevent individual user groups from editing their preferences, you can use the 'editmyoptions' user right. With this line in your LocalSettings.php, users in the group 'user' (which contains all logged in users) can't edit their user preferences:

$wgGroupPermissions['user']['editmyoptions'] = false;

By user

It is not possible to disable only certain individual users' preferences.

Add user preferences in extensions

In extension.json:

extension.json

	"Hooks": {
		"GetPreferences": "main"
	},
	"HookHandlers": {
		"main": {
			"class": "MediaWiki\\Extension\\ExampleExtension\\Hooks",
			"services": [
				"MainConfig",
				"UserOptionsLookup"
			]
		}
	},
	"config": {
		"PersonalSettingsEnabledPageId": {
			"type": "boolean",
			"value": false
		},
		"PersonalSettingsNumberOfMostViewedPages": {
			"type": "int",
			"value": 50
		},
		"PersonalSettingsNumberOfMostViewedPages": {
			"type": "string",
			"value": "year"
		}

In includes/Hooks.php:

Hooks.php

namespace MediaWiki\Extension\ExampleExtension;

class Hooks implements GetPreferencesHook {
	private UserOptionsLookup $userOptionsLookup;
	private bool $enabledPageId;
	private int $numberOfMostViewedPages;
	private string $periodForLastViewedPages;

	public function __construct(
		GlobalVarConfig $config,
		UserOptionsLookup $userOptionsLookup
	) {
		$this->userOptionsLookup = $userOptionsLookup;
		$this->enabledPageId = $config->get( 'PersonalSettingsEnabledPageId' );
		$this->numberOfMostViewedPages = $config->get( 'PersonalSettingsNumberOfMostViewedPages' );
		$this->periodForLastViewedPages = $config->get( 'PersonalSettingsPeriodForLastViewedPages' );
	}

	public function onGetPreferences( $user, &$preferences ) {

		$your_new_extensions_section = 'hitcounters';

		// A checkbox
		$preferences_key = 'hitcounters-pageid';
		$preferences_default = $this->userOptionsLookup->getOption( $user, $preferences_key, $this->enabledPageId );
		$preferences[$preferences_key] = [
			'type' => 'toggle',
			'label-message' => 'hitcounters-pageid-label',
			'default' => $preferences_default,
			'section' => $your_new_extensions_section
		];

		// An int input box
		$preferences_key = 'hitcounters-numberofmostviewedpages';
		$preferences_default = $this->userOptionsLookup->getOption( $user, $preferences_key, $this->numberOfMostViewedPages );
		$preferences[$preferences_key] = [
			'type' => 'int',
			'help-message' => 'hitcounters-numberofmostviewedpages-help',
			'label-message' => 'hitcounters-numberofmostviewedpages-label',
			'maxLength' => 4,
			'default' => $preferences_default,
			'section' => $your_new_extensions_section
		];

		// A select box
		$ctx = RequestContext::getMain();
		$preferences_key = 'hitcounters-periodforlastviewedpages';
		$key_base = 'hitcounters-statistics-mostpopular';

		// Ensure that 'default' is always the 1st array item
		$preferences_default = $period = $this->periodForLastViewedPages;
		$itemDisplayName = $ctx->msg( "$key_base-$period" )->text();
		$itemArray = [ $itemDisplayName => $period ];

		$period = 'week';
		$itemDisplayName = $ctx->msg( "$key_base-$period" )->text();
		$itemArray[$itemDisplayName] = $period;

		$period = 'month';
		$itemDisplayName = $ctx->msg( "$key_base-$period" )->text();
		$itemArray[$itemDisplayName] = $period;

		$period = 'year';
		$itemDisplayName = $ctx->msg( "$key_base-$period" )->text();
		$itemArray[$itemDisplayName] = $period;

		$usersItem = $this->userOptionsLookup->getOption( $user, $preferences_key, $preferences_default );

		$preferences[$preferences_key] = [
			'type' => 'select',
			'options' => $itemArray,
			'default' => $usersItem,
			'label-message' => "$preferences_key-label",
			'section' => $your_new_extensions_section
		];
	}
<!-- [...] -->
}

In i18n/en.json:

i18n/en.json

{
	"hitcounters-pageid-label": "Show page ID",
	"hitcounters-numberofmostviewedpages-help": "Hide with the entry of “0”.",
	"hitcounters-numberofmostviewedpages-label": "Number of most viewed pages",
	"hitcounters-periodforlastviewedpages-label": "Period for last viewed pages:",
	"hitcounters-statistics-mostpopular-week": "Most viewed pages in the current week",
	"hitcounters-statistics-mostpopular-month": "Most viewed pages in the current month",
	"hitcounters-statistics-mostpopular-year": "Most viewed pages in the current year",
}