Topic on User talk:Wikinaut

Hello,

Are you maintaining the UserMerge extension? If so, I have made some additions to the extension that I would like to submit back to you.

Uh, yes.

Hi, I just found, that my old (SVN) maintainer rights have been restored on my old pending request https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Gerrit/Project_ownership#Wikinaut_for_extension_UserMerge

What are the changes you would like to propose ? It will be a pleasure to me to improve the extension together with you, but please allow me to request and insist (allow me that word), that you file regular bugzillas for the changes you propose https://bugzilla.wikimedia.org/enter_bug.cgi?product=MediaWiki%20extensions&component=UserMerge (currently, this service is interrupted due to maintenance work!!).

Such bugzillas allow a broader discussion, and then to automatically link from the gerrit system to these changes.

Are you already familiar with gerrit system, or not ? Please let me know, you can also contact me directly by mail https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:EmailUser/Wikinaut ).

The addition that I made was to add a new special page that allowes the user to perform a batch user merge and delete for mass account deletions. I developed this for my own needs, but I wanted to give this addition back to you if you would like to include it. I suppose it could replace the existing user merege and delete page special page, but I just created it as an addition.

I am not familiar with Gerrit, but I am sure I can figure it out.

What is your "business case" for the mass account deletion (is it really needed generally?)? How does the interface (special page) look (parameters, input fields) ?

The extension is used on Wikimedia foundation wikis, so larger changes will definitely require a lot of work to get it through code review etc.

I propose you file a regular enhancement bug (just and only for better tracking of this idea) first (in https://bugzilla.wikimedia.org/enter_bug.cgi?product=MediaWiki%20extensions&component=UserMerge ) in which you decribe your proposed changes, and that you already have a working version.

Then you _could_ send me your version - but wait :

It would be better and however very useful, if you apply your code changes as (feature) branch based on the lastest HEAD code version of UserMerge in git/gerrit.

Here's rough guide, and I suggest

• you have to use git (git is available for all platforms, even the portable version for windows works well)
• archive your present subdirectory and work (backup)
• start with the current UserMerge from git:
• checkout (clone) the current HEAD of UserMerge
• create a new branch with a meaningful name like "batch-user-merge" or "mass-account-merges" (or the like).
• now the real work starts:
• being in that new feature branch (git checkout batch-user-merge), apply all your changes (=your version) to that branch (YMMV : your mileage may vary.), keep in mind to have messagekeys inline with style guidelines (I mean that the message _keys_ are prefixed with the extension's name like "usermerge-some-text" and look nice.
• check and confirm that the new code is working and does not breaking anything what worked before. This is really important.
• if everything works find, then attach the diff (git diff), a single file, to the bugzilla, from which I then can retrieve it and make a formal draft commit to gerrit. From this step on we can then work together on further improvements.

Sure, I have no problem following any proceedure you request. I just wanted to see if you think it might be useful.

I did not modify the current Special Page, instead I created an additional "Batch User Merge and Delete" page. It looks just like the current SP, but instead of a text input it is a textarea and it operates like the Special:Export page....place each username on a new line and they will all merge with the username in the second input box (in our case we created a user called Deactivated User).

Our purpose for this is we maintain several large private wikis with a lot of users and these users tend to cycle in and out of positions that are responsible for working with the wiki. In an effort to keep the access list current we like to do a cleanup of the accounts every year. We send an automated email to all users who have not logged in in over one year to tell them if they do not login within the next 30 days (and again 7 days before D-day) their accounts will be deleted and they must go through the vetting process again to obtain access to the wiki. We then delete the accounts of users who have not logged in.

If you think this feature might be useful I will surely go through the process outlined above. Thinking about if deeper this feature is probably only useful to people/companies who maintain large private wikis like myself.