Hi, excuse me if I ask about topics already talked or known by the group.
In cawiki we've the more used infoboxes running in multilingual, it is, are able to show the results in language of your preferences or that given in lang= parameter.
Now, we're preparing a beta version of Infobox person able to handle some requirements of this project, like understand manual parameters in local language and be able to personalize infobox labels when desired a different value that infobox get from WD. I have several questions to ask/share in order to know/define how to build the solution. The first is about a global aspect of project.
A template, for instance the infobox person, runs in an environment of modules and templates installed in cawiki. Most of them are similar, may be equal, in all the WP. But, before we arrive to the perfect world, to install this infobox in another WP or in the future common space for Global templates, will require be aligned with the version it expected.
For instance, this "infobox person" includes 10-12 own sub-templates, that obviously don't exist in target platform, and 10-15 "pseudo global" templates, like "If empty", "Dir", "String", "Align", etc. With this second group, we may have to verified that installed version (the invoked one) in the new environment (local or global) fit with our requirements (in invoke one).
If it fits, the "global one" gets, de facto, a constraint for future changes (in order to keep compatibility) when we try to upgrade it with new local improvements. Otherwise, if do not fit our requirements, we will need to import our version, renaming it to avoid collision with the present one. Does our (imported) version accomplish Global requirements when, initially, it's only used by our tempate ?.
In addition, does "the existing template fits" mean that accomplish 100% the "Global Template requirements"?. For instance: do we need to have local version of parameter names for those technical templates that are only used from another templates ?; what's the difference in comprehension skill between the english name of parameters and the wiki code itself ?. I open this topic (that I'll discuss in future discussion entry) because, as more restrictions to be "Global", more versions we'll have.
The consequences are:
- We need to manage, in a common environment, several versions of a "conceptually equal" element.
- Change invocation to templates and modules inside other templates by a variable name in order to switch it when changed.
- To have a revision process to try to upgrade versions to the "global one".
In a few days we'll be ready to install this beta version in WD and we'll have a list of collisions and which solution we do. I do not expect to have heavy problems because there are few common templates in WD platform and our version is, by now, the best version. However, it will not be so easy in WP platforms.
Thanks for your comments or corrections