While trying to add some more information to
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Code, I came across a slightly
peculiar issue regarding the entry points for MediaWiki:
Right now, among all the entry points that I know of (those are listed in
Manual:Code), only mw-config/index.php doesn't sit in the root folder.
Furthermore, it's related to the installer at includes/installer/, but that
is not clear at all from the code organization, specifically the directory
names (and the lack of documentation both in the file and on
mediawiki.org).
I have two questions, then:
1) should all access points be on the root directory of the wiki, for
consistency?
2) should the name "mw-config" be changed to something that more clearly
indicates its relationship with the installer?
Note that these aren't merely nitpicking: a consistent structure and
intuitive names for files and directories play an important role in the
self-documenting nature of the code, and make the learning curve smoother
for new developers (e.g. yours truly :-)).
Also, I used Tim Starling's suggestion on IRC to make sure the list of
entry point scripts listed in Manual:Code was complete: git grep -l
/includes/WebStart.php
I am not sure that exhausts the list, however, since thumb_handler.php
doesn't show up on its results. Any pointers regarding potential entry
points currently omitted from that list are most welcome.
--Waldir
ps - while investigating this subject I came accross some inconsistencies
in the way the access points include the WebStart.php file, including an
incorrect use (according to Tim) of require_once() instead of require(). I
submitted a change to Gerrit harmonizing them; if this interests you,
please review the commit:
https://gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/#/c/49208/