Dave wrote: I am looking (have searched but not found) for an extension that would 'NOTIFY' the users that a page is currently being edited if they try to go into edit mode.
Hi Dave,
How about a plan B - make a template that says
"editing as of (date) by (name), please wait for this message to disappear before adding your own edits"
and put it in the page top, then edit off line, hope for the best, and hope someone else isn't also editing off line at the same time.
If you have admin rights (I know, I know, a sore subject around here!) you can lock the pave temporarily, but I think you're after a work around.
Eh? Eh?
Now, people can ignore and delete your warning (say, you forget to ever upload your off line edits, eh?).
Are you familiar with this?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Technical_FAQ#What_happens_if_two _or_more_people_are_editing_the_same_page.3F
----- What happens if two or more people are editing the same page?
When the second person (and later persons) attempts to save the page mediawiki will attempt to merge their changes into the current version of the text. If the merge fails then the user will receive an "edit conflict" message, and the opportunity to merge their changes manually. The wiki will also check for a conflict if you are editing and do a preview of the edit. Multiple consecutive conflicts are noticed, and will generate a slightly different message. This is similar to Concurrent Versions System (CVS), a widely used software version management system. -----
Let us know how it goes for you.
- Peter Blaise