Titoxd@Wikimedia wrote:
<snip>
For the database, you can have a look at http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Database_layout, which includes an overview of all the database tables currently used in MediaWiki. I've tried to make sure everything is more-or-less accurate (probably less), but it should be accurate for MW 1.8, 1.9 and 1.10alpha.
This really is of great help! This could fairly easy be drawn also with UML class diagrams with essential "views" of the classes like this (just a "demo page"):
http://meta.rilnet.org/wiki/Mediawiki/Database/Tables/Text
As for the class structure, does http://svn.wikimedia.org/doc/ help? I've found it to be useful many times.
It definitely helps - if you don't get lost...
Also here it would help a lot to have simple diagrams showing things at different "levels" of complexity & abstraction. Diagrams should capture not only different "levels" but also how the same classes/tables are used within different "scopes" (like the text does in the very good database descriptions!). Daagrams should preferably illustrate "use cases", like "when deleting a page then it affects..." etc.
Such diagrams/views would give Context to the Details. This is important since Details without a meaningful Context is of lesser value to the newbie to Mediawiki (which I am one of).
Regards,
// Rolf Lampa