Date: Mon, 03 Mar 2014 12:38:29 -0500 From: Mark London mrl@psfc.mit.edu Subject: [MediaWiki-l] Form to fill in before allowing access to a download link.
I have a user who wants a form in his mediawiki, that has to be filled out, before displaying a software download link. Does anyone know of something like that? Thanks
Mark London
Hi Mark,
I have implemented something very much like this, but not purely in MW. I wrote a CGI script (in PHP, but any language supported by your web server will do) that processed form input and gave the user the requested file. I created the required form as a widget (see http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:Widgets), with the URL of the CGI script as the action. Since this solution is not contained entirely within MW, it has the potential drawback that you need access to put executables somewhere the web server will allow them to be run.
A slicker way to do this would be with Semantic Forms (http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:Semantic_Forms). The setup might be a little more complex, but you'd be writing less of the actual machinery, so much of the bugfixing is already done for you. Plus I think it'll be much faster and easier to implement this if there are a bunch of different files available for download, or if you later want to implement something similar elsewhere. I can't tell you off the top of my head exactly how to go about this, but IIRC the documentation is pretty good.
Cheers, David Leaman
Hi Mark,
I agree with David that answer lies with using the Extension:Widgets (or WidgetsFramework Extension). I use both allowing users to create their own forms via Jotforms or Wufoo.
You could also use the show on select element if you use both the Semantic Forms extension and the Semantic Forms Inputs extension ( http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:Semantic_Forms_Inputs ).
The question to decide which is answer is right is:
What's the goal of the user?
1. Widgets or widgetframework extensions are good if you want the data from the form going somewhere besides creating a wiki page. Or you to use some type of embedded object operating separately from the Mediawiki software.
2. Semantic Forms is good if you want the information from the form to be used to create a wiki page.
Chris Tharp
Sent from my iPad
On Mar 5, 2014, at 6:39 AM, David Leaman wikimedia@davidleaman.ca wrote:
Date: Mon, 03 Mar 2014 12:38:29 -0500 From: Mark London mrl@psfc.mit.edu Subject: [MediaWiki-l] Form to fill in before allowing access to a download link.
I have a user who wants a form in his mediawiki, that has to be filled out, before displaying a software download link. Does anyone know of something like that? Thanks
Mark London
Hi Mark,
I have implemented something very much like this, but not purely in MW. I wrote a CGI script (in PHP, but any language supported by your web server will do) that processed form input and gave the user the requested file. I created the required form as a widget (see http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:Widgets), with the URL of the CGI script as the action. Since this solution is not contained entirely within MW, it has the potential drawback that you need access to put executables somewhere the web server will allow them to be run.
A slicker way to do this would be with Semantic Forms (http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:Semantic_Forms). The setup might be a little more complex, but you'd be writing less of the actual machinery, so much of the bugfixing is already done for you. Plus I think it'll be much faster and easier to implement this if there are a bunch of different files available for download, or if you later want to implement something similar elsewhere. I can't tell you off the top of my head exactly how to go about this, but IIRC the documentation is pretty good.
Cheers, David Leaman
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