Hello,
We wanted to provide an update regarding the full release of the "mul" language code feature to Wikidata, which was originally scheduled for the week of August 12. Unfortunately, this release may be delayed as we have uncovered several issues during testing that could potentially block the release. The identified issues include:
- Search for haslabel:mul does not show results on wikidata.org ( phab:T371352 https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T371352) - Long language name breaks UI (Help talk https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Help_talk:Default_values_for_labels_and_aliases#c-Ayack-20240730104700-Nikki-20240729102100 ) - Change the name for mul in termbox (phab:T370293 https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T370293) - Add mul to 'language in label' property constraint (phab:T370293 https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T370293) - Placeholder text in edit mode is cut off (phab:T371799 http://T371799 ) - Update search ranking (phab:T371401 https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T371401) - Tracking how many Items have a mul label by now (phab:T371800 https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T371800) - Move it to the top in the termbox (phab:T371802 https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T371802) - Language fallback indicators for placeholders (phab:T371801 https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T371801) - WDQS docs (phab:T304976 https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T304976)
Please keep an eye on the usual communication channels for updates on when the full release will take place.
Many thanks to everyone who has provided feedback so far.
Cheers,
-Mohammed
On Mon, Jul 29, 2024 at 1:35 PM Mohammed Sadat Abdulai < mohammed.abdulai@wikimedia.de> wrote:
Hello,
Last week, we announced that a limited release of the “default values for all languages” feature—introducing the language code "mul" for labels and aliases—will soon be coming to Wikidata. We are currently working on improvements for “mul” in the Termbox on Item pages. We’ve already received feedback from some of you on the discussion pages, but we’d also love to hear from those who prefer to *provide* *anonymous feedback*.
Please share your thoughts on this 5-10 minute anonymous survey until August 4: https://wikimedia.sslsurvey.de/Wikidata-default-values-feedback
If you have any questions or concerns feel free to let us know in this Phabricator ticket (phab:T356169 https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T356169)
Many thanks for your time.
-Mohammed
On Mon, Jul 22, 2024 at 10:03 AM Mohammed Sadat Abdulai < mohammed.abdulai@wikimedia.de> wrote:
*(This [SIGNIFICANT Change Announcement] is relevant for all Wikidata users working with Labels and Aliases.)*
Hello,
You may recall our previous announcement https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikidata@lists.wikimedia.org/message/MB2JU52ZTF2RSA6MZIQJUXAMGZ76BFHK/ inviting you to test out the “default values for all languages” feature, introducing the language code "mul" for labels and aliases, on https://test.wikidata.org. I'm pleased to announce that we are now proceeding with a limited release on Wikidata. This feature will be available for testing starting July 29.
Note of Caution and Tips for Testing
To try out the new feature during this limited release, you need to add the language code “mul” to your Babel boxes https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Userboxes#Babel. A full release will follow on the week of August 12, displaying default values to everyone by default.
Please refrain from starting any Bot-runs for mul during the limited release. We will use this limited release to test the performance and verify that everything works as planned. Bot-runs for mul should only commence after the full feature is released.
Please also test the help page https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Help:Default_values_for_labels_and_aliases explaining how to use the feature. It will be important to get this help page right, as the full release will initially contain an onboarding element that guides people to this help page.
I would like to thank everyone who has participated in the previous testing phases or provided feedback thus far. We are eager to hear more from you during this limited release. Please do not hesitate to reach out with questions or concerns on the talk page of the Help page https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Help_talk:Default_values_for_labels_and_aliases, or for technical details, in this Phabricator ticket (phab:T356169 https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T356169)
There has also been some discussion on the help page https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Help_talk:Default_values_for_labels_and_aliases#Strange_wording regarding the copy used for the language. We would like to reach a consensus before the full release. Join the discussion to add your thoughts and input on the thread. This week, a survey will be included in the Weekly Summary for those who prefer to provide anonymous feedback.
Cheers!
-Mohammed
On Mon, Feb 12, 2024 at 9:00 AM Mohammed Sadat Abdulai < mohammed.abdulai@wikimedia.de> wrote:
(This announcement is relevant for all Wikidata users working with Labels and Aliases.)
Hello,
We're excited to invite you to participate in the community testing of the “default values for labels and aliases” feature. Based on a long-standing community request around language fallback (T285156 https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T285156), and based on your feedback from our previous announcement https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikidata@lists.wikimedia.org/message/IIEZFOF2F7JUKGM7HSAOC4KXQYMJWWOB/, we are currently testing this feature on https://test.wikidata.org https://test.wikidata.org/wiki/Q42 with the release planned for Q1 2024.
What is coming?
Default values for labels and aliases (mul): Items that repeat the same label and aliases over and over are hard to maintain and can strain our infrastructure, especially the Wikidata Query Service. As a solution, we are introducing the option for default values in the termbox. The default values are considered in the language fallback chain (language code “mul”).
Visualisation of the language fallback chain: Previously, Wikidata’s fallback chain was not visible in the user interface, making it challenging to determine if additional information was needed. As a first step toward improvement, we will now clearly show what content is already available via language fallback in the placeholders for labels (including default values).
We need your feedback
Please leave your feedback on Help talk:Default values for labels and aliases https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?title=Help_talk:Default_values_for_labels_and_aliases. Your feedback will play a crucial role in verifying if the current version is ready for Wikidata. Additionally, you can find some test Items, known limitations and open questions there for you to review. We will analyze your feedback one week after today's announcement.
The next steps
After you have left your feedback, please make sure that the guidelines on Help:Default values for labels and aliases https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Help:Default_values_for_labels_and_aliases are ready for the launch. You can also already plan bot-runs for mul, but please be sure to start with uncontroversial cases. If there are no blockers, we will then prepare a limited release on Wikidata in the coming weeks. The limited release will only be visible if you put mul in your Babel boxes. We will use this limited release to test the performance and verify that everything works as planned. Please don’t start any bot-runs for mul during the limited release. A full release will follow a few weeks later, displaying default values for everyone by default, and featuring an onboarding element that will guide people to the help page. Bot-runs for mul can commence at this stage.
Do not hesitate to reach out with questions or concerns in the talk page of the help page https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Help_talk:Default_values_for_labels_and_aliases and for technical details in this Phabricator ticket (T356169 https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T356169).
Thank you for your support!
Cheers,
Mohammed Sadat Abdulai *Community Communications Manager, Wikidata*
Wikimedia Deutschland e. V. | Tempelhofer Ufer 23-24 | 10963 Berlin Phone: +49 (0) 30 577 116 2466 https://wikimedia.de
Grab a spot in my calendar for a chat: calendly.com/masssly.
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