I am working on a patch for bug #235 (Auto unit conversion):
http://bugzilla.wikipedia.org/show_bug.cgi?id=235
You can see it in action at:
http://67.190.41.14:880/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
(if it gets defaced,
http://67.190.41.14:880/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page&oldid=54)
This will enable user preferences in displaying units of measurement as well
as provide an easier way for editors to insert units with conversions into
the articles. For instance, you would be able to write:
A U.S. football field is (((100. yards))) in length. It would then display
in one of five different ways depending on the user preferences.
If you wanted to link that to the 1 E1 m, you would just do: ((([[100.
yards]])))
I currently have imperial to metric conversions for common lengths, volumes,
weights and speeds. Your input at the above demo would be greatly
appreciated if you are interested in this feature. Feel free to sign up for
an account and test out the preferences as well. There are plenty of
pre-made examples if you just want to see the potential. I am very new to
wikipedia, so I would appreciate any knowledgeable persons providing input
on the 'Issues to be Solved' section.
Other features:
* can accommodate written out units such as (((three hundred metres)))
* places commas into numbers only if editor does
* automatically determines approximate significant figures
Thanks,
Matt Wright