[Commons-l] [Wikitech-l] Faking a proper upload form with JavaScript

[David Gerard]

On 18/01/2008, Brianna Laugher <brianna.laugher at gmail.com> wrote:

> Just writing to let folks know that on Commons we are developing some
> Javascript that add form elements to the upload page, instead of
> asking the user to use a template, to "fake" structured data. If the
> user doesn't have Javascript, it defaults to the plain normal form.
> It could be considered a model of what we would like the upload form
> to look like one day.


That's excellent! We should put this into place ASAP once it's
definite it works on all reasonable browsers.

Needs the "other versions" field (I've been doing a lot of cropped
versions of shots already on Commons), possibly automatically doing
the right thing with the filename of existing Commons files - turning
all of Example.jpg or Image:Example.jpg or [[Image:Example.jpg]] into
[[:Image:Example.jpg]]. And leaving anything else (http:// links)
alone. (What's JavaScript's regular expression performance like?)


> Just flagging it here in case there are any performance-related things
> we should take into consideration.


Since it's using the client's CPU power, performance shouldn't be a
problem - sanity-check for security, I expect.


> Demo (you need to be logged in at Commons):
> <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:Upload?withJS=MediaWiki:UploadForm.js>
> Demo combing uselang hack:
> <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:Upload?withJS=MediaWiki:UploadForm.js&uselang=ownwork>
> The JS is here:
> <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/MediaWiki:UploadForm.js>
> (FYI, the add-category functionality is here:
> <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/MediaWiki:Gadget-HotCat.js> )


Suggestion: a properly internationalised version of
http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:Add_Article_to_Category that
sends the user to an upload form with the category in place - I put it
on the work intranet with vast success, but it's not properly
internationalised and (obviously) would need to go to Special:Upload
rather than creating an article with the cat preloaded.


- d.