[Mediawiki-l] Namespaces v Categories

[CoyoteTrexl at aol.com]

In a message dated 11/5/2006 5:58:53 P.M. Pacific Standard Time,  
tim at hyperarts.com writes:

Also, I  created a namespace "Jack" and made it not searchable, in   
LocalSettings.php, but when I search for a file called "create"  which  
I had created in the main namespace but moved to "Tim:create",  it  
still turns up in the search even though I made searching  that  
namespace "false". Maybe I have to quit the browser or  something?


The surest way to keep separate areas with no search overlap would be to  run 
separate wikis from the same server. I can't offer any expertise on how to  
run them -- you might need to load entirely separate file installations in  
different directories, but I know you would need separate databases. 
 
It's probably true that the intent for which namespace was created will  tend 
to show in how it performs as a feature. I have not yet studied it  well 
enough to say for sure, but search and recent changes might be two areas  where 
namespaces simply aren't well differentiated. In general, that's as far as  
design intent matters, though. If it works for another purpose than for which it  
was created, there's no reason not to apply it for that other purpose. If a  
person has the skill, they can hack it to fit their purpose, but there are  
risks. There's no doubt that it is technically possible to configure a search to  
only explore an individual namespace, but it might require some coding. A  
user might find it necessary to reapply their hacks to each new version if they  
keep versions up to date.