A long long time ago, before there was a full API for write
operations, I implemented a hackish method for invoking an external
editor (e.g. emacs/vim) when editing wiki pages or manipulating
uploaded files. It depended on a Perl script reference implementation
which was later ported to Java.
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:External_editors
This feature has been removed with the following changeset:
https://gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/#/c/30173/
The removal will go live on Wikimedia wikis in the two-week 1.22wmf2
cycle kicking off next Monday:
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/MediaWiki_1.22/Roadmap
In addition to an antiquated design, this feature also had the
disadvantage that users would sometimes experimentally activate the
preference for editing all pages with an external tool and then find
themselves unable to edit, which is why there are scary warnings next
to the user preference.
Having nicer ways to manipulate content with desktop applications is
desirable, but any future approach this problem will likely look
entirely different.
All best,
Erik
--
Erik Möller
VP of Engineering and Product Development, Wikimedia Foundation
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