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This file contains the classParser, which contains the methodparse, which convertsWikitext to HTML.

In many contexts, such as when creating a parser function or special page, you should have access to a Parser instance.

If you do not have access, you can create a new instance by usingParserFactory and calling itscreate method.^[1]The constructor of the ParserFactory takes several arguments.To create a ParserFactory with default options, useMediaWikiServices::getInstance()->getParserFactory().

One-liner for getting a new Parser instance:

$localParser=MediaWikiServices::getInstance()->getParserFactory()->create();

This new instance is not ready for use yet.The next step is to set ParserOptions.

One-liner for getting the main Parser instance, though unsafe when the caller is not in a top-level context:

$localParser=MediaWikiServices::getInstance()->getParser();

1. Call helper functionParser::internalParse(), which in turns calls
   1. Parser::replaceVariables, which replaces magic variables, templates, and template arguments with the appropriate text.
      1. It callsParser::preprocessToDom, which preprocesses some wikitext and returns the document tree.
      2. Next it creates aPPFrame object and calls itsexpand() method to do the actual template magic.
   2. Sanitizer::removeHTMLtags(), which cleans up HTML, removes dangerous tags and attributes, and removes HTML comments.
   3. Parser::handleTables, which handles and renders the wikitext for tables.
   4. Parser::handleDoubleUnderscore, which removes validdouble-underscore items, like __NOTOC__, and records them in array$Parser->mDoubleUnderscores.
   5. Parser::handleHeadings, which parses and renders section headers.
   6. Parser::handleInternalLinks, which processes internal links ([[ ]]) and stores them in$Parser->mLinkHolders (aLinkHolderArray object),
   7. Parser::handleAllQuotes, which replaces single quotes with HTML markup (‎<i>,‎<b>, etc).
   8. Parser::handleExternalLinks, which replaces and renders external links.
   9. Parser::handleMagicLinks, which replaces special strings like "ISBN xxx" and "RFC xxx" with magic external links.
   10. Parser::handleHeadings, which:
       • auto numbers headings if that options is enabled,
       • adds an [edit] link to sections for users who have enabled the option and can edit the page,
       • adds a Table of contents on the top for users who have enabled the option, and
       • auto-anchors headings.
2. Next,parse() callsParser::doBlockLevels, which renders lists from lines starting with ':', '*', '#', etc.
3. Parser::replaceLinkHolders is called, which callsLinkHolderArray::replace on$Parser->mLinkHolders to replace link placeholders with actual links, in the buffer Placeholders created in Skin::makeLinkObj()
4. Next, the text is language converted (when applicable) using theconvert method of the appropriateLanguage object.
5. Parser::replaceTransparentTags used to be called, which replaced transparent tags with values which are provided by the callback functions in$Parser->mTransparentTagHooks. Transparent tag hooks are like regular XML-style tag hooks, except they operate late in the transformation sequence, on HTML instead of wikitext.
6. Sanitizer::normalizeCharReferences is called, which ensures that any entities and character references are legal for XML and XHTML specifically.
7. IfHTML tidy is enabled,MWTidy::tidy is called to do the tidying.
8. Finally the rendered HTML result of the parse process is stored in theParserOutput object$Parser->mOutput, which is returned to the caller ofParser::parse.

The following hooks are made available at various stages in the parsing cycle:

• getCustomDefaultSort () Accessor for $mDefaultSort. Unlike getDefaultSort(), it will return false if none is set.
• getDefaultSort () Accessor for $mDefaultSort. Will use the empty string if none is set.
• getOptions () Get theParserOptions object.
• getOutput () Get theParserOutput object.
• getPreprocessor () Get aPreprocessor object.
• Relating toManual:Revision:
  • getRevisionId () Get the ID of the revision we are parsing.
  • getRevisionTimestamp () Get the timestamp associated with the current revision, adjusted for the default server-local timestamp.
  • getRevisionUser () Get the name of the user that edited the last revision.
• getTags () Accessor.
• getTargetLanguage () Get the target language for the content being parsed.
• getTitle () Accessor for theTitle object.
• getUser () Get aUser object either from $this->mUser, if set, or from the ParserOptions object otherwise.

• Parser::setFunctionHook()Create a parser function, e.g.{{#expr: 1 + 1}} or{{sum:1|2|3}}. The callback function can have the form:function myParserFunction( &$parser, $arg1, $arg2, $arg3 ) { ... }.
• Parser::setHook()Create an HTML-style tag, e.g.‎<yourtag>special text‎</yourtag>. The callback should have the following form:functionmyParserHook($text,$params,$parser,$frame){...}

Do not add class properties to the Parser that have not been declared by the Parser.Exceptions aside, dynamic properties are deprecated in PHP 8.2 and they may not sit well with the shift to parallellised envisaged forParsoid.If you are write an extension and need to store custom data in the Parser, seeextension data for one possible way out.

• Manual:Code – Overview of the key files and directories in the MediaWiki source code
• Manual:ParserOptions.php
• Manual:PPFrame.php - expansion frame interface

• The MediaWiki parser, uncovered

• Outdated pages
• MediaWiki code
• Parser