MediaWiki extensions manual

VisualData Release status: stable
Implementation	Hook,Special page
Description	VisualData is a full-fledged metadata management framework based on json-schema able to easily record, organize and query collection of data on your wiki.
Author(s)	thomas-topway-it (thomas-topway-ittalk)
Latest version	1.1.2 (2025-10-20)
Compatibility policy	Master maintains backward compatibility.
MediaWiki	1.35+
Database changes	Yes
Parameters $wgVisualDataTrackingCategoryForms $wgVisualDataCreateJobsWarningLimit $wgVisualDataDisableSlotsNavigation $wgVisualDataQueryProcessorPrintoutsLimit $wgVisualDataEditDataNamespaces $wgVisualDataDisableSidebarLink $wgVisualDataTrackingCategoryJsonData $wgVisualDataTrackingCategoryButtons $wgVisualDataDisableVersionCheck $wgVisualDataMaptilerApiKey $wgVisualDataTrackingCategoryQueries $wgVisualDataDebugPath
Added rights visualdata-caneditdata visualdata-canmanageschemas
Hooks used AfterImportPage AlternateEdit ArticleUndelete BeforeInitialize BeforePageDisplay ContentAlterParserOutput ContentGetParserOutput EditPage::showEditForm:initial LoadExtensionSchemaUpdates MediaWikiServices MultiContentSave OutputPageParserOutput PageDeleteComplete PageRenderingHash PageSaveComplete ParserAfterTidy ParserFirstCallInit ParserPreSaveTransformComplete RandomPageQuery RevisionFromEditComplete ScribuntoExternalLibraries SidebarBeforeOutput SkinBuildSidebar SkinTemplateNavigation::Universal
License	GNU General Public License 2.0 or later
Download	Download extension Git[?]: Browse repository (Phabricator · GitHub) Gerrit code review Git commit log Download source tarball
Example	Wikisphere
Translate the VisualData extension if it is available at translatewiki.net

VisualData is a full-fledged metadata management framework based onjson-schema able to easily record, organize and query collection of data on your wiki.

It is characterized by a strong emphasis on the UI/UX side and aims to present itself as a lightweight or modern alternative toExtension:Semantic MediaWiki andCargo.

• Based onjson-schema andslots
• forms and pop-up forms auto-generated from json-schema
• IntegratedSchemaBuilder to easily create json-schema compliant schemas, with nested items and OOUI widgets
• Forms are validated with industry-standardajv-validator
• SMW's style inlinequeries and full-featured result formats likeDatatable,Carousel,Calendar,Map, and more
• Can import/store/query large amount of data (with hierarchical structure) in specific articles/the entire wiki, and to rebuild them in minutes
• completed with anuninstall script: test the extension and opt-out if it doesn't meet your requirements!

check outlive demos andRelease notes for the latest improvements

The extension adds the following interface elements to your wiki (some of them only for authorized users and/or sysops)

• A sidebar section where to access all special pages offered by the extension

• The action tab "Edit data" by which to assign schemas to article and fill-in them through automatically generated OOUI forms

• and a namespace tab where to access the slot with json-data registered within an article through the extension
  

The visibility of each of them can be managed using theglobal parameters below.

• Download and place the file(s) in a directory calledVisualData in yourextensions/ folder.
• runcomposer install --no-dev in the extension folder. This will install the required libraries^[1]
• Add the following code at the bottom of yourLocalSettings.php

wfLoadExtension('VisualData');

• Runphp maintenance/run.php update (this will install the required tables)
• Done – Navigate toSpecial:Version on your wiki to verify that the extension is successfully installed.

Make sure to runphpmaintenance/run.php./extensions/VisualData/maintenance/RebuildData.php after each update of the extension when indicated in theRelease notes. This will drop/recreate the tables based on the data stored on the wiki.

The extension creates the followinguser rights.They can be both included manually in theLocalSettings.php or to be managed through the interface (special pageSpecial:UserRights).Sysops and bureaucrats are assigned with the complete set of permissions by default.

$wgGroupPermissions['*']["visualdata-caneditdata"]=true;$wgGroupPermissions['*']["visualdata-canmanageschemas"]=false;$wgVisualDataDisableSidebarLink=false;$wgVisualDataDisableSlotsNavigation=false;$wgVisualDataCreateJobsWarningLimit=0;$wgVisualDataEditDataNamespaces=[0,4,2226,2230];$wgVisualDataTrackingCategoryJsonData=false;$wgVisualDataTrackingCategoryForms=false;$wgVisualDataTrackingCategoryQueries=false;$wgVisualDataTrackingCategoryButtons=false;$wgVisualDataMaptilerApiKey='';// @Attention the same namespace is also used by Extension:JsonConfig and Extension:LinkedWikidefine("NS_DATA",2220);define("NS_DATA_TALK",2221);$wgExtraNamespaces[NS_DATA]="Data";$wgExtraNamespaces[NS_DATA_TALK]="Data_talk";

group	Can edit data	Can manage schemas
sysop,bureaucrat
visualdata-admin
visualdata-editor		N

• in some MediaWiki versions and configurations, theResourceLoader may generate syntax errors when bundling the Javascript files. In this case please use$wgResourceLoaderDebug = true; in LocalSettings.php, this will include separately each file and should solve the problem.
• rename of schemas and properties must be kept in synch with property and schema names hardcoded in parser functions. This will be solved implementing a query and form builder (seeroadmap)
• queries require that the first printout exists, otherwise the row will not show. This could be solved usingDUAL keyword
• the SchemaBuilder and the form processor do not yet support the directivesoneOf,anyOf and support for the$ref keyword

• handle visibility for content-blocks (Forms)
• handle visibility based on multiselect input widgets (check if has items)
• addoneOf,anyOf andallOf support to form generator and SchemaBuilder (the SchemaBuilder will contain a select on the schema main panel)
• addtuple and$ref keyword to SchemaBuilder (properties panel, besides 'add field', 'add content block', etc.)
• add additional properties to SchemaBuilder (additional panel)
• add query and form builder: this will store queries and forms as json schemas so that rename of schemas or properties can be updated within such schemas, not in the wikitext. The parser function will add queries and forms by their names or code
• UI for bulk-edit of json data in the BrowseData special page
• Ajax navigation for datatables, SearchPanes and SearchBuilder

Additionally:

• version control for schemas and related data, so that edits of the schema constrain to the data related to the previous data structure
• version control notice shown throughExtension:Echo and/or complying better design practice
• partial editing of schemas and field operations like Firebase's ArrayUnion, ArrayRemove, etc.
• preloadjson-ld/schema.org entities as json-schemas
• associatejson-ld/schema.org vocabulary to user-defined schemas

Extension:VisualData/Release notes

Please post error messages in theTalk page of the extension or usePhabricator for technical contributions.Updates will be occasionally posted on the MediaWiki'sWikitech mailing list.

For professional support please write at the email address postedhere

• Extension:ContactManager (A demo wiki-application built on top of VisualData)
• Extension:Semantic MediaWiki
• Extension:Cargo
• Extension:PageForms
• Extension:FlexForm
• Manual:Managing data in MediaWiki – An overview and comparison
• Outreachy 30: VisualData's json-schema enhancements (bringing JSON-Schema to MediaWiki)

• Demos on Wikisphere
• json-schema
• json-editor demo
• json-schema creator
• schema store
• php-json-schema-model-generator

WikiSphere

• Stable extensions
• Hook extensions
• Special page extensions
• AfterImportPage extensions
• AlternateEdit extensions
• ArticleUndelete extensions
• BeforeInitialize extensions
• BeforePageDisplay extensions
• ContentAlterParserOutput extensions
• ContentGetParserOutput extensions
• EditPage::showEditForm:initial extensions
• LoadExtensionSchemaUpdates extensions
• MediaWikiServices extensions
• MultiContentSave extensions
• OutputPageParserOutput extensions
• PageDeleteComplete extensions
• PageRenderingHash extensions
• PageSaveComplete extensions
• ParserAfterTidy extensions
• ParserFirstCallInit extensions
• ParserPreSaveTransformComplete extensions
• RandomPageQuery extensions
• RevisionFromEditComplete extensions
• ScribuntoExternalLibraries extensions
• SidebarBeforeOutput extensions
• SkinBuildSidebar extensions
• SkinTemplateNavigation::Universal extensions
• GPL licensed extensions
• Extensions in Wikimedia version control
• All extensions
• Page metadata extensions
• Data extraction extensions
• Database extensions
• Data management extensions
• Table extensions
• Page content extensions

• Extensions without an image
• Extensions with master compatibility policy
• Extensions with manual MediaWiki version