Project:Features

This is a list of features to consider or implement for the public wiki.

MediaWiki
Update to MediaWiki 1.16 when it is released.

Editing syntax
Editing syntax is much too complex, especially for non-tech-savvy people. Implementing a simplified magic formatting syntax would greatly alleviate this.

Worst-case scenario
For example, consider the following worst-case example from Lévi Ouellette (1842). Templates were created in a futile attempt to simplify it, but their use isn't even consistent due to template limitations. This text is completely unreadable and uneditable to all but the most hardened of veterans:
 *  Francis Lévi Xavier Ouellette was born c. 1842 (possibly February 2) of Gabriel Ouellette and Catherine Laselle. He married Hannah Poole January 4 at St. Finnan's Church, Alexandria, and fathered, , , , Lévi (c. 1875), and Ouellette. He later remarried Rose McDougald and fathered John Ouellette, , , , , , , , ,  Ouellette.

The formatting patterns are fairly consistent, so it is easy to detect what the data is and magically format it accordingly. Consider the following identical text based on a magic formatter, where  means 'format' and   means 'cite'. With a little bit of JavaScript, it can be colour-coded for legibility in the edit window. It is still a bit intimidating, but this is the worst-case scenario; most articles would be very simple.
 *  was born (possibly ) of  and . He married   at St. Finnan's Church, Alexandria, and fathered  (1867),  (1870),  (1872),  (1872), , and  (1879) Ouellette. He later remarried  and fathered ,  (1892),  (1894),  (1896),  (1900),  (1900),  (1902),  (1903),  (1903),  (1912) Ouellette.

The output would look something like this:
 * Francis Lévi Xavier Ouellette was born c. 1842 (possibly February 2) of Gabriel Ouellette and Catherine Laselle. He married January 4 at St. Finnan's Church, Alexandria, and fathered, , , , , and  Ouellette. He later remarried Rose McDougald and fathered , , , , , , , , ,  Ouellette.

Average scenario
A much more typical example is George Ouellette (1867), which would look like this:
 *  was born of and  on  and baptized in the St-Jean-Baptiste Catholic church in Prescott, Glengarry, ON.{birth} He died at the age of 15 years on, and was buried two days later in St. Raphael's Catholic church in Glengarry, ON.{death}