StructureSync

StructureSync is a MediaWiki extension that treats Categories and Properties as an ontology backbone, providing:

• Schema management for categories and properties
• Automatic template and form generation
• Multiple inheritance support
• Import/export functionality for schemas in JSON/YAML formats
• Validation and diff tools

Requirements

• MediaWiki 1.39+
• PHP 7.4+
• SemanticMediaWiki
• PageForms

Installation

1. Clone this repository to your MediaWiki extensions directory:

   cd extensions/
   git clone https://github.com/yourrepo/StructureSync.git

2. Install Composer dependencies:

   cd StructureSync
   composer install --no-dev

3. Add to your LocalSettings.php:

   wfLoadExtension( 'StructureSync' );

4. Run the update script:

   php maintenance/update.php

Configuration

No configuration is required for basic usage. The extension works out of the box once installed.

Usage

Special Page

Access the main interface at Special:StructureSync which provides:

• Overview: View all categories and their status
• Export: Export your ontology schema to JSON or YAML
• Import: Import a schema from file or text
• Validate: Check schema consistency
• Generate: Regenerate templates and forms
• Diff: Compare schema file with current wiki state

Maintenance Scripts

Export Schema

php extensions/StructureSync/maintenance/exportOntology.php --format=json --output=schema.json

Import Schema

php extensions/StructureSync/maintenance/importOntology.php --input=schema.json

Validate

php extensions/StructureSync/maintenance/validateOntology.php

Regenerate Artifacts

php extensions/StructureSync/maintenance/regenerateArtifacts.php --category=Person

Schema Format

JSON Structure

{
  "schemaVersion": "1.0",
  "categories": {
    "Person": {
      "parents": [],
      "label": "Person",
      "description": "An individual person",
      "properties": {
        "required": ["Has full name", "Has email"],
        "optional": ["Has biography"]
      },
      "display": {
        "header": ["Has full name"],
        "sections": [
          {
            "name": "Details",
            "properties": ["Has email"]
          }
        ]
      },
      "forms": {
        "sections": [
          {
            "name": "Basic Information",
            "properties": ["Has full name", "Has email"]
          }
        ]
      }
    }
  },
  "properties": {
    "Has full name": {
      "datatype": "Text",
      "label": "Full name",
      "description": "The person's full name"
    }
  }
}

SMW Property Vocabulary

StructureSync uses these SMW properties to store schema metadata on wiki pages:

• Has parent category (Type: Page) - Links to parent categories
• Has required property (Type: Page) - Required properties for this category
• Has optional property (Type: Page) - Optional properties for this category
• Has display header property (Type: Page) - Properties shown in the page header
• Has display section name (Type: Text) - Name of a display section
• Has display section property (Type: Page) - Properties in a display section
• Has form section name (Type: Text) - Name of a form section
• Has form section property (Type: Page) - Properties in a form section

Generated Artifacts

For each category, StructureSync generates:

1. Template:{Category}/semantic - Stores semantic data (auto-generated, always overwritten)
2. Template:{Category} - Dispatcher template (auto-generated, always overwritten)
3. Template:{Category}/display - Display template (generated once as stub, never overwritten)
4. Form:{Category} - PageForms form (auto-generated, always overwritten)

Multiple Inheritance

Categories can have multiple parents. Property inheritance uses:

• Union: All ancestor properties are inherited
• Required propagation: If any ancestor marks a property as required, it stays required
• Child override: Child categories can override inherited settings

License

This extension is licensed under GPL-3.0-or-later. See LICENSE file for details.

Support

• Report issues on GitHub
• Documentation: https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:StructureSync