Guide
NB: this guide will require updating as the sites progresses.
This site uses MediaWiki software, which provides general editing facilities, with the addition of software from Semantic Mediawiki, which adds database like features based on subject-predicate-object links (triples, also the foundation of graph databases). Typically, the subject of the triple is a page.
Accounts and access
An account is required to edit content on the site. End users can't create their own accounts, instead a Sysop user should user the Special:CreateAccount page.
Main Page
The Main Page provides links to Rights pages and a timeline view. The timeline view shows Probable Years from all Rights. On clicking Timeline items the user is brought to that specific right section.
Below the Timeline view is a list of Explore links, including a link to this guide.
Rights pages
Rights pages are generated by queries using Category:Right and Property:Section. View the page source to see how they are composed.
The following taxonomy is used for Right structure: Right > Section > Question > Breakout. A breakout is a country or philosophical system. Some Questions have nested Questions.
For each Right, ✎ 📖 (view and edit) links are provided for an existing section, or a 💥 create link. Breakouts are edited by selecting their heading. A widget, populated by the full list of country or philosophical systems, is provided to create breakouts that don't exist yet.
Every right except Freedom and Association, which has heading consistency issues, and Right to Education, which was unavailable at time of export, are imported as of the data export.
Explore pages
Rights by country, Rights by philosophy
These page shows how section data can be queried and developed independant of Rights pages. Pages, categories, properties and queries can be changed or added as required.
Data development
Semantic Mediawiki supports a range of data types, from numbers, dates, pages, text, units of measure, and so on. Triples build on the concept of links to type the association (named links). Therefore, they provide a strong way to indicate relationships between subjects, which can be queried.
Data can be assigned in templates, or inline by extending MediaWiki links using :: notation. For example, a simple form of data extraction is used to create Property:Probable year links. These links can be transformed into specific dates via manual editing.
Additionally, simple inference can be used. For example, a Probable year is a type of Date, so general Dates can be queried, or more specific Date types.
Data elements are in Special:Properties, Special:Templates, Special:Forms and Special:Categories.
Here's the site taxonomy:
Data can also be explored on an ad hoc basis using Special:Ask.
Further opportunities
In addition to the above, bibliography entries could be consolidated across the site.
Other formats, Mediawiki and Semantic Mediawiki tools and extensions are available such as tag clouds and graphs can be used to explore content and relationships and address site issues such as missing content.
Issues
- Normally, using the form to edit a Right Section should cause the overall Right page to refresh. Instead, the user is directed to refresh the page after editing a section. The page can also be refreshed using the Page More > Refresh button can trigger an immediate update.
- Right "here" menus should be fixed at the top of the screen. This will allow switching between sections without having to scroll to the page top.