User:Connel MacKenzie/automation

Wiktionary:Automation
Many repetitive tasks can be "automated" to one degree or another, on Wiktionary. Each method has benefits and drawbacks.

AWB

 * 1) Large initial download size
 * 2) Requires IE
 * 3) Requires .net (another ginormous download, with serious security implications for your box)
 * 4) Using "bot mode" can get you in serious trouble
 * 5) Using normal mode to make lots of small edits can get you in trouble
 * 6) Thousands of edits can be made before someone comes along and corrects you (at which point, you are responsible for cleaning your own mess up.)
 * 7) Built-in Wikipedia MOS fixes are often wrong on Wiktionary, and MUST be turned off before starting.
 * 8) Fantastic user interface (I really shouldn't understate this so lightly)
 * 9) Fast "enough" to appear as if it is a bot
 * 10) Most pywikipediabot functionality is covered, plus 1/2 dozen extras
 * 11) unicode support?
 * 12) support IRC channel
 * 13) closed codebase

pywikipediabot framework

 * 1) tiny download size
 * 2) requires prior approval for even the most mundane runs
 * 3) open-ended possibilities for programmers
 * 4) can be used as an alternate to web-browser editing
 * 5) category utils
 * 6) template utils
 * 7) replacement utils
 * 8) uploading utils
 * 9) built-in throttling (to adhere to "well-behaved" restrictions without upsetting anyone)
 * 10) throttling can be turned off
 * 11) page feeds from variety of sources (list, Whatlinkshere, category, etc.)
 * 12) unicode support
 * 13) support IRC channel
 * 14) verification modes (Accept this edit? yes/no/all)
 * 15) logs of changes
 * 16) open-source code (www.sf.net)
 * 17) requires some configuration
 * 18) good help pages exist on meta:
 * 19) any problems, and you have to be able to read python

Javascript

 * 1) This language that we all thought was dead and gone, making a heluva comeback due to wikis
 * 2) The DOM is evil.  EVIL I say!  IE vs. NS vs. FF vs. Opera vs. Mozilla vs. Safari == loony bin
 * 3) Most things have been worked out; plethora code examples now exist (especially on WP)
 * 4) form.click can really make you look stupid, sometimes.

Lupin's popups

 * 1) written in JS
 * 2) server load is noticable (that's saying a lot for a server cluster with millions of visitors per day, 4,000/second!)
 * 3) Lupin's Popups do nicely for some tasks, horrible perfomance on others.
 * 4) Geared towards browsing, and vandal patrol; not editing, per se.
 * 5) extensible, in that you can override certain classes to do useful things

Todo pages

 * 1) Can use any tool/language you want to generate pages you upload
 * 2) url-encoded links can go pretty much to any page
 * 3) Other people can be solicited to help (all help welcome at User:Connel MacKenzie/todo*!)
 * 4) most people respect User sub-pages and won't mess with them unless asked to
 * 5) can be corrected/refined as you go along

Bookmarklets

 * Bookmarklet
 * 1) Quick to throw together
 * 2) only can use a selectable list
 * 3) must have your browser's "Personal" toolbar to make them useful
 * 4) very problematic moving from one browser to another
 * 5) requires knowledge of wiki URL syntax/inspection of rare URLs/composition
 * 6) Good for sensitive stuff, like mass-deletion, mass-protection