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