Makerspace Leiden MediaWiki

A MediaWiki installation for Makerspace Leiden, providing a collaborative knowledge base for the makerspace community.

Overview

This MediaWiki instance serves as the central knowledge repository for Makerspace Leiden, allowing members to document projects, share knowledge, and collaborate on various maker-related topics.

Features

• Multi-language Support: Dutch (nl) as primary language with translation capabilities
• File Upload Support: Supports various file formats including images, PDFs, CAD files, and more
• Translation Extensions: Includes Babel, CLDR, and LocalisationUpdate for multi-language content
• Enhanced Editing: WikiEditor with syntax highlighting and tabs support
• Security: Configured with proper access controls and spam protection

Technical Details

• MediaWiki Version: 1.41.3
• Database: MySQL
• Web Server: Apache with PHP
• URL: https://wiki.makerspaceleiden.nl
• Script Path: /mediawiki

Supported File Extensions

The wiki supports uploads of the following file types:

• Images: PNG, GIF, JPG, JPEG, SVG
• Documents: PDF
• CAD Files: SCAD, SCH, BRD, F3D
• Media: AVI, MOV, MPG
• Archives: ZIP
• Other: MCH

Configuration

Environment Variables

The application uses environment variables for sensitive configuration. Create a .env file with the following variables:

WIKI_DB_HOST=your_database_host
WIKI_DB_NAME=your_database_name
WIKI_DB_USER=your_database_user
WIKI_DB_PASSWORD=your_database_password
WIKI_SECRET_KEY=your_secret_key

Key Configuration Files

• LocalSettings.php: Main MediaWiki configuration
• mediawiki.conf: Apache web server configuration

Installation & Setup

Prerequisites

• PHP 8.x
• MySQL database
• Apache web server
• Composer (for dotenv dependency)

Installation Steps

1. Clone or download the MediaWiki files

2. Set up the database

   CREATE DATABASE your_wiki_db;
   CREATE USER 'wiki_user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'your_password';
   GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON your_wiki_db.* TO 'wiki_user'@'localhost';
   FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
   

3. Configure environment variables

   • Copy the example .env file and fill in your database credentials
   • Generate a secure secret key for WIKI_SECRET_KEY

4. Set up Apache configuration

   • Copy mediawiki.conf to your Apache sites-available directory
   • Enable the site: a2ensite mediawiki
   • Restart Apache: systemctl restart apache2

5. Set proper permissions

   chown -R www-data:www-data /var/lib/mediawiki
   chmod -R 755 /var/lib/mediawiki
   chmod -R 777 /var/lib/mediawiki/images
   chmod -R 777 /var/lib/mediawiki/cache
   

Extensions

The following MediaWiki extensions are enabled:

• Babel: Multi-language user interface
• CLDR: Unicode Common Locale Data Repository
• CleanChanges: Enhanced recent changes display
• ImageMap: Clickable image maps
• InputBox: Input form elements
• LocalisationUpdate: Automatic language updates
• PdfHandler: PDF file handling
• SpamBlacklist: Spam protection
• SyntaxHighlight_GeSHi: Code syntax highlighting
• Tabs: Tabbed interface
• UniversalLanguageSelector: Language selection interface
• WikiEditor: Enhanced editing interface

User Permissions

• Anonymous users: Cannot create accounts or edit pages
• Registered users: Can edit pages and use translation features
• System operators: Have additional administrative privileges

Maintenance

Log Files

• Debug logs: /var/log/mediawiki/debug-{database_name}.log
• Database error logs: /var/log/mediawiki/dberror.log

Regular Maintenance

1. Database maintenance

   php maintenance/update.php
   

2. Cache clearing

   php maintenance/rebuildrecentchanges.php
   php maintenance/rebuildtextindex.php
   

3. Backup

   • Database: mysqldump -u username -p database_name > backup.sql
   • Files: Backup the /var/lib/mediawiki directory