Mediawiki - Master Script List is getting big

[Tsukihime]

For those that are not aware of Ace's master script list..


http://rmvxace.wikia.com/wiki/RPG_Maker_VX_Ace_Master_Script_List


The page is just one huge table, and when I tried to add some new entries to the table it was lagging my browser. Possible that my computer is just not high-end enough to load a text area with 150000+ characters.


What are some ways to design this list so that


1. Any users can edit it any time


2. Sort by type (currently it's sorted in a table)


3. It is scalable and doesn't lag my browser


EDIT:


Just throwing some random knowledge out there since Xypher mentioned merging data.


For those that are not familiar with mediawiki, there is a concept called "transclusion" which allows you to pull data from various articles into a single page. According to the docs,

Transclusion is generally the inclusion of the content of a document into another document by reference

Which means you can edit one page, and all of the changes you make will be reflected in the master list without actually having to edit the master list itself.


For example, here is a simple test page I've created that contains some sort of "master list"


http://rmvxace.wikia.com/wiki/User:XTsukihime/Master_table


It looks like a regular table, but if you look at the source (just edit the page), it is actually composed of two separate pages worth of table entries in two separate pages called "category 1" and "category 2"


Category 1 and Category 2 are the pages that contain the table rows, shown here:


http://rmvxace.wikia.com/wiki/User:XTsukihime/Category_1


http://rmvxace.wikia.com/wiki/User:XTsukihime/Category_2


Notice that these two pages are also proper tables. By marking the rows as the only parts that would be transcluded to the master list, you can effectively edit smaller tables and have it automatically reflected in the larger list.


Note that you must be editing in source mode in order to properly maintain the pages, but I don't think that should be too big of an issue since Mr Bubbles has asked all contributors to edit the table in source mode anyways.


If we go with the idea of using separate pages, this is a possible route if we continue with a wiki approach.

 

[Xypher]

perhaps a google drive spreadsheet

 

[Seacliff]

Have a separate page for each type of script?

Example: One page for menu engines, another for battle systems, another for message systems, ect.

 

[Archeia]

perhaps a google drive spreadsheet

I would second this motion, but the problem might be when it comes to editing and someone randomly breaks it.

Perhaps its time to make separate pages for them now.

 

[Xypher]

If it goes the google drive route i would suggest having one page maintained by a group of people and a public one and then the sheets could be merged on a regular basis

 

[ReconVirus]

Have a separate page for each type of script?

Example: One page for menu engines, another for battle systems, another for message systems, ect.

Thought this sounded better and more helpful to people looking for a certain type of script.

 

[Tsukihime]

Just throwing some random knowledge out there since Xypher mentioned merging data.

For those that are not familiar with mediawiki, there is a concept called "transclusion" which allows you to pull data from various articles into a single page. According to the docs,

Transclusion is generally the inclusion of the content of a document into another document by reference

Which means you can edit one page, and all of the changes you make will be reflected in the master list without actually having to edit the master list itself.

For example, here is a simple test page I've created that contains some sort of "master list"

http://rmvxace.wikia.com/wiki/User:XTsukihime/Master_table

It looks like a regular table, but if you look at the source (just edit the page), it is actually composed of two separate pages worth of table entries

{| class="wikitable sortable"|+RPG Maker VXAce: Master Script List! Script !! Author !! Category !! Sub-Category !! class="unsortable" | Notes|-| [http://www.rpgmakerweb.com/ Example Row]| Author's Name| Category| Sub-category| Any particular notes regarding the script<!-- The actual rows are pulled from separate pages -->{{User:XTsukihime/Category_1}}{{User:XTsukihime/Category_2}}<!-- -->|-|}Category 1 and Category 2 are the pages that contain the table rows, shown here:http://rmvxace.wikia.com/wiki/User:XTsukihime/Category_1

http://rmvxace.wikia.com/wiki/User:XTsukihime/Category_2

Notice that these two pages are also proper tables. By marking the rows as the only parts that would be transcluded to the master list, you can effectively edit smaller tables and have it automatically reflected in the larger list.

Note that you must be editing in source mode in order to properly maintain the pages, but I don't think that should be too big of an issue since Mr Bubbles has asked all contributors to edit the table in source mode anyways.

If we go with the idea of using separate pages, this is a possible route if we continue with a wiki approach.

 

[SlaveOfThaMind]

Don't give anybody access to edit the list. If somebody wants their script on the list, or a fix,

said script should be sent to a moderator/webstaff for them to properly edit the list. 

Last thing anyone needs is some wacko just going on there and deleting / editing things and screwing them up.

Even an advanced user makes mistakes, and it only takes one.

My thoughts. ^_^ It is definitely time for a MSL overhaul.

 

[Andar]

Yes, different pages for different script types would be a better basis - especially with the option to make additional grouping pages for authors or so. Although a multiple link variant would be more work than a single link variant...

 

[Archeia]

I'm currently making one page for Each Category. This one is a test page, but is this closer to what we want?

I'll be fixing the table soon, I was just testing things ;~;

 

[Tsukihime]

Don't give anybody access to edit the list. If somebody wants their script on the list, or a fix,


said script should be sent to a moderator/webstaff for them to properly edit the list. 


Last thing anyone needs is some wacko just going on there and deleting / editing things and screwing them up.


Even an advanced user makes mistakes, and it only takes one.


My thoughts. ^_^ It is definitely time for a MSL overhaul.

It is not difficult to revert changes on wiki, or google. They both have version control so it's just a matter of clicking "history" and selecting the appropriate version to revert to.

 

[Archeia]

And fixed and cleared out the entire actors and classes category <_<;

 

[Seacliff]

This one is a test page, but is this closer to what we want?

^Exactly how I foresaw it.

 

[Tsukihime]

And fixed and cleared out the entire actors and classes category <_<;

If we will have separate pages for each type of script, how can we make it so that it is easy for editors to add/modify entries?


Will the master script list be removed? It is easier to search from a big table rather than from separate pages after all.


I would propose using transclusions to maintain the master script list and instruct editors to first think of which category they want to add it to, and click on a link that will automatically open the appropriate editing page.


I have updated my sample page with category names and direct links to the edit pages


http://rmvxace.wikia.com/wiki/User:XTsukihime/Master_table

 

[Archeia]

If we will have separate pages for each type of script, how can we make it so that it is easy for editors to add/modify entries?

Will the master script list be removed? It is easier to search from a big table rather than from separate pages after all.

The format is the same as the big table for each page. In fact wouldn't it be easier if they're separated so you won't keep scrolling down per update? We'll just probably have to move the categories and link them to the pages. I actually find it harder to search from a big table. But like I said that was a test page, the presentation of the materials are still open after all.

 

[Tsukihime]

I would still have a big list because some people might tag their scripts inaccurately, which makes it difficult to search if you're not sure which category it might be in.

 

[Archeia]

But wasn't the reason the MSL is being redone is because the big table is lagging browsers?

So if you want to add more entries the browser will lag?

 

[Zalerinian]

I would second this motion, but the problem might be when it comes to editing and someone randomly breaks it.

Perhaps its time to make separate pages for them now.

Sure someone could randomly break it, but Google has version control so you can roll back edits, just like Wikia has it.

Also, someone could just as easily mess up the one on Wikia as they could on Google. Anyone is free to edit it, so what makes Google more vulnerable?

 

[Andar]

I would still have a big list because some people might tag their scripts inaccurately, which makes it difficult to search if you're not sure which category it might be in.

 

But wasn't the reason the MSL is being redone is because the big table is lagging browsers?


So if you want to add more entries the browser will lag?

Yes, in theory it's easier to search in big lists - but the MSL as it is available on the wiki was beyond that in my opinion.
The two times I really needed to search for something on it, I copied its table to a local spreadsheet for easy filtering before searching it.


But please don't consider that a vote for the google doc variant, because that would be bad as a internet option.


The seperate pages should all contain the same column format (no changing formats depending on content separation), so that it's still only a few clicks to copy everything into a local spreadsheet for filtering.

 

[Tsukihime]

But wasn't the reason the MSL is being redone is because the big table is lagging browsers?


So if you want to add more entries the browser will lag?

My browser starts lagging when I try to edit an article. Maybe it is just a chrome thing but I've noticed whenever I am working with large amounts of data inside a textarea, it starts to lag.


There is no problem for me displaying it.


I don't know if others are having similar issues when editing it.