Help:SMW extensions
This page gives an overview of extensions that have been specifically developed for Semantic MediaWiki, and which are based on its semantic core functionality. An alternative list is given by the MediaWiki.org category for SMW extensions. As for all extensions, the respective authors should be contacted for support.
Adding and modifying data[edit]
Semantic Forms[edit]
Semantic Forms allows for the creation of forms to add and edit wiki pages, using the fields within the page's MediaWiki template calls as the fields of the form. All semantic data is meant to be held within templates, and not directly within wiki pages. Templates assign a semantic property to some or (preferably) all of their fields; the type of each semantic property helps determine what sort of input will show up for that field in the form. Data autocompletion is also enabled, as are a variety of other features.
Authors: Yaron Koren and others
First Released: May 2007
Links:
- Example of a form at freeculture.org
- List of sites that use Semantic Forms
- Semantic Forms mailing list
Halo Extension[edit]
The Halo Extension enhances SMW by providing intuitive graphical interfaces that facilitate the authoring, organization and retrieval of (semantically annotated) wiki contents. It contains amongst others:
- An advanced annotation mode and a semantic toolbar, for easily enriching wiki pages with semantic annotations
- An improved search engine, based on the state-of-the-art search engine lucene
- Import and connectivity features, allowing to plug in web services or a triple-store
- An ontology browser, for quickly inspecting and altering the wiki's ontology
- A bot framework for detecting inconsistencies (e.g. incorrect semantic annotations)
- Access control lists for protecting different elements (e.g. namespaces, categories or single pages) in a wiki
The pre-packaged bundle of the Halo extension (including MediaWiki, Semantic MediaWiki and other useful extensions) is also known as SMW+.
Authors: Thomas Schweitzer, Kai Kühn, Markus Nitsche, Jörg Heizmann, Frederik Pfisterer, Robert Ulrich, Daniel Hansch, Moritz Weiten and others
First released: October 2007
Links:
- Demonstration video of the extension's features
- Halo Extension at sourceforge
- SMW user forum
- SMW+ Product homepage
Semantic Signup[edit]
Semantic Signup lets users populate their user pages at registration time, using Semantic Forms.
Author: Serhii Kutnii
First released: January 2009
Searching and browsing[edit]
Note that the Halo extension could also be fit into this section.
Semantic Drilldown[edit]
Semantic Drilldown provides a drill-down/"faceted browser" interface for viewing the data in a wiki. The list of pages in each top-level category can be viewed, and for each such category, filters can be created that cover a specific semantic property. If filters exist for a category, users can click on the different possible values for those filters, narrowing the set of results, and thus drill down through the data.
Author: Yaron Koren
First released: December 2007
Links:
- Example of a drilldown for presentations at Technical Presentations
- List of sites that use Semantic Drilldown
SemanticQueryFormTool[edit]
SemanticQueryFormTool provides a tool to support the generation of user-friendly query forms for semantic data.
Author: G. Zehetner
First released: September 2008
Links:
Displaying data[edit]
Semantic Result Formats[edit]
Semantic Result Formats adds a number of further formats to inline queries, including formats for calendars, timelines, charts, graphs and mathematical functions.
Authors: Frank Dengler, Steren Giannini, Fabian Howahl, Yaron Koren, Markus Krötzsch, Joel Natividad, Denny Vrandecic, Nathan Yergler
First released: August 2008
Semantic Google Maps[edit]
Semantic Google Maps allows for the use of Google Maps for three purposes: (1) to display a single point of type Geographic coordinate on a page, (2) as an input within a Semantic Forms form to let users enter such a value, and (3) to display a set of pages on a map using an #ask query, based on some property they all share of type Geographic coordinate.
It should be noted that, due to its reliance on a proprietary technology (Google Maps), this extension has certain license restrictions.
Authors: Robert Buzink and Yaron Koren
First Released: September 2007
Links:
- Map of all Hacker Spaces at HackerspaceWiki, using Semantic Google Maps
- A form to edit a page for a house on Placeography, with a map at the bottom of the form enabled by SGM
Semantic Layers[edit]
- Note: Semantic Layers does not yet work with Semantic MediaWiki version 1.0 or later.
Semantic Layers provides for viewing a set of geographical or other coordinate data within a map, using the standard "OpenLayers" protocol.
Author: Matt Williamson
First Released: September 2007
Semantic Gallery[edit]
Semantic Gallery defines a "gallery" format for inline queries, to display images.
Author: Rowan Rodrik van der Molen
First released: December 2008
Semantic Compound Queries[edit]
Semantic Compound Queries provides a parser function for displaying multiple queries at the same time, such as within a calendar or a map.
Author: Yaron Koren
First released: November 2008
Links:
Workflow[edit]
Semantic Tasks[edit]
Note: Semantic Tasks does not yet work with Semantic MediaWiki version 1.4 or later.
Semantic Tasks allows for having reminder and notification emails sent to relevant users for pages that represent tasks. The dates and users are specified through special semantic properties.
Author: Steren Giannini
First released: June 2008
Importing and exporting[edit]
Data Transfer[edit]
Data Transfer provides a special page for viewing the data from any combination of a wiki's categories and namespaces in XML form, with the XML fields defined by fields within template calls on each page. Data Transfer uses semantic properties to a very limited extent, but it is considered an SMW-related extension because it takes the same template-based approach to data as Semantic Forms, and is meant to be used in conjunction with that extension. Data Transfer may eventually allow for the importing of XML data as well as its export.
Author: Yaron Koren
First released: February 2008
Links:
- Main "View XML" panel and [Kooperationsprojekte=on XML for all project pages] at Verwaltungskooperation (German-language)
Obsolete extensions[edit]
Question API[edit]
This is an experimental extension.
Question API creates a special page that lets a wiki determine the veracity of a set of data before adding it to the wiki. If administrators have an automated source of information they want to add as semantic data to the wiki, but want to make sure that each piece of information is correct, they can pass the data in to Question API; the system phrases each piece of information as a yes/no question, and if a user clicks to indicate the information is correct, the system adds this piece of data into the wiki.
Authors: Sebastian Blohm, Markus Krötzsch
First released: November 2007
Semantic Calendar[edit]
Note: This extension is now deprecated, having been replaced by the 'calendar' format in Semantic Result Formats.
Semantic Calendar allows for the creation of calendars that display the names of pages by their value for a specified semantic date property, filtered by some set of pre-specified criteria.
Author: Yaron Koren
Life span: February 2008 - December 2008
