Revision history

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  1. Revision History

Revision history is a fundamental feature of MediaWiki, the software powering Wikipedia and countless other wikis. It allows you to track all changes made to a page, revert to older versions, compare differences between edits, and understand the collaborative evolution of content. For beginners, understanding revision history is crucial for effectively contributing to and managing a wiki. This article provides a comprehensive guide to navigating and utilizing revision history in MediaWiki 1.40.

What is Revision History?

Every time you save a page in MediaWiki, a new revision is created. This revision represents a specific snapshot of the page at that point in time. Revision history is the complete record of all these revisions, stored chronologically. Think of it like a "save game" feature in a video game – you can always go back to a previous save point.

The key benefits of revision history are:

  • Accountability: It provides a clear audit trail of who made what changes and when.
  • Recoverability: You can undo accidental deletions or revert to a previous, more stable version of a page.
  • Transparency: It allows anyone to see how a page has evolved over time, fostering a collaborative environment.
  • Learning: By examining the edits of others, you can learn best practices and improve your own contributions.
  • Dispute Resolution: When disagreements arise about content, revision history provides a neutral record to help resolve them.

Accessing Revision History

There are several ways to access the revision history of a page:

1. "View History" Tab: At the top of most pages (excluding special pages and some redirects), you'll find a tab labeled "View history". Clicking this tab takes you directly to the revision history page. 2. Sidebar Link: In the Sidebar**, there’s often a link to "History" or "Page history". 3. Edit Page Link: When editing a page, the edit summary box often includes a link to view the page's history.

The revision history page displays a list of revisions, with the most recent at the top. Each entry in the list shows:

  • Timestamp: The date and time the revision was saved.
  • User: The username (or IP address) of the user who made the revision.
  • Edit Summary: A brief description of the changes made. Good edit summaries are *essential* for maintaining a useful revision history. See Help:Editing for more on edit summaries.
  • Size Difference: The change in the page's size (in bytes) between this revision and the previous one. A positive number indicates an addition, while a negative number indicates a deletion.
  • Flags: Icons indicating special properties of the revision, such as:
   *   (current):  Indicates the current, live version of the page.
   *   (diff): Indicates a revision that can be directly compared to the previous one.
   *   (last): Indicates the last revision before the current one.
   *   (minor): Indicates a minor edit (e.g., fixing a typo).

Understanding Revision History Page Layout

The revision history page is more than just a list. It provides tools to interact with the revisions.

  • Filtering: You can filter the revision history by user. This is useful if you want to see all the edits made by a specific contributor. There’s usually a dropdown menu saying “User:” followed by a text box where you can enter a username.
  • Date Filtering: Some wikis allow filtering by date range.
  • Pagination: For pages with a long history, the revisions are often displayed in pages. Use the pagination links (e.g., "Previous", "Next", page numbers) to navigate between them.
  • Advanced Filters: Some wikis (depending on installed extensions) offer more advanced filtering options, such as searching for revisions containing specific keywords.
  • Search: A search box allows you to search within the edit summaries.

Viewing Differences (Diffs)

One of the most powerful features of revision history is the ability to view the differences between two revisions. This is known as a diff (short for "difference").

To view a diff:

1. "diff" Link: Next to each revision in the history list, there's often a "diff" link (or a similar icon). Clicking this link shows the difference between that revision and the previous one. 2. "Compare selected revisions" Link: At the bottom of the revision history page, you'll find a link labeled "Compare selected revisions". Clicking this link allows you to select two specific revisions to compare. You’ll be prompted to choose the two revisions you want to compare.

Diffs are displayed using a color-coded format:

  • Green: Indicates text that was added in the later revision.
  • Red: Indicates text that was removed in the later revision.
  • Blue: Indicates minor changes, such as whitespace differences.

Diffs can be complex, especially for large edits. MediaWiki offers features to help you navigate them:

  • "Next difference" and "Previous difference" links: Allow you to step through the changes one by one.
  • Collapsible Sections: Some diff viewers allow you to collapse sections of the diff to focus on specific changes.
  • Unified vs. Side-by-Side Diffs: Some wikis offer different diff views. Unified diffs (the default) show the changes in a concise, context-sensitive format. Side-by-side diffs display the two revisions side-by-side, making it easier to compare them visually.

Reverting Edits

If you find an error or vandalism on a page, you can revert it to a previous version using revision history.

To revert an edit:

1. Navigate to the Revision: Find the revision history page and locate the revision you want to revert *to*. Remember, you're reverting *to* a specific version, not *from* one. 2. "Undo" Link: Next to the revision you want to revert to, you’ll find an "Undo" link. Clicking this link will: 

   *   Open the edit page with the content of the selected revision pre-populated.
   *   Automatically add an edit summary suggesting that you are reverting to the previous revision.

3. Review and Save: Review the automatically populated edit page. You can modify the edit summary if necessary. Then, click the "Publish page" (or equivalent) button to save the changes. This will effectively undo all the edits made *after* the revision you selected.

    • Important Considerations when Reverting:**
  • Edit Summaries: Always provide a clear and concise edit summary explaining why you are reverting the changes.
  • Discuss: If you are unsure about reverting an edit, especially if it's a substantial change, it's best to discuss it with other editors on the Talk page first.
  • Avoid Edit Wars: Repeatedly reverting and counter-reverting edits without discussion is considered an edit war and is disruptive.

Deleting Revisions

In some cases, you may need to delete a revision from the history. This is typically done to remove sensitive information (e.g., personal data) or to comply with legal requirements. Deleting revisions requires specific permissions (usually granted to administrators).

To delete a revision:

1. Administrator Access: You must have the necessary administrative privileges. 2. Navigate to the Revision: Find the revision history page and locate the revision you want to delete. 3. "Delete" Link: Administrators will see a "Delete" link next to each revision. 4. Reason for Deletion: You will be prompted to provide a reason for deleting the revision. This reason will be recorded in the deletion log. 5. Confirm Deletion: Confirm the deletion.

    • Important Considerations when Deleting Revisions:**
  • Strict Guidelines: Deletion of revisions should be done only when absolutely necessary and according to established guidelines.
  • Deletion Log: All deletions are recorded in the deletion log, providing an audit trail.
  • Impact on History: Deleting a revision can create gaps in the revision history, potentially making it harder to understand the page's evolution.

Advanced Techniques & Tools

  • API Access: The MediaWiki API allows developers to programmatically access and manipulate revision history. This is useful for creating custom tools and scripts. See Help:API for more information.
  • External Tools: Several external tools can help you analyze revision history, such as WikiAnalyzer and RevisionHistoryAnalyzer.
  • Watchlists: Using your Watchlist is a proactive way to monitor changes to pages you're interested in and quickly review their revision history.
  • User Contributions: You can view a user's contributions (all the edits they've made across the wiki) using their user page or the "Contributions" link in the sidebar.

Revision History and Content Licensing

It's important to remember that content on wikis is typically licensed under a free license, such as Creative Commons. Revision history plays a role in attributing authorship and ensuring compliance with the license terms. Each revision retains the authorship information of the editor who made it, allowing others to properly attribute their contributions.

Strategies & Technical Analysis Resources (Related to Content Creation & Management - not trading)

While revision history is about managing wiki content, the principles of tracking changes and understanding history can be applied to other fields. Here are some resources that explore similar concepts:

  • **Version Control Systems (VCS):** [1](Git), [2](Subversion) - Essential for software development, these systems track changes to code.
  • **Change Management:** [3](Project Management Institute - Change Management) - Managing changes to projects and processes.
  • **Content Audits:** [4](Siteimprove - Content Audits) - Regularly reviewing and updating website content.
  • **Content Governance:** [5](Content Marketing Institute - Content Governance) - Establishing policies and procedures for content creation and management.
  • **Data Version Control (DVC):** [6](DVC) - An open-source version control system for machine learning projects.
  • **Time Series Analysis:** [7](Statsmodels - Time Series Analysis) - Analyzing data points indexed in time order.
  • **Trend Analysis:** [8](Tableau - Trend Analysis) - Identifying patterns and directions in data.
  • **Root Cause Analysis:** [9](ASQ - Root Cause Analysis) - Identifying the underlying causes of problems.
  • **A/B Testing:** [10](Optimizely - A/B Testing) - Comparing two versions of something to see which performs better.
  • **Cohort Analysis:** [11](Mixpanel - Cohort Analysis) - Analyzing the behavior of groups of users over time.
  • **Data Mining:** [12](IBM - Data Mining) - Discovering patterns and insights from large datasets.
  • **Predictive Analytics:** [13](SAS - Predictive Analytics) - Using data to predict future outcomes.
  • **Statistical Process Control (SPC):** [14](MoreSteam - SPC) - Monitoring and controlling processes using statistical methods.
  • **Regression Analysis:** [15](Statistics How To - Regression Analysis) - Examining the relationship between variables.
  • **Correlation Analysis:** [16](Simply Psychology - Correlation Analysis) - Measuring the strength and direction of the relationship between variables.
  • **Moving Averages:** [17](Investopedia - Moving Averages) - Smoothing out data to identify trends.
  • **Exponential Smoothing:** [18](Statsmodels - Exponential Smoothing) - A weighted average that gives more weight to recent data.
  • **Monte Carlo Simulation:** [19](Palisade - Monte Carlo Simulation) - Using random sampling to model uncertainty.
  • **Sensitivity Analysis:** [20](Investopedia - Sensitivity Analysis) - Determining how changes in input variables affect the output.
  • **Scenario Planning:** [21](Strategy + Business - Scenario Planning) - Developing multiple plausible future scenarios.
  • **System Dynamics:** [22](System Dynamics Society) - A methodology for understanding complex systems.
  • **Chaos Theory:** [23](Britannica - Chaos Theory) - Studying systems that are highly sensitive to initial conditions.
  • **Fractal Analysis:** [24](Fractal Foundation) - Analyzing patterns that repeat at different scales.
  • **Network Analysis:** [25](Analytic Tech - Network Analysis) - Studying relationships between entities.


Conclusion

Revision history is a cornerstone of collaborative wiki editing. By understanding its features and utilizing its tools effectively, you can contribute to a more accurate, transparent, and resilient knowledge base. Mastering revision history is not just about fixing errors; it's about participating responsibly in a shared learning environment.

Help:Contents MediaWiki Help:Editing Talk page Sidebar Help:API Special:Watchlist User page Help:Preferences Advanced Search

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