AccountMerge

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  1. AccountMerge

AccountMerge is a critical, yet often overlooked, feature within MediaWiki installations, especially those dealing with large user bases or undergoing migrations. This article provides a comprehensive guide to understanding and utilizing AccountMerge, a powerful tool for consolidating duplicate user accounts and maintaining data integrity. It's aimed at MediaWiki administrators and those with technical proficiency in managing wiki environments. Understanding AccountMerge is vital for effective User management and maintaining a clean, efficient wiki.

What is AccountMerge?

AccountMerge is a MediaWiki extension that allows administrators to merge multiple user accounts into a single, unified account. This functionality becomes essential in scenarios such as:

  • **User Registration Errors:** Users may inadvertently create multiple accounts due to typos, forgotten usernames, or browser issues.
  • **Migration from Other Platforms:** When migrating a wiki or importing user data from another system, duplicate accounts can easily arise.
  • **Sockpuppetry:** While not its primary purpose, AccountMerge can be used to address instances of users attempting to circumvent wiki policies by operating multiple accounts (though careful consideration and policy adherence are crucial in such cases – see Policies and guidelines).
  • **Username Changes/Corrections:** A user might originally register with a slightly incorrect username and then request a change. AccountMerge offers a clean way to combine the histories.
  • **Consolidation of Test Accounts:** During development or testing, numerous test accounts are often created. AccountMerge allows these to be consolidated after testing completion.

Without AccountMerge, managing these duplicate accounts manually is a tedious, error-prone, and potentially damaging process. It can lead to confusion, inconsistencies in user histories, and difficulties in applying permissions and tracking contributions. It's far more efficient and secure to utilize the official extension.

Why Use AccountMerge?

The benefits of utilizing AccountMerge are numerous:

  • **Data Integrity:** Consolidating accounts ensures that all contributions are correctly attributed to a single user, maintaining a clear and accurate history of edits.
  • **Simplified Administration:** Managing fewer accounts reduces administrative overhead and simplifies tasks such as applying permissions, blocking users, and tracking activity.
  • **Accurate Statistics:** User statistics, such as edit counts and page creation numbers, will be more accurate when duplicate accounts are merged. This is important for User rights management and identifying valuable contributors.
  • **Improved User Experience:** A cleaner user base reduces confusion and makes it easier for users to find and interact with each other.
  • **Avoidance of Conflicts:** Duplicate accounts can sometimes cause conflicts with features like watchlist notifications or email delivery. Merging eliminates these potential issues.
  • **Compliance:** Maintaining an accurate and verifiable user base is important for compliance with various data privacy regulations.

Installation and Configuration

AccountMerge is not a core MediaWiki extension and must be installed separately.

1. **Download:** Download the latest version of AccountMerge from the MediaWiki extensions repository ([1](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:AccountMerge)). 2. **Upload:** Upload the downloaded archive to your MediaWiki's `extensions/` directory. 3. **Configuration:** Add the following line to your `LocalSettings.php` file:

```php wfLoadExtension( 'AccountMerge' ); ```

4. **Permissions (Important):** By default, only users with the `merge-accounts` user right can use AccountMerge. This right is typically granted to administrators. You can grant this right to specific user groups by adding the following to your `LocalSettings.php`:

```php $wgGroupPermissions['sysop']['merge-accounts'] = true; //Example: Grant to bureaucrats too $wgGroupPermissions['bureaucrat']['merge-accounts'] = true; ```

5. **CSS (Optional):** AccountMerge includes a CSS file that can be customized to match your wiki's theme. You can find this file in the `AccountMerge/` directory and modify it as needed.

Using AccountMerge: A Step-by-Step Guide

Once installed and configured, AccountMerge provides a special page for managing account merges. This page can be accessed via `Special:MergeAccounts`.

1. **Access Special:MergeAccounts:** Navigate to `Special:MergeAccounts` in your wiki. You will need to be logged in as a user with the `merge-accounts` user right. 2. **Enter Target User:** Enter the username of the account you want to *keep* (the target account). This is the account that will retain the user history and preferences. 3. **Enter Source Users:** Enter the usernames of the accounts you want to *merge into* the target account (the source accounts). You can enter multiple source usernames, separated by commas or newlines. 4. **Review Options:** AccountMerge provides several options: 

   *   **Suppress Log:**  Whether to suppress logging of the merge operation.  Generally, you should *not* suppress the log for auditability.
   *   **Suppress User List:** Whether to suppress the user list in the merge log.
   *   **Transfer Edits:** This is the core function. It ensures that all edits made by the source accounts are attributed to the target account. *Always* enable this option.
   *   **Transfer Email:**  This option transfers the email address from the source account to the target account.  Be cautious when using this option, as it may overwrite an existing email address.  Consider notifying the user if you are transferring their email.
   *   **Transfer Groups:** This option transfers group memberships from the source accounts to the target account. This is generally desired unless there’s a specific reason not to.
   *   **Transfer Preferences:** This option transfers preferences (skin, language, etc.) from the source accounts to the target account.  This is usually desirable to consolidate user settings.
   *   **Prevent New Edits:** This prevents new edits from being made by the source accounts while the merge is in progress. This is a good practice to avoid conflicts.

5. **Confirm Merge:** Carefully review the options and confirm the merge. AccountMerge will then perform the following actions: 

   *   Update the user table to reflect the merged accounts.
   *   Update the edit history to attribute all edits from the source accounts to the target account.
   *   Update group memberships and preferences.
   *   Log the merge operation in the wiki's history.

6. **Post-Merge Checks:** After the merge is complete, verify that all edits and contributions have been correctly attributed to the target account. Check the user's user page, contributions page, and watchlist to ensure everything is as expected.

Advanced Considerations and Best Practices

  • **User Notification:** Whenever possible, notify the affected users about the account merge. This is especially important if you are transferring their email address or preferences. A polite message explaining the reason for the merge can help avoid confusion and frustration.
  • **Handling Blocked Accounts:** AccountMerge can merge blocked accounts. Consider whether the block should be lifted from the target account after the merge, or if it should remain in place.
  • **Sockpuppet Investigations:** If you are merging accounts as part of a sockpuppet investigation, follow your wiki's Sockpuppet policy and document the investigation thoroughly. Be transparent and unbiased in your actions.
  • **Email Address Conflicts:** If the source and target accounts have different email addresses, you will need to decide which address to keep. Consider contacting the user to determine their preferred email address.
  • **Large-Scale Merges:** If you need to merge a large number of accounts, consider scripting the process using the MediaWiki API. This can automate the process and reduce the risk of errors. The API provides functionalities to interact with the wiki programmatically, allowing for bulk operations.
  • **Regular Audits:** Periodically audit your wiki's user base to identify and merge any duplicate accounts that may have been created.
  • **Backup:** *Always* back up your wiki database before performing any account merges. This will allow you to restore your wiki to its previous state if something goes wrong. Regular Database maintenance is crucial.
  • **Testing:** Before merging accounts on a live wiki, test the process on a staging or development environment. This will help you identify any potential issues and ensure that the merge operation works as expected.
  • **Consider User Rights:** AccountMerge does not automatically transfer all user rights. Be sure to review and adjust the target account’s permissions after the merge.
  • **Dealing with Cross-Wiki Accounts (if applicable):** If your wiki is part of a wiki farm utilizing CentralAuth, AccountMerge will not handle cross-wiki account merging. CentralAuth is the appropriate tool for that purpose.

Troubleshooting

  • **Merge Fails:** If the merge fails, check the MediaWiki error logs for more information. Common causes of merge failures include database errors, permission issues, and conflicts with other extensions.
  • **Edits Not Transferred:** If edits are not being transferred from the source accounts to the target account, double-check that the "Transfer Edits" option is enabled. Also, verify that the source accounts have valid edit histories.
  • **Email Address Issues:** If you are having trouble transferring email addresses, ensure that the email address format is valid and that the target account has not already been associated with a different email address.
  • **Permissions Not Updated:** If permissions are not being updated correctly, verify that the "Transfer Groups" option is enabled and that the target account has the necessary permissions.

Security Considerations

While AccountMerge itself is generally safe, it's crucial to follow security best practices:

  • **Restrict Access:** Limit access to the `merge-accounts` user right to trusted administrators only.
  • **Audit Logs:** Review the AccountMerge logs regularly to monitor account merge activity.
  • **Secure Environment:** Ensure that your MediaWiki installation is running in a secure environment with appropriate security measures in place. This includes keeping your MediaWiki software and extensions up to date.
  • **Prevent Script Injection:** Be cautious when handling user input, especially when entering usernames. Sanitize the input to prevent potential script injection attacks.

Resources and Further Reading

User management Policies and guidelines User rights management Database maintenance CentralAuth MediaWiki Manual Special pages API Extension installation Security

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