Bot Configuration

Bots are automated tools used on MediaWiki sites to perform repetitive tasks, freeing up human editors to focus on more complex work. Properly configuring a bot is crucial for its effective and safe operation. This article provides a comprehensive guide to bot configuration, covering user rights, configuration files, common tasks, and troubleshooting. This guide assumes you have a basic understanding of MediaWiki administration and server access.

Understanding Bot Accounts

A bot account is a special user account designated for use by an automated program. It's *essential* to create a separate account for your bot, rather than using a regular user account. This provides clear accountability for the bot's actions and prevents accidental misuse of your personal account.

Account Creation: Create a new user account specifically for the bot (e.g., "ExampleBot"). Choose a descriptive username.
User Rights: The bot account requires specific user rights to perform its tasks. The most common rights are:

   *   Bot:  Allows the bot to be flagged as a bot, influencing how its edits are displayed and treated.
   *   AutoEdit: Allows the bot to make edits without requiring a visible 'edit' link on the page. This is often used for automated formatting tasks. *Use this right with extreme caution.*
   *   EditMwiki: (If editing MediaWiki messages) Allows the bot to edit interface messages. *Requires extremely careful configuration and testing.*
   *   SuppressRedirects: Allows the bot to avoid following redirects when editing pages. Useful for certain automated tasks.
   *   Block: (Rarely granted) Allows the bot to block users. *Should only be granted with significant justification and oversight.*

Account Security: The bot account should have a strong, unique password. Consider using a dedicated password manager. Enable two-factor authentication if possible, even for a bot account.

Configuration Files

Bot behavior is primarily controlled through configuration files. The specific files and their formats depend on the bot framework being used (e.g., PyWikiBot, AutoWikiBrowser). However, several common configuration elements are present across most frameworks.

Login Details: The bot needs access to your wiki's API. This typically involves providing:

   *   Wiki URL: The full URL of your MediaWiki site (e.g., `https://en.wikipedia.org/w/api.php`).
   *   Username: The bot account username.
   *   Password: The bot account password.  *Consider using API tokens for enhanced security (see below).*

API Tokens: Instead of storing the password directly in the configuration file, it is *highly recommended* to use an API token. API tokens are more secure as they can be limited in scope and revoked easily. Generate an API token for the bot account through the Special:CreateToken page on your wiki.
User Agent: Set a descriptive user agent string that identifies the bot. This helps wiki administrators identify and track bot activity. Example: `ExampleBot/1.0 (https://example.com/botinfo)`
Rate Limits: Configure the bot to respect the wiki's rate limits. Making too many requests in a short period can lead to the bot being blocked. Adjust the rate limit settings based on the wiki's guidelines.
Edit Summaries: Define a standard edit summary format for the bot. The edit summary should clearly indicate that the edit was made by a bot and briefly describe the action taken. Example: `[ExampleBot] Correcting spelling errors.`
Page Filters: Configure the bot to operate on specific pages or namespaces. This prevents the bot from making unwanted changes to sensitive pages. You can use regular expressions to define complex page filters.
Logging: Enable logging to track the bot's activity and identify potential errors. Configure the log level to control the amount of information recorded.

Common Bot Tasks and Configuration

Here's a breakdown of configuration considerations for several common bot tasks:

Spelling and Grammar Correction:

   *   Tools:  Use a spell-checking library (e.g., Hunspell) and grammar checking tools.
   *   Configuration:  Specify the language to check, a list of common misspellings, and rules for automatically correcting errors.  Be cautious about automatic corrections; false positives can introduce errors.
   *   Related Topics: Grammatical errors, Spelling mistakes, Content quality

Link Repair:

   *   Tools:  Use a tool that can identify broken links and suggest replacements.
   *   Configuration:  Specify a list of known good links and rules for automatically fixing broken links.  Implement a mechanism for flagging links that cannot be automatically repaired.
   *   Related Topics: Broken links, Link rot, Website maintenance

Category Addition:

   *   Tools:  Use a tool that can analyze page content and suggest appropriate categories.
   *   Configuration:  Define rules for automatically adding categories based on keywords, templates, or other criteria.  Implement a mechanism for reviewing and approving category additions.
   *   Related Topics: Categories, Content organization, Taxonomy

Template Updates:

   *   Tools:  Use a tool that can identify pages using outdated templates and automatically update them.
   *   Configuration:  Specify the new template code and rules for applying the update to specific pages.  *Thoroughly test the update before deploying it to a live wiki.*
   *   Related Topics: Templates, Content standardization, Automation

Interwiki Link Fixing:

   *   Tools: Tools to identify and correct interwiki links.
   *   Configuration:  Ensure the bot has access to an updated list of interwiki prefixes and can correctly identify and replace incorrect links.
   *   Related Topics: Interwiki links, Cross-wiki collaboration, Global content

Example Configuration Table (PyWikiBot)

This is a simplified example. Actual configuration files will be more complex and depend on the specific bot framework.

{'{'}| class="wikitable" |+ PyWikiBot Configuration Example ! Parameter | Value | Description |- | wiki_url | https://en.wikipedia.org/w/api.php | URL of the MediaWiki site. |- | username | ExampleBot | Bot account username. |- | api_token | your_api_token | API token for authentication. |- | user_agent | ExampleBot/1.0 (https://example.com/botinfo) | Bot identification string. |- | rate_limit | 30 | Maximum requests per minute. |- | edit_summary | [ExampleBot] Automatic update. | Default edit summary. |- | namespace | 0 | Main namespace (0). |- | category | Category:Maintenance | Category to operate on. |}

Security Considerations

API Token Usage: *Always* prioritize using API tokens over storing passwords directly.
Rate Limiting: Respect wiki rate limits to avoid blocking.
Restricted User Rights: Grant the bot only the minimum necessary user rights.
Code Review: If you are developing a custom bot, have the code reviewed by another experienced developer to identify potential security vulnerabilities.
Regular Audits: Regularly audit the bot's activity and configuration to ensure it is operating as expected and is not causing any unintended consequences.
Input Validation: If the bot accepts user input, carefully validate all input to prevent injection attacks.

Troubleshooting Bot Configuration

Connection Errors: Verify the wiki URL, username, and API token are correct. Check your internet connection and firewall settings.
Permission Errors: Ensure the bot account has the necessary user rights.
Rate Limit Errors: Increase the rate limit setting or reduce the frequency of bot requests.
Unexpected Behavior: Review the bot's logs and configuration files to identify the source of the problem. Start with a small, controlled test case to isolate the issue.
Edit Conflicts: Bots can encounter edit conflicts if multiple bots or users are editing the same page simultaneously. Implement a mechanism for handling edit conflicts gracefully (e.g., retrying the edit after a delay).
Debugging Tools: Utilize debugging tools provided by the bot framework to step through the code and identify errors.

Further Resources

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Bot Configuration

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