Module:Page

The `Module:Page` is a Lua module used in MediaWiki to facilitate the creation and management of pages within the wiki environment. This module is particularly useful for automating repetitive tasks, managing complex page structures, and enhancing the functionality of templates.

Overview

Lua is a powerful, efficient, lightweight, embeddable scripting language. It is used in MediaWiki to allow for more complex and efficient scripting than what is possible with wikitext alone. The `Module:Page` is one of the many modules that can be created and utilized within a MediaWiki installation to extend its capabilities.

Functionality

The `Module:Page` can be used to perform a variety of tasks, including:

Dynamic Content Generation: It can generate content dynamically based on certain conditions or inputs, which is particularly useful for pages that need to display different information based on user input or other variables.

Template Management: The module can be used to manage and manipulate templates, allowing for more complex template logic and reducing the need for extensive wikitext code.

Data Processing: It can process data from various sources, such as other pages or external databases, and present it in a structured format.

Automated Page Creation: The module can automate the creation of pages based on predefined templates or data inputs, which is useful for maintaining consistency across similar pages.

Implementation

To implement a `Module:Page`, a user with appropriate permissions must create a new module page in the MediaWiki namespace. The module is written in Lua and can be invoked from templates or directly from wikitext using the `#invoke` function.

Example:

```lua -- This is a simple example of a Lua module for MediaWiki local p = {}

function p.hello()

   return "Hello, world!"

end

return p ```

This module can be invoked in a wiki page as follows:

```wikitext Script error: No such module "Page". ```

Advantages

Efficiency: Lua modules are generally more efficient than equivalent wikitext, as they are executed server-side and can handle complex logic more effectively.

Reusability: Code written in Lua modules can be reused across multiple pages and templates, reducing duplication and maintenance effort.

Flexibility: Lua provides a full programming language, allowing for more sophisticated logic and data manipulation than wikitext alone.

Challenges

Learning Curve: Users need to learn Lua, which may be a barrier for those familiar only with wikitext.

Debugging: Debugging Lua code can be more complex than wikitext, requiring familiarity with both the language and the MediaWiki environment.

Also see

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