Wikinews:Gadgets and Tools
This page serves as the central documentation and directory for all gadgets and some of the most useful user scripts and tools available on Wikinews. Browse through the list to discover tools that might enhance your editing experience and install the ones that seem helpful to you.
If you've created a new script or tool, or know of one that's missing here, please add it to the appropriate section along with a brief description. This helps other editors learn about and benefit from your work.
For additional scripts and ideas, you may also explore the English Wikipedia's list of user scripts. However, please note that some reference-related scripts there may not usefull on Wikinews, since inline citations are not used here.
For proposing new gadgets, reporting bugs, or seeking technical help, please use the Water cooler/technical.
A word about security
[edit]Almost all gadgets and user scripts are built using JavaScript and/or CSS. Be cautious when installing any user script; make sure you trust the user who created it, as the script will act on your behalf. If you are importing a script (rather than copying its code), keep in mind that the original author can change it at any time. Only import scripts from trusted users.
Gadgets
[edit]A Gadget is a JavaScript program and/or a CSS snippet that can be enabled simply by checking an option in your preferences. The gadget's function is provided by the MediaWiki extension Gadgets.
For all the available gadgets on Wikinews, please see Special:Gadgets, which is automatically generated. For information related to gadget usage, see Special:GadgetUsage.
Documentation of Gadgets
[edit]Easy Peer Review
[edit]This gadget is used by reviewers to publish articles or mark them for redevelopment. It automates many of the manual tasks involved in the review process. For documentation and details on how to use or enable it, see Gadgets and Tools/easyPeerReview.
A classic Wikinews tool that enables the use of interactive elements such as input boxes, text areas, checkboxes, and buttons on normal wiki pages. You may be familiar with the {{develop}} template, where you can find a "Submit for review" button, this is powered by this gadget. For more detailed documentation, see Help:Dialog.
This gadget enhances the category bar shown at the bottom of pages by adding quick (+) and (−) links that allow users to easily add, remove, or change categories on a page. For more documentation, see c:Help:Gadget-HotCat.
WikEd
[edit]
WikEd is a full-featured edit page text editor for users on Wikinews and other Wikimedia sister projects. It provides a wide range of features, such as syntax highlighting, live preview, change tracking, advanced search operations, user-friendly table editing, and more. For documentation, please see User:Cacycle/wikEd on English Wikipedia.
User scripts
[edit]User scripts are programs written in JavaScript to facilitate the editing of Wikinews. User scripts enable user accounts to do things they otherwise could not. Many user scripts are available, ready for you to install. Also, you can write a new user script, either by modifying an existing script or by starting from scratch.
- If you have a script, please add it to the table below. Also, don't forget to provide a documentation page and a brief description of the script.
General-purpose scripts
[edit]| Tool name | Description |
|---|---|
| QuickCat (documentation | source) | Allows you to create date categories, month categories, and date list/month list pages in bulk, instead of manually creating them one by one. How to install! Click here and paste this: {{subst:lusc|1=User:Asked42/QuickCat.js}} |
| SourceHelper (documentation | source) | Assists in automatically retrieving source information using just the URL and helps manage source templates in articles. How to install! Click here and paste this: {{subst:lusc|1=User:Asked42/SourceHelper.js}} |
| MarkupManager (documentation | source) | Allows reviewers to quickly remove any instance of the {{verify}} template from an article, or hide/unhide them as needed. How to install! Click here and paste this: {{subst:lusc|1=User:Michael.C.Wright/js/MarkupManager.js}} |
Maintenance and Admin scripts
[edit]| Tool name | Description |
|---|---|
| Gadget-archive (documentation | source) | For administrators: Adds an "Archive" or "Archive-protect" link under the Actions menu, allowing easy archiving or archive-protecting of articles. How to install! Click here and paste this: {{subst:lusc|1=User:Michael.C.Wright/js/Gadget-archive.js}} |
| DeleteAbandoned (documentation | source) | For administrators: Adds an option in the Actions menu to delete abandoned articles quickly. How to install! Click here and paste this: {{subst:lusc|1=User:Gryllida/js/DeleteAbandoned.js}} |
Default Enabled
[edit]Some gadgets and scripts are enabled by default for all users from MediaWiki:Common.js. These are also loaded for IP or temporary users who are not logged in. There is also a set of CSS styles in MediaWiki:Common.css.
- The easyPeerReview gadget is loaded for all reviewers by default from MediaWiki:Group-editor.js.
- The following gadgets/scripts are loaded directly from MediaWiki:Common.js for all users: MediaWiki:DynamicNavigation.js, MediaWiki:Tabber.js, MediaWiki:Gadget-customEditIntro.js, MediaWiki:ticker2.js and MediaWiki:Edittools.js.
External Tools/ scripts
[edit]There is a bot available that posts notifications to the English Wikinews Telegram channel for new drafts, articles submitted for review, and published articles. The source code of the bot is available on GitHub at /en-wikinews-bot.
If anyone would like to help maintain the bot, please let the maintainers know in the Telegram channel. You may also join the channel for regular quick updates, notifications, and discussions.
There is an external tool for writing an article located at this page which was written by User:Gryllida. It allows to save a draft in localStorage. Alas it does not automatically import to wiki yet. It has helpful checklists to ensure that the content is written better. --Gryllida 09:36, 25 November 2025 (UTC)