Introduction framework
Wikisphere is a framework finalized to provide third-party and preferably open-access WIKIs which develop the concept of Enterprise Mediawiki with state-of-the-art tools and resources to maximize their productivity and interoperability of data. Wikisphere is inspired by the following principles or implements the following features:
- Separation between management of data (inserting, updating, managing information) and their use and presentation. Mediawiki is used as a database administration and visualization system, where data can be created and shaped in a collaborative way, while the mass access and use is delegated to single-page applications or apps
- Focus on structured data (specifically through the use of Semantic MediaWiki and PageForms)
- Page ownership as a mean, also in public WIKIs, to let specific users or groups to transparently manage specific set of pages, instead than as a mean to conceal sensitive information
Such principles determine a specific set of features or can be extended with corollaries. For instance the point 1) implies that the skin used has a secondary importance, being only used by editors, or the practical aspect and robustness must be given precedence to appearance, and the latter should not diverge too much from standard WIKIs, represented by Wikipedia and Mediawiki.org. More importantly, it envisages the scenario in which multiple WIKIs may present their information through a similar interface or the same portal, therefore leading to the concept of interoperability
The point 2) indeed is a consequence of the point 1), and it implies the offer, on Wikisphere.org of ready-for-use data structures (i.d. "forms", with all related components) which can be downloaded and immediately used on third party WIKIs thanks to the extension Page Exchange, and even requested on demand, which realizes precisely the idea of a distributed database based on a known vocabulary.
The point 3) implies the adoption of "spaces" and because Wikisphere implements them simply as pages with their sub-pages (since an "owner", either a user or a group, is assigned with one or more pages and an arbitrary number of sub-pages within them) it leads to the enhancement of this aspect along all the chain of functionalities of the wiki, like page titles, internal links and file upload. At this regard, you can note that uploading files on Wikisphere.org through Visual editor, will bring you to the following screen
where it is to be noted the "upload under current page" checkbox, which in fact allows the upload of files under the current page (therefore inheriting its path) in such a way that authors are finally free to leave pictures with their own names, also totally generic, inasmuch as, internally, they will be characterized by their path!
(it is also to be noted the sometimes inappropriate label "This is my own work" replaced with a more relevant label"