EditDependencies

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An edit dependency is when an edit to one page only makes sense when coupled with an edit to another. When moving content from one page to another: the text should not vanish nor be duplicated. When linking to a new page, the link should not be dangling. On a traditional wiki, EditDependencies are rectified as fast as the editor can manage. However, on a site where new content must be validated before it can be seen by the general audience, dependencies must be managed explicitly.

For instance, take a site that only displays the last StableCopy of a page. One user decides to rename a page, deleting the original and moving its content to a new page. Suppose the new page becomes hotly debated for a long time, but the old page stabilises. The audience will see the old page disappear, but never see its replacement. The edit dependency is revealed.

EditDependencies can also be used to improve RecentChanges, by merging trivial dependent edits. Page renaming, for instance, can be displayed as a single entry on RC.

As with EditCategories, dependencies can be supported on a page-level granularity by co-opting the edit summary, say by naming and labelling a dependency with a simple pattern, like ((<dependency name here>)).

    Discuss new idea. [EditCopy: ((Renamed OldPage to NewPage))]

EditDependencies are EditProperties?.

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EditDependencies

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