MediaWiki Interface & Permissions Architecture (Final Version)

A stable, senior‑friendly, successor‑ready configuration for MW 1.43 + Vector‑2022

1. Purpose of This Document

This document describes the final, working configuration of the MediaWiki interface, permissions, and layout model used for the club’s digital archive. It reflects the validated behavior after the February 2026 refinements.

It is written for future administrators who may inherit the system.

2. Design Philosophy

2.1 Senior‑friendly

Minimal clutter
Predictable navigation
Clean, distraction‑free layout

2.2 Role‑based clarity

Anonymous visitors: clean public view
Users: simplified workspace
Sysops: full interface

2.3 Stability over cleverness

Avoid deep Vector‑2022 overrides
Avoid fragile JavaScript
Prefer CSS and PHP hooks that are easy to maintain

2.4 Successor‑friendly

Clear separation of responsibilities
Minimal magic
Everything documented

3. Final Behavior Overview

3.1 Anonymous visitors

No top toolbar
No right column
Full‑width content
Minimal sidebar (“Home”)
Clean, public‑facing layout

3.2 Registered users (non‑sysop)

No top toolbar in Dashboard/Main
Classical toolbar in Research
No right column except in Research
Full‑width content
Simplified sidebar (Dashboard + Research + Logout)
PageForms buttons always visible

3.3 Sysops

Full toolbar restored
Right column restored
Full‑width content
Classical Vector‑2022 behavior (except for full‑width layout)
Slight left‑alignment quirk in toolbar (Vector‑2022 internal behavior)

4. Final LocalSettings.php Configuration

4.1 Skin & Interface

wfLoadSkin( 'Vector' );
$wgDefaultSkin = "vector-2022";

$wgVectorNightMode = [
    'beta' => true,
    'logged_in' => true,
    'logged_out' => true,
];

$wgDefaultUserOptions['vector-theme'] = 'night';

4.2 Global Permissions

# Anonymous
$wgGroupPermissions['*']['read']          = true;
$wgGroupPermissions['*']['edit']          = false;
$wgGroupPermissions['*']['createaccount'] = false;

# Users
$wgGroupPermissions['user']['read']       = true;
$wgGroupPermissions['user']['edit']       = true;
$wgGroupPermissions['user']['upload']     = false;
$wgGroupPermissions['user']['reupload']   = false;
$wgGroupPermissions['user']['reupload-own'] = false;

# Sysops
$wgGroupPermissions['sysop']['editinterface'] = true;
$wgGroupPermissions['sysop']['upload']        = true;
$wgGroupPermissions['sysop']['reupload']      = true;
$wgGroupPermissions['sysop']['reupload-own']  = true;

4.3 Namespace Protection

$wgNamespaceProtection[NS_MAIN]      = [ 'protect' ];
$wgNamespaceProtection[NS_ICT]       = [ 'editinterface' ];
$wgNamespaceProtection[NS_DASHBOARD] = [ 'editinterface' ];

4.4 Content Namespaces

$wgContentNamespaces = [
    NS_MAIN, NS_RESEARCH, NS_ICT, NS_DASHBOARD,
    NS_CHAPTER, NS_PLACE, NS_ORGANISATION,
    NS_PERSON, NS_HERITAGE, NS_ASSET
];

$wgNamespacesWithSubpages[NS_DASHBOARD] = true;

4.5 Sidebar Model (Final Working Version)

$wgHooks['SidebarBeforeOutput'][] = function ( $skin, &$sidebar ) {
    $user = $skin->getUser();

    # Anonymous: minimal sidebar
    if ( $user->isAnon() ) {
        $sidebar = [
            'Navigation' => [
                [ 'text' => 'Home', 'href' => '/Hoofdpagina' ]
            ]
        ];
        return true;
    }

    # Users (non-sysop): simplified sidebar
    if ( !$user->isAllowed( 'editinterface' ) ) {
        $sidebar = [
            'Project Navigation' => [
                [ 'text' => 'Dashboard',     'href' => '/Dashboard:Main' ],
                [ 'text' => 'Research Area', 'href' => '/Research:Main' ],
            ],
            'Account' => [
                [ 'text' => 'Logout', 'href' => '/Special:UserLogout' ]
            ]
        ];
        return true;
    }

    # Sysop: default sidebar
    return true;
};

4.6 Cargo Hardening

$wgGroupPermissions['user']['runcargoqueries']   = false;
$wgGroupPermissions['user']['recreatecargodata'] = false;

4.7 Optional Hardening

$wgNonincludableNamespaces[] = NS_ICT;
$wgRedirectOnLogin = "Hoofdpagina";

5. Final CSS Configuration

5.1 MediaWiki:Common.css (Anonymous users)

/* Hide toolbar and right column for anonymous users */
.ns-0 .vector-page-toolbar,
.ns-0 .vector-column-end {
    display: none !important;
}

/* Full-width layout */
.ns-0 .mw-content-container {
    max-width: none !important;
}

5.2 MediaWiki:Group-user.css (Registered users)

/* Hide toolbar & right column in Dashboard and Main */
.ns-3020 .vector-page-toolbar,
.ns-0    .vector-page-toolbar,
.ns-3020 .vector-column-end,
.ns-0    .vector-column-end {
    display: none !important;
}

/* Full-width layout */
.ns-3020 .mw-content-container,
.ns-0    .mw-content-container {
    max-width: none !important;
}

/* Ensure PageForms buttons are always visible */
.mw-body-content .mw-ui-button,
.mw-body-content .pfForm {
    display: inline-block !important;
    visibility: visible !important;
}

5.3 MediaWiki:Group-sysop.css (Sysops)

/* Restore toolbar */
html body.skin-vector-2022 .vector-page-toolbar {
    display: flex !important;
    visibility: visible !important;
}

/* Restore right column in normal flow */
html body.skin-vector-2022 .vector-column-end {
    display: block !important;
    visibility: visible !important;
    position: static !important;
}

/* Full-width content */
html body.skin-vector-2022 .mw-content-container {
    max-width: none !important;
}

6. Known Limitations

6.1 Sysop toolbar alignment

Vector‑2022 aligns the sysop toolbar slightly differently due to internal flexbox logic. This is harmless and not worth overriding.

6.2 Vector‑2022 sidebar dependency

Vector‑2022 cannot render with an empty sidebar. Anonymous users must always receive at least one menu item.

6.3 PageForms visibility

PageForms buttons must be explicitly forced visible for non‑sysops.

7. Future Extensions

7.1 Public navigation

When more public pages exist, extend the anonymous sidebar:

'Navigation' => [
    [ 'text' => 'Home', 'href' => '/Hoofdpagina' ],
    [ 'text' => 'About', 'href' => '/Main:About' ],
    [ 'text' => 'Archive', 'href' => '/Main:Archive' ]
]

7.2 Role‑based dashboards

Dashboard namespace can later host:

User dashboards
Research dashboards
Admin dashboards

7.3 Omeka‑S style modular archive

The current structure is ready for:

Entities
Assets
Relations
Cargo tables

8. Final Notes for Successors

All interface behavior is controlled by three CSS files and one PHP hook.
Avoid modifying Vector‑2022 templates unless absolutely necessary.
Keep the anonymous sidebar non‑empty.
Maintain full‑width layout for consistency.
Document every change in ICT namespace.