Extension talk:SimpleDatabase.php

The idea of SimpleDatabase is to have a formal idea of a record which can be emdeded into articles. The Special:SimpleDatabase page allows records to be selected and rendered as a sortable and filterable table which allows direct updating of data.

A record is a single set of key value pairs defined using the record template which can take any number of named parameters and is designed to render as a row in a table so that a selection of articles each having a transcluded record can be rendered like a database or spreadsheet table.

The record template itself is considered abstract and is to be used within other templates which would define named parameters specific to its type by transcluding the record template. The selection list offers a drop-down list of all the different types of record, which is all items that directly transclude the record template. All the resultant articles are those which transclude the selected record-type article, but do not themselves transclude the record template.

Each record type can specify a list of forms which are able to act on it. Links to these actions show up in the rendered rows which, when clicked, bring up the form in a wiklet allowing the row to be updated ajaxly.

Semantic MediaWiki

Currenlty Semantic MediaWiki is the best approach to handling structured data in a MediaWiki, rather than introducing the record-type, it may be best to use templates with semantic annotations. SimpleDatabase could render ajax links in the rows which link to a SemanticForm interface to the row article rather than SimpleForms edit interface.