[Commons-l] Cookie based blocking and bug #3233. A quick hack implimented on commons.

Tue Dec 12 05:01:30 UTC 2006

On 12/11/06, Brianna Laugher <brianna.laugher at gmail.com> wrote:
> This is interesting.
>
> A comment in the code says "If the user logs on while this is in their
> js, their browser gets a 24hour cookie block." which seems rather
> different to "The current behavior also renews the block for 24 hours
> every time the user *views* a page while logged in as the blocked
> user." The latter comment I don't entirely understand. Is it that the
> block is only activated once they log in? If so, I think that could be
> a very useful feature for Commons, where users don't always regularly
> log in. Short blocks are good to get a user's attention (generally re:
> uploading copyivos), but if they don't even try to log in while
> they're blocked then they go basically unnoticed.

If they view a page while logged and while the block is still in their
monobook.js, the block is extended.  Unfortunately if they leave
before they are blocked and never log back in, we can't currently do
anything about them.

However, a simmlar approach could be used for that application.
If every time a user uses commons while logged in we could set a
cookie "lastcommonsuser=username".  Then a sitewide js could be
implimented which pops up message to users who have been naughty.

 > If this could be changed to create permanent (or timed) uploading-only
> blocks, Commons would start using this straight away, I feel certain.
> :) ( http://bugzilla.wikimedia.org/show_bug.cgi?id=4995 )

Commenting out one line of the code would turn it into an upload only block.

Alternatively with a few more lines of code we could make the sort of
cookie block selectable by the blocking admin.

> BTW: I think something like this would be good in its own MediaWiki
> page, it is easier to track changes to it and refer to it instead of
> jumbled in Monobook.js.

Anyone is welcome to move it... I'm working on another project at the
moment, if no one has touched it when I'm done, I'll come back and
brush it up some.

Thanks for your interest.