Readme for the monthly database dumps Last updated on 1st August 2021
Overview
This document applies to the monthly database dumps from NSindex (officially the NationStates Index).
A new database dump of this type usually comes out on the first day of every month.
Contents
A monthly database dump consists of a single XML’ file, which holds the latest version of each article and page on NSindex.
The database dump does not come with images: you will need to download the images that you need from NSindex.
File tree
On 7*h February 2018, the uploads folder moved to the root of the website, to make upgrading via Secure Shell (SSH) easier, and to allow the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine to archive images without having to enter the MediaWiki installation directory.
For information about setting a custom location for uploads, please visit:
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/$wgUploadDirectory
[root] images + Image repository folder nsdata + NationStates API snapshots folder up loads ~ Uploads folder W - MediaWiki installation directory L_LocalSettings.php - MediaWiki settings
Copyrights
The text is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence: for more information, please visit: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Imported Wikipedia templates are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution- ShareAlike 3.0 licence: for more information, please visit:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WP:CC BY-SA
Different terms may apply for uploads and mirrored repositories.
1 XML is an abbreviation for Extensible Markup Language.
1
Importing the database backup into MediaWiki
NSindex recommends using Secure Shell (SSH) on a server running Debian or Ubuntu.
macOS is acceptable, but Minoa has only tested MediaWiki with MAMP Pro and Homebrew: the latter is necessary for certain Linux components, such as librsvg and wget.
For instructions on importing the XML data dump, please visit: https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:ImportDump.php
You also need to enable InstantCommons, so that the database dump can show images from the Wikimedia Commons. For instructions on enabling InstantCommons, please visit: https:/Awww.mediawiki.org/wiki/InstantCommons
Extensions
NSindex uses several extensions to ensure cross-compatibility with many Wikipedia features, as well as to improve user experience and to deter spam and vandalism.
Required extensions
You need to install and enable the following extensions for the database dump to work properly. Extensions with a website link do not come bundled with the latest version of MediaWiki, and you need to download them from the MediaWiki website.
Extension Link CategoryTree
Cite
CodeEditor
CookieWarning? Extension Page Disambiguator Extension Page Gadgets
GeoData Extension Page ImageMap
InputBox
Interwiki
LabeledSectionTransclusion Extension Page MobileFrontend Extension Page ParserFunctions
PdfHandler (PDF Handler)
2 You only need the CookieWarning extension if your server is based in the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, or Switzerland.
2
Extension Link
Poem
Scribunto
SyntaxHighlight
TemplateStyles Extension Page
TimedMediaHandler Extension Page
WikiEditor
You must also download and install the Minerva Neue theme, because MobileFrontend depends on it to work properly. You can download the theme by visiting: https:/Awww.mediawiki.org/wiki/Skin:Minerva_Neue
Optional extensions
NSindex also uses the following built-in extensions, but not installing them is unlikely to affect the database dump as they are related to user experience and deterrence
against spam and vandalism.
Extensions with a website link do not come bundled with the latest version of MediaWiki, and you need to download them from the MediaWiki website.
Extension Link
AbuseFilter Extension Page AntiSpoof Extension Page CheckUser Extension Page
ConfirmAccount (Confirm User Accounts)
Extension Page
ConfirmEdit
DismissableSiteNotice
Extension Page
Echo (notifications system)
Extension Page
LocalisationUpdate
Nuke
Renameuser
ReplaceT ext
SandboxLink
Extension Page
SpamBlacklist
TemplateSandbox
Extension Page
TitleBlacklist
UploadsLink
Extension Page
UserMerge
Extension Page
Themes (skins)
Skins with a website link do not come bundled with the latest version of MediaWiki, and you need to download them from the MediaWiki website.
Extension Link MinervaNeue Theme Page MonoBook
Nostalgia Theme Page Timeless (beta) Use WME version Vector (default) Use WMF version
NSindex currently uses the WMF versions of the Timeless and Vector themes, for compatibility reasons.