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== What? ==

The HidePrefix extension hides prefix in links and page titles.

For example, wikitext `[[Help:FAQ]]' normally results in link `Help:FAQ'. If this extension is
enabled, result will be just `FAQ' without the `Help:' prefix.

The same is about page titles. Page `FAQ' in `Help' namespace normally has `Help:FAQ' title. If this
extension is enabled, visible page title will be just `FAQ' without the `Help:' prefix.

== Why? ==

I as a user do not care too much about namespace of the link target page. To me there is no big
difference between `Help:FAQ' and `Manual:FAQ' (especially if one of them is a redirection to
another). But both these prefixes looks ugly to me.

Namespace of target is often clear from context. If you see `Author: User:Van de Bugger' it is clear
that `User:Van de Bugger' is a link to her/his personal page. Moreover, actually it does not matter
whether that page is in `User' namespace or not. But again, the prefix looks very ugly, so many
wikieditors use `[[User:Van de Bugger|Van de Bugger]]' to suppress the prefix.

Prefixes look especially ugly if there is a long list of links with the same prefix. For example,
look at the list of Extensions used on Wikimedia. More than 100 occurrences of prefix `Extension:'
just clutter the screen and does not add any value. (BTW, did you notice that I had to use
`[[:Category:Extensions used on Wikimedia|Extensions used on Wikimedia]]' to suppress ugly
`Category:' prefix?)

Thus, If I want to hide the ugly prefix so often, why should I hide it at every link manually? Let
me write an extension which will hide the prefix in all the links. Everywhere.

BTW, prefix is hidden in link text, but it is still available — if one hovers the mouse cursor over
the link, tooltip will show full target page title, including prefix.

Almost the same reasoning is applicable to page title. The prefix looks ugly and does not add any
value to reader, because just above the page title (at least, in Vector skin) there are namespace
tabs, and the leftmost tab shows the namespace name.

== Download ==

 svn checkout https://svn.wikimedia.org/svnroot/mediawiki/trunk/extensions/HidePrefix

== Installation ==

To install this extension, add the following to LocalSettings.php:

 require_once( "$IP/extensions/HidePrefix/HidePrefix.php" );
 
== User Options ==

If you would like prefixes to still appear in search results, then set this option to true in your LocalSettings.php
$wgHidePrefixNotInSearch

If you would like the page of a newly uploaded file or image to display the File Prefix, then set this option to true in your LocalSettings.php
This is useful if you upload files and want to copy the page title for linking from another page.
$wgHidePrefixDontHideFile = false;

== License ==

GNU Affero General Public License, version 3 or any later version. See AGPL-3.0.txt file for the
full license text.

== See also ==

*   Extension HideNamespace — This extension allows drop prefix in page title and provides control
    (e. g. hide prefix only in pages of specific namespace, or control prefix visibility from within
    page content), but it does not affect links.

== Links ==

* Extension page: https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:HidePrefix
* Author page:    https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/User:Van_de_Bugger
* License page:   https://www.gnu.org/licenses/agpl.html

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