WikiDB/Roadmap

Do not add new feature requests to this page.

This page represents my own roadmap and should be maintained only by me. Instead, use one of the following pages:

• Use WikiDB/Feature requests to request a new feature.
• Use WikiDB/Bugs to report a bug.

This page contains the current roadmap for WikiDB. The list represents some of the things that I am currently exploring and my aspirations for future development, but it is unlikely to be a complete list and may not always be kept up-to-date as things evolve.

Warning: This page does not guarantee that the suggested features will ever be implemented, nor does it indicate my development priorities - it simply represents my current thinking about the features I would like to add, in no particular order.

There are also good ideas from other people scattered around the wiki, particularly on the feature requests page. Some of those suggestions get incorporated into this page, if there is a clear benefit and no obvious barriers to implementation. Any ideas that have not been added to this page are still contenders for inclusion (particularly if demand is high); they are just not at the front of my mind.

Planned features (in progress)

Table definitions

• Allow foreign keys to be defined.
• Allow 'closed' tables (where all data is supplied on the schema page), as a method for implementing Enum fields.

Data types

• Introduce new class-based method for defining data types (custom and internal) to improve code re-use and to make it easier to add new features.
• Allow aliases to be specified (e.g. int and integer). Currently you need to define the same type multiple times if you want this.
• Add 'date' data-type.

Querying back-end

• Allow JOINS in queries.
• Add support for boolean NOT operator (AND, OR and XOR are implemented, but NOT is unary and therefore trickier).
• Add support for LIKE comparisons?
• Add support for REGEX comparisons?
• Add support for OFFSET/LIMIT.
• Add support for field lists and DISTINCT clause.
• Add support for calculated fields.
• Add support for custom functions.

Syntax

• Formalise syntax for referring to identifiers and literals.
• <repeat> tag:
  • Allow LIMIT argument (or maybe 'range'), possibly with pagination.
  • Add ability to specify field list and limit to DISTINCT rows.
• <data> tag:
  • Provide a mechanism for 'pass-through' parameters (i.e. parameters that are supplied to the template, but which don't get added to the table). Suggestion is to prefix the name with an exclamation mark. Alternatively, an underscore could be used, as this is already reserved in table definitions, and therefore is not allowed in data tags (though this is not enforced) - may kill two birds with one stone...
  • Allow multi-line field data.

Interface

• Highlight 'bad' data on the table's data page.
• Add special page to list all defined data types.
• 'What links here' should show templates that are included via data tags.

Internals

• Code Tidying:
  • Add profiling statements.
• Internationalisation:
  • Allow type names to be translated.
  • Allow type aliases to be translated.
  • Allow tag names to be translated?
  • Allow data to be translated?

Other possible features (speculative)

These are some thoughts on later developments, for further down the line.

Interface

• Form-based data entry.

Data linking

• Ability to specify joins between tables.
• Able to specify relationships between data, e.g. 'is a type of'