User:Areefat/Sandbox/API:Options

MediaWiki version:

≥ 1.20

POST Request to change preferences of the current user.

API documentation

action=options (main | options) This module requires read rights. This module requires write rights. This module only accepts POST requests. Source: MediaWiki License: GPL-2.0-or-later Change preferences of the current user. Only options which are registered in core or in one of installed extensions, or options with keys prefixed with userjs- (intended to be used by user scripts), can be set. https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/API:Options Specific parameters: Other general parameters are available. reset Resets preferences to the site defaults. Type: boolean (details) resetkinds List of types of options to reset when the reset option is set. Values (separate with | or alternative): all, registered, registered-checkmatrix, registered-multiselect, special, unused, userjs Default: all change List of changes, formatted name=value (e.g. skin=vector). If no value is given (not even an equals sign), e.g., optionname|otheroption|..., the option will be reset to its default value. If any value passed contains the pipe character (|), use the alternative multiple-value separator for correct operation. Separate values with | or alternative. Maximum number of values is 50 (500 for clients that are allowed higher limits). optionname The name of the option that should be set to the value given by optionvalue. optionvalue The value for the option specified by optionname. When optionname is set but optionvalue is omitted, the option will be reset to its default value. global What to do if the option was set globally using the GlobalPreferences extension. ignore: Do nothing. The option remains with its previous value. override: Add a local override. update: Update the option globally. One of the following values: ignore, override, update Default: ignore token A "csrf" token retrieved from action=query&meta=tokens This parameter is required. Examples: Reset all preferences. api.php?action=options&reset=&token=123ABC [open in sandbox] Change skin and hideminor preferences. api.php?action=options&change=skin=vector|hideminor=1&token=123ABC [open in sandbox] Reset all preferences, then set skin and nickname. api.php?action=options&reset=&change=skin=monobook&optionname=nickname&optionvalue=[[User:Beau|Beau]]%20([[User_talk:Beau|talk]])&token=123ABC [open in sandbox]

Example

Making any POST request is a multi-step process:

1. Log in, via one of the methods described on API:Login .
2. GET a Manual:Edit token.

   api.php?action=query&format=json&meta=tokens [try in ApiSandbox]

3. Send a POST request, with the CSRF token, to take action on a page.

The sample code below covers the final step in detail.

POST Request

Note: In this example, all parameters are passed in a GET request for the sake of simplicity. However, action=options requires POST requests; GET requests will cause an error.

Changing three options

api.php?action=options&token=58b54e0bab4a1d3fd3f7653af38e75cb%2B\&change=hideminor=1|skin=vector&optionname=nickname&optionvalue=custom-signa|ture [try in ApiSandbox]

Result
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <api options="success" />

Response

{
    "options": "success"
}

Sample code

change_user_options.py

#!/usr/bin/python3

"""
    change_user_options.py

    MediaWiki Action API Code Samples
    Demo of `Options` module: POST request to change three options
    for current user
    
    MIT license
"""

import requests

S = requests.Session()

URL = "https://test.wikipedia.org/w/api.php"

# Step 1: GET Request to fetch login token
PARAMS_0 = {
    "action": "query",
    "meta": "tokens",
    "type": "login",
    "format": "json"
}

R = S.get(url=URL, params=PARAMS_0)
DATA = R.json()

LOGIN_TOKEN = DATA['query']['tokens']['logintoken']

# Step 2: POST Request to log in. Use of main account for login is not
# supported. Obtain credentials via Special:BotPasswords
# (https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:BotPasswords) for lgname & lgpassword
PARAMS_1 = {
    "action": "login",
    "lgname": "bot_user_name",
    "lgpassword": "bot_password",
    "lgtoken": LOGIN_TOKEN,
    "format": "json"
}

R = S.post(URL, data=PARAMS_1)

# Step 3: GET request to fetch CSRF token
PARAMS_2 = {
    "action": "query",
    "meta": "tokens",
    "format": "json"
}

R = S.get(url=URL, params=PARAMS_2)
DATA = R.json()

CSRF_TOKEN = DATA['query']['tokens']['csrftoken']

# Step 4: POST request to change user options
# You can check out the large list of options you can change
# at https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Options
PARAMS_3 = {
    "action": "options",
    "format": "json",
    "token": CSRF_TOKEN,
    "change": "language=en|skin=vector",
    "optionname": "nickname",
    "optionvalue": "custom-signa|ture"
}

R = S.post(URL, data=PARAMS_3)
DATA = R.json()

print(DATA)

Available Options

Note: The following is an example list obtained with /w/api.php?action=query&format=json&meta=userinfo&uiprop=options for a Wikipedia (MW 1.24) account. Most of the options listed here are defined by various MediaWiki extensions, like Echo, VisualEditor, WikiLove, Gadgets or EducationProgram, among others.

• ccmeonemails: 0
• cols: 80
• date: "mdy"
• diffonly: 0
• disablemail: 0
• editfont: "default"
• editondblclick: 0
• editsectiononrightclick: 0
• enotifminoredits: 0
• enotifrevealaddr: 0
• enotifusertalkpages: 1
• enotifwatchlistpages: 0
• extendwatchlist: "1"
• fancysig: "1"
• forceeditsummary: "1"
• gender: "male"
• hideminor: 0
• hidepatrolled: 0
• imagesize: 2
• math: 0
• minordefault: 0
• newpageshidepatrolled: 0
• nickname: user signature
• norollbackdiff: 0
• numberheadings: 0
• previewonfirst: 0
• previewontop: 1
• rcdays: "14"
• rclimit: "100"
• rows: 25
• showhiddencats: false
• shownumberswatching: 1
• showtoolbar: 1
• skin: "vector"
• stubthreshold: 0
• thumbsize: "3"
• underline: 2
• uselivepreview: 0
• usenewrc: 0
• watchcreations: 1
• watchdefault: "1"
• watchdeletion: 0
• watchlistdays: "2"
• watchlisthideanons: 0
• watchlisthidebots: 0
• watchlisthideliu: 0
• watchlisthideminor: 0
• watchlisthideown: 0
• watchlisthidepatrolled: 0
• watchmoves: "1"
• wllimit: "300"
• useeditwarning: 1
• prefershttps: 1
• flaggedrevssimpleui: 1
• flaggedrevsstable: 0
• flaggedrevseditdiffs: true
• flaggedrevsviewdiffs: false
• usebetatoolbar: 1
• usebetatoolbar-cgd: 1
• multimediaviewer-enable: true
• visualeditor-enable: 0
• visualeditor-betatempdisable: 0
• visualeditor-enable-experimental: 0
• visualeditor-enable-language: 0
• visualeditor-hidebetawelcome: 0
• wikilove-enabled: 1
• mathJax: false
• echo-subscriptions-web-page-review: true
• echo-subscriptions-email-page-review: false
• ep_showtoplink: false
• ep_bulkdelorgs: false
• ep_bulkdelcourses: true
• ep_showdyk: true
• echo-subscriptions-web-education-program: true
• echo-subscriptions-email-education-program: false
• echo-notify-show-link: true
• echo-show-alert: true
• echo-email-frequency: 0
• echo-email-format: "html"
• echo-subscriptions-email-system: true
• echo-subscriptions-web-system: true
• echo-subscriptions-email-user-rights: true
• echo-subscriptions-web-user-rights: true
• echo-subscriptions-email-other: false
• echo-subscriptions-web-other: true
• echo-subscriptions-email-edit-user-talk: 1
• echo-subscriptions-web-edit-user-talk: true
• echo-subscriptions-email-reverted: false
• echo-subscriptions-web-reverted: true
• echo-subscriptions-email-article-linked: false
• echo-subscriptions-web-article-linked: false
• echo-subscriptions-email-mention: false
• echo-subscriptions-web-mention: true
• echo-subscriptions-web-edit-thank: true
• echo-subscriptions-email-edit-thank: false
• echo-subscriptions-web-flow-discussion: true
• echo-subscriptions-email-flow-discussion: false
• gettingstarted-task-toolbar-show-intro: true
• uls-preferences: ""
• language: "en"
• variant-gan: "gan"
• variant-iu: "iu"
• variant-kk: "kk"
• variant-ku: "ku"
• variant-shi: "shi"
• variant-sr: "sr"
• variant-tg: "tg"
• variant-uz: "uz"
• variant-zh: "zh"
• searchNs0: true
• searchNs1: false
• searchNs2: "1"
• searchNs3: false
• searchNs4: "1"
• searchNs5: false
• searchNs6: "1"
• searchNs7: false
• searchNs8: "1"
• searchNs9: false
• searchNs10: "1"
• searchNs11: false
• searchNs12: "1"
• searchNs13: false
• searchNs14: "1"
• searchNs15: false
• searchNs100: false
• searchNs101: false
• searchNs108: false
• searchNs109: false
• searchNs118: false
• searchNs119: false
• searchNs446: false
• searchNs447: false
• searchNs710: false
• searchNs711: false
• searchNs828: false
• searchNs829: false
• gadget-teahouse: ""
• gadget-ReferenceTooltips: 1
• gadget-DRN-wizard: 1
• gadget-charinsert: 1
• gadget-refToolbar: 1
• gadget-mySandbox: 1
• betafeatures-vector-compact-personal-bar: "0"
• cirrussearch-default: "0"
• pagetriage-lastuse: timestamp
• popups: "0"
• timecorrection: "ZoneInfo|60|Europe/London"
• uls-compact-links: "0"
• usecodeeditor: "1"
• userjs-arbitraryKeyName: arbitrary value
• watchlisttoken: token

Possible errors

In addition to the usual stuff :

Code	Info
notloggedin	Anonymous users cannot change preferences
nochanges	No changes were requested

Parameter history

• 1.21: Introduced resetkinds

Additional notes

• This API is primarily intended for changing options which are registered by MediaWiki core or extensions and available on Special:Preferences.
• You can also use the API to set arbitrary user options that can be used by user scripts or external editors. These options must begin with the prefix userjs-.
• There are currently no limit on the number of user options you can set at once. You can store data within a user option by encoding it as a JSON string.
• Providing only names of options without equal sign results in resetting them (e.g. hideminor|skin). In the case of an arbitrary userjs- key/value pair, the resetting results in its deletion.
• The change parameter cannot be used to set a value which contains a pipe character |, as it is used by the API to separate options. If you need to set such a value (e.g., a user signature) use an optionname & optionvalue pair.
• The following limits apply to all user options:
  • The byte length of the key must be <= 255.
  • The byte length of the value must be <= 65535.
  • The key must consist only of ASCII letters, numbers, hyphens and underscores (a-z, A-Z, 0-9, _, -).

See also

• API:Userinfo for reading existing options.