# NAME

MediaWiki::Bot - a high-level bot framework for interacting with MediaWiki wikis

# VERSION

version 5.007000

# SYNOPSIS

    use MediaWiki::Bot qw(:constants);

    my $bot = MediaWiki::Bot->new({
        assert      => 'bot',
        host        => 'de.wikimedia.org',
        login_data  => { username => "Mike's bot account", password => "password" },
    });

    my $revid = $bot->get_last("User:Mike.lifeguard/sandbox", "Mike.lifeguard");
    print "Reverting to $revid\n" if defined($revid);
    $bot->revert('User:Mike.lifeguard', $revid, 'rvv');

# DESCRIPTION

**MediaWiki::Bot** is a framework that can be used to write bots which interface
with the MediaWiki API ([http://en.wikipedia.org/w/api.php](http://en.wikipedia.org/w/api.php)).

# METHODS

## new

    my $bot = MediaWiki::Bot({
        host     => 'en.wikipedia.org',
        operator => 'Mike.lifeguard',
    });

Calling `MediaWiki::Bot->new()` will create a new MediaWiki::Bot object. The
only parameter is a hashref with keys:

- _agent_ sets a custom useragent. It is recommended to use `operator`
instead, which is all we need to do the right thing for you. If you really
want to do it yourself, see [https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User-agent\_policy](https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User-agent_policy)
for guidance on what information must be included.
- _assert_ sets a parameter for the AssertEdit extension (commonly 'bot')

    Refer to [http://mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:AssertEdit](http://mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:AssertEdit).

- _operator_ allows the bot to send you a message when it fails an assert. This
is also the recommended way to customize the user agent string, which is
required by the Wikimedia Foundation. A warning will be emitted if you omit
this.
- _maxlag_ allows you to set the maxlag parameter (default is the recommended 5s).

    Please refer to the MediaWiki documentation prior to changing this from the
    default.

- _protocol_ allows you to specify 'http' or 'https' (default is 'http')
- _host_ sets the domain name of the wiki to connect to
- _path_ sets the path to api.php (with no leading or trailing slash)
- _login\_data_ is a hashref of credentials to pass to ["login"](#login).
- _debug_ - whether to provide debug output.

    1 provides only error messages; 2 provides further detail on internal operations.

For example:

    my $bot = MediaWiki::Bot->new({
        assert      => 'bot',
        protocol    => 'https',
        host        => 'en.wikimedia.org',
        agent       => sprintf(
            'PerlWikiBot/%s (https://metacpan.org/MediaWiki::Bot; User:Mike.lifeguard)',
            MediaWiki::Bot->VERSION
        ),
        login_data  => { username => "Mike's bot account", password => "password" },
    });

For backward compatibility, you can specify up to three parameters:

    my $bot = MediaWiki::Bot->new('My custom useragent string', $assert, $operator);

**This form is deprecated** will never do auto-login or autoconfiguration, and emits
deprecation warnings.

For further reading:

- [MediaWiki::Bot wiki](https://github.com/MediaWiki-Bot/MediaWiki-Bot/wiki)
- [<Installing `MediaWiki::Bot`](https://github.com/MediaWiki-Bot/MediaWiki-Bot/wiki/Install)>
- [Creating a new bot](https://github.com/MediaWiki-Bot/MediaWiki-Bot/wiki/Creating-a-new-bot)
- [Setting the wiki](https://github.com/MediaWiki-Bot/MediaWiki-Bot/wiki/Setting-the-wiki)
- [Where is api.php](https://github.com/MediaWiki-Bot/MediaWiki-Bot/wiki/Where-is-api.php)

## set\_wiki

Set what wiki to use. The parameter is a hashref with keys:

- _host_ - the domain name
- _path_ - the part of the path before api.php (usually 'w')
- _protocol_ is either 'http' or 'https'.

If you don't set any parameter, it's previous value is used. If it has never
been set, the default settings are 'http', 'en.wikipedia.org' and 'w'.

For example:

    $bot->set_wiki({
        protocol    => 'https',
        host        => 'secure.wikimedia.org',
        path        => 'wikipedia/meta/w',
    });

For backward compatibility, you can specify up to two parameters:

    $bot->set_wiki($host, $path);

**This form is deprecated**, and will emit deprecation warnings.

## login

This method takes a hashref with keys _username_ and _password_ at a minimum.
See ["Single User Login"](#single-user-login) and ["Basic authentication"](#basic-authentication) for additional options.

Logs the use $username in, optionally using $password. First, an attempt will be
made to use cookies to log in. If this fails, an attempt will be made to use the
password provided to log in, if any. If the login was successful, returns true;
false otherwise.

    $bot->login({
        username => $username,
        password => $password,
    }) or die "Login failed";

Once logged in, attempt to do some simple auto-configuration. At present, this
consists of:

- Warning if the account doesn't have the bot flag, and isn't a sysop account.
- Setting an appropriate default assert.

You can skip this autoconfiguration by passing `autoconfig => 0`

For backward compatibility, you can call this as

    $bot->login($username, $password);

**This form is deprecated**, and will emit deprecation warnings. It will
never do autoconfiguration or SUL login.

### Single User Login

On WMF wikis, `do_sul` specifies whether to log in on all projects. The default
is false. But even when false, you still get a CentralAuth cookie for, and are
thus logged in on, all languages of a given domain (`*.wikipedia.org`, for example).
When set, a login is done on each WMF domain so you are logged in on all ~800
content wikis. Since `*.wikimedia.org` is not possible, we explicitly include
meta, commons, incubator, and wikispecies.

### Basic authentication

If you need to supply basic auth credentials, pass a hashref of data as
described by [LWP::UserAgent](https://metacpan.org/pod/LWP%3A%3AUserAgent):

    $bot->login({
        username    => $username,
        password    => $password,
        basic_auth  => {    netloc  => "private.wiki.com:80",
                            realm   => "Authentication Realm",
                            uname   => "Basic auth username",
                            pass    => "password",
                        }
    }) or die "Couldn't log in";

### Bot passwords

`MediaWiki::Bot` doesn't yet support the more complicated (but more secure)
oAuth login flow for bots. Instead, we support a simpler "bot password", which
is a generated password connected to a (possibly-reduced) set of on-wiki
privileges, and IP ranges from which it can be used.

To create one, visit `Special:BotPasswords` on the wiki. Enter a label for
the password, then select the privileges you want to use with that password.
This set should be as restricted as possible; most bots only edit existing
pages. Keeping the set of privileges as restricted as possible limits the
possible damage if the password were ever compromised.

Submit the form, and you'll be given a new "username" that looks like
"AccountUsername@bot\_password\_label", and a generated bot password.
To log in, provide those to `MediaWiki::Bot` verbatim.

**References:** [API:Login](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Login),
[Logging in](https://github.com/MediaWiki-Bot/MediaWiki-Bot/wiki/Logging-in)

## logout

    $bot->logout();

The logout method logs the bot out of the wiki. This invalidates all login
cookies.

**References:** [API:Logging out](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Logout)

## edit

    my $text = $bot->get_text('My page');
    $text .= "\n\n* More text\n";
    $bot->edit({
        page    => 'My page',
        text    => $text,
        summary => 'Adding new content',
        section => 'new',
    });

This method edits a wiki page, and takes a hashref of data with keys:

- _page_ - the page title to edit
- _text_ - the page text to write
- _summary_ - an edit summary
- _minor_ - whether to mark the edit as minor or not (boolean)
- _bot_ - whether to mark the edit as a bot edit (boolean)
- _assertion_ - usually 'bot', but see [http://mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:AssertEdit](http://mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:AssertEdit).
- _section_ - edit a single section (identified by number) instead of the whole page

An MD5 hash is sent to guard against data corruption while in transit.

You can also call this as:

    $bot->edit($page, $text, $summary, $is_minor, $assert, $markasbot);

**This form is deprecated**, and will emit deprecation warnings.

### CAPTCHAs

If a [CAPTCHA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAPTCHA) is encountered, the
call to `edit` will return false, with the error code set to `ERR_CAPTCHA`
and the details informing you that solving a CAPTCHA is required for this
action. The information you need to actually solve the captcha (for example
the URL for the image) is given in `$bot->{error}->{captcha}` as a
hash reference. You will want to grab the keys 'url' (a relative URL to
the image) and 'id' (the ID of the CAPTCHA). Once you have solved the
CAPTCHA (presumably by interacting with a human), retry the edit, adding
`captcha_id` and `captcha_solution` parameters:

    my $edit = {page => 'Main Page', text => 'got your nose'};
    my $edit_status = $bot->edit($edit);
    if (not $edit_status) {
        if ($bot->{error}->{code} == ERR_CAPTCHA) {
            my @captcha_uri = split /\Q?/, $bot->{error}{captcha}{url}, 2;
            my $image = URI->new(sprintf '%s://%s%s?%s' =>
                $bot->{protocol}, $bot->{host}, $captcha_uri[0], $captcha_uri[1],
            );

            require Term::ReadLine;
            my $term = Term::ReadLine->new('Solve the captcha');
            $term->ornaments(0);
            my $answer = $term->readline("Please solve $image and type the answer: ");

            # Add new CAPTCHA params to the edit we're attempting
            $edit->{captcha_id} = $bot->{error}->{captcha}->{id};
            $edit->{captcha_solution} = $answer;
            $status = $bot->edit($edit);
        }
    }

**References:** [Editing pages](https://github.com/MediaWiki-Bot/MediaWiki-Bot/wiki/Editing-pages),
[API:Edit](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Edit),
[API:Tokens](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Tokens)

## move

    $bot->move($from_title, $to_title, $reason, $options_hashref);

This moves a wiki page.

If you wish to specify more options (like whether to suppress creation of a
redirect), use $options\_hashref, which has keys:

- _movetalk_ specifies whether to attempt to the talk page.
- _noredirect_ specifies whether to suppress creation of a redirect.
- _movesubpages_ specifies whether to move subpages, if applicable.
- _watch_ and _unwatch_ add or remove the page and the redirect from your watchlist.
- _ignorewarnings_ ignores warnings.

    my @pages = ("Humor", "Rumor");
    foreach my $page (@pages) {
        my $to = $page;
        $to =~ s/or$/our/;
        $bot->move($page, $to, "silly 'merricans");
    }

**References:** [API:Move](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Move)

## get\_history

    my @hist = $bot->get_history($title);
    my @hist = $bot->get_history($title, $additional_params);

Returns an array containing the history of the specified page $title.

The optional hash ref $additional\_params can be used to tune the
query by API parameters,
such as 'rvlimit' to return only 'rvlimit' number of revisions (default is as many
as possible, but may be limited per query) or 'rvdir' to set the chronological
direction.

Example:

    my @hist = $bot->get_history('Main Page', {'rvlimit' => 10, 'rvdir' => 'older'})

The array returned contains hashrefs with keys: revid, user, comment, minor,
timestamp\_date, and timestamp\_time.

For backward compatibility, you can specify up to four parameters:

    my @hist = $bot->get_history($title, $limit, $revid, $direction);

**References**: [Getting page history](https://github.com/MediaWiki-Bot/MediaWiki-Bot/wiki/Getting-page-history),
[API:Properties#revisions](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Properties#revisions_.2F_rv)

## get\_history\_step\_by\_step

    my @hist = $bot->get_history_step_by_step($title);
    my @hist = $bot->get_history_step_by_step($title, $additional_params);

Same as get\_history(), but does not return the full history at once, but let's you
loop through it.

The optional call-by-reference hash ref $additional\_params can be used to loop
through a page's full history by using the 'continue' param returned by the API.

Example:

    my $ready;
    my $filter_params = {};
    while(!$ready){
        my @hist = $bot->get_history_step_by_step($page, $filter_params);
        if(@hist == 0 || !defined($filter_params->{'continue'})){
            $ready = 1;
        }
        # do something with @hist
    }

**References**: [Getting page history](https://github.com/MediaWiki-Bot/MediaWiki-Bot/wiki/Getting-page-history),
[API:Properties#revisions](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Properties#revisions_.2F_rv)

## get\_text

Returns the wikitext of the specified $page\_title.
The first parameter $page\_title is the only required one.

The second parameter is a hashref with the following independent optional keys:

- `rvstartid` - if defined, this function returns the text of that revision, otherwise
the newest revision will be used.
- `rvsection` - if defined, returns the text of that section. Otherwise the
whole page text will be returned.
- `pageid` - this is an output parameter and can be used to fetch the id of a page
without the need of calling ["get\_id"](#get_id) additionally. Note that the value of this
param is ignored and it will be overwritten by this function.
- `rv...` - any param starting with 'rv' will be forwarded to the api call.

A blank page will return wikitext of "" (which evaluates to false in Perl,
but is defined); a nonexistent page will return undef (which also evaluates
to false in Perl, but is obviously undefined). You can distinguish between
blank and nonexistent pages by using [defined](https://metacpan.org/pod/perlfunc#defined):

    # simple example
    my $wikitext = $bot->get_text('Page title');
    print "Wikitext: $wikitext\n" if defined $wikitext;

    # advanced example
    my $options = {'revid'=>123456, 'section_number'=>2};
    $wikitext = $bot->get_text('Page title', $options);
    die "error, see API error message\n" unless defined $options->{'pageid'};
    warn "page doesn't exist\n" if $options->{'pageid'} == MediaWiki::Bot::PAGE_NONEXISTENT;
    print "Wikitext: $wikitext\n" if defined $wikitext;

**References:** [Fetching page text](https://github.com/MediaWiki-Bot/MediaWiki-Bot/wiki/Fetching-page-text),
[API:Properties#revisions](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Properties#revisions_.2F_rv)

For backward-compatibility the params `revid` and `section_number` may also be
given as scalar parameters:

    my $wikitext = $bot->get_text('Page title', 123456, 2);
    print "Wikitext: $wikitext\n" if defined $wikitext;

## get\_id

Returns the id of the specified $page\_title. Returns undef if page does not exist.

    my $pageid = $bot->get_id("Main Page");
    die "Page doesn't exist\n" if !defined($pageid);

**Revisions:** [API:Properties#info](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Properties#info_.2F_in)

## get\_pages

Returns the text of the specified pages in a hashref. Content of undef means
page does not exist. Also handles redirects or article names that use namespace
aliases.

    my @pages = ('Page 1', 'Page 2', 'Page 3');
    my $thing = $bot->get_pages(\@pages);
    foreach my $page (keys %$thing) {
        my $text = $thing->{$page};
        print "$text\n" if defined($text);
    }

**References:** [Fetching page text](https://github.com/MediaWiki-Bot/MediaWiki-Bot/wiki/Fetching-page-text),
[API:Properties#revisions](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Properties#revisions_.2F_rv)

## get\_image

    $buffer = $bot->get_image('File:Foo.jpg', { width=>256, height=>256 });

Download an image from a wiki. This is derived from a similar function in
[MediaWiki::API](https://metacpan.org/pod/MediaWiki%3A%3AAPI). This one allows the image to be scaled down by passing a hashref
with height & width parameters.

It returns raw data in the original format. You may simply spew it to a file, or
process it directly with a library such as [Imager](https://metacpan.org/pod/Imager).

    use File::Slurp qw(write_file);
    my $img_data = $bot->get_image('File:Foo.jpg');
    write_file( 'Foo.jpg', {binmode => ':raw'}, \$img_data );

Images are scaled proportionally. (height/width) will remain
constant, except for rounding errors.

Height and width parameters describe the **maximum** dimensions. A 400x200
image will never be scaled to greater dimensions. You can scale it yourself;
having the wiki do it is just lazy & selfish.

**References:** [API:Properties#imageinfo](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Properties#imageinfo_.2F_ii)

## revert

Reverts the specified $page\_title to $revid, with an edit summary of $summary. A
default edit summary will be used if $summary is omitted.

    my $revid = $bot->get_last("User:Mike.lifeguard/sandbox", "Mike.lifeguard");
    print "Reverting to $revid\n" if defined($revid);
    $bot->revert('User:Mike.lifeguard', $revid, 'rvv');

**References:** [API:Edit](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Edit)

## undo

    $bot->undo($title, $revid, $summary, $after);

Reverts the specified $revid, with an edit summary of $summary, using the undo
function. To undo all revisions from $revid up to but not including this one,
set $after to another revid. If not set, just undo the one revision ($revid).

**References:** [API:Edit](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Edit)

## get\_last

Returns the revid of the last revision to $page not made by $user. undef is
returned if no result was found, as would be the case if the page is deleted.

    my $revid = $bot->get_last('User:Mike.lifeguard/sandbox', 'Mike.lifeguard');
    if defined($revid) {
        print "Reverting to $revid\n";
        $bot->revert('User:Mike.lifeguard', $revid, 'rvv');
    }

**References:** [API:Properties#revisions](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Properties#revisions_.2F_rv)

## update\_rc

**This method is deprecated**, and will emit deprecation warnings.
Replace calls to `update_rc()` with calls to the newer `recentchanges()`, which
returns all available data, including rcid.

Returns an array containing the $limit most recent changes to the wiki's _main
namespace_. The array contains hashrefs with keys title, revid, old\_revid,
and timestamp.

    my @rc = $bot->update_rc(5);
    foreach my $hashref (@rc) {
        my $title = $hash->{'title'};
        print "$title\n";
    }

The ["Options hashref"](#options-hashref) is also available:

    # Use a callback for incremental processing:
    my $options = { hook => \&mysub, };
    $bot->update_rc($options);
    sub mysub {
        my ($res) = @_;
        foreach my $hashref (@$res) {
            my $page = $hashref->{'title'};
            print "$page\n";
        }
    }

## recentchanges($wiki\_hashref, $options\_hashref)

Returns an array of hashrefs containing recentchanges data.

The first parameter is a hashref with the following keys:

- _ns_ - the namespace number, or an arrayref of numbers to
specify several; default is the main namespace
- _limit_ - the number of rows to fetch; default is 50
- _user_ - only list changes by this user
- _show_ - itself a hashref where the key is a category and the value is
a boolean. If true, the category will be included; if false, excluded. The
categories are kinds of edits: minor, bot, anon, redirect, patrolled. See
"rcshow" at [http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Recentchanges#Parameters](http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Recentchanges#Parameters).

An ["Options hashref"](#options-hashref) can be used as the second parameter:

    my @rc = $bot->recentchanges({ ns => 4, limit => 100 });
    foreach my $hashref (@rc) {
        print $hashref->{title} . "\n";
    }

    # Or, use a callback for incremental processing:
    $bot->recentchanges({ ns => [0,1], limit => 500 }, { hook => \&mysub });
    sub mysub {
        my ($res) = @_;
        foreach my $hashref (@$res) {
            my $page = $hashref->{title};
            print "$page\n";
        }
    }

The hashref returned might contain the following keys:

- _ns_ - the namespace number
- _revid_
- _old\_revid_
- _timestamp_
- _rcid_ - can be used with ["patrol"](#patrol)
- _pageid_
- _type_ - one of edit, new, log (there may be others)
- _title_

For backwards compatibility, the previous method signature is still
supported:

    $bot->recentchanges($ns, $limit, $options_hashref);

**References:** [API:Recentchanges](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Recentchanges)

## what\_links\_here

Returns an array containing a list of all pages linking to $page.

Additional optional parameters are:

- One of: all (default), redirects, or nonredirects.
- A namespace number to search (pass an arrayref to search in multiple namespaces)
- An ["Options hashref"](#options-hashref).

A typical query:

    my @links = $bot->what_links_here("Meta:Sandbox",
        undef, 1,
        { hook=>\&mysub }
    );
    sub mysub{
        my ($res) = @_;
        foreach my $hash (@$res) {
            my $title = $hash->{'title'};
            my $is_redir = $hash->{'redirect'};
            print "Redirect: $title\n" if $is_redir;
            print "Page: $title\n" unless $is_redir;
        }
    }

Transclusions are no longer handled by what\_links\_here() - use
["list\_transclusions"](#list_transclusions) instead.

**References:** [Listing incoming links](https://github.com/MediaWiki-Bot/MediaWiki-Bot/wiki/Listing-incoming-links),
[API:Backlinks](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Backlinks)

## list\_transclusions

Returns an array containing a list of all pages transcluding $page.

Other parameters are:

- One of: all (default), redirects, or nonredirects
- A namespace number to search (pass an arrayref to search in multiple namespaces).
- $options\_hashref as described by [MediaWiki::API](https://metacpan.org/pod/MediaWiki%3A%3AAPI):

    Set max to limit the number of queries performed.

    Set hook to a subroutine reference to use a callback hook for incremental
    processing.

    Refer to the section on ["linksearch"](#linksearch) for examples.

A typical query:

    $bot->list_transclusions("Template:Tlx", undef, 4, {hook => \&mysub});
    sub mysub{
        my ($res) = @_;
        foreach my $hash (@$res) {
            my $title = $hash->{'title'};
            my $is_redir = $hash->{'redirect'};
            print "Redirect: $title\n" if $is_redir;
            print "Page: $title\n" unless $is_redir;
        }
    }

**References:** [Listing transclusions](https://github.com/MediaWiki-Bot/MediaWiki-Bot/wiki/Listing-transclusions)
[API:Embeddedin](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Embeddedin)

## get\_pages\_in\_category

Returns an array containing the names of all pages in the specified category
(include the Category: prefix). Does not recurse into sub-categories.

    my @pages = $bot->get_pages_in_category('Category:People on stamps of Gabon');
    print "The pages in Category:People on stamps of Gabon are:\n@pages\n";

The options hashref is as described in ["Options hashref"](#options-hashref).
Use `{ max => 0 }` to get all results.

**References:** [Listing category contents](https://github.com/MediaWiki-Bot/MediaWiki-Bot/wiki/Listing-category-contents),
[API:Categorymembers](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Categorymembers)

## get\_all\_pages\_in\_category

    my @pages = $bot->get_all_pages_in_category($category, $options_hashref);

Returns an array containing the names of **all** pages in the specified category
(include the Category: prefix), including sub-categories. The $options\_hashref
is described fully in ["Options hashref"](#options-hashref).

**References:** [Listing category contents](https://github.com/MediaWiki-Bot/MediaWiki-Bot/wiki/Listing-category-contents),
[API:Categorymembers](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Categorymembers)

## get\_all\_categories

Returns an array containing the names of all categories.

    my @categories = $bot->get_all_categories();
    print "The categories are:\n@categories\n";

Use `{ max => 0 }` to get all results. The default number
of categories returned is 10, the maximum allowed is 500.

**References:** [API:Allcategories](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Allcategories)

## linksearch

Runs a linksearch on the specified $link and returns an array containing
anonymous hashes with keys 'url' for the outbound URL, and 'title' for the page
the link is on.

Additional parameters are:

- A namespace number to search (pass an arrayref to search in multiple namespaces).
- You can search by $protocol (http is default).
- $options\_hashref is fully documented in ["Options hashref"](#options-hashref):

    Set _max_ in $options to get more than one query's worth of results:

        my $options = { max => 10, }; # I only want some results
        my @links = $bot->linksearch("slashdot.org", 1, undef, $options);
        foreach my $hash (@links) {
            my $url = $hash->{'url'};
            my $page = $hash->{'title'};
            print "$page: $url\n";
        }

    Set _hook_ to a subroutine reference to use a callback hook for incremental
    processing:

        my $options = { hook => \&mysub, }; # I want to do incremental processing
        $bot->linksearch("slashdot.org", 1, undef, $options);
        sub mysub {
            my ($res) = @_;
            foreach my $hashref (@$res) {
                my $url  = $hashref->{'url'};
                my $page = $hashref->{'title'};
                print "$page: $url\n";
            }
        }

**References:** [Finding external links](https://github.com/MediaWiki-Bot/MediaWiki-Bot/wiki/Finding-external-links),
[API:Exturlusage](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Exturlusage)

## purge\_page

Purges the server cache of the specified $page. Returns true on success; false
on failure. Pass an array reference to purge multiple pages.

If you really care, a true return value is the number of pages successfully
purged. You could check that it is the same as the number you wanted to
purge - maybe some pages don't exist, or you passed invalid titles, or you
aren't allowed to purge the cache:

    my @to_purge = ('Main Page', 'A', 'B', 'C', 'Very unlikely to exist');
    my $size = scalar @to_purge;

    print "all-at-once:\n";
    my $success = $bot->purge_page(\@to_purge);

    if ($success == $size) {
        print "@to_purge: OK ($success/$size)\n";
    }
    else {
        my $missed = @to_purge - $success;
        print "We couldn't purge $missed pages (list was: "
            . join(', ', @to_purge)
            . ")\n";
    }

    # OR
    print "\n\none-at-a-time:\n";
    foreach my $page (@to_purge) {
        my $ok = $bot->purge_page($page);
        print "$page: $ok\n";
    }

**References:** [Purging the server cache](https://github.com/MediaWiki-Bot/MediaWiki-Bot/wiki/Purging-the-server-cache),
[API:Purge](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Purge)

## get\_namespace\_names

    my %namespace_names = $bot->get_namespace_names();

Returns a hash linking the namespace id, such as 1, to its named equivalent,
such as "Talk".

**References:** [API:Meta#siteinfo](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Meta#siteinfo_.2F_si)

## image\_usage

Gets a list of pages which include a certain $image. Include the `File:`
namespace prefix to avoid incurring an extra round-trip (which will also emit
a deprecation warnings).

Additional parameters are:

- A namespace number to fetch results from (or an arrayref of multiple namespace
numbers)
- One of all, redirect, or nonredirects.
- $options is a hashref as described in the section for ["linksearch"](#linksearch).

    my @pages = $bot->image_usage("File:Albert Einstein Head.jpg");

Or, make use of the ["Options hashref"](#options-hashref) to do incremental processing:

    $bot->image_usage("File:Albert Einstein Head.jpg",
        undef, undef,
        { hook=>\&mysub, max=>5 }
    );
    sub mysub {
        my $res = shift;
        foreach my $page (@$res) {
            my $title = $page->{'title'};
            print "$title\n";
        }
    }

**References:** [API:Imageusage](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Imageusage)

## global\_image\_usage($image, $results, $filterlocal)

Returns an array of hashrefs of data about pages which use the given image.

    my @data = $bot->global_image_usage('File:Albert Einstein Head.jpg');

The keys in each hashref are title, url, and wiki. `$results` is the maximum
number of results that will be returned (not the maximum number of requests that
will be sent, like `max` in the ["Options hashref"](#options-hashref)); the default is to
attempt to fetch 500 (set to 0 to get all results). `$filterlocal` will filter
out local uses of the image.

**References:** [Extension:GlobalUsage#API](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:GlobalUsage#API)

## links\_to\_image

A backward-compatible call to ["image\_usage"](#image_usage). You can provide only the image
title.

**This method is deprecated**, and will emit deprecation warnings.

## is\_blocked

    my $blocked = $bot->is_blocked('User:Mike.lifeguard');

Checks if a user is currently blocked.

**References:** [API:Blocks](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Blocks)

## test\_blocked

Retained for backwards compatibility. Use ["is\_blocked"](#is_blocked) for clarity.

**This method is deprecated**, and will emit deprecation warnings.

## test\_image\_exists

Checks if an image exists at $page.

- `FILE_NONEXISTENT` (0) means "Nothing there"
- `FILE_LOCAL` (1) means "Yes, an image exists locally"
- `FILE_SHARED` (2) means "Yes, an image exists on [Commons](http://commons.wikimedia.org)"
- `FILE_PAGE_TEXT_ONLY` (3) means "No image exists, but there is text on the page"

If you pass in an arrayref of images, you'll get out an arrayref of
results.

    use MediaWiki::Bot::Constants;
    my $exists = $bot->test_image_exists('File:Albert Einstein Head.jpg');
    if ($exists == FILE_NONEXISTENT) {
        print "Doesn't exist\n";
    }
    elsif ($exists == FILE_LOCAL) {
        print "Exists locally\n";
    }
    elsif ($exists == FILE_SHARED) {
        print "Exists on Commons\n";
    }
    elsif ($exists == FILE_PAGE_TEXT_ONLY) {
        print "Page exists, but no image\n";
    }

**References:** [API:Properties#imageinfo](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Properties#imageinfo_.2F_ii)

## get\_pages\_in\_namespace

    $bot->get_pages_in_namespace($namespace, $limit, $options_hashref);

Returns an array containing the names of all pages in the specified namespace.
The $namespace\_id must be a number, not a namespace name.

Setting $page\_limit is optional, and specifies how many items to retrieve at
once. Setting this to 'max' is recommended, and this is the default if omitted.
If $page\_limit is over 500, it will be rounded up to the next multiple of 500.
If $page\_limit is set higher than you are allowed to use, it will silently be
reduced. Consider setting key 'max' in the ["Options hashref"](#options-hashref) to
retrieve multiple sets of results:

    # Gotta get 'em all!
    my @pages = $bot->get_pages_in_namespace(6, 'max', { max => 0 });

**References:** [API:Allpages](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Allpages)

## count\_contributions

    my $count = $bot->count_contributions($user);

Uses the API to count $user's contributions.

**References:** [API:Users](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Users)

## timed\_count\_contributions

    ($timed_edits_count, $total_count) = $bot->timed_count_contributions($user, $days);

Uses the API to count $user's contributions in last number of $days and total number of user's contributions (if needed).

Example: If you want to get user contribs for last 30 and 365 days, and total number of edits you would write
something like this:

    my ($last30days, $total) = $bot->timed_count_contributions($user, 30);
    my $last365days = $bot->timed_count_contributions($user, 365);

You could get total number of edits also by separately calling count\_contributions like this:

    my $total = $bot->count_contributions($user);

and use timed\_count\_contributions only in scalar context, but that would mean one more call to server (meaning more
server load) of which you are excused as timed\_count\_contributions returns array with two parameters.

**References:** [Extension:UserDailyContribs](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:UserDailyContribs)

## last\_active

    my $latest_timestamp = $bot->last_active($user);

Returns the last active time of $user in `YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ`.

**References:** [API:Usercontribs](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Usercontribs)

## recent\_edit\_to\_page

     my ($timestamp, $user) = $bot->recent_edit_to_page($title);

Returns timestamp and username for most recent (top) edit to $page.

**References:** [API:Properties#revisions](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Properties#revisions_.2F_rv)

## get\_users

    my @recent_editors = $bot->get_users($title, $limit, $revid, $direction);

Gets the most recent editors to $page, up to $limit, starting from $revision
and going in $direction.

**References:** [API:Properties#revisions](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Properties#revisions_.2F_rv)

## was\_blocked

    for ("Mike.lifeguard", "Jimbo Wales") {
        print "$_ was blocked\n" if $bot->was_blocked($_);
    }

Returns whether $user has ever been blocked.

**References:** [API:Logevents](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Logevents)

## test\_block\_hist

Retained for backwards compatibility. Use ["was\_blocked"](#was_blocked) for clarity.

**This method is deprecated**, and will emit deprecation warnings.

## expandtemplates

    my $expanded = $bot->expandtemplates($title, $wikitext);

Expands templates on $page, using $text if provided, otherwise loading the page
text automatically.

**References:** [API:Parsing wikitext](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Parsing_wikitext)

## get\_allusers

    my @users = $bot->get_allusers($limit, $user_group, $options_hashref);

Returns an array of all users. Default $limit is 500. Optionally specify a
$group (like 'sysop') to list that group only. The last optional parameter
is an ["Options hashref"](#options-hashref).

**References:** [API:Allusers](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Allusers)

## db\_to\_domain

Converts a wiki/database name (enwiki) to the domain name (en.wikipedia.org).

    my @wikis = ("enwiki", "kowiki", "bat-smgwiki", "nonexistent");
    foreach my $wiki (@wikis) {
        my $domain = $bot->db_to_domain($wiki);
        next if !defined($domain);
        print "$wiki: $domain\n";
    }

You can pass an arrayref to do bulk lookup:

    my @wikis = ("enwiki", "kowiki", "bat-smgwiki", "nonexistent");
    my $domains = $bot->db_to_domain(\@wikis);
    foreach my $domain (@$domains) {
        next if !defined($domain);
        print "$domain\n";
    }

**References:** [Extension:SiteMatrix](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:SiteMatrix)

## domain\_to\_db

    my $db = $bot->domain_to_db($domain_name);

As you might expect, does the opposite of ["domain\_to\_db"](#domain_to_db): Converts a domain
name (meta.wikimedia.org) into a database/wiki name (metawiki).

**References:** [Extension:SiteMatrix](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:SiteMatrix)

## diff

This allows retrieval of a diff from the API. The return is a scalar containing
the _HTML table_ of the diff. Options are passed as a hashref with keys:

- _title_ is the title to use. Provide _either_ this or revid.
- _revid_ is any revid to diff from. If you also specified title, only title will
be honoured.
- _oldid_ is an identifier to diff to. This can be a revid, or the special values
'cur', 'prev' or 'next'

**References:** [API:Properties#revisions](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Properties#revisions_.2F_rv)

## prefixindex

This returns an array of hashrefs containing page titles that start with the
given $prefix. The hashref has keys 'title' and 'redirect' (present if the
page is a redirect, not present otherwise).

Additional parameters are:

- One of all, redirects, or nonredirects
- A single namespace number (unlike linksearch etc, which can accept an arrayref
of numbers).
- $options\_hashref as described in ["Options hashref"](#options-hashref).

    my @prefix_pages = $bot->prefixindex("User:Mike.lifeguard");
    # Or, the more efficient equivalent
    my @prefix_pages = $bot->prefixindex("Mike.lifeguard", 2);
    foreach my $hashref (@pages) {
        my $title = $hashref->{'title'};
        if $hashref->{'redirect'} {
            print "$title is a redirect\n";
        }
        else {
            print "$title\n is not a redirect\n";
        }
    }

**References:** [API:Allpages](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Allpages)

## search

This is a simple search for your $search\_term in page text. It returns an array
of page titles matching.

Additional optional parameters are:

- A namespace number to search in, or an arrayref of numbers (default is the
main namespace)
- $options\_hashref is a hashref as described in ["Options hashref"](#options-hashref):

    my @pages = $bot->search("Mike.lifeguard", 2);
    print "@pages\n";

Or, use a callback for incremental processing:

    my @pages = $bot->search("Mike.lifeguard", 2, { hook => \&mysub });
    sub mysub {
        my ($res) = @_;
        foreach my $hashref (@$res) {
            my $page = $hashref->{'title'};
            print "$page\n";
        }
    }

**References:** [API:Search](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Search)

## get\_log

This fetches log entries, and returns results as an array of hashes. The first
parameter is a hashref with keys:

- _type_ is the log type (block, delete...)
- _user_ is the user who _performed_ the action. Do not include the User: prefix
- _target_ is the target of the action. Where an action was performed to a page,
it is the page title. Where an action was performed to a user, it is
User:$username.

The second is the familiar ["Options hashref"](#options-hashref).

    my $log = $bot->get_log({
            type => 'block',
            user => 'User:Mike.lifeguard',
        });
    foreach my $entry (@$log) {
        my $user = $entry->{'title'};
        print "$user\n";
    }

    $bot->get_log({
            type => 'block',
            user => 'User:Mike.lifeguard',
        },
        { hook => \&mysub, max => 10 }
    );
    sub mysub {
        my ($res) = @_;
        foreach my $hashref (@$res) {
            my $title = $hashref->{'title'};
            print "$title\n";
        }
    }

**References:** [API:Logevents](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Logevents)

## is\_g\_blocked

    my $is_globally_blocked = $bot->is_g_blocked('127.0.0.1');

Returns what IP/range block _currently in place_ affects the IP/range. The
return is a scalar of an IP/range if found (evaluates to true in boolean
context); undef otherwise (evaluates false in boolean context). Pass in a
single IP or CIDR range.

**References:** [Extension:GlobalBlocking](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:GlobalBlocking/API)

## was\_g\_blocked

    print "127.0.0.1 was globally blocked\n" if $bot->was_g_blocked('127.0.0.1');

Returns whether an IP/range was ever globally blocked. You should probably
call this method only when your bot is operating on Meta - this method will
warn if not.

**References:** [API:Logevents](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Logevents)

## was\_locked

    my $was_locked = $bot->was_locked('Mike.lifeguard');

Returns whether a user was ever locked. You should probably call this method
only when your bot is operating on Meta - this method will warn if not.

**References:** [API:Logevents](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Logevents)

## get\_protection

Returns data on page protection as a array of up to two hashrefs. Each hashref
has a type, level, and expiry. Levels are 'sysop' and 'autoconfirmed'; types are
'move' and 'edit'; expiry is a timestamp. Additionally, the key 'cascade' will
exist if cascading protection is used.

    my $page = 'Main Page';
    $bot->edit({
        page    => $page,
        text    => rand(),
        summary => 'test',
    }) unless $bot->get_protection($page);

You can also pass an arrayref of page titles to do bulk queries:

    my @pages = ('Main Page', 'User:Mike.lifeguard', 'Project:Sandbox');
    my $answer = $bot->get_protection(\@pages);
    foreach my $title (keys %$answer) {
        my $protected = $answer->{$title};
        print "$title is protected\n" if $protected;
        print "$title is unprotected\n" unless $protected;
    }

**References:** [API:Properties#info](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Properties#info_.2F_in)

## is\_protected

This is a synonym for ["get\_protection"](#get_protection), which should be used in preference.

**This method is deprecated**, and will emit deprecation warnings.

## patrol

    $bot->patrol($rcid);

Marks a page or revision identified by the $rcid as patrolled. To mark several
RCIDs as patrolled, you may pass an arrayref of them. Returns false and sets
`$bot->{error}` if the account cannot patrol.

**References:** [API:Patrol](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Patrol)

## email

    $bot->email($user, $subject, $body);

This allows you to send emails through the wiki. All 3 of $user (without the
User: prefix), $subject and $body are required. If $user is an arrayref, this
will send the same email (subject and body) to all users.

**References:** [API:Email](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Email)

## top\_edits

Returns an array of the page titles where the $user is the latest editor. The
second parameter is the familiar [$options\_hashref](#linksearch).

    my @pages = $bot->top_edits("Mike.lifeguard", {max => 5});
    foreach my $page (@pages) {
        $bot->rollback($page, "Mike.lifeguard");
    }

Note that accessing the data with a callback happens **before** filtering
the top edits is done. For that reason, you should use ["contributions"](#contributions)
if you need to use a callback. If you use a callback with top\_edits(),
you **will not** necessarily get top edits returned. It is only safe to use a
callback if you _check_ that it is a top edit:

    $bot->top_edits("Mike.lifeguard", { hook => \&rv });
    sub rv {
        my $data = shift;
        foreach my $page (@$data) {
            if (exists($page->{'top'})) {
                $bot->rollback($page->{'title'}, "Mike.lifeguard");
            }
        }
    }

**References:** [API:Usercontribs](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Usercontribs)

## contributions

    my @contribs = $bot->contributions($user, $namespace, $options, $from, $to);

Returns an array of hashrefs of data for the user's contributions. $namespace
can be an arrayref of namespace numbers. $options can be specified as in
["linksearch"](#linksearch).
$from and $to are optional timestamps. ISO 8601 date and time is recommended:
2001-01-15T14:56:00Z, see [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Timestamp](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Timestamp) for all
possible formats.
Note that $from (=ucend) has to be before $to (=ucstart), unlike direct API access.

Specify an arrayref of users to get results for multiple users.

**References:** [API:Usercontribs](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Usercontribs)

## upload

    $bot->upload({ data => $file_contents, summary => 'uploading file' });
    $bot->upload({ file => $file_name,     title   => 'Target filename.png' });

Upload a file to the wiki. Specify the file by either giving the filename, which
will be read in, or by giving the data directly.

**References:** [API:Upload](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Upload)

## upload\_from\_url

Upload file directly from URL to the wiki. Specify URL, the new filename
and summary. Summary and new filename are optional.

    $bot->upload_from_url({
        url => 'http://some.domain.ext/pic.png',
        title => 'Target_filename.png',
        summary => 'uploading new pic',
    });

If on your target wiki is enabled uploading from URL, meaning `$wgAllowCopyUploads`
is set to true in LocalSettings.php and you have appropriate user rights, you
can use this function to upload files to your wiki directly from remote server.

**References:** [API:Upload#Uploading\_from\_URL](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Upload#Uploading_from_URL)

## usergroups

Returns a list of the usergroups a user is in:

    my @usergroups = $bot->usergroups('Mike.lifeguard');

**References:** [API:Users](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Users)

## get\_mw\_version

Returns a hash ref with the MediaWiki version. The hash ref contains the keys
_major_, _minor_, _patch_, and _string_.
Returns undef on errors.

    my $mw_version = $bot->get_mw_version;

    # get version as string
    my $mw_ver_as_string = $mw_version->{'major'} . '.' . $mw_version->{'minor'};
    if(defined $mw_version->{'patch'}){
        $mw_ver_as_string .= '.' . $mw_version->{'patch'};
    }

    # or simply
    my $mw_ver_as_string = $mw_version->{'string'};

**References:** [API:Siteinfo](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Siteinfo)

## Options hashref

This is passed through to the lower-level interface [MediaWiki::API](https://metacpan.org/pod/MediaWiki%3A%3AAPI), and is
fully documented there.

The hashref can have 3 keys:

- max

    Specifies the maximum number of queries to retrieve data from the wiki. This is
    independent of the _size_ of each query (how many items each query returns).
    Set to 0 to retrieve all the results.

- hook

    Specifies a coderef to a hook function that can be used to process large lists
    as they come in. When this is used, your subroutine will get the raw data. This
    is noted in cases where it is known to be significant. For example, when
    using a hook with `top_edits()`, you need to check whether the edit is the top
    edit yourself - your subroutine gets results as they come in, and before they're
    filtered.

- skip\_encoding

    MediaWiki's API uses UTF-8 and any 8 bit character string parameters are encoded
    automatically by the API call. If your parameters are already in UTF-8 this will
    be detected and the encoding will be skipped. If your parameters for some reason
    contain UTF-8 data but no UTF-8 flag is set (i.e. you did not use the
    `use [utf8](https://metacpan.org/pod/utf8);` pragma) you should prevent re-encoding by passing an option
    `skip_encoding => 1`. For example:

        $category ="Cat\x{e9}gorie:moyen_fran\x{e7}ais"; # latin1 string
        $bot->get_all_pages_in_category($category); # OK

        $category = "Cat". pack("U", 0xe9)."gorie:moyen_fran".pack("U",0xe7)."ais"; # unicode string
        $bot->get_all_pages_in_category($category); # OK

        $category ="Cat\x{c3}\x{a9}gorie:moyen_fran\x{c3}\x{a7}ais"; # unicode data without utf-8 flag
        # $bot->get_all_pages_in_category($category); # NOT OK
        $bot->get_all_pages_in_category($category, { skip_encoding => 1 }); # OK

    If you need this, it probably means you're doing something wrong. Feel free to
    ask for help.

# ERROR HANDLING

All functions will return undef in any handled error situation. Further error
data is stored in `$bot->{error}->{code}` and `$bot->{error}->{details}`.

Error codes are provided as constants in [MediaWiki::Bot::Constants](https://metacpan.org/pod/MediaWiki%3A%3ABot%3A%3AConstants), and can also
be imported through this module:

    use MediaWiki::Bot qw(:constants);

# AVAILABILITY

The project homepage is [https://metacpan.org/module/MediaWiki::Bot](https://metacpan.org/module/MediaWiki::Bot).

The latest version of this module is available from the Comprehensive Perl
Archive Network (CPAN). Visit [http://www.perl.com/CPAN/](http://www.perl.com/CPAN/) to find a CPAN
site near you, or see [https://metacpan.org/module/MediaWiki::Bot/](https://metacpan.org/module/MediaWiki::Bot/).

# SOURCE

The development version is on github at [https://github.com/MediaWiki-Bot/MediaWiki-Bot](https://github.com/MediaWiki-Bot/MediaWiki-Bot)
and may be cloned from [git://github.com/MediaWiki-Bot/MediaWiki-Bot.git](git://github.com/MediaWiki-Bot/MediaWiki-Bot.git)

# BUGS AND LIMITATIONS

You can make new bug reports, and view existing ones, through the
web interface at [https://github.com/MediaWiki-Bot/MediaWiki-Bot/issues](https://github.com/MediaWiki-Bot/MediaWiki-Bot/issues).

# AUTHORS

- Dan Collins <dcollins@cpan.org>
- Mike.lifeguard <lifeguard@cpan.org>
- Alex Rowe <alex.d.rowe@gmail.com>
- Oleg Alexandrov <oleg.alexandrov@gmail.com>
- jmax.code <jmax.code@gmail.com>
- Stefan Petrea <stefan.petrea@gmail.com>
- kc2aei <kc2aei@gmail.com>
- bosborne@alum.mit.edu
- Brian Obio <brianobio@gmail.com>
- patch and bug report contributors

# COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE

This software is Copyright (c) 2021 by the MediaWiki::Bot team <perlwikibot@googlegroups.com>.

This is free software, licensed under:

    The GNU General Public License, Version 3, June 2007