User blog:Jpearson/Technical Updates: November 4, 2022

Hey everyone!

Check out the latest Technical Updates since October 28, 2022. We’ll continue to update the editor community on bug fixes and product development updates on a bi-weekly basis!

Notable Changes:

 * We’ve improved the 2010 source editor so it doesn't scroll as you add lines. The scrollbar will stay fixed at the bottom when you add content at the end of the editor.


 * We’re launching something special next week! This feature will be an opportunity for fans to enjoy their favorite fandoms. Stay tuned for updates!

Known Issues:
The following are known bugs (or areas of improvement) that are currently in progress and that we hope to have released by the time of the next Technical Update:
 * The contrast error message causes the color picker in the Theme Designer to jump around.


 * There should be a line separating the Fandom heading with the local nav bar.


 * The wiki name in the sticky nav on mobile preview and the actual mobile experience don't match.


 * Diffs in dark mode have issues and are sometimes hard to read. This was a problem even before mobile theming, but will likely bother more people now that it’s more widely available.


 * Some admins feel the required accent color contrast is too strict and doesn’t cover all instances where it’s being used. This isn’t a bug, but it has been an area of feedback that we’re investigating. It will require more thought, so this will take the longest to fix of all the mobile theming issues.

Interactive Maps

 * We’re continuing to polish Interactive Maps and made usability enhancements, allowing you to exceed the max character limit during map editing.


 * We’re currently working on wikitext in the map description which will be coming soon!

Mobile Editor

 * The clickable edit window within the mobile editor will be larger and the toolbar is easier to activate for your mobile editing experience. This is one of a series of mobile editing improvements you can expect throughout the rest of the year.

Mobile Theming

 * Background images. We’re continuing to work on mobile theming, inching closer to the completion of the project. Beyond bug fixes, we’re not likely to make significant changes until early next year, but the biggest area of known feedback is to provide a way to designate/choose which section of the desktop background image shows up on mobile. We’re hoping to be able to provide that in the first quarter of 2023.


 * Mobile CSS. We officially announced earlier this week that in early 2023, while we’re working on the upgrade to MediaWiki 1.39, our intention is to enable Mobile CSS for admins to customize.

Discussions Moderation

 * Post/Reply History. Backend work on post/reply history is nearly completed, and the frontend work began this week.


 * Report Notifications. The design work for notifications is progressing and will continue over the next two weeks.

Mobile Editing

 * Advanced Mobile Contributions. Work on Advanced Mobile Contributions (AMC) is progressing. This is a MediaWiki feature (that will be somewhat customized for Fandom) that we previously had and will be bringing back again, because it automatically adds some content moderation links to the mobile skin. If you’d like to learn more about AMC, check out this page on MediaWiki.

If there’s anything you still think needs to be fixed that hasn’t yet, please be sure to either contact your Wiki Representative or, if your wiki doesn’t have one, send us a bug report!
 * Performance Improvements. Work on improving the performance of the mobile editor is in progress, with the aim being faster loading times.