User:Jesse Groppi/GSOC 2010

Identity
Name: Jesse Groppi

Email: [mailto:jagroppi@gmail.com email]

Project title: Edit Forms

Contact/working info
Timezone: CST (GMT/UTC -6) prior to project, during project I could be in GMT/UTC

Typical working hours: Any

IRC or IM networks/handle(s): IRC: DuTempete; Skype: jesse.groppi; Google Wave: jagroppi AT googlewave DOT com; MSN: jagroppi AT gmail DOT com

Project summary
Wikimedia projects have been around for nearly ten years, now. There are millions of pages on thousands of subjects written in thousands of differing styles. This is an intimidating concept for editors and readers alike.

Over the years, editors and administrators have agreed upon certain styles for similar types of content to be written in. The method, however, has been imperfect. It is absolutely normal to find pages that don't fit their designated style, and most new editors begin editing without knowing there are guidelines at all.

My project is designed to benefit the content needing to be created and edited in a similar format many times over. In both the wikicode and WYSIWYG editors, templates will be used to produce sets of fields at the beginning, the end, or in lieu of the edit box entirely. Entire namespaces can be set to always display a certain template, and individual templates can be categorised in order to be made available via drop-down menus.

This extension (or core mod) would help ensure that format guidelines are followed by making it easier to do, as well as enabling new editors to be informed from the very beginning. Most importantly, this project would improve usability for both editors and readers.

About you
We don't just care about your project -- you are a person, and that matters to us! What drives you? What makes you want to make this the most awesomest wiki enhancement ever?

You don't need to write out your life story (we can read your blog if we want that), but we want to know a little about what makes you tick. Are you a Wikipedia addict wanting to make your own experience better? Did a wiki with usability problems run over your dog, and you're seeking revenge? What does making this project happen mean to you?

Deliverables
It should be possible to break down your project into some bullet points describing particular features or milestones which can be reached individually. Consider that we may wish to roll out the system for testing when at an intermediate stage of completion, and that time estimates might vary, leaving you with more time than you expected or (more likely) a lot less -- some features can be pushed back if you end up short.

Project schedule
Try to break your deliverables into "milestone" points which can be reached in sequence. Block out your estimated schedule of when you'll reach each functional milestone. Don't forgot that real time may change -- leave enough wiggle room for your required features to be completed!

Any other info
If there's other relevant information -- UI mockups, references to related projects, a link to your proof of concept code, whatever. There are no specific requirements, but we love to see people who love what they're doing. Show us you're excited about this project and have an interest in the background and are considering how best to make your idea work.