API:Protect
 | This page is part of the MediaWiki Action API documentation. |
| MediaWiki version: | ≥ 1.12 |
POST request to change a page's protection level.
API documentation
[edit]
Example
[edit]Protecting a page is a multi-step process:
- Log in using one of the methods described in API:Login.
- Get a CSRF token. This token is the same for all pages, but changes at every login.
- Send a POST request with the CSRF token in order to protect the page.
The sample code below covers the third step in detail.
POST request
[edit]Protect the Main Page for an infinite of time to allow only autoconfirmed users to edit it and only sysops to move it.
api.php?
Response
[edit]{
"protect": {
"title": "Main Page",
"reason": "",
"protections": [
{
"edit": "autoconfirmed",
"expiry": "infinite"
},
{
"move": "sysop",
"expiry": "infinite"
}
]
}
}
Sample code
[edit]Python
[edit]#!/usr/bin/python3
"""
protect.py
MediaWiki API Demos
Demo of `Protect` module: Demo to change the edit protection
level of a given page.
MIT License
"""
import requests
S = requests.Session()
URL = "https://test.wikipedia.org/w/api.php"
# Step 1: Retrieve a login token
PARAMS_1 = {
"action": "query",
"meta": "tokens",
"type": "login",
"format": "json"
}
R = S.get(url=URL, params=PARAMS_1)
DATA = R.json()
LOGIN_TOKEN = DATA['query']['tokens']['logintoken']
# Step 2: Send a post request to login. 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_2 = {
"action": "login",
"lgname": "bot_user_name",
"lgpassword": "bot_password",
"lgtoken": LOGIN_TOKEN,
"format": "json"
}
R = S.post(URL, data=PARAMS_2)
# Step 3: While logged in, retrieve a CSRF token
PARAMS_3 = {
"action": "query",
"meta": "tokens",
"type": "csrf",
"format": "json"
}
R = S.get(url=URL, params=PARAMS_3)
DATA = R.json()
CSRF_TOKEN = DATA["query"]["tokens"]["csrftoken"]
# Step 4: Send a post request to change edit protection level of a page
PARAMS_4 = {
"title": "User:SSethi (WMF)/common.js",
"protections": "edit=autoconfirmed|move=sysop",
"expiry": "infinite",
"token": CSRF_TOKEN,
"action": "protect"
}
R = S.post(URL, data=PARAMS_4)
print(R.text)
PHP
[edit]<?php
/*
protect.php
MediaWiki API Demos
Demo of `Protect` module: Demo to change the edit protection
level of a given page.
MIT license
*/
$endPoint = "https://test.wikipedia.org/w/api.php";
$login_Token = getLoginToken(); // Step 1
loginRequest( $login_Token ); // Step 2
$csrf_Token = getCSRFToken(); // Step 3
protect( $csrf_Token ); // Step 4
// Step 1: GET request to fetch login token
function getLoginToken() {
global $endPoint;
$params1 = [
"action" => "query",
"meta" => "tokens",
"type" => "login",
"format" => "json"
];
$url = $endPoint . "?" . http_build_query( $params1 );
$ch = curl_init( $url );
curl_setopt( $ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true );
curl_setopt( $ch, CURLOPT_COOKIEJAR, "cookie.txt" );
curl_setopt( $ch, CURLOPT_COOKIEFILE, "cookie.txt" );
$output = curl_exec( $ch );
curl_close( $ch );
$result = json_decode( $output, true );
return $result["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
function loginRequest( $logintoken ) {
global $endPoint;
$params2 = [
"action" => "login",
"lgname" => "bot_user_name",
"lgpassword" => "bot_password",
"lgtoken" => $logintoken,
"format" => "json"
];
$ch = curl_init();
curl_setopt( $ch, CURLOPT_URL, $endPoint );
curl_setopt( $ch, CURLOPT_POST, true );
curl_setopt( $ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, http_build_query( $params2 ) );
curl_setopt( $ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true );
curl_setopt( $ch, CURLOPT_COOKIEJAR, "cookie.txt" );
curl_setopt( $ch, CURLOPT_COOKIEFILE, "cookie.txt" );
$output = curl_exec( $ch );
curl_close( $ch );
}
// Step 3: GET request to fetch CSRF token
function getCSRFToken() {
global $endPoint;
$params3 = [
"action" => "query",
"meta" => "tokens",
"format" => "json"
];
$url = $endPoint . "?" . http_build_query( $params3 );
$ch = curl_init( $url );
curl_setopt( $ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true );
curl_setopt( $ch, CURLOPT_COOKIEJAR, "cookie.txt" );
curl_setopt( $ch, CURLOPT_COOKIEFILE, "cookie.txt" );
$output = curl_exec( $ch );
curl_close( $ch );
$result = json_decode( $output, true );
return $result["query"]["tokens"]["csrftoken"];
}
// Step 4: POST request to change edit protection level of a page
function protect( $csrftoken ) {
global $endPoint;
$params4 = [
"action" => "protect",
"title" => "Sandbox",
"protections" => "edit=autoconfirmed|move=sysop",
"expiry" => "infinite",
"token" => $csrftoken,
"format" => "json"
];
$ch = curl_init();
curl_setopt( $ch, CURLOPT_URL, $endPoint );
curl_setopt( $ch, CURLOPT_POST, true );
curl_setopt( $ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, http_build_query( $params4 ) );
curl_setopt( $ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true );
curl_setopt( $ch, CURLOPT_COOKIEJAR, "cookie.txt" );
curl_setopt( $ch, CURLOPT_COOKIEFILE, "cookie.txt" );
$output = curl_exec( $ch );
curl_close( $ch );
echo ( $output );
}
JavaScript
[edit]/*
protect.js
MediaWiki API Demos
Demo of `Protect` module: Demo to change the edit protection
level of a given page.
MIT license
*/
var request = require('request').defaults({jar: true}),
url = "http://dev.wiki.local.wmftest.net:8080/w/api.php";
// Step 1: GET request to fetch login token
function getLoginToken() {
var params_0 = {
action: "query",
meta: "tokens",
type: "login",
format: "json"
};
request.get({ url: url, qs: params_0 }, function (error, res, body) {
if (error) {
return;
}
var data = JSON.parse(body);
loginRequest(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
function loginRequest(login_token) {
var params_1 = {
action: "login",
lgname: "bot_username",
lgpassword: "bot_password",
lgtoken: login_token,
format: "json"
};
request.post({ url: url, form: params_1 }, function (error, res, body) {
if (error) {
return;
}
getCsrfToken();
});
}
// Step 3: GET request to fetch CSRF token
function getCsrfToken() {
var params_2 = {
action: "query",
meta: "tokens",
format: "json"
};
request.get({ url: url, qs: params_2 }, function(error, res, body) {
if (error) {
return;
}
var data = JSON.parse(body);
protect(data.query.tokens.csrftoken);
});
}
// Step 4: POST request to change edit protection level of a page
function protect(csrf_token) {
var params_3 = {
action: "protect",
title: "Sandbox",
protections: "edit=autoconfirmed|move=sysop",
expiry: "infinite",
token: csrf_token,
format: "json"
};
request.post({ url: url, form: params_3 }, function (error, res, body) {
if (error) {
return;
}
console.log(body);
});
}
// Start From Step 1
getLoginToken();
MediaWiki JS
[edit]/*
protect.js
MediaWiki API Demos
Demo of `Protect` module: Demo to change the edit protection
level of a given page.
MIT License
*/
var params = {
action: 'protect',
title: 'Sandbo2',
protections: 'edit=autoconfirmed|move=sysop',
expiry: 'infinite',
format: 'json'
},
api = new mw.Api();
api.postWithToken( 'csrf', params ).done( function ( data ) {
console.log( data );
} );
Possible errors
[edit]In addition to the standard error messages:
| Code | Info |
|---|---|
| notitle | The title parameter must be set. |
| notoken | The token parameter must be set. |
| noprotections | The protections parameter must be set. |
| invalidexpiry | Invalid expiry time "expiry". This means the expiry timestamp was invalidly formatted or is nonexistent (like November 31 or 24:05). This error will also be thrown when a valid date is before 1970.
|
| pastexpiry | Expiry time "expiry" is in the past. |
| toofewexpiries | number expiry timestamps were provided where number2 were needed. This error is misnamed: it's also thrown when you specify too many expiry times
|
| cantedit | You can't protect this page because you can't edit it |
| create-titleexists | Existing titles can't be protected with create. |
| missingtitle-createonly | Missing titles can only be protected with create. |
| protect-invalidaction | Invalid protection type "type". |
| protect-invalidlevel | Invalid protection level "level". |
Parameter history
[edit]- v1.27: Introduced
tags - v1.20: Introduced
pageid - v1.17: Introduced
watchlist. Deprecatedwatch - v1.15: Introduced
watch
Additional Notes
[edit]- This module requires
protectrights. - For MediaWiki versions 1.19 and earlier, you can obtain a protect token through API:Info.
- For MediaWiki 1.20-1.23, you can obtain a protect token through API:Tokens (action).
See also
[edit]- API:Protectedtitles - Get a list of titles protected from creation.