Hello everyone!
I’m not sure if this has been answered before, but since I started using KaniWani I the question of why Wani doesn’t add all those nice little scripts like timeline and ignore a wrong answer kind of gnawed at me.
I mean installing scripts is super easy, but why not incorporate them and add an option in the settings where people can decide if they want them on or off?
Again, sorry this has been answered before.
Thank you!
They don’t have to maintain any of them this way. And users are free to imagine more scripts beyond those, or improve upon what exists, without WK staff even having to be aware of any of it.
Well, that’s true regardless of what the WK team choses to add or not.
But I guess lowering maintenance cost is a good point indeed.
There is no guarantees the user scripts will work tomorrow. They are all unofficial and propably it was never meant WK is hacked up the way it is. If they really would like to support community extensions, they should make it official.
Not sure what you mean there. Like, users could add directly to the website? The original post made it sound like these would be made and maintained by WK, not users.
Huh…? WK makes the API that lets people make the extensions. Of course it was intended to be the way it is. Sure, WK could release a new API or make changes to the site that break current scripts, but the staff always works with the creators when those snags happen.
All these “tampermonkey” scripts are not using the API. Or at least, not all of them. Some, like the popular Reorder Ultimate or the “try again” script just hack into the JS directly.
If you’re talking about that kind of stuff, then I can’t see WK ever making all of that part of the options screen or whatever, it would go on forever and make it look like WK is leaving design of the site up to each individual. Sure, people can go do that kind of thing no matter what, but I don’t see why WK should have to host it all.
With stuff like override as well, they would be giving the impression that they endorse it. I think it’d be on the site if they did.
My guess is that the WK philosophy is to “do one thing and do it well”. That is, they provide the method to learn kanji, and everything else is extraneous.
Personally I would say that I’m glad WK does not have “ignore wrong answer” or “reorder” scripts built in. They don’t really fit into the WK method of learning kanji (randomised reviews, strict evaluation of answers).
Even with some scripts that I love (and always install) such as Jitai, I’d still say they’re nonessential.
The only two things I wish they integrate into WK proper are @rfindley’s ultimate timeline and WK Stats.
I meant the same thing as @dunsany
It’s not hosting, it’s implementing. The ultimate timeline is really useful, so it would make sense to merge it in the main code.
Thats all fine for me.
However, “lower maintenance costs” is not the main reason for not including it, otherwise there would be official support for adding new features.
Then again, I’ll ask who is actually making the extensions in this hypothetical?
@rfindley, in that case.
I see you edited. But I don’t understand what you mean. What extension are you talking about?
KW reimplemented the more essential scripts, they are only inspired by userscripts. That would be a ton of work with even more whine potential than changing a string to “yurt”.
Never change a running system 
So… users. Users would be directly able to interact with the websites options page or whatever? Presumably there’d need to be some kind of filter, so then staff has to approve new extensions and whatnot.
Takes notes
To actually contribute to the discussion:
I think it would be nice to at least give an option to enable some (wk maintained versions) of the scripts that like… 80% of the users install? I’m thinking timeline and such…
That’s… how userscripts work, yes.
But no, I meant that the staff would implement the same code directly in WK. Which indeed takes time and maintenance cost, so I understand that they don’t.
If you make a userscript, it doesn’t show up in my options page on WK. That’s what it would mean for users to be able to make these extensions that are built into the site.
I think we’re just talking past each other.
Right, so that’s why I tried to specify:
Integrating the code is not a free operation, if they take it over they are responsible for it. There are lots of compatibility problems (my scripts for example sure as hell don’t run on Internet Explorers), and if there is a security problem WK will get the blame if they included it.
People are not really understanding when something included doesn’t work perfectly, even if they are told that it’s optional content with the intention to do something good for the users …
Agreed, I can’t help but see re-order scripts and scripts that let you ignore wrong answers as cheating. There’s too much potential for abuse, and If you are making typos due to inattention, you probably aren’t absorbing particularly well anyways…