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Citizen includes several optional features that can be enabled or disabled based on your wiki’s needs.

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Page Tools

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$wgCitizenShowPageTools
boolean
default:"true"
Control visibility of the page tools menu.Page tools include actions like:
  • Edit
  • History
  • Watch/Unwatch
  • Move
  • Delete
  • Protect
  • Links and references
Example:
// Hide page tools
$wgCitizenShowPageTools = false;
Disabling page tools may make it harder for users to access important page actions. Only disable if you provide alternative access methods.
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$wgCitizenGlobalToolsPortlet
string
default:""
ID of the portlet to attach global tools to.This allows you to move global tools (tools that appear on all pages) to a specific portlet in the interface.Example:
// Attach global tools to the sidebar
$wgCitizenGlobalToolsPortlet = 'p-navigation';

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User Preferences

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$wgCitizenEnablePreferences
boolean
default:"true"
Enable or disable the client-side preferences module.Citizen provides a Vue.js-based preferences interface that allows users to customize:
  • Theme mode (light/dark/auto)
  • Font size (small/standard/large/xlarge)
  • Page width (standard/wide/full)
  • Navigation behavior (auto-hide on/off)
  • Performance mode (on/off)
  • Image dimming in dark mode (on/off)
  • Pure black dark mode (on/off)
Example:
// Disable client preferences
$wgCitizenEnablePreferences = false;
When disabled, users will still use MediaWiki’s standard Special:Preferences page, but Citizen-specific options won’t be available. User preferences are stored using MediaWiki’s client preferences API.

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Drawer Features

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Site Statistics

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$wgCitizenEnableDrawerSiteStats
boolean
default:"true"
Enable the site statistics display in the drawer menu.Shows information like:
  • Total number of articles
  • Total number of pages
  • Total number of edits
  • Total number of files
  • Total number of users
Example:
// Disable site stats in drawer
$wgCitizenEnableDrawerSiteStats = false;
Site statistics are calculated from MediaWiki’s SiteStats class and may be cached. Statistics may not update immediately after changes.

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Command Palette

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$wgCitizenEnableCommandPalette
boolean
default:"true"
Enable or disable the command palette feature.The command palette provides:
  • Quick page search with previews
  • Recent pages history
  • Related articles (requires RelatedArticles extension)
  • Command shortcuts (edit, history, etc.)
  • Namespace filtering
  • User search
Example:
// Disable command palette
$wgCitizenEnableCommandPalette = false;
When disabled, the traditional search interface (specified by $wgCitizenSearchModule) is used instead.
See the Search Configuration page for related settings.

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Client Preferences System

Citizen implements MediaWiki’s client preferences system to store user preferences locally. These preferences sync across devices when users are logged in.

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Available Client Preferences

Users can customize (when $wgCitizenEnablePreferences is enabled):
  • Theme mode: Auto (follow system), Day (light), or Night (dark)
  • Pure black: Use pure black (#000000) for dark mode backgrounds
  • Image dimming: Reduce image brightness in dark mode
  • Font size: Small, Standard (default), Large, or Extra Large
  • Affects body text and UI elements
  • Persists across pages and sessions
  • Page width: Standard, Wide, or Full
  • Controls maximum content width
  • Useful for different screen sizes and reading preferences
  • Auto-hide navigation: Automatically hide the navigation drawer when scrolling
  • Performance mode: Reduce animations and visual effects for better performance

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Default Client Preferences

Citizen sets these default client preferences (from SkinCitizen.php:49-56): 
private const DEFAULT_CLIENT_PREFS = [
    'citizen-feature-autohide-navigation' => '1',
    'citizen-feature-image-dimming' => '0',
    'citizen-feature-pure-black' => '0',
    'citizen-feature-custom-font-size' => 'standard',
    'citizen-feature-custom-width' => 'standard',
    'citizen-feature-performance-mode' => '1',
];

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Complete Example

// Complete feature configuration example
wfLoadSkin( 'Citizen' );

// Page tools
$wgCitizenShowPageTools = true;
$wgCitizenGlobalToolsPortlet = '';

// User preferences
$wgCitizenEnablePreferences = true;

// Drawer features
$wgCitizenEnableDrawerSiteStats = true;

// Command palette
$wgCitizenEnableCommandPalette = true;

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Feature Detection

You can detect enabled features in JavaScript: 
const config = mw.config.get( [
    'wgCitizenEnablePreferences',
    'wgCitizenEnableCommandPalette'
] );

if ( config.wgCitizenEnableCommandPalette ) {
    // Command palette is enabled
}
In PHP: 
$config = $this->getConfig();
if ( $config->get( 'CitizenEnablePreferences' ) ) {
    // Preferences are enabled
}

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Progressive Enhancement

Citizen follows progressive enhancement principles:
  1. Core functionality works without JavaScript
    • Basic navigation, search, and reading always work
    • Enhanced features gracefully degrade
  2. Features load on demand
    • Heavy features (command palette, preferences) load only when needed
    • ResourceLoader ensures optimal loading
  3. Performance by default
    • citizen-feature-performance-mode is enabled by default
    • Reduces animations and effects for better performance

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Customizing Client Preferences

Wiki administrators can customize client preferences through on-wiki configuration:
  1. Create MediaWiki:CitizenPreferences.json
  2. Define custom preferences or override defaults
Example: 
{
  "overrides": {
    "citizen-feature-custom-font-size": {
      "options": ["small", "standard", "large", "xlarge", "xxlarge"]
    }
  }
}
See includes/PreferencesConfigProvider.php and includes/Hooks/ResourceLoaderHooks.php:94-112 for implementation details.

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Accessibility

All Citizen features are designed with accessibility in mind:
  • Keyboard navigation support
  • Screen reader compatible
  • Respects prefers-reduced-motion
  • High contrast mode support
  • ARIA labels and landmarks

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Troubleshooting

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Preferences Not Saving

Check that client preferences are supported: 
// Requires MediaWiki 1.38+
$wgCitizenEnablePreferences = true;
Clear browser cache and cookies, then test again.

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Command Palette Not Opening

Verify it’s enabled: 
$wgCitizenEnableCommandPalette = true;
Check browser console for JavaScript errors.

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Site Stats Not Showing

Ensure feature is enabled: 
$wgCitizenEnableDrawerSiteStats = true;
Run maintenance script to update stats: 
php maintenance/run.php initSiteStats

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