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Citizen provides advanced search capabilities with support for multiple search backends, the command palette, and customizable result display.

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Search Module

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$wgCitizenSearchModule
string
default:"skins.citizen.search"
Which ResourceLoader module to use for search suggestions.Valid values:
  • 'skins.citizen.search' - Citizen’s enhanced search with typeahead (recommended)
  • 'mediawiki.searchSuggest' - MediaWiki core search
  • 'custom' - Use a custom module (must be registered separately)
Example:
// Use MediaWiki core search
$wgCitizenSearchModule = 'mediawiki.searchSuggest';
The Citizen search module provides a better user experience with rich previews, thumbnails, and keyboard navigation. Only change this if you have specific requirements.

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Search Gateway

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$wgCitizenSearchGateway
string
default:"mwRestApi"
Which API gateway to use for fetching search suggestions.Valid values:
  • 'mwRestApi' - MediaWiki REST API (recommended, requires MW 1.35+)
  • 'mwActionApi' - MediaWiki Action API (legacy)
  • 'custom' - Use a custom gateway (must be implemented in JS)
Example:
// Use Action API for older wikis
$wgCitizenSearchGateway = 'mwActionApi';
The REST API provides better performance and richer results. Only use Action API if your MediaWiki version doesn’t support REST API.

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Search Results

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Description Source

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$wgCitizenSearchDescriptionSource
string
default:"textextracts"
The source for short descriptions shown in search suggestions.Valid values:
  • 'textextracts' - Use TextExtracts extension (requires TextExtracts)
  • 'pagedescription' - Use PageDescription if available
  • 'wikidata' - Use Wikidata descriptions (requires Wikibase)
Example:
// Use Wikidata descriptions
$wgCitizenSearchDescriptionSource = 'wikidata';
TextExtracts is bundled with MediaWiki core and provides high-quality excerpts from page content. Other sources require specific extensions to be installed.

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Maximum Results

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$wgCitizenMaxSearchResults
integer
default:"10"
The maximum number of suggestions displayed in search results.Higher values show more results but may impact performance on slower connections.Example:
// Show 15 search results
$wgCitizenMaxSearchResults = 15;
Values above 20 may negatively impact search performance and user experience. Keep this between 5 and 15 for best results.

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Command Palette

The command palette is Citizen’s powerful quick-access feature that combines search, navigation, and commands in one interface.
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$wgCitizenEnableCommandPalette
boolean
default:"true"
Enable or disable the command palette feature.The command palette (activated by pressing / or clicking the search icon) provides:
  • Quick page search with rich previews
  • Recent pages history
  • Related articles
  • Special page commands
  • Namespace filtering
  • Action commands (edit, history, etc.)
Example:
// Disable command palette, use traditional search
$wgCitizenEnableCommandPalette = false;
When disabled, Citizen falls back to the traditional search module specified in $wgCitizenSearchModule.

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Search Extensions Integration

Citizen automatically detects and integrates with popular MediaWiki search extensions:

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AdvancedSearch

When the AdvancedSearch extension is installed, Citizen displays an “Advanced Search” option in search results.

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MediaSearch

When the MediaSearch extension is installed, Citizen adds a “Media Search” option to search for files and media.

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Semantic MediaWiki

Citizen includes a special search client (smwAskApi) for Semantic MediaWiki installations, enabling semantic queries through the search interface.

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Complete Example

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

// Use enhanced Citizen search with REST API
$wgCitizenSearchModule = 'skins.citizen.search';
$wgCitizenSearchGateway = 'mwRestApi';

// Configure search results
$wgCitizenSearchDescriptionSource = 'textextracts';
$wgCitizenMaxSearchResults = 12;

// Enable command palette
$wgCitizenEnableCommandPalette = true;

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Search Clients

Citizen includes several built-in search clients (in resources/skins.citizen.search/searchClients/): 
// REST API client (default)
// Uses /w/rest.php/v1/search endpoints
// Provides rich results with thumbnails and descriptions

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Troubleshooting

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Search Not Working

  1. Check that your search backend is configured: 
    // Use database search (basic)
$wgSearchType = 'SearchDatabase';

// Or use CirrusSearch (advanced, requires Elasticsearch)
wfLoadExtension( 'CirrusSearch' );
$wgSearchType = 'CirrusSearch';
  2. Verify REST API is enabled for mwRestApi gateway: 
    $wgEnableRestAPI = true;
  3. Check browser console for JavaScript errors

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No Search Descriptions

Ensure TextExtracts is available: 
php maintenance/run.php update --quick
Or change the description source: 
$wgCitizenSearchDescriptionSource = 'pagedescription';

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Slow Search Results

Reduce the number of results: 
$wgCitizenMaxSearchResults = 8;
Or consider using CirrusSearch for better performance: 
wfLoadExtension( 'CirrusSearch' );
$wgSearchType = 'CirrusSearch';

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