Dogweather

Several open-source wiki platforms provide out-of-the-box or easily configurable “draft mode” mechanisms, whereby community members can submit edits that require subsequent approval by an editor or moderator. Below are some of the better-known solutions and how they implement this feature:

1. MediaWiki (with the FlaggedRevs or Approved Revs extensions)

• Software: MediaWiki is the software behind Wikipedia, fully open source under the GPL.
• Extension:
  • FlaggedRevs (Flagged Revisions) allows edits by non-privileged users to be held in a “pending changes” state until approved by someone with editor/reviewer permissions. Once approved, the new version becomes the “stable” version visible to the public.
  • Approved Revs is a simpler alternative extension. It designates a single reviewer who can approve a specific revision of a page, which then becomes the visible version.
• Advantages:
  • Very powerful permission system and large community support.
  • Fine-grained control over who can approve edits and how they appear to the public.
  • Familiar interface and ecosystem.
• Limitations:
  • Configuration can be complex for smaller projects.
  • Requires installing and maintaining the extensions (not included in core).

2. XWiki (with the Moderation Extension)

• Software: XWiki is an open-source, Java-based wiki and application platform (LGPL license).
• Extension:
  • XWiki provides a Moderation Extension that can intercept changes and force them into a queue for approval by privileged users.
  • Draft pages and “work-in-progress” states are also natively supported: editors can choose whether a page is ready for public consumption or needs more work.
• Advantages:
  • Out-of-the-box features for hierarchical permissions and moderation flows.
  • Offers powerful scripting and development features if you need to customize your review workflow.
• Limitations:
  • Requires a Java servlet container, so it’s more involved to set up than some lightweight wikis.
  • Less widely known or used than MediaWiki, so smaller community for Q&A.

3. Tiki Wiki CMS Groupware (Tiki)

• Software: Tiki is an all-in-one CMS/Wiki under the LGPL license.
• Built-In Feature: Tiki includes a robust workflow engine and permission system that can allow for “Staging and Approval” of content. This can be applied to wiki pages so that changes by certain user groups remain in draft until approved by an editorial user group.
• Advantages:
  • Comprehensive “all-in-one” approach: Tiki also supports forums, file galleries, bug trackers, etc.
  • Built-in staging/approval with no separate extension required.
• Limitations:
  • Some find it feature-overkill if you only want a simple wiki.
  • Configuration can be overwhelming due to the large number of built-in features.

4. PmWiki (with Drafts and AuthUser)

• Software: PmWiki is a lightweight, PHP-based wiki under the GPL.
• Extensions/Configuration:
  • Drafts in PmWiki: You can enable a “draft” mode so that each page has a draft copy that can be edited and reviewed before being published.
  • AuthUser or other authorization recipes can restrict the final publication to certain groups. While not a full “moderation queue” in the same sense as FlaggedRevs, it can approximate a draft-review-publish workflow when properly configured.
• Advantages:
  • Very simple to install and maintain.
  • Highly configurable but still fairly lightweight.
• Limitations:
  • Lacks a formal “approve/reject” queue unless you supplement it with custom scripts or more advanced recipes.
  • Smaller community than MediaWiki, fewer add-ons.

5. Other Wikis / Approaches

• MoinMoin, Dokuwiki, and Foswiki can be extended via plugins or ACL tricks to implement something akin to draft-review-publish, but none of these have as straightforward an official “moderation queue” extension as MediaWiki’s FlaggedRevs or XWiki’s Moderation. You can find third-party plugins or rely on detailed ACLs to achieve similar functionality, but the configuration may be less direct.

Choosing the Right Platform

If your primary requirement is a robust “draft mode” with a formal review-and-approval queue, MediaWiki with FlaggedRevs or XWiki with the Moderation Extension are the most direct approaches. Tiki is also appealing if you want a broader application platform with built-in staging capabilities.

Lighter-weight wikis like PmWiki may require more manual configuration or external recipes to emulate a strict editorial workflow. In any case, all of these solutions are fully open source and can be configured to allow public “draft” edits that only become visible once approved by an authorized editor.