HotCat Customizer (MediaWiki Gadget)

A conservative customizer for the WikiMedia-based HotCat gadget which preserves the essential (+) "add" and (−) "remove" action buttons while providing the ability to suppress (↑) (↓) "arrows", (±) "change", and the remote category-existence status image.

What it does

• Keeps:
  • (+) add
  • (−) remove
• Can suppress (configurable):
  • (±) change
  • (↑) parent categories
  • (↓) subcategories
  • the yes/no category-existence status image
• Conservative DOM scope: only operates within the category links area.
• No API monkey‑patching, no constructor overrides, no global CSS hiding.

Defaults

By default the customizer:

• Removes arrows (↑ ↓)
• Removes change (±)
• Removes the category-existence status image
• Keeps (+) and (−)

Configuration

window.hotcat_customize = {
  removeArrows: true, // remove ↑ ↓ (default: true)
  removeChange: true, // remove ±   (default: true)
  removeExistsIcon: true // remove the yes/no image (default: true)
};

Installation (on a wiki)

1. Ensure the core HotCat gadget is enabled/loaded.

2. Copy Gadgets/HotCatCustomizer.js into a wiki page named:

• MediaWiki:Gadget-HotCatCustomizer.js

3. Add or update your gadget definition in MediaWiki:Gadgets-definition, for example:

* HotCatCustomizer[ResourceLoader|default]|HotCatCustomizer.js

How it works

• Pre‑configures HotCat to not render up/down controls when requested.
• Replaces HotCat's remote yes/no image URLs with an inline transparent pixel before an editor can use them, preventing external status-image requests.
• Removes the inert status-image element from HotCat's editor form.
• Prunes only the specific, localized labels (±, ↑, ↓) under the category links container.
• A small MutationObserver keeps pruning localized after HotCat re‑inits (e.g., postEdit).

Compatibility

• Designed against HotCat’s public UI markers and link labels (e.g., window.HotCat.links).
• Does not rely on private internals.
• HotCat version: tested against HotCat V2.44 codebase structure.

License

• GPL-3.0

Author

• Mark W. Datysgeld