Wiki refactoring as mind map reshaping

Abstract

Wikis' organic growth inevitably leads to wiki degradation and the need for regular wiki refactoring. So far, wiki refactoring is a manual, time-consuming and error-prone activity. We strive to ease wiki refactoring by using mind maps as a graphical representation of the wiki structure, and mind map manipulations as a way to express refactoring. This paper (i) defines the semantics of common refactoring operations based on Wikipedia best practices, (ii) advocates for the use of mind maps as a visualization of wikis for refactoring, and (iii) introduces a DSL for wiki refactoring built on top of FreeMind, a mind mapping tool. Thus, wikis are depicted as FreeMind maps, and map manipulations are interpreted as refactoring operations over the wiki. The rationales for the use of a DSL are based not only on reliability grounds but also on facilitating end-user participation. © 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.