I installed mw1.26.4 and tried to install chameleon-skin which required the bootstrap-extension. So i downloaded mw-bootstrap-1.2.1.zip into /extensions and unzipped it and renamed it to bootstrap .
After this i edited composer.json in the root and added behind "zordius/lightncandy": "0.21",
the line "mediawiki/bootstrap:~1.0"
but i have no installation...
What is the specific reason for not following the installation instructions of Chameleon?
Only with require_once "$IP/skins/chameleon/Chameleon.php"; appears a line which request to install bootstrap : Error: The Chameleon skin depends on the Bootstrap extension. You need to install the Bootstrap extension first.
..... "zordius/lightncandy": "0.21",
"mediawiki/chameleon-skin": "~1.0",
"mediawiki/bootstrap:~1.0"
has no effect.
The problem is that i only have a provider and filezilla. I cannot execute composer.
Therefore i added the lines to composer.json but i have no installation.
If i add wfLoadExtension( 'Bootstrap' ); an error appears instead : Fatal error: Uncaught Exception: .....htdocs\mw1264/extensions/Bootstrap/extension.json does not exist! ...
(In the specific directory are composer.json and package.json) . To experimental rename composer.json to extension.json leads to Error: The Chameleon skin depends on the Bootstrap extension. You need to install the Bootstrap extension first.
Adding the lines to composer.json does not install anything. You need to execute composer. This will download the Chameleon skin and all its dependencies (including Bootstrap) and install them in the correct location.
If your provider does not provide you with shell access you can not directly install Chameleon (or any other skin or extension requiring composer). In this case you should create a local MediaWiki installation with all skins and extensions and then upload that in its entirety to the server.
2. The problem will be the database. Many providers will not allow to access it from a pc. So one has to make an normal online installation and delete it with exception of localsettings.php)
(Another possibility would be to write a composer-modul-extension which can be put to 1 Minute and a very long cycle or even switched off completely)
It's not that easy. You would need to include all dependencies in a downloadable package. To maintain installability with composer you would then have to add a switch to discover and use either the composer-installed dependencies or the ones installed with the downloadable package. Next you would have to add the activation by wfLoadExtension. At that point you would have a Bootstrap extension installable on its own. Next you would have to do all of the above steps with the skin. A better solution might be to not provide a separate package for the Bootstrap extension at all, but to somehow bundle Chameleon and the Bootstrap extension and all dependencies into one package. You'd have to come up with some plan of how to install everything in the correct place. Whatever that place might be. E.g. it might be an idea for the bundle to not install the Bootstrap extension in the /extensions folder, but in some subfolder of the skin.
Regarding the database I do not see the problem. You should be able to 1. git pull MediaWiki locally, 2. add all your (non-composer) extensions and skins, 3. modify composer.local.json and 4. run composer update. Then you upload the whole thing and install as usual.
I liked to have an independent version of the skin which integrates bootstrap by #import because i can then exchange it with Yaml and import others.
Mediwiki should add a composer-tab after admin-login which presents a field with username and password (for ssh)
and a list of choosable composer - orders (inclusive update) and a run-button. But i dont know who is responsioble for that.
