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External Link Controls

FOVEA allows administrators to control whether external links are displayed in the user interface. This is useful for deployments where external internet access is restricted or undesirable.

Environment Variables​

Master Switch​

VariableDefaultDescription
ALLOW_EXTERNAL_LINKStrueMaster switch for all external links. Setting to false disables both Wikidata and video source links.

Specific Controls​

These override the master switch when set:

VariableDefaultDescription
ALLOW_EXTERNAL_WIKIDATA_LINKS(depends on mode)Controls Wikidata entity page links. In online mode, always true. In offline mode, defaults to master switch value.
ALLOW_EXTERNAL_VIDEO_SOURCE_LINKS(master switch)Controls video source links (uploaderUrl, webpageUrl). Defaults to master switch value.

Behavior by Mode​

Online Mode (Public Wikidata)​

When WIKIDATA_MODE=online:

  • External Wikidata links are always enabled regardless of environment variables
  • The Wikidata chip links directly to https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/{Q-ID}
  • Video source links follow the ALLOW_EXTERNAL_VIDEO_SOURCE_LINKS setting

Offline Mode (Local Wikibase)​

When WIKIDATA_MODE=offline:

  • Two chips are displayed for each imported type:
    • Wikibase chip (info/blue): Links to local Wikibase instance (always enabled)
    • Wikidata chip (primary/disabled): Links to external Wikidata if allowed
  • External Wikidata links are controlled by ALLOW_EXTERNAL_WIKIDATA_LINKS
  • Video source links follow the ALLOW_EXTERNAL_VIDEO_SOURCE_LINKS setting

Wikidata Chips​

When external Wikidata links are disabled:

  • The chip appears greyed out with reduced opacity
  • Clicking the chip does nothing
  • Tooltip shows "External Wikidata links disabled"
  • The Q-identifier is still visible for reference

When video source links are disabled:

  • Uploader ID (@username) is shown as plain text instead of a link
  • "View Original" button is disabled with a tooltip explaining the restriction

Configuration Examples​

For air-gapped deployments:

WIKIDATA_MODE=offline
WIKIDATA_URL=http://wikibase:8181/w/api.php
ALLOW_EXTERNAL_LINKS=false

Offline with External Wikidata References​

For deployments with internet access but local Wikibase:

WIKIDATA_MODE=offline
WIKIDATA_URL=http://wikibase:8181/w/api.php
ALLOW_EXTERNAL_WIKIDATA_LINKS=true
ALLOW_EXTERNAL_VIDEO_SOURCE_LINKS=false

Standard Online Mode​

For typical cloud deployments:

WIKIDATA_MODE=online
# All external links enabled by default

Technical Implementation​

Backend Configuration​

The /api/config endpoint returns:

{
  "wikidata": {
    "mode": "offline",
    "url": "http://wikibase:8181/w/api.php",
    "idMapping": { "Q42": "Q4", ... },
    "allowExternalLinks": false
  },
  "externalLinks": {
    "wikidata": false,
    "videoSources": true
  }
}

Frontend Services​

  • wikidataConfig.ts: Provides getWikidataConfig() with allowExternalLinks field
  • externalLinksConfig.ts: Provides getAllowExternalVideoSourceLinks()

Component Changes​

  • WikidataChip: Conditionally renders clickable link or disabled chip
  • AnnotationWorkspace: Conditionally renders uploader and source links
  • VideoBrowser: Conditionally renders uploader links in video cards

Security Considerations​

  • Disabling external links does not prevent users from copying text and manually navigating
  • CDN resources (fonts, map tiles) are not affected by these settings
  • API calls to Wikidata/Wikibase are not affected (only UI links)