Semantic MediaWiki 7.2.0 Released

New parser features

The #set parser function gained a +display option, so you can store a value and show it in a single call without a separate inline annotation. For example, {{#set:Has population=812,405|+display}} stores the population and prints the stored value in place.

There is also a new {{#property_link:}} parser function for linking to a property page from within running text. It provides a dedicated syntax for what previously required the [[Foo::@@@]] annotation trick, resolving a feature request that had been open since 2016. For example, {{#property_link:Has population|population}} links to the property page under the label "population".

Both parser features provide a robust alternative to the "extended link syntax", which future versions of MediaWiki might drop support for. We (Professional Wiki) developed them for a public-sector customer and made them available to the entire community.

Security fixes

This release fixes six security advisories: five cross-site scripting issues in Special:Ask and Special:SearchByProperty, and an open redirect in Special:URIResolver. We recommend that everyone upgrades. The details are in the published security advisories.

Bug fixes

Version 7.2.0 also resolves a number of bugs. PostgreSQL support works again after being broken since 7.0.0, several PHP 8.5 compatibility problems are fixed, and long-running maintenance scripts no longer exhaust memory on large wikis. Find every change in the release notes.

Improvements from 7.1.0

If you missed it, Semantic MediaWiki 7.1.0, released on July 9, 2026, resolved each category- and property-hierarchy query in a single database query for a performance boost, alongside many stability fixes. Upgrading to 7.2.0 includes all of these changes as well.

Use Semantic MediaWiki with AI

You can connect Claude, ChatGPT, and other AI tools to your Semantic MediaWiki via our open source MCP server, and let them run queries or even edit on your behalf. Find out more in Use Semantic MediaWiki with AI.

Credits

This release was led by our own Alistair Kim. We thank everyone who contributed.

Semantic MediaWiki is free and community-driven. Please consider donating to Semantic MediaWiki to support its continued development.

Upgrading

Because 7.2.0 is a minor release, it does not require running update.php or any migration scripts, and it does not drop support for any MediaWiki version. We recommend that everyone running an older version of SMW upgrades. See the upgrading section of the release notes for the exact steps, and the Semantic MediaWiki 7.2.0 release page for an overview.

Professional Semantic MediaWiki Services

At Professional Wiki, we provide Semantic MediaWiki services, including SMW hosting, SMW software development, SMW consulting, and various MediaWiki services.

You can try out Semantic MediaWiki via the free trial on ProWiki.