RecentChangesLogFilter is a MediaWiki extension to filter log entries displayed in Special:RecentChanges.
It was primarily created to be able to hide all user creation log entries from recent changes in case the wiki is targetted by a spam bot network where many accounts are created. Hence, hiding user creation log entries is the default behaviour unless configured otherwise.
The filter is enabled by default and can be disabled at any time using the configuration options at the top of the recent changes list. In addition, registered users can change the default behavior for themselves in their preferences under the “recent changes” section.
To install this extension, extract the extension’s files into a folder RecentChangesLogFilter in the extensions/ directory and add the following line at the bottom of your LocalSettings.php:
wfLoadExtension( 'RecentChangesLogFilter' );
By default, the only log type that is hidden is the user creation type newuser. It is possible to change this behaviour by modifying the $wgRecentChangesLogFilterTypes configuration variable after the wfLoadExtension line. It is also possible to hide more than just one log type.
For example, to hide uploads instead of user creations, set the configuration variable like this:
$wgRecentChangesLogFilterTypes = array( 'upload' );
To hide blocks and page protections, set the variable like this:
$wgRecentChangesLogFilterTypes = array( 'block', 'protect' );
You can find a list of valid log types here but note that some extensions or configuration settings, like $wgNewUserLog, may add additional types.
The default behavior is to have the filter activated and hide log entries from recent changes. To give the extension the inverse behavior and make the filter disabled by default—while still allowing users to enable it temporarily on Special:RecentChanges, or permanently in their preferences—add the following line to LocalSettings.php:
$wgDefaultUserOptions['rchidelogs'] = 0;
When changing the types to hide, it is recommend to also change the system message MediaWiki:Recentchangeslogfilter-hidelogs, which is responsible for the link that is displayed on Special:RecentChanges, to match the new behavior. By default it will only mention user creation logs to match the default configuration. For example, when hiding block and page protections like above, you might want to set it to “$1 block and protection logs”.
Similarly, MediaWiki:Recentchangeslogfilter-pref is responsible for the preferences text and should be adjusted as well.