We now store verbs in a new side table

src/Database/PostUpdate.php

@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ use Friendica\Model\Post\Category;
 use Friendica\Model\Tag;
 use Friendica\Model\Term;
 use Friendica\Model\UserItem;
+use Friendica\Model\Verb;
 use Friendica\Util\Strings;
 
 /**
@@ -80,6 +81,9 @@ class PostUpdate
 		if (!self::update1346()) {
 			return false;
 		}
+		if (!self::update1347()) {
+			return false;
+		}
 
 		return true;
 	}
@@ -788,4 +792,55 @@ class PostUpdate
 
 		return false;
 	}
+
+	/**
+	 * update the "vid" (verb) field in the item table 
+	 *
+	 * @return bool "true" when the job is done
+	 * @throws \Friendica\Network\HTTPException\InternalServerErrorException
+	 * @throws \ImagickException
+	 */
+	private static function update1347()
+	{
+		// Was the script completed?
+		if (DI::config()->get("system", "post_update_version") >= 1347) {
+			return true;
+		}
+
+		$id = DI::config()->get("system", "post_update_version_1347_id", 0);
+
+		Logger::info('Start', ['item' => $id]);
+
+		$start_id = $id;
+		$rows = 0;
+		$condition = ["`id` > ? AND `vid` IS NULL", $id];
+		$params = ['order' => ['id'], 'limit' => 10000];
+		$items = Item::select(['id', 'verb'], $condition, $params);
+
+		if (DBA::errorNo() != 0) {
+			Logger::error('Database error', ['no' => DBA::errorNo(), 'message' => DBA::errorMessage()]);
+			return false;
+		}
+
+		while ($item = Item::fetch($items)) {
+			$id = $item['id'];
+
+			DBA::update('item', ['vid' => Verb::getID($item['verb'])], ['id' => $item['id']]);
+
+			++$rows;
+		}
+		DBA::close($items);
+
+		DI::config()->set("system", "post_update_version_1347_id", $id);
+
+		Logger::info('Processed', ['rows' => $rows, 'last' => $id]);
+
+		if ($start_id == $id) {
+			DI::config()->set("system", "post_update_version", 1347);
+			Logger::info('Done');
+			return true;
+		}
+
+		return false;
+	}
 }

src/Model/Item.php

@@ -1505,6 +1505,10 @@ class Item
 			return 0;
 		}
 
+		if (empty($item['vid']) && !empty($item['verb'])) {
+			$item['vid'] = Verb::getID($item['verb']);
+		}
+
 		self::addLanguageToItemArray($item);
 
 		// Items cannot be stored before they happen ...

src/Model/Verb.php

@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+<?php
+/**
+ * @copyright Copyright (C) 2020, Friendica
+ *
+ * @license GNU AGPL version 3 or any later version
+ *
+ * This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+ * it under the terms of the GNU Affero General Public License as
+ * published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the
+ * License, or (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+ * GNU Affero General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU Affero General Public License
+ * along with this program.  If not, see <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+ *
+ */
+
+namespace Friendica\Model;
+
+use Friendica\Database\DBA;
+
+class Verb
+{
+	/**
+	 * Insert a verb record and return its id
+	 *
+	 * @param string $verb
+	 *
+	 * @return integer verb id
+	 * @throws \Exception
+	 */
+	public static function getID($verb)
+	{
+		if (empty($verb)) {
+			return 0;
+		}
+
+		$verb_record = DBA::selectFirst('verb', ['id'], ['name' => $verb]);
+		if (DBA::isResult($verb_record)) {
+			return $verb_record['id'];
+		}
+
+		DBA::insert('verb', ['name' => $verb], true);
+
+		return DBA::lastInsertId();
+	}
+}

static/dbstructure.config.php

@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@
 use Friendica\Database\DBA;
 
 if (!defined('DB_UPDATE_VERSION')) {
-	define('DB_UPDATE_VERSION', 1346);
+	define('DB_UPDATE_VERSION', 1347);
 }
 
 return [
@@ -670,6 +670,7 @@ return [
 			"author-id" => ["type" => "int unsigned", "not null" => "1", "default" => "0", "relation" => ["contact" => "id"], "comment" => "Link to the contact table with uid=0 of the author of this item"],
 			"icid" => ["type" => "int unsigned", "relation" => ["item-content" => "id"], "comment" => "Id of the item-content table entry that contains the whole item content"],
 			"iaid" => ["type" => "int unsigned", "relation" => ["item-activity" => "id"], "comment" => "Id of the item-activity table entry that contains the activity data"],
+			"vid" => ["type" => "smallint unsigned", "relation" => ["verb" => "id"], "comment" => "Id of the verb table entry that contains the activity verbs"],
 			"extid" => ["type" => "varchar(255)", "not null" => "1", "default" => "", "comment" => ""],
 			"post-type" => ["type" => "tinyint unsigned", "not null" => "1", "default" => "0", "comment" => "Post type (personal note, bookmark, ...)"],
 			"global" => ["type" => "boolean", "not null" => "1", "default" => "0", "comment" => ""],
@@ -1489,6 +1490,16 @@ return [
 			"iid_uid" => ["iid", "uid"]
 		]
 	],
+	"verb" => [
+		"comment" => "Activity Verbs",
+		"fields" => [
+			"id" => ["type" => "int unsigned", "not null" => "1", "extra" => "auto_increment", "primary" => "1"],
+			"name" => ["type" => "varchar(100)", "not null" => "1", "default" => "", "comment" => ""]
+		],
+		"indexes" => [
+			"PRIMARY" => ["id"]
+		]
+	],
 	"worker-ipc" => [
 		"comment" => "Inter process communication between the frontend and the worker",
 		"fields" => [

update.php

@@ -422,3 +422,12 @@ function update_1332()
 
 	return Update::SUCCESS;
 }
+
+function update_1347()
+{
+	foreach (Item::ACTIVITIES as $index => $activity) {
+		DBA::insert('verb', ['id' => $index + 1, 'name' => $activity], true);
+	}
+
+	return Update::SUCCESS;
+}