Postbox Toggle

**Wyzcrak** · 03-31-2006, 01:18 AM

I like a trimmed interface when I'm reading a conversation, and I've trimmed up the display of each post in each thread display. It allows me to move through conversations a bit faster, as there are fewer superfluous objects displayed. I did this by authoring a set of userscripts for use in the Greasemonkey Firefox extension, and I've decided to share the userscripts here. Anyone may use them if he likes. I've called the set, simply, Postbox Toggle.

Each userscript hides, by default, a different part of the postbox (all posts are treated equally). By clicking in the cell which displays the author's name, you cause all hidden elements, with the exception of the signature, to be displayed for that one postbox. The signature (if you have that userscript installed) is displayed by clicking in the cell containing the post comment itself. In all cases, clicking again in the same spot re-hides the elements (hence the "toggle" in the thread title).

These work fine regardless of how your show/hide avatars/signatures options are set in your forum profile. As I rely on avatars to determine the author of a post (as I quickly scan the page), there is no userscript for hiding avatars.

Header Row: postheadertoggle.user.js
Postbit: postbittoggle.user.js
Signature: postsigtoggle.user.js
Footer Button Row: postfootertoggle.user.js
Separator: postseparatortoggle.user.js

I have them all installed, and I only enable the userscripts for the elements I want normally hidden as I read posts. If I want to see that element for a specific post, I click as described above. If I want to see that element for all posts, for the moment, I disable the one appropriate userscript. It works very nicely.

These are the most ambitious userscripts I've created yet (and, yet, they're not half as ambitious as what I'm working on at the moment), and it makes me a little nervous. I've been using them for a couple of days now, and they seem to be stable. If you have any problems which you think might be caused by these userscripts, disable them immediately and provide here as much detail as you can.

The only problem I've seen, which seems very intermittent, is that, when clicking into a post which is partway down the thread (from New Posts, for example), I sometimes end up just above or just below the start of the post. This is caused by my hiding elements after the page has rendered (I cannot do it sooner). This is annoying, and I might one day fix it, but it doesn't happen too much, and so it's not a showstopper for me. Please share here whatever headaches these userscripts create for you (if they don't create any at all, do share that).

If you have any questions about how to install or use this, please do use Google to educate yourself minimally about Greasemonkey before asking questions.

If you do use this, please do provide feedback in this thread, even if it's just to let me know you like it. If you see room for improvement, please discuss.

**CingularDuality** · 03-31-2006, 01:27 AM

What is it that a NS player would say?

OMGWTFI<3UBBQ!!!1!!!11

Wyz ftw!

I'll be using all of these except the footer script with great pleasure!

Thank you.

**Wyzcrak** · 03-31-2006, 01:30 AM

boo on the generalization.

I use the footer. If I want to quote a thread (or edit one), I'm one click away from having the buttons available.

Use them without issue for a few days before you thank me, but you're most welcome all the same.

Trooper · 03-31-2006, 01:31 AM

i really like that, gets rid of some of the mega space below peoples sigs and really cleans up the forums...nice work

**CingularDuality** · 03-31-2006, 01:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wyzcrak

I use the footer. If I want to quote a thread (or edit one), I'm one click away from having the buttons available.

Use them without issue for a few days before you thank me, but you're most welcome all the same.

I thank you for your effort, despite any problems that might crop up...

Edit: nevermind, found it. Reading comprehension ftw!

Oh, and after you edit a post, I can't get it to be toggle-able... A non-issue, IMO, but just FYI.

**CingularDuality** · 03-31-2006, 02:42 PM

Heh... All of the posts in the WoW forum are hidden completely by one of these scripts. Let me see which one it is, and I'll update this.

It appears to be the Header Toggle...

**Pokerface** · 03-31-2006, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CingularDuality

Heh... All of the posts in the WoW forum are hidden completely by one of these scripts. Let me see which one it is, and I'll update this.

It appears to be the Header Toggle...

That's a feature.

**CingularDuality** · 03-31-2006, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pokerface

That's a feature.

Oh, no you didn't...

LOL!

**Wyzcrak** · 03-31-2006, 03:24 PM

lol.

These, and others, will break when (not if) Apophis changes the forum templates. I'll figure out what's causing this soon. In the meantime, "craft" your own solution.

**Wyzcrak** · 03-31-2006, 04:45 PM

The userscripts now completely ignore forums using the WoW templates. The posts are plainly readable now.

As I don't spend much time in those forums, I have no plans to make these userscripts work with those forums.

perry · 04-01-2006, 03:07 PM

Header Row, Postbit, Footer Button Row, and Separator installed. Took out the feature that unhides the separator because I like it gone all the time.

Acid · 04-01-2006, 08:02 PM

Thanks, this really helps a lot, Wyz!

Acid · 04-01-2006, 08:04 PM

I found a bug:

When you use the quick reply box, your post appears without any of the changes, and you can't make any changes. This also applys to the post above it that was visible when you clicked the Post Quick Reply button.

**Wyzcrak** · 04-01-2006, 08:08 PM

What about the post above it? I don't follow. Could you explain more detail?

Acid · 04-01-2006, 08:56 PM

So say that I post this post from the "Quick Reply" box. Your post shows up with all of the regular spacing and stuff, same with mine. It's like the script doesn't refresh after the post quick reply.

EDIT: Ok, this time the script worked properly on your post. Still didn't work on my post.

EDIT2: here's the screenshot of what the post looks like after I quick reply. The page is unrefreshed after I posted.