RFE: Easy access to Legend for Board Icons

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Tom T.
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RFE: Easy access to Legend for Board Icons

Post by Tom T. »

There doesn't seem to be a quick access to the meanings of the topic icons, or at least, no one so far knows where it is, as per this thread, which was split as O/T from a sticky discussion.

The FAQ in the upper right, to the left of Members and Logout, offers only this on Topic Icons:
What are topic icons?
Topic icons are author chosen images associated with posts to indicate their content. The ability to use topic icons depends on the permissions set by the board administrator.
This actually sounds more like a user-chosen icon. What's needed is a quick guide to what this Admin has chosen for icons.

Requesting the legend, or a link to it, be posted prominently, preferably in the top banner, so that it is visible on every page.

This post by GµårÐïåñ would serve very well, and not require additional work by the Admin. Perhaps a permanent link to it, entitled "Board Icons" or something similar? Piece of cake.
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GµårÐïåñ
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Re: RFE: Easy access to Legend for Board Icons

Post by GµårÐïåñ »

Giorgio, if you choose to modify the template, here is an easy way to do it without too much hassle, brief code:

1. Open /prosilver/template/index_body.html
2. Go to <!-- INCLUDE overall_footer.html -->
3. Just before that add something to this effect, include as much or as little icons as you want:

Code: Select all

<div class="panel bg1" style="text-align: center;">
    <div class="inner"><span class="corners-top"><span></span></span>
        <img src="T_IMAGESET_PATH/forum_unread.gif" alt="L_NEW_POSTS" />  L_NEW_POSTS  
          <img src="T_IMAGESET_PATH/forum_read.gif" alt="L_NO_NEW_POSTS" />  L_NO_NEW_POSTS  
          <img src="T_IMAGESET_PATH/forum_read_locked.gif" alt="L_FORUM_LOCKED" />  L_FORUM_LOCKED
    <span class="corners-bottom"><span></span></span></div>
</div>
<br />
*NOTE: To extend the icons to include more, just use the global path variable (T_IMAGESET_PATH - so that if you change the theme, the legend doesn't break, just adapts) and file names used in my post (the alt information is also built-in variables, so that would help maintain consistency across different themes) and add them here using the same template and they will show up at the bottom of the threads and not very intrusive either. If you need me to give you a complete code, then tell me and I'll provide it and you can just drop it in.
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Tom T.
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Re: RFE: Easy access to Legend for Board Icons

Post by Tom T. »

I just noticed that there is an onmouseover tooltip for the icons, but only these: "Unread posts", "No unread posts", and "Locked"

Nothing for "Sticky", "Hot" "Redirect", "Announcement", etc.

If the Board icons each had tooltips, with all meanings included, as in GµårÐïåñ's summary, that would be OK, too, especially if it were noted (top of each forum) "Hover mouse over icons to see the meaning of each icon."

Would it be terribly hard to to both, as the latter is very convenient, whereas the link or whatever contains all in one place, for easy reference to the whole list?
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DJ-Leith
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Re: RFE: Easy access to Legend for Board Icons

Post by DJ-Leith »

Tom T. wrote: Requesting the legend, or a link to it, be posted prominently, preferably in the top banner, so that it is visible on every page.

This post by GµårÐïåñ would serve very well ... ,
I agree, very useful.

There are lots of good ideas in the OpenOffice .org Survival Guide for the OpenOffice forum.
It is a single locked thread right at the top of their forum.

The anti spam is not happy with the URLs so I'm breaking them: added spaces after "http:" and before "org" in the URLs.

OpenOffice .org Forum
http: //user.services.openoffice. org/en/forum/

Survival Guide for the forum
http: //user.services.openoffice. org/en/forum/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=166

For "iconography", the main point of this thread, see Post 1603 lower down (the 9th Post) in the Survival Guide thread.

http: //user.services.openoffice. org/en/forum/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=166#p1603

Comment on "iconography" (as described in both threads: at OpenOffice .org and by GµårÐïåñ - above).
Two general points
- Red icons are unread items, blue/grey are read
- A star on any topic means you have posted in it
You only see the red color (colour) if you are logged in to the forum.
While I read here I only login to post.
So, if you are not logged in 'all icons are grey / blue'.

I imagine that most people coming to this forum will not be logged in. So perhaps you could say:
Three general points
- Red icons are unread items, blue/grey are read
- A star on any topic means you have posted in it
- If you are not logged in you will not see the star or the red. The icons will all be blue/grey.
Just my 2 cents,

DJ-Leith
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Tom T.
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Re: RFE: Easy access to Legend for Board Icons

Post by Tom T. »

Sorry about the spam filter. We get tons of spam, as every other forum does, and need to take measures. But I think what tripped it here was the *number* of links. If you want to test that, post again, with just one link.

Appreciate your breaking the links anyway. We sometimes do that in a user post, just to eliminate even the slightest suspicion that the user is posting just to get the link posted. (I know you wouldn't do that.)

And no need to translate en-BR to en-US, or vice versa. Speakers of each know what you mean. Leave those arguments for Wikipedia. :D
You only see the red color (colour) if you are logged in to the forum.
While I read here I only login to post.
So, if you are not logged in 'all icons are grey / blue'.
Three general points
- Red icons are unread items, blue/grey are read
- A star on any topic means you have posted in it
- If you are not logged in you will not see the star or the red. The icons will all be blue/grey.
Without an identifiable account, the forum software has no way of knowing whether you've read a certain post or topic, posted in it, etc.
IDK what percentage of readers are guest users, what with 20,000+ registered users, but that's a good suggestion.

Support.


Thanks for your input.
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DJ-Leith
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Re: RFE: Easy access to Legend for Board Icons

Post by DJ-Leith »

Tom T. wrote:Sorry about the spam filter.
No problem, I quite understand. I put in the explanation of how I broke the links to help others.
I'm having more issues with it so I'll edit my reply. I now think it was the 'double colon' in a quote from Who is online.
Tom T. wrote:Thanks for your input.
You are very welcome.

First a minor specific point then some wider more general points.
Tom T. wrote:IDK what percentage of readers are guest users...
See the bottom of the InformAction Forums main page

Code: Select all

http://forums.informaction.com/index.php
and see the Who is online
27 users online 1 registered, 0 hidden and 26 guests
I guess the 'logged in users' vs 'guests' is often between 1 to 8 and 1 to 30. IIRC the guests are always more than 50%.

Now the wider points.

The reasons why I pointed you to the OpenOffice Survival Guide is that:

1. They have an illustrated explanation of the 'forum icons': they also use phpBB.

2. They have put their version of

Code: Select all

PLEASE READ THIS FIRST! -- FORUM RULES AND GUIDELINES

as an Announcement (or sometimes a sticky) in several prominent places.
The first post has links to the dozen points that they want to make.

I recall that you have been trying to help everybody by writing sticky posts / guides. You are also concerned that there may be 'too many stickies'. Their Survival Guide allows them to 'have their cake and eat it': one thread with a contents post followed by lots of content in each post below. Some of this then links to more specific information elsewhere. Hypothetically, you - The Team - could combine the excellent "Firefox links: help yourself" and other stickies as topics within a more general 'master sticky'.

3. Did you also notice that they have a Tutorial section?

FYI, as an avid reader of this forum I usually start at the NoScript section.
http://forums.informaction.com/viewforum.php?f=3

Here one can see (without logging in) the "Active Topics"
First, all the sticky topics, 15, from all the sub-forums too.
Yes, they do 'change order', as you noticed.

After these the most recent posts (in non-sticky threads).

However, you do NOT see the

Code: Select all

PLEASE READ THIS FIRST! -- FORUM RULES AND GUIDELINES
at this point. It is in all of the sub-forums.

I speculate that it could be a "global announcement" as defined at

Code: Select all

http://forums.informaction.com/faq.php
As always, please keep producing your clearly written posts / tutorials.

DJ-Leith
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Tom T.
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Re: RFE: Easy access to Legend for Board Icons

Post by Tom T. »

DJ-Leith wrote:and see the Who is online
27 users online 1 registered, 0 hidden and 26 guests
I guess the 'logged in users' vs 'guests' is often between 1 to 8 and 1 to 30. IIRC the guests are always more than 50%.
We'd need samplings covering various times of the day, 24 hours (global audience), day of week, including which days are customarily non-work-days in each culture, over a long and random sampling of the year, but I see your point. (There have been times when I've been the only user on the board, including hidden.)

However, anyone who wants to avail themselves of knowing automatically when there is a new post in a thread or forum that they're watching can register, thus receiving e-mail notifications and the more refined icons. ;) So, to some degree, some % of the anon browsers aren't quite as interested in the specific status of a given topic.
The reasons why I pointed you to the OpenOffice Survival Guide is that:
<snip>
2. They have put their version of

Code: Select all

PLEASE READ THIS FIRST! -- FORUM RULES AND GUIDELINES

as an Announcement (or sometimes a sticky) in several prominent places.
As have we. It's at the top of each individual sub-forum: NS Support, FG Development, this one (Metaforum), etc.

IIRC, when I proposed it, I might have suggested that it be in Board Index as well, but at the time Giorgio chose not to. One has to go *somewhere* after Index, and it's true that clutter-creep makes things less accessible and less likely to be read. It's a balance of concerns, which can always be revisited.
I recall that you have been trying to help everybody by writing sticky posts / guides. You are also concerned that there may be 'too many stickies'. Their Survival Guide allows them to 'have their cake and eat it': one thread with a contents post followed by lots of content in each post below. Some of this then links to more specific information elsewhere. Hypothetically, you - The Team - could combine the excellent "Firefox links: help yourself" and other stickies as topics within a more general 'master sticky'.
Great minds think alike -- all three of us. :ugeek: :ugeek: :ugeek:

When one of the recent stickies was proposed, Giorgio said,
Giorgio Maone wrote:What about a "Guides/Hints/Docs" subforum, to reduce sticky-creep with its burden on scrolling and information overhead?
I agreed; rest of the team was fine with it; it's on his TODO list, which probably reaches halfway around the world by now. :(
3. Did you also notice that they have a Tutorial section?
Did you notice that NoScript Home Page has a link to a Tutorial *Video*? :) ... although admittedly, it's not that conspicuous.
I might suggest to him that that link be made more conspicuous, and perhaps a link to it from here (NS Support and/or Board Index).

Whoa, great minds inspire other great minds. I'll add a link to that video in NoScript Quick Start Guide, right after posting this. Thanks! :)

Also, the very first listing on Board Index is to NoScript FAQ, yet the board questions indicate that many don't view it. :?
(not singling anyone out; just the most recent example of the same question asked several times within the past few days, when the answer is in the FAQ.)
FYI, as an avid reader of this forum I usually start at the NoScript section.
http://forums.informaction.com/viewforum.php?f=3
... where the FAQ are also at the top....
.... After these the most recent posts (in non-sticky threads).

However, you do NOT see the

Code: Select all

PLEASE READ THIS FIRST! -- FORUM RULES AND GUIDELINES
at this point. It is in all of the sub-forums.

I speculate that it could be a "global announcement" as defined at

Code: Select all

http://forums.informaction.com/faq.php
Everyone's mileage varies, as they say; I usually go from Index to a specific sub-forum rather than general categories (NS, FG, Extras), unless clicking an e-mail link. But again, there is the overload and "creep" issue.

I'll ask Giorgio to consider all of your well-thought-out suggestions, along with the OP itself, which is still pending somewhere on that TODO list... btw, you wouldn't happen to have a few hundred thousand (dollars, pounds, euros) lying around, to let Giorgio hire paid, full-time assistants to do these "housekeeping" chores while he continues to add more protections, tweak existing ones, and try to get NoScript 3.x for the desktop released, would you? :D
As always, please keep producing your clearly written posts / tutorials.
Thank you for your interest, and for your words of kindness and encouragement.
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DJ-Leith
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Re: RFE: Easy access to Legend for Board Icons

Post by DJ-Leith »

Tom T. wrote: When one of the recent stickies was proposed, Giorgio said,
Giorgio Maone wrote:What about a "Guides/Hints/Docs" subforum, to reduce sticky-creep with its burden on scrolling and information overhead?
I agreed; rest of the team was fine with it; it's on his TODO list, which probably reaches halfway around the world by now. :(
I'm very pleased that this is on his TODO list. I know it is long but it is good to remind other readers.
Tom T. wrote: I'll add a link to that video in NoScript Quick Start Guide, right after posting this. Thanks! :)
That is excellent. Thank you! :D If you are feeling enthusiastic how about two more links: both in the

PLEASE READ THIS FIRST! -- FORUM RULES AND GUIDELINES

Current text (not including existing link)
9) Try the General Troubleshooting instructions. They will fix many problems. If they do not, please let us know which, if any, of these steps you have already tried.
Proposed text with added link
9) Try the General Troubleshooting instructions. They will fix many problems. If they do not, please let us know which, if any, of these steps you have already tried. See also Firefox links: help yourself

Current text (not including existing links)
1) Please search the FAQ for NoScript or Flashgot, as appropriate, and also search this Forum, *before posting*, to see if your post has already been answered, if your bug has already been fixed, or if your enhancement or feature request has already been requested. You may find your answer much faster this way then by posting.
Proposed text with added link
1) Please search the FAQ for NoScript or Flashgot, as appropriate, and also search this Forum, *before posting*, to see if your post has already been answered, if your bug has already been fixed, or if your enhancement or feature request has already been requested. You may find your answer much faster this way then by posting. See also the NoScript Quick Start Guide for New Users.
Again - just my 2 cents,

DJ-Leith
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Tom T.
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Re: RFE: Easy access to Legend for Board Icons

Post by Tom T. »

DJ-Leith wrote:If you are feeling enthusiastic how about two more links: both in the PLEASE READ THIS FIRST! -- FORUM RULES AND GUIDELINES:
Firefox links: help yourself and "See also the NoScript Quick Start Guide for New Users".
Done (and a bit more), thanks. :)

Anyone object?
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