Signature Rules

[Cairenn]

I feel that we need a reminder of this. I've noticed a disturbing trend of late for people to have multiple large graphic blocks or a large graphic block followed by a large section of text. I'm not trying to be a party-pooper but we have the rules in place for a reason.

Originally Posted by Cairenn Signatures: We know a lot of you like to have graphic signatures. We are going to ask that if you wish to have a graphic signature that you make them not exceeding the following dimensions and size limit. Max Width = 465 pixels Max Height = 150 pixels Max File size = 30kb *Also the use of Huge or Oversized Text Anything exceeding these limits will be removed with out notice. The reason for this is tall signatures just take up way to much vertical space making it more difficult to read threads. The reason for the width limit is so all posts fit well on a 1024 x 768 screen. The file size limit is for those who have slower connections. *Please refrain from using "huge" or "large" text, especially in conjunction with larger pictures Signatures that advertise a product or service can and will result in the owner’s account being permanently banned.

Here's a graphic to show you the max dimensions for your signature, all graphics and text included:



(it's semi-transparent if you save it to your computer)

[voodoodad]

Whew! I came in just under the wire!

V--450 X 100--V 19.something Kbs

[Yhor]

I have always been curious as to what

Signatures that advertise a product or service can and will result in the owner’s account being permanently banned.

means. I see a number of sigs that 'could' fall under this, possibly even my own (if it weren't a Zam sanctioned sig).

[Kofetek]

So I guess I should remove my signature?

[Sepioth]

I assume mine are OK?? At least I know the size is.

Does the Mt.Dew one fall under the rule Yhor mentioned?

If so I will remove immediately as I DO NOT want to be banned from here..


-- EDIT --
Actually I just looked at the properties of the Child's Play one .. it exceeds the width limit by 45 pixels.. does it need to go ?

[Cairenn]

Originally Posted by Kofetek So I guess I should remove my signature?

Yours is absolutely fine Kofetek.

Yhor, et al: Gimme a break. We're not about to ban people for the "Child's Play" ones. I had one myself for a while.

We also aren't going to ban people for the Mountain Dew ones, because it is a Blizzard approved contest. But the Mountain Dew ones are causing a problem because people are using them in conjunction with their regular sig graphics, which makes the overall sig block very large. If people want to use the Mountain Dew ones right now, we'd ask that they temporarily remove their regular ones, until the Mountain Dew contest is finished and those ones are removed, at which point they can go back to their regular one.

Just use common sense here, guys. The difference of a few pixels in width or height is one thing. It's if it gets really wide, causing the horizontal size of the page to get screwed up, or if it is really tall, causing a lot of "wasted space" and vertical scrolling - that's when we're going to ask you guys to change them. We aren't unreasonable, you should know us well enough by now.

[Sepioth]

Consider it done

[acapela]

this may or may not be "off topic". if it is, i apologize.

right now, i have a wad of standard game character "signature" images assembled together in an animated GIF, standard rotating signature effect, and i am embedding that in my signature. i expect this animated GIF exceeds the preferred size.

instead, i would like to be able to construct some sort of PHP or javascript snippet that selects a random single/atomic graphic, from a variety of externally hosted images referenced by URI, and embed that in my signature, and have WoWI interpret that script on page view. but i don't see any way to do that right now.

perhaps an enhancement to the site, to permit simple scripts, accompanied by a tutorial?

having to externally host 20 lines of PHP somewhere seems overkill for this purpose (though maybe that is much easier to do than i think it is), and i have not yet been able to find a public domain "rotating signature generator" that does this in any form other than uploading/hosting full images, which also seems overkill for this purpose (IMO, easier for me to cut/paste into an animated GIF at my end and just upload that).

is there anything of an "open" nature anywhere that can do this simply by taking a list of user-provided URIs, referencing images, wrap that list of URIs up in a "randomizer" that picks one, and provide a URI of its own that executes the randomizer?

ideally, i would like to just reference individual images directly from the game character "signature" image site (and to tell you the truth, i have no idea why the game signature sites themselves do not provide a "randomizer" or "rotator" feature like this, but they don't seem to do so).

[Cralor]

You know, I actually looked for this before too. I wanted a random slogan for my signature that would change based on a set interval. I spent a lot of time trying to google for something like it but could not find anything.

[klamb213]

nvm, I think I figured it out.

[Torhal]

Originally Posted by Cairenn Just use common sense here, guys.

There you go, asking for the impossible. I mean, this is the Internet...

[Psychophan7]

Originally Posted by acapela is there anything of an "open" nature anywhere that can do this simply by taking a list of user-provided URIs, referencing images, wrap that list of URIs up in a "randomizer" that picks one, and provide a URI of its own that executes the randomizer? ideally, i would like to just reference individual images directly from the game character "signature" image site (and to tell you the truth, i have no idea why the game signature sites themselves do not provide a "randomizer" or "rotator" feature like this, but they don't seem to do so).

Attached is the PHP script I've been using. I tried to visit the sites listed in the top of the file to provide a direct link, but no dice. Props to the guy who made the script (his name is in the file).

You'll have to rename it to *.php and rehost it on another server in the same directory as the images to make it work properly. Eg:
www.google.com/omghax/norly/uhaxdgoogl/cycle.php
http://www.google.com/omghax/norly/u...ogl/image1.png
http://www.google.com/omghax/norly/u...ogl/image2.png
http://www.google.com/omghax/norly/u...ogl/image3.png
etc

Then to actually use it, you put the URL to the PHP script in place of the image URL:
[ img]www.google.com/omghax/norly/uhaxdgoogl/image1.png[/ img]
becomes
[ img]www.google.com/omghax/norly/uhaxdgoogl/cycle.php[/ img]

Without the spaces, of course.

[us2006027321]

Originally Posted by Psychophan7 www.google.com/omghax/norly/uhaxdgoogl/cycle.php www.google.com/omghax/norly/uhaxdgoogl/image1.png www.google.com/omghax/norly/uhaxdgoogl/image2.png www.google.com/omghax/norly/uhaxdgoogl/image3.png

Lovely URLs. LoL

[acapela]

Originally Posted by Psychophan7 You'll have to rename it to *.php and rehost it on another server in the same directory as the images to make it work properly.

i have seen these scripts out there. however, as i said:

Originally Posted by acapela having to externally host 20 lines of PHP somewhere seems overkill for this purpose (though maybe that is much easier to do than i think it is)

if hosting 20 lines of PHP somewhere is "much easier to do than i think it is", perhaps someone can tell me where to go and how to do it, or just point me at a tutorial for a current, PHP-capable, free service that will not wrap every served URL up in banner advertising, spam me to death, and that is accepting new subscribers (which, for instance, "google page creator" is not, and geocities has shut down completely), etc.

have not been able to find something like this yet.

[Cralor]

I know exactly what you are looking for acapela.

I sent you a PM.

[Cralor]

Originally Posted by Psychophan7 Attached is the PHP script I've been using. I tried to visit the sites listed in the top of the file to provide a direct link, but no dice. Props to the guy who made the script (his name is in the file). You'll have to rename it to *.php and rehost it on another server in the same directory as the images to make it work properly. Eg: www.google.com/omghax/norly/uhaxdgoogl/cycle.php http://www.google.com/omghax/norly/u...ogl/image1.png http://www.google.com/omghax/norly/u...ogl/image2.png http://www.google.com/omghax/norly/u...ogl/image3.png etc Then to actually use it, you put the URL to the PHP script in place of the image URL: [ img]www.google.com/omghax/norly/uhaxdgoogl/image1.png[/ img] becomes [ img]www.google.com/omghax/norly/uhaxdgoogl/cycle.php[/ img] Without the spaces, of course.

Ok I tried this out and created a directory with the cycle.php and 20 HTML files. I edited the cycle.php to allow HTML files.

If I do the img code, it seems to load forever, but if I browse to cycle.php directly, it is there working perfect.

I just tested here and it does not work. Must have protection here

[Cairenn]

Originally Posted by Cralor I just tested here and it does not work. Must have protection here

Of course. Way too easy to have Bad Things (tm) if we allow HTML.

[Cralor]

It actually is not HTML.

I tried [ img]http://subdomain.domain.tld/cycle/cycle.php[/ img]

And it did not work.

Probably still under the same circumstances, though.

[acapela]

edit: alright, using the PHP that Psychophan7 provided, and the free web hosting site that Cralor supplied, this is doable (about 10 minutes to figure out how it works and upload/configure everything), at the cost of having to refresh all my images on the hosting site at intervals. each individual signature image is around 20kb.

here is the result (refresh to view the image changing at random):

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however, it seems that, as far as a busy topic would be concerned (i.e. the comments section for Aloft, where my posts appear numerous times per visible page), all of these rotated signature images would get used anyway (i.e. no real efficiency/download volume win, on page view, versus an animated GIF containing all of them).

given how cranky some folks on the web seem to be about these things, i am going to wait for the site admins here to tell me a rotator like this is OK before i change my signature.

referencing an externally hosted URI of whatever nature (animated GIF or hosted rotator PHP), that just gets embedded in served HTML, should theoretically not be any skin off of WoWI's teeth either way, as long as i am not foisting megabytes worth of data on the end-user in the process (which i am not).

Originally Posted by Cairenn Of course. Way too easy to have Bad Things (tm) if we allow HTML.

in searching the web for ways to accomplish this, i am finding that a lot of sites threaten dire consequences (banning users, reducing the signature feature on their entire site to text-only, etc) if they catch users doing this sort of thing, i.e. referencing signature rotators in their signatures.

maybe i am better off with a plain animated GIF after all?

[Cralor]

That quite possibly might actually be the best option. I was really hoping that there was a better option than that - and you almost think why no one has created something to help with this.

I was only curious because I wanted to make an animated or "change on reload" script that would show a list of quotes, facts, or sayings I came across. I've found things that make the quotes and sayings for you, but I'd wish there was a custom option. I'm sure there is a hidden gem out there that we have not found, but until then this GIF animation is probably the best option at this point.