Displaying avatars in forum blocks

[LostInCyberLand]

I am running 4.2.2 Pristine and am unable to get avatars to display beside the 'New posts' 'New Threads' etc in forum blocks and was wondering if anyone had figured out a work around for this. Thanks.

[HM666]

What do you mean exactly? Do you have a screen shot or a link that we can see what the problem is?

[ku-med]

if you mean custom avatars don't show up in the side blocks then you've to set the permission for /images/avatars/thumbs to chmod 777
then from admincp --> Maintenance > Update Counters > Rebuild Custom Avatar thumbnails

or if you want to display avatar near the last post in forumdisplay i think you need to install a product like this one -> Last Poster Avatar (https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=275406)

[LostInCyberLand]

Hi. I am meaning the blocks to the right. I have an example of another website that has the avatars beside the posts in the forum blocks and can be seen here

http://www.dallascowboysuniverse.com/forum.php

I was not necessarily looking for avatars on the forum it'slef. Although I do admit they make the forum look more personable and 'alive' with real people.

I am not sure, do you find your users prefer avatars on the forum it'self or not? I am only going by the big forums who don't seem to do anything like that.

Although by having avatars in the forum blocks I am trying to make the forum more personable without making it too much by having them on the forum also.

Any advice is always welcome. Thanks again for the helpful replies.

[HM666]

That is a problem in the skin then you would need to contact the original skin author for help on that one. That usually comes standard with a skin unless the person who created the skin took it out for whatever reason.

[LostInCyberLand]

Thanks HM666 for clarification of this. I am unable to contact the original creator. I may just use the mod ku-med mentioned above and hopefully that will restore avatars everywhere. I guess more avatars will give the feeling of the presence of people which may benefit the forum.

Although then again that mod seems to only be for the forum it'self.

Either that or I just leave it as is.

[HM666]

Well installing a mod will not fix your problem if its in the templates of your custom skin or of a skin you bought and that person saw fit to take that bit out of the template. It will not matter what you install you will NOT see the avatars if they took it out. Give us a link to your site so we can see what the issue is.

[ku-med]

Does it showing only the default avatar not the custom ones .. if yes then I think your problem with the image folder's permission in your server. Double check if it's given chmod 777 or not.

[LostInCyberLand]

Hi. Custom avatars show up fine in posts. Nothing special to see, it is just the Pristine style. Shows no avatars default or custom in forum blocks to the right with 'new posts' etc. I have decided to leave as is as all the 'big boards' are very minimal and seem to be very successful. Yes you are right it is something that has been taken out of the skin and not something fixed with a mod. I do wonder why someone would take out that feature as the board does look lifeless as a result. I just think if everyone is going mobile I won't worry anymore about micro managing what it looks like on a traditional screen.

[Gio~Logist]

Hi. Custom avatars show up fine in posts. Nothing special to see, it is just the Pristine style. Shows no avatars default or custom in forum blocks to the right with 'new posts' etc. I have decided to leave as is as all the 'big boards' are very minimal and seem to be very successful. Yes you are right it is something that has been taken out of the skin and not something fixed with a mod. I do wonder why someone would take out that feature as the board does look lifeless as a result. I just think if everyone is going mobile I won't worry anymore about micro managing what it looks like on a traditional screen.

For forums, the whole "everyone is going mobile aspect" is hit or miss. Some still only get about 7% traffic on mobile, which is pretty low. I would install analytics and take a look for yourself to get a better understanding of where and how your members are accessing your site.

[LostInCyberLand]

I am so stupid. I thought it was the Pristine style that had removed the function. It is not. As I was the only person posting, with a custom avatar, I never noticed the problem!

Someone else posted today and the default avatar showed up beside their name in the forum block. So I will have to do as you advised and change the settings to chmod 777. Thanks for the help.

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Hi I am having trouble setting the permission for /images/avatars/thumbs to chmod 777.

Currently I only have one category called Generic Avatars.

Do I create new categories for Custom Avatars. Sorry a bit lost.

[HM666]

I am so stupid. I thought it was the Pristine style that had removed the function. It is not. As I was the only person posting, with a custom avatar, I never noticed the problem!

Someone else posted today and the default avatar showed up beside their name in the forum block. So I will have to do as you advised and change the settings to chmod 777. Thanks for the help.

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Hi I am having trouble setting the permission for /images/avatars/thumbs to chmod 777.

Currently I only have one category called Generic Avatars.

Do I create new categories for Custom Avatars. Sorry a bit lost.

No you do not have to for custom avatars. If you are referring to an avatars you uploaded to your site for your account then you only need to CHMOD the customavatars directory found in the forum root directory to 777.

[ku-med]

Hi I am having trouble setting the permission for /images/avatars/thumbs to chmod 777.

Currently I only have one category called Generic Avatars.

Do I create new categories for Custom Avatars. Sorry a bit lost.

I think you're referring doing that in admincp which you can't set any file permission there. And no you don't need to create any additional folders.

You have to do that in c-panel -> files manager or through FTP client.

Install any free FTP clients like FileZilla then log into your server in the forum directory -> images -> avatar -> thumbs ( Right click on thumbs folder and choose set permission then enter 777 .. done!)

Then don't forget in the admincp do the following:

Maintenance > Update Counters > Rebuild Custom Avatar thumbnails

[LostInCyberLand]

Thankyou for sharing this helpful advice. I was able to get someone to help me fix this and custom avatars now show up in the forum blocks. It makes the forum look populated and much more alive. Thankyou for being so helpful, great community of good honest people here.

[LostInCyberLand]

Hi I am having another avatar related problem. A new member told me they can't find a button or anything to allow them to upload an avatar. I created a dummy test account and also found this. If anyone can help me with this that would be great.

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I am unsure if this was a issue before or after I had someone implement the procedure above to allow custom avatars to show up alongside forum threads in the forum blocks.

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Sorry turns out the permission to use custom avatars wasn't enabled in the Registered Users Usergroup.