FXI Gravatars - Automatically Replace Avatars (all, custom, or empty) with Gravatars!
 

I was looking for a mod that forces all users on my forum to use Gravatars, but couldn't find anything at all, except mention that VB 4.0 will have this feature built in... so I decided to learn to make VB mods and give it a try myself.

This mod will replace user avatars for showthread.php, showpost.php, member.php, and memberlist.php with Gravatars (Globally Available Avatars).

You can learn more about Gravatars at http://www.gravatar.com

Installation:
1. Just install the XML file via Add/Import Product, and you're set.
2. You can configure the maximum Gravatar rating, default image, and sizes via the AdminCP under "FXI - Gravatar". You can also set up which users you want the Gravatars to be used for - all users, only those with avatars, or only those without avatars.

Uninstallation:
1. Just uninstall the product and you're done.

Upgrading:
1. Just set "Allow Overwrite" to Yes and install as usual.

Caveats:
1. This mod relies on automatic template edits to postbit (or postbit_legacy), memberinfo_block_ministats, and memberlist_resultsbit, so if you made heavy modifications to these areas, my changes might not take if it can't find the target code.
2. If you notice any areas where the "old" avatars are still in place and not being replaced by my mod - please let me know!

Demo Site:
http://forums.fxinstructor.com

Change Log:
1.0 - 2009.02.20 (Initial Release)
1.1 - 2009.03.27

+ Optionally replace avatars only for users with avatars
+ Optionally replace avatars only for users without avatars.
+ Now works without having to disable the built-in avatar system.
+ Works on the memberlist avatar display too.

1.2 - 2009.04.09

+ Support for postbit_legacy
+ Moved MD5 calculation to MySQL query

Enjoy!

Nice i will give it a try later.

I would install but I don't want to force users to have Gavartar plus I am using Facebook connect so I don't want it to have a huge impact on my site and cause errors anyway of having an option where they can still use custom avatars but have the option to enter gavartar username and passowrd which will upload there avatar from there.

Rickeo, that is a valid concern - when I work on this some more, I'll try to make this selectable on a per-user basis. But like I wrote in the description - I needed something NOW, and this does the job. Quick n' dirty, but effective.

I haven't encountered any problems yet - you can see how it looks at http://forums.fxinstructor.com

Yeah it is a good start but I will also wait for another version that can support the ability to either use a custom uploaded avatar or one from gravatar.

Thanks, installed...

If the user dont use a custom avatar uploaded by himself then we force a gravatar for him.
i mean use gravatar as default avatar until they upload a custom one.

Btw, nice mod! :D

What if we give an option through profile fields as "Use my gravatar".
If choosen then we could put the gravatar. Else normal avatar.

Thank you for the feedback, guys! I will try to overcome the limitations of this version for my next release, so stay tuned.

Great suggestions!

Just posted version 1.1 which deals with several issues which have been discussed so far, mainly the ability to select which groups of users get their avatars replaced - everybody, those with avatars, or those without avatars.

For the next version I will try to let users themselves choose what they want to use. For now its still in the hands of the admin.