Miscellaneous Hacks - 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!

[buro9]

This only works for 'postbit' and not the 'postbit_legacy'.

Would be good for it to detect which is in use and use the appropriate set of regular expression patterns accordingly.

[buro9]

And you're doing a query per postbit in showthread?

So for my default setting of 50 posts per page, my showthread goes from 13 queries to 63 queries per page?

You might want to consider modifying the call for the postbits to add the email address there or better still to have mysql perform the md5 and return that.

I love this hack, it's great. And the postbit > postbit_legacy changes are small. But I can't take a performance hit like that on the database. When this bit is fixed I'll enable it again... until then disabled.

[EugeneFXI]

Buro, thank you for the feedback!

The latest version adds support for postbit_legacy, and I have moved the md5 calculation to the database query - but I can't eliminate the query (at least not until I figure out how to get the poster's email address )

Any suggestions?

[adc-arab]

great mod installed but unfortunately the avatar doesn't appear in the postbit_legacy i have a heavy modification especially at the avatar i have the prison bar mod
https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=177980

so i guess the mod can't find the target code

I really need it to work any help please

[EugeneFXI]

Hey Adc-Arab - thanks for the comment!

I'll check out how the prison bars mod interacts with the postbit and will release an update - will keep you posted.

Cheers

[adc-arab]

thank you EugeneFXI I'll be waiting for the update

[dannykilla]

Awesome, if I have any suggestions they would be;

1. To have the option upon registration and/or on the users cp, something like "use my gravatar" and enter you email address, and underneath that have the option to use an uploaded avatar.

2. Have group permissions, so that the admin can set who is allowed to use their Gravatar and who isn't.

Thanks alot Eugene.
Dan

[goshalim]

HI ,

First to tella i have install it,
But Iam looking for ta mod to force uesrs to use an AVATAR befire finishing theire registration.

Does any one knows ?

[Jim Westergren]

Just what I was looking for, thanks a lot.

[EugeneFXI]

Thanks for the feedback everybody!

At this moment in time, the FXI Gravatars plugin does exactly what I need it to do for the FX Instructor forums, which run VB 3.8.5, and while I'd love to add the features suggested in this thread, I simply don't have the time to dedicate to it.

I've enabled code-reuse on this mod, so if anyone wants to try their hand at one-upping me, you're welcome to it. I might pop back over and work on it some more if my schedule changes - but at this point it's unlikely.

I hope you all continue finding this mod extra-helpful and use its code to further benefit the VB community.