User Default Font/Color/Size hack

First hack... please be gentle :

WHAT IT DOES:

It allows the user to specify in their profile what size, color and font that they wish to use in all their posts. This is esentially the same as surrounding stuff with SIZE, COLOR, FONT, but makes it easier.

It also uses the vbcode templates already in the system, so users can select from any of the fonts & colors you have already defined. This avoids users inputing colors that don't exist and fonts that no one else has on their systems.

INSTALLABLES

3 file mods
4 template adds
3 template mods

PROPS

Palmer ofShinra inspired the original version here, so massive props to him. I wanted to take his idea and make it more user friendly (and was tired of trying to explain to people why 'puke green' didn't work as a color).

Also, every other hacker out here (Lesane, Erwin, FireFly, Xenon, C.Birch, futureal, and a hundred others) for busting their butts and putting hacks out and for saying that if you want to do something, learn to do it. Inspiration at its finest.

BUGS

If you run TomBot, TomBot has a problem with the FONT/COLOR/SIZE tags. The fix is two posts below

Okay... let me know

FIXES

1) Fixed Spelling of 'Verdana' - Thanks Vivi!
2) Fixed for Multiple Styles - Thanks Zelda!
3) Added & fixed user ability to use default via ON/OFF - Again, Thanks Zelda!
4) Added ability to remember defaults.

[Zelda-King]

I tested it. Works fine. Great work!

What'd be even better is if people could have custom fonts set but still use the default colours. Size/font isn't an issue but you really should be able to use two out of the three functions and still be able to keep to the default colour (unless you set it manually otherwise), for the sake of multiple forum styles.

Other than that, there's the matter of having to fix your settings every time you edit your profile.

Once that's all sorted out I'd say you're good to go. Also, the ON/OFF button stays as you set it (it doesn't revert) so that's good.

[TalkHardRandy]

DEFAULTS IS FIXED!!!

It's sloppy & I don't like it, but short of rewriting every template and dumping a bunch of extras into the member.php, it should work. Text file has been updated. Be sure to read through it as I change all the templates.

Let's see what breaks now, shall we?

[TalkHardRandy]

Originally posted by Zelda-King
What'd be even better is if people could have custom fonts set but still use the default colours. Size/font isn't an issue but you really should be able to use two out of the three functions and still be able to keep to the default colour (unless you set it manually otherwise), for the sake of multiple forum styles.

You mean their own fonts that they use? It could be done, but it wouldn't be displayed for the others unless they had the same fonts installed.

I included font size because, I love Garamond, but set to 2 is too small... it needs to be set to 3. Other fonts are the same way.

Glad you guys like... definately good for the ol' ego...

[Zelda-King]

Yeah, I just mean people might want to use custom fonts in the default colours (which'd cause less of a clashing problem with themes unless they wanted to alter their colour). Like... I could select your 'times new roman' custom font, update the profile and the colour would be default so it goes with all the themes.

I installed the updates. I see why you don't like it. It's just a teensy bit odd when you change your customs and you see your old choice repeated at the top, but yeah, it works. You made pretty good progress today.

[Link14716]

This is actually a lot easier to do with custom profile fields and doing it that way gives your users the freedom to enter a HEX value, so that's how I'd do it.

[TalkHardRandy]

Originally posted by Link14716
This is actually a lot easier to do with custom profile fields and doing it that way gives your users the freedom to enter a HEX value, so that's how I'd do it.

Agreed... it was easier that way.

The problem we kept coming across was the users would send PM's saying, "Why doesn't my color/font work?", only to find out that 'seafoam' isn't a real color (and don't ask about the HEX code problems) or someone would have 'Burton's Nightmare' loaded on their computer, but no one else did.

We wanted to make it easier on the users who use it.

[TalkHardRandy]

Originally posted by Zelda-King
Like... I could select your 'times new roman' custom font, update the profile and the colour would be default so it goes with all the themes.

I see what you mean... an ON/OFF per option.

I tried it originally and discovered it makes a whole bunch of extra code in the newthread & newreply. Each would have a SELECT statement with six options, as opposed to a single on/off. If you only want to user one part of it, Palmer's hack is much simplier, except, like I said, you have to input manually what you want. I never figured out a way to tie it into the vbcode_bits.

You made pretty good progress today.

Thanks a lot Z... you help muchos. I'm just waiting to see if anyone else installs and has problems/suggestions. One of my users suggested adding a glow option to it, but I told him to use the GLOW tags instead. Hurts my eyes :laugh:

[nnjj.net]

exe. is't ok to install it or still having probs?

thanx

[Zelda-King]

It's working fine for me. I added a load of fonts in the vbcode_fontbits template. All tested on vB first to make sure they work for everyone. I've got 30 fonts in there now.

And here it is;

<option value="verdana">Verdana</option>
<option value="arial">Arial</option>
<option value="times new roman">Times new roman</option>
<option value="courier new">Courier</option>
<option value="chasm">Chasm</option>
<option value="dolphin">Dolphin</option>
<option value="kelt">Kelt</option>
<option value="ms sans serif">Ms sans serif</option>
<option value="mirror">Mirror</option>
<option value="quixley let">Quixley let</option>
<option value="ruach let">Ruach let</option>
<option value="shorthand">Shorthand</option>
<option value="surfer">Surfer</option>
<option value="tahoma">Tahoma</option>
<option value="terminal">Terminal</option>
<option value="westminster">Westminster</option>
<option value="bangle">Bangle</option>
<option value="eurasia">Eurasia</option>
<option value="lynda cursive">Lynda cursive</option>
<option value="gaze">Gaze</option>
<option value="lucida sans">Lucida sans</option>
<option value="paris">Paris</option>
<option value="system">System</option>
<option value="tempus sans">Tempus sans</option>
<option value="university roman let">University roman let</option>
<option value="victorian let">Victorian let</option>
<option value="bimini">Bimini</option>
<option value="fixedsys">Fixedsys</option>
<option value="la bamba let">La bamba let</option>
<option value="cataneo bt">Cataneo bt</option>

I'd put them alphabetically but the default 'first' one is Verdana.

I recommend that setup. Those fonts're OK on vB as opposed to... some other ones.

[TalkHardRandy]

Originally posted by nnjj.net
exe. is't ok to install it or still having probs?

thanx

No problems... all fixed...