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Posted by Achilles Grytpype-Thynne (U2328687) on Thursday, 16th December 2010
As many of you are aware, we have created a script designed to facilitate using the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Messageboards.
This script runs primarily on the Firefox browser.
The recent changes have meant that our script is no longer functional.
We have now coded a substitute, based on the new-style boards; we would also like to take this opportunity to release its name, Proteus, officially [whatever that means!].
So we will be releasing Proteus v2.0 soon.
This is a work-in-progress; to begin with we intend to release the following main features:
-- deBogRoll: eliminates the "bog-roll" effect, making better use of your screen
-- formatter: adds bold, italic and underline formatting (i.e. *bold*, /italic/ and _underline_ as in the Howerd2 days).
-- infOmatics: page information enhancements and controls, including [subscribe] & [unsubscribe] links
-- posterId: lets you define (formatted and coloured) alias names for each poster
-- redecorate: adjust colours, fonts and other visuals on a per-messageboard basis
Many of you will recognise these features. There are some changes:
-- the old "declutter" has become "redecorate" and allows for more customisation of the page
-- the various information pieces have been gathered up as infOmatics. We expect that the other -Omatics will appear as time permits.
-- the posterId has been completely rewritten. We have a new way of choosing colours, which lets you to choose from all
16,777,216 colours instead of the 216 that the old script allowed.
Best wishes
Achilles and jont
Gentlemen, this news is a wonderful, wonderful Christmas present.
Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou.
Mmmmmmmmmmmwah!!!
Ok, new script can be found here:
The site help pages and the script itself are still a bit rough and
ready but usable.
Maybe experienced script users can help out the less experienced in this thread.
Achilles and jont {;¬· >···{
, in reply to message 3.
Posted by Dougals Servant (U7470526) on Thursday, 16th December 2010
This is wonderful news.
Thank you.
I suppose I really should deal with my Christmas cards before I play with it.....
Dougal's Servant
*wonderful* news. can't wait to get aliases back, and colours. Oooo, Santa came early this year.
Mwah to both of you.
, in reply to message 3.
Posted by Leaping Badger (U3587940) on Thursday, 16th December 2010
Ooh, I've just been alerted to this. Thank you both /*so*/ much for doing this. Have just installed it. Now I'm off to read the instructions (shurely shome mishtake) and work out how to link it to my saved poster IDs from the previous script.
You've made me a happy badger.
'Ö'
I've had a quick look in config at other theme colours. I /love/ the light/wheat and have that installed now.
, in reply to message 1.
Posted by Bleak_Midwinter_Squirrel_Nutcase (U2248205) on Thursday, 16th December 2010
Achilles and jont, I have just installed Proteus with absolutely no problems, in what felt like about half a minute.
It makes a fantastic difference to reading the pages.
Hearty thanks to you both for the work you have yet again put in to making Mustardland more user-friendly. Why can't the Beeb do that? They really owe you, as do we Mustardlanders. $qxx/Marie
, in reply to message 6.
Posted by Gwenllian yr ail (U5426181) on Thursday, 16th December 2010
Thank you so much! What a great Christmas present. Gwen
How wonderful - will have a play tonight when I am not shirking!
Thanks Guys - you are stars!
<< I /love/ the light/wheat and have that installed now >>
Excellent.
In all honesty, I didn't spend too long throwing together those "themes"... I maybe spent a little time longer on that particular one.
The main reason for the "theme sharing" is because the "redecorate" settings are so dastardly daunting and complex... and also it is actually quite difficult to make a good looking colour scheme. So I thought I'd throw together some starter themes and let people select those.
More experienced (read: less frightened) users can make their own "themes" and share them for others (this also takes some of the pressure off us two).
If you manage to make a nice "theme" then feel free to share it.
Feel free to make crappy practice ones if you like but I politely request that you remove any crappy test ones otherwise the theme list will get cluttered. We can remove them if you don't... but we don't want to have to play the part of theme admins.
But, make a nice theme, give it a short name and brief description and do share it.
Note: theme sharing is set up to only allow you to share if you are signed into the boards at the time you go to the share page (via the config)... and the code uses your bbc/dna member id to attribute ownership of the theme (so only the original sharer can edit / delete it). For this reason, we (Achilles and I) *will* be able to know which poster shared a theme whether you alter the theme's author name or not. If you are not happy wth this requirement then you are not obliged to use the sharing facility.
jont {;¬· >···{
, in reply to message 7.
Posted by Achilles Grytpype-Thynne (U2328687) on Thursday, 16th December 2010
I've had a quick look in config at other theme colours. Â
Ah, themes.
I neglected to mention them above.
You can use a saved theme; if you're logged in, you can save your own, but note that there's no privacy -- everyone can see your beautiful handiwork.
But evidently they are useable as-is, without further documentation, which is a testament to Jont's coding and layout.
By-the-by, one thing that is completely different is the posterAlias editor; this is the popup that edits the alias for a user, if you turn posterID on and use the "richly featured editor" (not my words, honest!). I have written a help page for that, which you can access through the link above or see directly at . Of course you will all make a point of reading through the instructions, won't you?
Best wishes
Achilles
, in reply to message 12.
Posted by Achilles Grytpype-Thynne (U2328687) on Thursday, 16th December 2010
a testament to Jont's coding and layout.Â
"Testament"? Obviously I meant "testimony". Sorry, as you were.
We must get postOmatic working...
, in reply to message 1.
Posted by virtual_jan (U13662056) on Thursday, 16th December 2010
Thank you both so so much!
v_j
, in reply to message 1.
Posted by dean volecape (U1477030) on Thursday, 16th December 2010
Thank you thank you thank you
ps, no disrespect to NotInventedHere or whatever they were called who provided a really helpful interim script, without which . . . .
, in reply to message 1.
Posted by carrick-bend (U2288869) on Thursday, 16th December 2010
Thank you, Achilles and jont - it's my birthday on the 25th, so a Christmas and birthday present for me.
Thanks
Thanks
Christmas has come early.
, in reply to message 15.
Posted by Achilles Grytpype-Thynne (U2328687) on Thursday, 16th December 2010
Absolutely. And not just "interim". There's room for both scripts; NIH's script is much shorter and simpler, but if it does all you want, it
will probably do it faster than Proteus.
Indeed.
I think we meant to acknoweldge that script in the OP, but it maybe got lost in the excitement (read: panic)
Actually, I feel a little bit bad about this 'cos it looks like we are maybe trying to trump NIH's fine work and that is not our intent.
In fact, I think that the NIH script certainly has its own place, it's lightweight (our script is quite heavy) and does a lot of what a lot of people might need... and it may be a better bet for those using a lower performance machine (eg: a notebook).
Also, in a way, we owe a debt of gratitude to NIH because we felt under a lot of pressure to get /something/ out much sooner because the boards are/were so attrocious. With the release of the NIH script that immediate pressure was taken off us and we felt more comfortable in delaying a release in order to put a few more features in.
So, thank you to NIH and I do hope that you don't feel like we have stolen your thunder. Apols if so.
jont {;¬· >···{
, in reply to message 15.
Posted by OxfordBookMan (U14598500) on Thursday, 16th December 2010
Thanks very much from me too.
But if you use IE8........erm?
, in reply to message 18.
Posted by Bleak_Midwinter_Squirrel_Nutcase (U2248205) on Thursday, 16th December 2010
I'm very sorry; I missed NIH's script. I'm sure NIH deserves gratitude too.
I have to say, though, using the new Proteus makes me feel as though I have returned home to Mustardland. I can find and keep track of threads and my own contributions; I can read more easily from the de-bog-rolled version; and it is easier on the eye. I have not yet explored all the features, but I am happy even at the basic level.
Thank you again.
, in reply to message 1.
Posted by Elnora Cornstalk (U5646495) on Thursday, 16th December 2010
Oh my goodness. Just seen this. Am going to catch a train, but this has made my Christmas. Can't wait to get home and try it!
Thank you, a hundred times, you Two.
A big Mwah, and line up the skips!
Elnora xxxxxxx
, in reply to message 21.
Posted by virtual_jan (U13662056) on Thursday, 16th December 2010
Dracs do you /have/ to use IE8? I use IE for most things but use FF for these message boards - because they sure need help to make them usable and only FF withits add ons (plus our wonderful new Proteus script) can deliver, it seems .
And thanks from me as well to NIH - I found his/her script very helpful- downloaded it as soon as it was available.
v_j
, in reply to message 24.
Posted by Mermaid the Swishy-Fishy-Tailed Wise One (U10731448) on Thursday, 16th December 2010
You two are wonderful!
, in reply to message 25.
Posted by Sister Gnome of Wibbling Plume DefiantUntoThingy (U14268086) on Thursday, 16th December 2010
Perrrrrrrrrrfect!
Thank you thank you thank you.
[crashes off to get some mistletoe]
[crashes back with a bough]
[puckering sound font ON] BRACE!!
Oh.
They can run, but they can't hide.
Another happy and grateful user here. Many thanks Jont, Achilles and NIH.
I was not a user of the previous script because needed IE for other websites. Now realise I can have both Firefox and IE on separate icons so no problems. At first glance Proteus fixes all the main problems with ML, so am now off to look at other Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Boards.
Thanks very much Guys, can't tell you how much I appreciate all your hard work, dedication beyond the call of duty.
cheers,
jim.
, in reply to message 28.
Posted by The Vintneres Driver (U5034590) on Thursday, 16th December 2010
A big thank you from me. Mustardland is back, at least whilst I'm using the Heavy Mustard theme.
I'm so pleased to be rid of the useless "recent threads" feature too.
, in reply to message 29.
Posted by The Vintneres Driver (U5034590) on Thursday, 16th December 2010
A big thank you from me. Mustardland is back, at least whilst I'm using the Heavy Mustard theme.
I'm so pleased to be rid of the useless "recent threads" feature too. Â
Testing boxes. (I hope)
, in reply to message 22.
Posted by Dougals Servant (U7470526) on Thursday, 16th December 2010
$quigs
It is wonderful. It makes ML such a nice place again. Trouble is I could now sit here and play instead of getting on. We have boxed quotes, we are debogrolled, we have subscribe and there is catch-up. Apart from the awful look of the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú offering I felt as though I had tunnel vision and was missing things. I had been using the Script so so long that I think I was rather guilty of forgetting that actually the old boards weren't that good without it and I didn't appreciate it as much as I should. I really do now.
D's S
, in reply to message 30.
Posted by virtual_jan (U13662056) on Thursday, 16th December 2010
testing boxes. (I hope)Â
Yay I too have boxes again! Now you can really see what is a quote ...
Such fun!
v_j
, in reply to message 30.
Posted by Doctor Darling (U10735496) on Thursday, 16th December 2010
I could weep with joy, honestly I could.
But I won't because I'm on my fourth laptop, due to liquid/keyboard interface accidents, and the spotty youths wreathed in clouds of Lynx at PC World now exchange Significant Looks when I go in there.
But gosh! When I think of the time and work you have sweetly put into this, just to make ML lovelier.....
< lip quivers >
'Scuse me - I'm just getting a towel to cover my keyboard.
Thank you, you clever, kind pair.
Yes! I am /so/ happy to have the formatting back too!
I've now got the 'Strong mustard' theme, with a beige background (with NoSquint), and am very happy with that.
< (with NoSquint) >
Please, what does NoSquint do for you, Bette?
jont {;¬· >···{
Well, I'm still playing around, but I can choose to have more, or less, mustard background.
OOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What a lovely surprise after a number of days away from the boards!
Have just installed it, easy-peasy, after switching off all the other add-ons I was using to substantially change the look of the boards (NoSquint, Addblock, MLFormat), so as to start off 'clean' as it were, off now for long play - for starters, need to get rid of the grey background everywhere, and do something about the font size...
Will let you know how I get on soonest, but am thrilled to bits. Multiple mwahs,
: D Katy
Maybe you could start off by installing the largeSerifNeutral theme and go from there.
I did intend to create a theme with settings as close to what you once used, Katy... but I couldn't find the thread where you pasted your settings.
jont {;¬· >···{
Jont, I'm trying out different colours in aliases, but can't seem to change the text colour, and is there some way I can make my own palette of background colours (rather than typing in the #n° each time)?
Confused Bette.
That's more like it. Thank you very much you two.
, in reply to message 38.
Posted by Katy Tulip (U2239809) on Thursday, 16th December 2010
Maybe you could start off by installing the largeSerifNeutral theme and go from there.Â
Just done it, font's way better for me now,, but still need to tweak quite a bit, mainly to the colours.
Sorry to be a pain, but I don't know the codes for the colours. My former settings were:
Background colour: white
foreground colour: black
border colour: Burleywood
font family: "Times new Roman"; font-size: 18 px! important;
I've been using Arial + 16pt with MLFormat up to now.
Tweak tweak,
: ) Katy
, in reply to message 40.
Posted by Doctor Darling (U10735496) on Thursday, 16th December 2010
I'm having /so/ /much/ /fun/ just playing!
Oh....
[Oh good grief - the waterworks again! - Ed]
<< (rather than typing in the #n° each time >>
Is Achilles' colour picker thingie not working as advertised then?
jont {;¬· >···{
, in reply to message 43.
Posted by Katy Tulip (U2239809) on Thursday, 16th December 2010
D'urrr - not used to working with colour picker thingy, didn't realise you had to click on it to get the colour spectrum with sildey thingy!
She said, using top-notch techno-speak....
Katy
Oh you sweethearts! A lump has come to my throat and tears have sprung to my eyes [ got a horrible cold.]
Truly it's more than we deserve - just one or two of the features would have pleased me. The ability to catch up from the point you left off is priceless on its own.
And I tell you what - it makes the Beeb contractors and their homogenised message board experience look like the cut price bodgers we suspected all along. Good luck to them and the tablet surfing generation with the three inch display.
Is Achilles' colour picker thingie not working as advertised then?Â
Oh, it seems to be working wonderfully. I'm just not used to having such a vast choice!
PS to Jont re colour picker: If I choose (say) gold as background colour (eg, you and Achilles), that colour then becomes the default colour. Um, is that supposed to happen?
In case you didn't know you can get an add-on for Firefox that allows you to switch easily to IE, either manually or automatically.
IE TAB plus
If anyone is tempted to use the theme sharing page then please be aware that:
- it looks a bit kludgy but basically works ok, it could do with a lot of improvements
- the [update] button, at this moment, only updates the name/description/author fields of an existing theme. This is by design(*)
- if you want to share your current working theme then you have to share it as a new one
-- if your intention was to update an existing theme of yours to your current settings then you will need to share a new one (with a new name) and delete the old one
* I think I've decided that that was a bad design decision (I was terribly tired) and that it might be better to be able to update all of the data; name/description/author *and* settings.
Feedback welcome (if maybe ignored <-- yeah, there really is a smiley just there)
jont {;¬· >···{
I feel as if I've hit the jackpot today! We've got a wonderful new Script, I can use smileys (if I want to! - which I /do/ at the moment) and I've managed to watch the Apprentice and 'You're Fired' on iPlayer (Katy, are you reading this?).
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