What's with the giant sigs?

[JuzamDjinn]

In MOST cases these things are bigger than the post. I know I dont bother to look at them, does anyone else? They make for way too much scrolling. And I know that we already have alot of space reserved due to the left marigin but it's almost like the user expects their post to be one or two lines.

It just seems pompus to feel the need to have a 4x6inch sig under every post.

I know I'm too new to be critical of anything, but it is something that is irritating.

For a perfect example look at page 5 of the "im not racist, but..." thread, the screen space is atleast 40% signatures.

[Victoria]

We have rules against large sigs like that, and if you see any, you should PM a staff member to let them know about it. Or even leave the person a VM letting them know that their sig is breaking the size rule and to put it under a spoiler.

[Merlin]

I'd have to agree with JuzamDijinn on sigs. I've been saying it for years that the average sig size is too big. And please don't tell me to turn off sigs in the User CP... that is not a solution.

Sigs were meant to be short and concise. Usually a picture no larger than mine and a single line of text. In fact, I didn't put text because of the size of the image I went with. If I wanted text, I would make the image smaller. Anything more than that is not a sig... it is an advertisement. If people want to know more, they can go to your Member page. That is what it is designed for.

I think the main problem is that the staff doesn't want to hurt anyone's feelings, so its easier to just ignore the problem rather than deal with all the whiners who want too much. I say limit the suckers, but I know it won't happen.

[Treize]

I agree too. I think the signature limit is way too high and should be changed. People don't even have to break the rules for their sigs to be too big. 600 pixels for the height of a sig is way too much. When using tabs and toolbars, I can't even view 600 pixels in my browser. I don't want my entire browser window to be one person's sig when viewing a thread. I've even seen people break this rule, and it hasn't been enforced too well. It's been like this for years, but I don't think it's too late to make a change!

[Merlin]

I don't even see the max size listed in the rules...it should be. And yes, 600px is too much for a picture, and a sig for that matter. Also of note, wtf is up with people posting huge-ass images in their actual message? example

[LocoColt04]

Either that or slap a scroll bar on them.

This.

Scrollbars are dumb and will incite rage. Changes will occur naturally.

[Merlin]

I wasn't going to modify TFF Light, rather add a new one. I can change TFF Light/Dark if you want...

Sweet! I added a mod that will re-size images that are too big. When you click on the image it will have a pop-up to show you the full-size version. Sigs, posts, and albums can each have their own sizes. I've successfully tested it in the latest versions of Firefox, IE, and Opera. Don't have Chrome yet as I'm still reinstalling all my software from my weekend computer refresh.

Right now I have this, which can be changed easily:
Sigs: 500px wide X 400px tall
Posts/Albums: 500px wide X 500px tall

The actual values will need to be decided. I made them bigger than I think they should be so it shouldn't affect most people. If it did affect your picture, then you're probably breaking the rules anyway...

There is a new tag called "imglink" which can be used if you want an image to link to somewhere. The regular img tag linking goes to the larger version of an image now.

EDIT: Right now the mod is not viewable on TFF Light/Dark so that the staff can ponder on it. Sorry!

[rJ floW]

I agree. How dare people make me scroll through a thread when they post a needless picture in a thread. You know how hard scrolling is?? I don't even have one of those fancy mouses where I can use a little scrolly ball to make it easier to scroll!

Totally unnecessary

[JuzamDjinn]

..but, yours is huge Mr. floW



[yes, I know what that looks like ]

[Merlin]

You know how hard scrolling is?? I don't even have one of those fancy mouses where I can use a little scrolly ball to make it easier to scroll!

If you are having difficulty navigating the forums, please create a topic about it in the help section. Discussing it here, is as you say "totally unnecessary". Thanks.

The changes to image size limitations have been successfully tested on the basic layout and will be implemented starting today. As for the total size of sigs, that one is still under investigation.

[che]

User Cp --> Edit Options --> Visible Post Elements --> Show Signatures.

[Merlin]

That is not a solution. Putting blinders on to cover up a problem only makes it worse.

[che]

Definitely is a solution...temporarily!

[Merlin]

I've fixed a bug where sigpics were bypassing the signature image reduction. Now both sigpics and external images larger than 500 x 250 will be reduced.

[Kyreaan]

I agree with Merlin. The sig should be kept basic, to the point, and concise. I've been caught myself with information 'dumping' into a sig. I also like the idea of adding another option other than TFF Light/Dark instead of changing one.

A line of text stating the make or origin of the picture, considering the size, can also be a little much. Something that seems too busy can be a little annoying. Wrapping the BB code with a [URL= coding or grabbing the sig pic tags and wrap it with your target site is more simple. It shows where you got it, along with credit in the Address.

Some people like to use spoiler like answers for their sig. Depending on what you're trying to show, using PHP coding or just CODE tags with wrapping can shrink the sig and turn it into a toolbar. That way you have an option to view thumbnails or sites or view awards by scrolling their sig. I thought about making thumbnails inside a toolbar showing "Background music:" on top and have a couple of small-window youtubes you see while scrolling down inside a small box. It's pretty easy, and you don't need to worry about the Html code restriction.

Beyond that, the BB or IMG codes are limited for your sig. There are ways to get around this. You can 'preview sig' while checking how much you cut off from full size video tags or maybe just use a music toolbar inserted into your CODE tags with wrapping. Another option would be to animate a gif turning TFF awards into something that looks like a buddyicon for an iPhone.