RealityRipple
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- Posted: Sat, 29 Aug 2009 08:45:00 +0000
GaiaFormat
An enhanced text formatter for GaiaOnline Forums, Private Messages, Guilds, and Profile comments.
An enhanced text formatter for GaiaOnline Forums, Private Messages, Guilds, and Profile comments.
Mozilla Add-on Page: https://realityripple.com/Software/Mozilla-Extensions/GaiaFormat/
Latest Build: 2.7.1
GaiaFormat was originally created as a stripped-down version of the TekTek toolbar, with only the post formatting abilities for space and efficiency. Since its initial version, there have been updates to much of the code, including a more built-in feeling for some of the features, and an entirely new feature, which I hope will be quite useful to the members of Gaia: Extra Formatting for text within key characters.
Extra Formatting means that any text within "quotation marks" can be formatted especially, for example. It also means that the user can just hit Submit instead of wasting time setting up every post exactly the way he or she wants it to look.
Setting Up GaiaFormat
Whenever you want to change the settings on GaiaFormat, you simply go to Tools and click Add-ons. This will bring up the Add-ons window, listing all the extensions, themes, and plugins you have installed on Firefox. Make sure you're on the Extensions list and find GaiaFormat. Select it and click Options to open the GaiaFormat Options dialog. The Options dialog contains all the settings you'll need to fully customize every post you make on Gaia. A basic rundown is as follows:
Standard Formatting
Prefix Text: Text and BBCode that will precede every message you send. You can modify the overall style of the text, add a header to your posts, or pretty much anything you want.
Suffix Text: Text and BBCode that will follow every message you send. This is most often used to close whatever tags you opened in the Prefix text, but can also be used to add a footer or other such things.
Messages To Format: Hopefully the selection here is self-explanatory. If you don't want certain posts to be formatted, simply uncheck them. For example, if you don't want profile comments to have your special formatting applied to them, you uncheck the Comments box, and comments will be ignored by GaiaFormat.
Forum Post Style: This dropdown is only available if Forum Posts is checked (see the previous entry). This setting will automatically select a Post Style, just as you'd select one for forum posts. As of version 0.7, this feature applies to formatted Quick Reply messages as well.
Extra Formatting
Extra Formatting is a new feature in version 0.4, allowing for special text to have extra applied formatting. The checkbox toggles whether this feature is used or not.
The List Box: This box lists all the extra formatting rules you've created, using the left and right keys (see below) to identify each rule. You can select a rule to modify it, or use the Add and Remove buttons below the box to create new rules or delete rules you no longer want.
Left Key: The Left Key is the starting position. It can be a single character, such as a quotation mark ["] or open parenthesis [(], or something a little more detailed, such as a string of characters [--*]. The special Prefix text will be applied at the beginning of the Left Key.
Right Key: The Right Key is the end of the Extra Formatting. Like the Left Key, it can be a single character ["or ) for example] or a string [/*--]. The special Suffix text is added to the end of the Right key, thus encapsulating all text within the keys, and the keys themselves, in whatever formatting you provide.
Both the Left and Right Key can be the same thing, but you must make sure to have an opening and closing Key, or Extra Formatting will not be applied. The Right Key must come after the Left Key.
Prefix and Suffix Text: Exactly the same as the Prefix and Suffix Text at the top of the Options window, except applied only to text within (and including) the Keys.
Import/Export
Importing and Exporting is a new feature in version 0.5 which lets you save and load formats from XML files.
Import: If you have received or exported a GaiaFormat XML, you may import it by clicking this button and navigating to the file. The format will automatically be loaded. If you already have a style, you may want to export it before importing a new one, or your changes will be lost when you hit OK.
Export: Saving your format can be useful for a variety of reasons. If you want to create a special style for a friend, or if you use multiple computers and want to have the same formatting on all of them, or if you just want to make a backup in case something happens, you can simply click the Export button and save the file to any location. The format will be explained below.
GaiaFormat XML: XML, Extensible Markup Language, is a widely used set of rules. HTML is an example of one family of extensions. GaiaFormat XML is a very strict format at the moment, as the reader does not use a true XML parser and simply grabs the expected data from expected positions in the file. Thus, it is always best to use the Import and Export features rather than trying to modify or create an XML file yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: What can GaiaFormat be used with?
A: GaiaFormat is compatible with Firefox 1.5 through 56, Pale Moon 25 and newer, as well as SeaMonkey 2.1 through 2.40. It works exclusively on GaiaOnline.com, in the forums, in private messages, in guilds, and in profile comments.
Q: How do I change the style?
A: See the Setting Up GaiaFormat section.
Q: What's the difference between this and TekTek Toolbar? What does GaiaFormat have that TekTek doesn't?
A: TekTek Toolbar has a wide variety of features and modifications. GaiaFormat focuses solely on modifying posts automatically. It's much smaller, the code is a little cleaner, and it has the Extra Formatting feature, which is available only in GaiaFormat. Importing and Exporting are likewise unique to GaiaFormat.
Q: What if I don't want to apply formatting to one of my posts?
A: There should be a Disable Formatting option in the Post Style selection on each post page. Simply select the option from the dropdown before hitting Submit, and this post will be skipped.
Q: Where can I report bugs and problems? How can I get help?
A: Ask your question in this thread. I'll do my best to help you. Check through the thread before you ask, in case your question has already been answered.
Q: Can I use this in Internet Explorer, Opera, Safari, or Chrome?
A: No. This extension is for Mozilla products only. It is compatible with Pale Moon, and will not be developed by me for any other browser, though anyone who wishes is free to port it.
Q: How can I be sure this is safe?
A: All Mozilla extensions are open source by nature. If you have the extension, you can see the code for it. If you don't understand Javascript and XUL, you can find resources online, or a friend might be able to help you out.
Known Issues
- Don't expect this extension to get along with the TekTek toolbar. I haven't tried it, but I'm guessing both extensions will attempt to format the post and you'll get a mess of BBCode in your post.
Miscellaneous
Thank you to Tekton for creating the TekTek toolbar. Thank you testers, especially Jellybean! A big thanks to you, whoever you are, for looking at and trying out my program. Feel free to use, modify, and play with this and everything else I've released.
Disclaimer
It is painfully clear that ownership is an entirely pointless concept. I, therefore, revoke it and all extensions, including but not limited to licensing, copyright, intellectual property, and possession rights. All code and any images created by RealityRipple Software may be considered Public Domain in cases of legalities, and may be freely reused and redistributed without limit or restriction. No currency of any type may be charged for the possession or transference of any of this data, beyond reasonable charge for media or service provider. Ownership does not apply. Other code or images copyright their respective owners.
