Month: August 2006

Post Avatar 1.0

This is a WordPress plugin that allows you to easily include previously uploaded images with a post. Similar in concept to Livejournal Userpics

Download: post-avatar1.0.zip


Since I wanted Livejournal functionality on my blog, I went in search of some plugins that could help me display an image with a post.

I tried the Post Image plugin but that meant I had to upload a picture for every time I made a new post. I found that wasteful since I tend to re-use images in my posts.

Next I tried just placing in the link to the image in the Custom Fields section of the Write Post screen but I have difficulty remembering the image names and I spent too much time checking on the different pictures.

So I decided to create a plugin that would display a list of images I had already uploaded, for me to select when adding a post.

Features

* Easy selection of images in the Write Post screen.
* Allows the following file types: .jpg, .jpeg, .gif and .png.
* Template tag to display in themes.
* Does not display missing images.

Installation

  1. Download Post Avatar. Unzip the contents and upload gkl-postavatar.php to the WordPress plugin folder (/wp-content/plugins).
  2. Activate the plugin from the Plugin Management screen.
  3. Go to Options » Post Avatar ». Set the following options:
    * Path to Images Folder – location of your images folder in relation to your WordPress installation.
    * Show image in Write Post Page – Set to “Y” if you want to see a thumbnail of the post avatar in the Write Post screen. If not set to N.

Usage

A. Upload images
Upload the images that you intend to use to the folder defined in the Post Avatar options.

B. Display post avatars in your theme
Add the following within The Loop;

<?php if (function_exists('gkl_postavatar')) gkl_postavatar() ; ?>

The plugin will show your image encased within a <div> with the CSS class, “postavatar”. You may want to add a style for this in your stylesheet.
Example:

<div class="postavatar"><img src="http://www.garinungkadol.com/wp-content/images/icons/messer01.jpg" alt="post title" height="100" width="100" border="0" /></div>

C. Adding Post Avatars

  1. To add an image to a post, go to the Post Avatar section (just below the Save button).
  2. Select the image name from the list.
  3. Save your entry.

Version History

1.0 (08/25/2006)

  • Initial release

Support

Please use the comments section to submit bugs, get help or leave feedback.

Is it frakking October yet?

Last Sunday I had a six-hour marathon of Battlestar Galatica so I could finally catch up with the whole show. And you know what? I want to watch it all over again.

Aside from the season finale, Lay Down Your Burdens, my favorite episodes of season 2 have to be Downloaded and Final Cut.


Final Cut gave us the opportunity to see into the lives of the men and women aboard Galactica. Shot in documentary-style it provided more insight into the different characters (who knew Lt. Gaeta had a tattoo?!) while introducing more complexity by revealing another human Cylon model.

Downloaded was told from the point of view of the Cylons – showing what happens when a Cylon is reborn. We get to see how the heroes of the war, Caprica Six and Boomer are adjusting to their new bodies and their new lives but at the same time wishing for the past.

In the run up to the Season 3 premiere on October 6, SCI FI will be showing Battlestar Galactica: The Story So Far. It will be narrated by President Roslin (Mary McDonnell) and recap what has happened since the start of the show. Also in the works is The Resistance, a 10-part web series to fill in the gaps between the end of Season 2 and the start of Season 3. However there’s no word yet when this will air.

LJ-fying Your Blog – The LJ Cut

I’ve had my Livejournal account for at least 5 years but until a year ago I was only using it to catch up with friends who had journals there.

But since I’ve discovered icon-making, I’ve become quite versed in using LJ and I’d like to have similar functionality on my blog as well.

One such function is The LJ Cut which lets you hide various blocks of text from view on the main page. This is incredibly useful if you have spoilers

In WordPress the closest we get is the <!–more–> tag which makes all succeeding text visible on the individual page entry.


To achieve the LJ Cut with WordPress, I use Scott Riley’s Hide or Cut Post Text Plugin.

The basic option is:
<!–cut–> All my text goes here <!–/cut–>

To put a custom text link you just use:
<!–cut=what other text to put–> Even more text <!–/cut–>

How easy is that?! With a few tags I can cut text, hide text and do other nifty things!

Must Finish Capping

I am determined to finish capping Season 1 of CSI: New York before the new season starts. Really I am!

I actually only have to re-cap episodes 19 and 20 – I used VirtualDub the first time around (I was feeling lazy) and the resulting images were fuzzy and not to my liking. The other episodes are sitting on my hard drive waiting for me to ftp them.

Pia and I are setting a limit to the number of screencaps we’re going to put up. As it stands we’re using 59% of our space at CSI Caps and we still have a ton of episodes to cap. I think 800 will be the limit – damn the slow mo feature on BS Player for the abundance of Danny caps 🙂

The Quest for Userpics Continues

I’m trying to get Livejournal functionality here and one of the main features I’d like to have is userpics.

In LJ they’re used to identify the theme of an entry and I’d like to do the same here. Since I have free account I only have 6 userpics but I figure if I can have that feature here, the number of userpics I can have is unlimited!

I tried the Post Image plugin which works in tandem with WordPress’s upload capability. But this meant I would have to upload a picture for every time I made a new post. Not good since I would like to re-use certain images from time to time.

Next I tried just placing in the link to the image in the Custom Fields section of the Write Post screen but I have difficulty remembering the image names and I spent too much time checking on the different pictures.

I could have used Category Icons but this is pretty much like having 6 userpics only.

The closest plugin I could find was Multi Topic Icon but I found it cumbersome to use especially in terms of positioning the image.

So I decided to make my own plugin, Post Avatar, my first by the way.

The way it works is you upload your images to a specified folder and each time you make a post, you have a list of images to choose from. There’s also a template tag that you can place in your theme to display the picture.

I’m really pleased with the way it turned out. *Go Team ME*. In the future I’ll be adding an image preview so I know what image I’m attaching to my post.

So I decided to create a plugin that would display a list of images I had already uploaded, for me to select when adding a post.

The Theme Challenge

To celebrate the return of our fandoms aka The Fall TV Season, Pia and I are having a monthly Livejournal Theme Challenge.

Each month we’ll each be putting up a new layout on our respective livejournals: wurlocke and garinungkadol in relation to a set TV theme.

We actually have 10 themes in mind (our Top 10 tv shows) so we just have to decide on the other 2 – perhaps a new show will spark our fancy and we’ll add it to the list.


The themes for the rest of the year are as follows:
September: Bones
October: CSI
November: Battlestar Galactica
December: CSI:NY

The themes for 2007 are:
January: TV Quotes
February: Stargate Atlantis
March: Supernatural
April: Without a Trace
May: Prison Break
June: House, M.D.
July: Firefly
August: Free Selection

Why are we doing this? Because we’re so masochists?! Do we really need to explain the level of devotion to our fandoms?

If you’d like to participate let us know.

Mind the dust

I’ve put up a new theme “Super Duper” featuring Superman. Yaaayness.

So mind the dust as I clear up any bugs in this new theme and add on some more content. Things to do:

  1. Continue widgetizing the site – I’m playing around with Widgets (that sounds incredibly sexual doesn’t it?)
  2. Include my livejournal entries with Friend RSS Aggregator plugin
  3. Offer up my lj layouts for download here
  4. Update my album collection – I’ve got a ton of new albums
  5. Finish my fanlisting plugin

Wish me luck

Lee is so virginal

Pia has converted over to the cult of Battlestar Galactica.

I’ve started watching season two and am hoping to catch up before season 3 starts in October. It’s one of the best shows period and I come to each episode with a mixture of anticipation and nervousness about what is going to happen because I feel so deeply for each of the characters – even the ones that are screwed up (Tigh, I’m looking at you!).

The depth and realism to the show and the characters is what makes Battlestar Galactica so amazing. And it’s a frakking sci fi show for goodness sakes!

And if you’re wondering about the title, it came from a discussion Pia and I were having about when Starbuck and Apollo were going to GET IT ON. She said “He’s saving himself for Starbuck and that makes Lee virginal” Mwahahaha.