With XenForo 1.1, it's now possible to (optionally) define individual smilies from a sprite image. This video shows you just how easy it is to use the system.
XF 1.1 Smilies as CSS Sprites
- Thread starter Kier
- Start date
Cezz
Well-known member
No doubtI put it badly, I meant for those who will be using the .png format smilies
I like my animated 300+ collection too much to change to only being .png
You could combine them all into one .gif as long as they have the same frame-rate... there is no limit to the image format or name as that is defined in the option screen!
ibnesayeed
Well-known member
You can simply put as many sprite sheets as you like. You need not to replace the existing one. Just point any smiley to the new sprite sheet with correct dimensions and position.
Kim
Well-known member
They definitely don't all have the same frame rate - in fact I doubt any two are the exact same. I'm afraid it just really isn't feasible for animated smilies... but it is brilliant for the .png ones, particularily the wonderful ones Shelley has done.
ibnesayeed
Well-known member
Shelley
Well-known member
You can simply put as many sprite sheets as you like. You need not to replace the existing one. Just point any smiley to the new sprite sheet with correct dimensions and position.
I know.
But considering the smileys (additional smilies i plan on introducing) are the xenforo themed extended ones they'll be going on the same spritesheet as the default ones.
ibnesayeed
Well-known member
I know.
I am being greedy, more and more...
Kim
Well-known member
Using simple maths one can calculate the HCF (highest common factor) of all different frame rates then duplicate the frames when required. i know, this is not worth doing, but this may be one of the ways, if one is keen to have animated smilies in sprites.
LOL I seriously can't see anyone doing that.. especially not the hundreds of thousands of us older gals (and guys) who love our animated smilies, for whom the smilies are an integral part of our Forum experience.
Once Xenforo moves out of this initial phase I am sincerely hoping that the uptake will be more than just geeks and tech heads, (no offence anyone
but you are.. you know it!) I believe Xenforo will become the forum software of choice for anyone due to it's gorgeous simplicity, wonderful ease of use, beautiful sleek design and ease of Customization and whilst I can see the benefit for tech sites or big sites with few smilies of this Smilie Sprite, I don't see any benefit to the vast majority of those who currently own their (for example) Fishing, or Boating, or Scrapbooking, or Dog breed etc etc etc sites Those are the folks who make up the majority of Forums out there, especially the successful long term forums and whom are now using one of the two other big forum Software packages.I have known many many many sites over the years for whom smilies are the #1 first thing they have to install when they have a major upgrade or switch out the software etc.. their members would be in open revolt if they did not.
But of course there are also many many sites who seriously don't use smilies much, or would only want the non-animated types for a wide variety of reasons.. not taking anything away from those sites, for them this Smilie Sprite will be awesome as I said, Kier has done a great job of it I love the way it is dynamic when you are inputing the positioning for example, very very clever.
But it's not for me, nor for many people like me.
Shelley
Well-known member
Using simple maths one can calculate the HCF (highest common factor) of all different frame rates then duplicate the frames when required. i know, this is not worth doing, but this may be one of the ways, if one is keen to have animated smilies in sprites.
*faints*
Kim
Well-known member
LOL funny when I read ibnesayeed's comment, I seriously almost splattered my monitor with coffee Hahahahaha
Cezz
Well-known member
LOL I seriously can't see anyone doing that.. especially not the hundreds of thousands of us older gals (and guys) who love our animated smilies, for whom the smilies are an integral part of our Forum experience.
Once Xenforo moves out of this initial phase I am sincerely hoping that the uptake will be more than just geeks and tech heads, (no offence anyone
I have known many many many sites over the years for whom smilies are the #1 first thing they have to install when they have a major upgrade or switch out the software etc.. their members would be in open revolt if they did not.
But of course there are also many many sites who seriously don't use smilies much, or would only want the non-animated types for a wide variety of reasons.. not taking anything away from those sites, for them this Smilie Sprite will be awesome as I said, Kier has done a great job of it I love the way it is dynamic when you are inputing the positioning for example, very very clever.
But it's not for me, nor for many people like me.
I don't think you have to be techie to worry about site speed of a site you own! Sprites seriously improve loading speed of pages with many images... your example of 300+ animated .gifs I image can have dozens if not more different smilies on a single page this means dozens if not more http request to get those, things like sprites and moving the images to a Cookieless Domain all help improve site speed and help improve the userexperience of acutally being on your site...
I guess it does fully depend on the admin though and if your site is more a hobby, a business or both. a hobby site you really aren't going to worry about a few extra seconds load time but a site that may actually generate you money you are going to want to keep as many users as you can and improving the user experience is very important in doing this!
ibnesayeed
Well-known member
Peggy
Well-known member
Using simple maths one can calculate the HCF (highest common factor) of all different frame rates then duplicate the frames when required. i know, this is not worth doing, but this may be one of the ways, if one is keen to have animated smilies in sprites.
You've lost me, and perhaps many others, who want and need the simplicity that XF started out with.
IMO things are getting too complicated.
LOL I seriously can't see anyone doing that.. especially not the hundreds of thousands of us older gals (and guys) who love our animated smilies, for whom the smilies are an integral part of our Forum experience.
Once Xenforo moves out of this initial phase I am sincerely hoping that the uptake will be more than just geeks and tech heads, (no offence anyone
I have known many many many sites over the years for whom smilies are the #1 first thing they have to install when they have a major upgrade or switch out the software etc.. their members would be in open revolt if they did not.
But of course there are also many many sites who seriously don't use smilies much, or would only want the non-animated types for a wide variety of reasons.. not taking anything away from those sites, for them this Smilie Sprite will be awesome as I said, Kier has done a great job of it I love the way it is dynamic when you are inputing the positioning for example, very very clever.
But it's not for me, nor for many people like me.
Couldn't have said it better.
Shelley
Well-known member
LOL I seriously can't see anyone doing that.. especially not the hundreds of thousands of us older gals (and guys) who love our animated smilies, for whom the smilies are an integral part of our Forum experience.
Once Xenforo moves out of this initial phase I am sincerely hoping that the uptake will be more than just geeks and tech heads, (no offence anyone
I have known many many many sites over the years for whom smilies are the #1 first thing they have to install when they have a major upgrade or switch out the software etc.. their members would be in open revolt if they did not.
But of course there are also many many sites who seriously don't use smilies much, or would only want the non-animated types for a wide variety of reasons.. not taking anything away from those sites, for them this Smilie Sprite will be awesome as I said, Kier has done a great job of it I love the way it is dynamic when you are inputing the positioning for example, very very clever.
But it's not for me, nor for many people like me.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not against .gif imagery I actually used to be in the same boat your in and defended gif imagery and that there are times when dynamic imagery conveys an image significantly better than .png would. In this case smilies, without a doubt animations in smileys convey an emotion better, I wouldn't even dispute that, and I for one still plan on designing animated smilies when i deem it necessary to convey an emotion that I feel a static image just can't do (blink for example).
Anyway, Replying back on the geek and techhead comment, I for one feel if your using static imagery then using the spritesheet is encouraged, I can't state that enough but like i said in my previous paragraph animations can convey and add character to (for example a style) that a static image can't do and I feel in most cases we think more on the tech side side and loose all focus on giving areas of our forums character which btw kim does do which shows in her amazing work. I guess I had to reply because of the points you made and points you made in related threads which I feel the majority of people overlook and/or lose sight of.
Regardless of that, whooohoooooo smiley spritesheets.
Kim
Well-known member
I think it's fair to say that a site that has 300+ animated smilies, doesn't place the highest priority on minutely increasing page load speed, so long as it isn't actually a problem of course, and I have never found it to be.
There is no argument here btw.. both mind sets can co-exist quite nicely... those who want sprite sheets for smilies now have them... and yay for that!
Those that don't.. Don't have to .. and a mega YAY for that
ibnesayeed
Well-known member
I think it's fair to say that a site that has 300+ animated smilies, doesn't place the highest priority on minutely increasing page load speed, so long as it isn't actually a problem of course, and I have never found it to be.
There is no argument here btw.. both mind sets can co-exist quite nicely... those who want sprite sheets for smilies now have them... and yay for that!
Those that don't.. Don't have to .. and a mega YAY for that
You are absolutely right, those who wont be able to use it, wont actually loose anything that they already had. But, those who can make use of it will be getting added advantage indeed. And of course, one can mix and match what smilies will fit in an sprite and what needs to be individual. A win win situation for both the worlds.
NOTE: If you still have a piece in you brain left out from being exploded then here is another explosive to blow away the residue. Don't revise LCM/HCF chapters of your maths book. Just group smiles with the same frame rate and have a bunch of those collections.
Similar threads
