Dynamic and persistant DW reading/network page expand/collapse/hide

[foxfirefey]

I come bearing gifts for your kind alpha testing, dw_nifty! This Greasemonkey (a Firefox extension) was made at niqaeli's request. It's for dynamically collapsing and expanding entries on your reading and network pages (and other journals, too). What's more, the script will remember your options between page loads.

You can install the script here: DW Post Expand/Collapse/Hide. Please test it for me!

The controls are added to the end of each entry's title, and by default are (+) for expand, (-) for collapse, and (x) for hide.

It only works with core2 styles--that is, if you've imported a style from LJ, it won't work on that. But it should work for all Dreamwidth styles that aren't Zesty White. Fortunately, more and more core2 styles are getting added to Dreamwidth every code push.

Additionally, on occasion every few weeks or months or so, you probably want to empty out all the saved values so you don't clog your browser up with them. The commands for doing that are in Tools -> Greasemonkey -> User Script Commands.

If you're adventurous, there are some options at the beginning of the script designed to be edited for different effects and behavior including:

* Which classes in the entry get hidden when it is collapsed.
* Whether entries are collapsed or expanded by default.
* The text of the collapse/expand and hide action links, and their bracketing.

Future planned features include:

* Add flagging posts for later attention
* Add autocollapse (or autoexpand) for listed journals
* Add autocollapse for Twitter posts

Comments

[afuna]

\o/!!

[lap_otter]

* Add autocollapse for Twitter posts
THANK GOD.

[foxfirefey]

Question: could you link me to a Twitter post that shows up on your reading list, as a sample for me to work with?

[lap_otter]

I don't think I have any on my DW list, actually, but they're all over my LJ list. Although if it would help I will find someone that makes Twitter posts and subscribe to them.

[foxfirefey]

Ah! I think someone has an LJ Greasemonkey for that:

http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/17139

[lap_otter]

You are my hero.

Just sayin'.

[medrin]

I love the idea of this script, but I don't think it's working properly for me.

When I click on the(-) the entry disappears, but it does not reappear by clicking (+). It disappears completely by clicking (x), but I can't get it anything to come back with any of the user script commands.

(Sitting on Windows XP, transmogrified site scheme, I have a few other scripts installed... haven't tried without them yet)

[shiny_crystal]

Wow, this is seriously awesome, and so far it's working fine :) Thanks for sharing!

[cesy]

You can already collapse LoudTwitter posts with custom CSS - instructions by matgb on LJ.

[cereta]

OMG, yay! I was just wishing for this!

[siliconshaman]

Nice, works fine on my system. [FF3 under Ubuntu 9.04]

[foxfirefey]

Alrighty, questions:

* What version of FF and Greasemonkey do you have? It might be a problem with that, because I'm testing it on your reading page and not having those problems.
* Do things come back after user script commands when you refresh? (Although that is a good idea, resetting entry states after one of those commands!)

Thanks for helping me test!

[medrin]

I use version 3.0.13 of Firefox and 0.8.20080609.0 of Greasemonkey, and yes, I refreshed the page after each time I used a user script command.

I disabled the script after I posted last time, enabled it now again and it still can't find my hidden entries.

I haven't had time to test it more than that, and I'm sad to say that since I'm sitting at my work computer and are just about to leave for home, I won't have the opportunity ho help you test it until Monday (I might come in and work a little on the weekend, but have not made up my mind yet).

Are on the other hand definitely going to install this script on my home computer! (but since that computer is a mac with different versions of both Firefox and Greasemonkey the problem are probably not going to reappear there)

[medrin]

Oh! and I can also add that each time I lick in a (+), the page jumps up to the top! It does not do that when I click on (-) or (x), it just does what it's supposed to do then.

[foxfirefey]

What a bummer! But, from what it sounds like, you are hitting some error in the function, causing it to abort and then it takes you up to the top of the page because the link without the code attached is just "#". In the tools menu, there is an Error Console. If you cleared the messages and reloaded your friends page with the Greasemonkey on, it might give you some error that helps me.

Additionally, you *can* also manually delete values. You'll want to put "about:config" in the location bar, and it should bring up an interface. If you put "greasemonkey.scriptvals.dw/DW Post Expand" into the filter, it should show you all the values the post has set and allow you to delete them. Alternatively, there should be a way to uninstall the GM script, with a checkbox by it called "Also uninstall associated preferences" which should delete all the values the script has stored.

[brownbetty]

Works for me! Coolio.

[isis]

The mouseover text for expand/collapse are reversed! I get "expand" over the - and then when I click it and it collapses, I get "collapse" over the +

How do you unhide?

[aedifica]

When I saw this post I thought it was about expanding cut tags for reading on the main reading page, which would also be cool... but when I realized what it actually was, my reaction was "OMG I want this for the tor.com feed!" (The tor.com feed has articles I want, so I keep it subscribed, but it also has the full text of a whole lot of articles I *don't* care about and they take up way too much space on my reading page. I'll have to unsubscribe it on LJ and subscribe it on DW just so I can use this.) So yay and thanks!

[artisan447]

Thanks! I'm not getting any mouse-over text for any of the expand/collapse/hide icons. Are you expecting that? (using FF 3.5.2 on Vista).

[foxfirefey]

Oh dear--you are right! A new version of the script is up that fixes that.

I'm still figuring out a better way to unhide, but currently there are two options:

* You can use the "Clear hidden entry values" command in Tools -> Greasemonkey -> User Script Commands to wipe out all hidden toggles
* You can put "about:config" in the location bar, filter for "greasemonkey.scriptvals.dw", find the user/post value that's set to 2 that you want to hide, and delete it.

[foxfirefey]

Huh, I'm not! I gave the links "title" attributes, which should show up as mouse over text as far as I know! (Although as you can see earlier, I got that backwards.) When did you install it? Maybe you installed it before I put that in?

[foxfirefey]

Glad to be of help!

[artisan447]

Sorry, didn't note an exact time (it was a little before I posted here). Would it help you if I uninstalled and reinstalled?

Amen.

[babysprite]

* Add autocollapse for Twitter posts
THANK GOD.

Oh, it's inCREDible how much Twitterers don't realize just how vehemently annoying it is to have one's F-list brutally murdered by those incoherent and incomprehensible runs of babble.

/\__/\
(='.'=)
(")_(")

Music The Wailin' Jennys - Take it Down

for mobile devices

[babysprite]

* Whether entries are collapsed or expanded by default.

That will be fabulous for mobile devices where screen space is at a minimum.

Mentioning this, I'm going to poke around DW to see if anyone's working on a mobile DW API or interface. If not, I just might open up a terminal window and crank up my favorite Unix text editor to work up one, myself. Be warned, though. I'm a TTY junkie and everything would be Zen simple and spartan.

/\__/\
(='.'=)
(")_(")

Music Eels - Packing Blankets