Stop avatars from being added to profile photos

One of the things that has never made sense to me, it automatically adding user uploaded avatars to their profile photos album.  Avatars used by Dolphin are 64 pixels x 64 pixels.  Profile photos are bigger.... much bigger.   Avatars do not belong in profile photos.  They are two different things, serviced by two separate Boonex modules.  Co-mingling the two, only adds to confusion.  I say let avatars be avatars, and let profile photos be profile photos.  If you do not share that sentiment, kindly click the browser back button now.

To remove the possibility of user uploaded avatars from being automatically added to their profile photos album, edit the file: /modules/boonex/avatar/templates/base/block_wide.html

Find the code below, and place opening and closing html comment tags around the indicated line of code.  The comment tags are highlighted in red.  Save the file to your server and clear your cache directories.  This change will remove the input field checkbox and text that appears to the right of the 'Browse' button on the member's avatar page.

<form id="bx_ava_form" method="post" enctype="multipart/form-data" action="__action__">

<input type="file" name="image" onchange="$('#bx_ava_form').submit()" />

<!-- <span><input type="checkbox" name="copy_to_profile_photos" id="copy_to_profile_photos" checked="checked" /><label for="copy_to_profile_photos"><bx_text:_bx_ava_copy_to_profile_photos /></label></span>-->

<br />

<span class="bx_ava_err">__upload_error__</span>

</form>

I propose this code be committed to the repository!

I should add, that instead of using comment tags, you could just delete the code altogether.

If we removed the avatars module would the members photos uploaded be able to be used as the profile pic?

Why do the avatars need to be uploaded separately? Why can't they just be chosen (and edited) from one of the profile photos. Seems like double work for the member to upload both separately.

Thanx for sharing this too.

Thanks houstonlively! Hated too see avatars in public photos, special when you get 150 signups per day..

This looks good - but don't we almost want the opposite of this?   Forgive me if I sound all confused here, because this avatar stuff has me really frustrated.   I generally put the profile picture upload on the join form - usually, but not always (it is extremely buggy) these profile picture end up with the "set avatar" function.  When that works, it works - it does create the avatar.   What I don't get is the profile picture - so my members get avatars but they never go back and upload the same photo for the profile - and why should they? - they assume the avatar will be their profile picture.

So I guess what I am saying here, is what you have done as a fix, is something that happens on my sites anyway.   What was supposed to be the profile picture, ends up being the avatar, but they never get the profile picture - extremely frustrating!

Since Boonex just throws stuff up there without testing anything, I'm still not sure even where the bug is.  One Boonex staff member finally acknowledged this bug a few months ago, but said it was because of multiple join forms and wrote up a trac ticket.   Recently, however, another member here posted the problem and came to the conclusion that this only happened with accounts that require email verification and moderator approval - which is how I set up most of my sites.   In any event it is an extremely serious bug - one of several that makes building a successful site with Dolphin even more difficult.

So what happens with this if you put the profile photo upload on the join form?  Does this mean your members end up with an avatar, but no profile photo?  I thought that is want the "copy to profile photos" function was supposed to solve?

My intent, when I did this, was an attempt to completely isolate the photo system and the avatar system.  At the time, it made sense. The avatar module was just plain stupid from day one.  We have an entire subsystem inextricably woven into Dolphin, just to display one friggin thumbnail.  I understand the real problem, and there simply isn't a good solution for it.  Now we have to wait hell knows how long for 7.1 to get something that makes more sense.

Right now, there isn't to many things about this platform that make sense to me.  For over two years, it's just been one disappointment or embarrassment after another.  It's hard to pinpoint one single issue.  It's just a mountain of little shit that keeps nagging and nagging and nagging.  All those little things that you have to keep doing over and over.  Things like predefined values lists getting wiped out on an upgrade, or category lists being reset, or language customizations reverting.... all kinds of crap.    And who the hell has a copy of Adobe Flash 8 anymore, to alter the flash skins?  It's nothing but and endless barrage of little shit going wrong.

I used to try to remain enthusiastic about building and launching a site, but its getting harder and harder to gather the will to continue with the projects I've started.  The announcement that we had to wait for 7.1 to get a lot of the nagging issued fixed, was a really demoralizing blow.

Boy can I relate to that.   The best advice I have heard here - and I forget by who - is that you have to "dumb down" your site if you want it to have any chance of working in the real world.  Forget your vision, forget your dreams, just strip away all the functions except those you are positive work.   Many of the functions on D7 just don't work.   I'm not talking about bugs, I am talking about things that are little more than story boarded.   A casual observer may not know these don't work until after you have built your system.

D7 may work for a well funded project with a development staff.  It probably would be a good "base" technology to build on, but the people really getting screwed here are small businesses.   I'm starting to wonder if this is by design - sell those licenses to to as many tiny companies as you can, so they can play with new development projects.   Never mind that none of these projects will be a success.

Like you, I suffered through all eight betas of D7 - that lost year of my life when the release was always "soon", and I don't recall anyone ever asking for that avatar function.   It seems like that just appeared one day.   It is so hard to get people to post pictures, that it is heartbreaking that when you get them to do it, it doesn't even work.  Boonex doesn't seem to care - they don't even use D7, and I don't think they ever care about the current system - just what they get to play with in the future.

I've been talking to a few members here lately and if you - or they, think I am being to strong they should here what I have been hearing.  Some of the most talented people here are livid   Unlike other open source projects, this one isn't for us, or the community, it is for them.   Boonex has a real problem - and they don't even know it.

Hi Houston!! I really love the way you think !!! Cant you help me to set up an other things I hope you agree with me !!! Let what are the things are as a profil pics to be a profil pics and maybe have it on the home page instaid the avatar? Thanks to be honest in your person your one of those who force people to chane!!!

The best things in life are so simple!

Thank YOU!

Is there a way to hide the check box, but keep it active in the background?  I would like to make sure that ALL avatars are copied to profile photos.  If a member chooses to delete it later, that will be their choice!

Also, is there a way to set the "title" and "description" during this process, so the photo is not labeled "Avatar" in profile photos?  I don't use Tags or Categories.

Thanks

 RE:

 Yes, to all your questions, but this thread is about preventing avatars from being added to the profile photos, so it''s the wrong place to get your questions answered.

Yes it is big mistake, when people are uploading a small avatar picture, and all these pictures goes to public photos. If we have about 50 users registration per day, we will have trash bin, not a nice gallery of all members.

The first thing to do is separate avatar pictures from public photo. If we will have to wait one year for new version, maybe you creators of Boonex can post us php code how to solve this problem ?

Thanks 

Can i also put this pictures in another file?
Now he puts all the avatars in the album ... ( nickname ) 's photo's.

I want to put all my photo's in one album --> photo's
How can i do that?