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Auto updating Signature Maker online!

May 13,2005 15:12 - Rollie

 
This is something I have wanted to do for a while so I finally spent a little time to get it running to a point where I think it can be released.

You can create your own auto-updating signature image that you can use on websites, forums, or anything else you can think of!

To use it, just find your character by clicking on the Character History link and navigating to your character. Click the Auto-Sig Maker link to get to the sig options page.

Construct your sig and then hit the submit button! Now you can use the link to either save your sig locally or you may link directly to the sig maker here at WarcraftRealms.com!

Your sig will automatically update with your latest level, guild, and eventually PVP honor information as submitted to the site. While this changes your sig, you don't have to redo your sig every time you level!

I will be adding more options and features to this as time goes on so expect to see some additional features such as additional dimensions, borders, more background images and options, as well as PVP rank information and other possible optional data.

Here is an example of the output:



I'll be monitoring the system to make sure that this doesn't cause any undue strain on the server, but I think it is at a point now where it should be fine.

As always, comments and suggestions are appreciated!
Rollie says:
May 16,2005 at 13:40
I have added in PVP Rank and HK count (if known). I may add option to opt out of displaying one or both but they are on for now. If you would rather they not be displayed, let me know and I'll see about providing the option to display them.
Anonymous says:
May 16,2005 at 14:18
Pretty damn awesome, but one question:
As an EU player, if I used the sig thing, would it show 'Doomhammer' (my realm) or 'EU-Doomhammer'? I'd prefer the former for obvious reasons :p
Andom says:
May 16,2005 at 14:30
ok, I found out(see sig :P). It's still pretty awesome, but as a potential improvement remove the EU-?

But, regardless, congratulations, that's seriously cool
Anonymous says:
May 16,2005 at 15:57
yes yes yes this is reallllly a GOOD idea, thx a lot for your great work :D :D :D :D :D :D
Rollie says:
May 16,2005 at 17:6
I actually just today added that it doesn't show the EU- for EURO based servers. The next time your sig updates, it will not have the EU- part in it.
Anonymous says:
May 18,2005 at 9:57
Rollie,

Just wondering if I need to do something in game to get this sig to properly update. When I run your auto-generate it still has me at level 54 and in my old guild. I play regularly too so just wondering if I need to do something. I'm level 57 now so it's been sometime since I was 54.

Thanks and I love the sig. Great work.
Rollie says:
May 18,2005 at 11:4
Is Katan your char name? What server? It is possible that you just have not been 'seen' or it could be a glitch. I'll take a look.

If you wanted to be sure, you could use the Census+ UI Mod to take a census and then submit data to the site.

We need more submitters anyway, so that's my first suggestion ;)
Anonymous says:
May 18,2005 at 16:36
I am in his guild and everytime I take a census (every day) he is never on. Go figure :P
Rollie says:
May 18,2005 at 21:31
I'm playing with update times to see how much load this stuff puts on the server. I had tried every 24 hours, but have now upped it to 48 for a bit.

If all else fails, if you go muck with your layout, it will update then.
Anonymous says:
May 19,2005 at 11:6
Could it be possible to have an option to create the sig in french or german ?

What you made is still a great thing !
Rollie says:
May 19,2005 at 11:32
I do want to add the ability to do the sigs in other languages. Time, my friend, time =)
Anonymous says:
May 19,2005 at 11:36
I downloaded the Census UI mod and ran a full census this morning. I then proceeded to upload the file to your server. I got a success message. I waited several hours and went back to check the sig. I even went to create a new one. It still shows me at level 54 and in my old guild. /shrug

Katan
Aegis Requiem
Eredar
57 Human Rogue
Rollie says:
May 19,2005 at 12:59
Katan - It is updated now. There was a bit of backlog last night that just completed running a little while ago.
Rollie says:
May 20,2005 at 17:14
I have added some preliminary language selection options for the sig maker. I need translations for the PVP ranks though. If anyone knows the translations or can point me to where they are listed, I'd greatly appreciate it!

I need French and German translations for the PVP ranks as seen here:

http://www.warcraftrealms.com/pvprank.php
Rollie says:
May 20,2005 at 18:23
Sweet, thanks Max =)

I'll get those entered in tomorrow, off to see Episode 3 right now!

After we get 'em in, we'll have to keep an eye out for the fonts that don't support the international characters.

Thanks!
Rollie says:
May 21,2005 at 15:57
PVP Honor ranks are now available in German and French as well! Let me know if you see additional ways to make the sigs more useful!
Anonymous says:
May 22,2005 at 17:14
Rollie,

The only thing I can think of at the moment to improve the signatures is a toggle to select on which corner (top right or bottom right) to display the HK's. In some of the backgrounds the HK's would look better on the top-right corner of the sig instead of the default bottom right-corner. Also my HK's seem to have diappeared from my sig, it used to show around 54 HK's now they're just not there :cry:

Just my two copper

Mentak of Alleria
[img:a7932df838]http://www.warcraftrealms.com/sig/1744768.png[/img:a7932df838]
Rollie says:
May 22,2005 at 19:13
Yeah, I have some ideas on how I want to allow customization of not only what is displayed, but where. I'll keep you updated as new methods come online!
GoZZy says:
May 23,2005 at 6:27
Ok, just to try out ;) pretty nice work!
Anonymous says:
May 25,2005 at 9:3
I can find my char name, but when I click on WR Auto Sig Maker I get a blank screen ... :(
Anonymous says:
May 25,2005 at 9:8
[quote:dc710164c1="danger"]I can find my char name, but when I click on WR Auto Sig Maker I get a blank screen ... :([/quote:dc710164c1]Yes, seems to be broken somehow.
Rollie says:
May 25,2005 at 9:22
Ooops! It's back now.... :oops:
Larze says:
May 26,2005 at 6:9
Nice job!

Would it be possible to have an option where instead of using one of the (many) available backgrounds, you could link to your own png-file somewhere which would then be used as a background?

Rollie says:
May 26,2005 at 10:56
I have debated allowing just general background linking, but I am hesitant to do so as I would have no way to verfiy images/backgrounds.

That being said, if you want to send me the background you want to use, I can make it available to you.
Anonymous says:
May 26,2005 at 20:25
I love the sig maker but how do i get my HKs to show?
Nimhlan says:
May 26,2005 at 20:28
Sig test :o

WTB HK listing :(
TheDeamon says:
May 27,2005 at 0:5
Best way to ensure your HK's are accurately reported?

Submit census data to Rollie on a regular basis(like after you've just finished a PvP session).

/who doesn't give him that information.

He's collecting that by other means. I'm kinda curious as to how, but I suspect it has to do with the people with census+ targeting people, or at least looking at the honor tabs of their fellow players.

And if there is only one or two people submitting data for your faction on your server(as I seem to be on mine), chances of your HK data being available, let alone current, is slim to none. Unless you happen to be one of those people.
Rollie says:
May 27,2005 at 0:35
Yup, you are correct. The PVP honor ranks and HK's comes from both target/hover and/or honor inspect by the people submitting data. It is my hope that people wanting this type of information to be current will be enticed to help update data by submitting their own data =)
Anonymous says:
May 27,2005 at 15:38
Well then I guess I'll have to start submitting :)
Anonymous says:
May 28,2005 at 7:51
Char history seems to be bugged
Rollie says:
May 28,2005 at 10:53
How do you mean it's bugged? For your character? What is your character's name?
Larze says:
May 31,2005 at 4:17
Will it only display honor kills if you have a rank in the alliance/horde? I have HKs but no rank yet and it doesn't display my kills.

Rollie says:
May 31,2005 at 10:27
HK's will only show if data is submitted that contains HK's. That means that either yourself or someone that has inspected your Honor tab has submitted data.

That being said, I did correct a bug this weekend that was causing the values to be zeroed out if someone else submitted data after you submitted your own.

So in short, if you want to see your HK's, the best way to do it would be to submit data yourself (be sure to look at your Honor tab!).
Larze says:
May 31,2005 at 14:21
I have been submitting data for some time now, but it still doesn't show. To add to the confusion, when I hover above my name (Larze) in my guild-listing - http://www.warcraftrealms.com/guilds/175975 - it says I have 3 confirmed HKs. I have more than that, but what is a 'confirmed' kill? And when I then click my name on the above page it says I have - kills. It's been like that for a week.
Rollie says:
May 31,2005 at 15:27
Think I got it. It had to do with people with HK's but have no rank. Think it is working now =)
Larze says:
June 2,2005 at 4:19
Great, it's working now - thanks!
Anonymous says:
June 2,2005 at 5:49
it'll be cool if theres an option to have the size reduced to maybe half the height... its just so big it obstructs the content on a forum. i think having an option of having a small strip w/ the info would be nice. :D
Rollie says:
June 2,2005 at 9:59
Well, since so many have asked for it, I went ahead and implemented a sizing option. You can now select various sizes. They are all proportionate to 380X120, but can scale down as low as 190X60.

When playing with the size of the sig, you will probably also need to modify the size or type of font used as some fonts are better suited for smaller scale than others.

Let me know if you see any funkiness with the new sizing options!
Rollie says:
June 2,2005 at 17:8
I have also added the option to display your server or not. If you don't want your server to be shown, you can disable it in the sigmaker.

I also added a small cookie that will be placed when you visit your character page sig maker. You will then have a direct link to you character's sig maker page from the Nav Bar on the main site.
Anonymous says:
June 6,2005 at 23:32
What is going to stop people from messing around with your sig? I guess in the end it doesnt really matter...
Rollie says:
June 7,2005 at 1:40
Nothing at this time. I do plan to implement login and protecting your sig eventually, I just have to find the time to get it done.
Anonymous says:
June 7,2005 at 13:58
Hey, I noticed that the .png file doesnt seem to be changing the background or the font.
Anonymous says:
June 7,2005 at 14:26
[quote:36b37a77c0="Rollie"]How do you mean it's bugged? For your character? What is your character's name?[/quote:36b37a77c0]

I tried to search my char with the Char History, but when I launched the search of my character (EU-Kirin Tor server, race: dwarf, class: hunter, lvl 60-60, name: Doran) I obtained this error: (tried zith Firefox, and with IE then)

Error => Unable to queryYou have an error in your SQL syntax. Check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near ') AND wr_characters_new.RaceID=6 AND wr_characters_new.ClassI
Rollie says:
June 7,2005 at 15:42
[quote:a6109b5679="kalyai"]Hey, I noticed that the .png file doesnt seem to be changing the background or the font.[/quote:a6109b5679]

What is your link? I'll take a look. I can't imagine why it wouldn't be updating properly for you.
Rollie says:
June 7,2005 at 15:52
[quote:210b16d855="Doran"][quote:210b16d855="Rollie"]How do you mean it's bugged? For your character? What is your character's name?[/quote:210b16d855]

I tried to search my char with the Char History, but when I launched the search of my character (EU-Kirin Tor server, race: dwarf, class: hunter, lvl 60-60, name: Doran) I obtained this error: (tried zith Firefox, and with IE then)

Error => Unable to queryYou have an error in your SQL syntax. Check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near ') AND wr_characters_new.RaceID=6 AND wr_characters_new.ClassI[/quote:210b16d855]


http://www.warcraftrealms.com/charhistory.php?serverid=415&raceid=-1&classid=-1&minlevel=59&maxlevel=60&charname=dor*&Submit1=SEARCH

Your character is only 59 in our database so that's why it wouldn't show for 60 and 60. I will also address the error though.
IanM says:
June 8,2005 at 6:2
[quote:9b4074fe7a="kalyai"]Hey, I noticed that the .png file doesnt seem to be changing the background or the font.[/quote:9b4074fe7a]

I'm seeing this too -

For the link http://www.warcraftrealms.com/sig/7063107.xxx

The jpg (correct)

[img:9b4074fe7a]http://www.warcraftrealms.com/sig/7063107.jpg[/img:9b4074fe7a]

The png

[img:9b4074fe7a]http://www.warcraftrealms.com/sig/7063107.png[/img:9b4074fe7a]

...and if these look the same either now, or in the future, I'm going to appear an idiot :)
IanM says:
June 8,2005 at 6:25
[quote:a2db849531="IanM"]
...and if these look the same either now, or in the future, I'm going to appear an idiot :)[/quote:a2db849531]

They weren't the same, but they are now...please tell me something has been fixed :oops:
Anonymous says:
June 8,2005 at 11:55
[quote:7893ffd802="Rollie"][quote:7893ffd802="kalyai"]Hey, I noticed that the .png file doesnt seem to be changing the background or the font.[/quote:7893ffd802]

What is your link? I'll take a look. I can't imagine why it wouldn't be updating properly for you.[/quote:7893ffd802]

PNG
[img:7893ffd802]http://www.warcraftrealms.com/sig/8336453.png[/img:7893ffd802]

JPG
[img:7893ffd802]http://www.warcraftrealms.com/sig/8336453.jpg[/img:7893ffd802]

But it appears to be fixed.... so whatever you did.. THANKS :)
Rollie says:
June 8,2005 at 15:6
I didn't do anything =x


But I think I do know what would cause that. I'm pretty sure the problem is that the PNG is overwritten when you update, yet the JPG does not and the JPG is kept around for 24 hours before it is allowed to update. I'll see about correcting that =)
Anonymous says:
June 10,2005 at 10:48
[quote:766f0e9eef="Rollie"]I didn't do anything =x


But I think I do know what would cause that. I'm pretty sure the problem is that the PNG is overwritten when you update, yet the JPG does not and the JPG is kept around for 24 hours before it is allowed to update. I'll see about correcting that =)[/quote:766f0e9eef]

The problem was with the PNG file, not the JPG file...

but now it seems I have an even STRANGER problem lol No matter what I do to the sig file... it looks like it does above in my earlier post... its GREEN and an ugly green at that...

I've updated it and it keeps going back to that for some odd reason :(
Anonymous says:
June 10,2005 at 11:56
[quote:cdab310d81="Kalyai"][quote:cdab310d81="Rollie"]I didn't do anything =x


But I think I do know what would cause that. I'm pretty sure the problem is that the PNG is overwritten when you update, yet the JPG does not and the JPG is kept around for 24 hours before it is allowed to update. I'll see about correcting that =)[/quote:cdab310d81]

The problem was with the PNG file, not the JPG file...

but now it seems I have an even STRANGER problem lol No matter what I do to the sig file... it looks like it does above in my earlier post... its GREEN and an ugly green at that...

I've updated it and it keeps going back to that for some odd reason :([/quote:cdab310d81]



OK its all better now... ignore me and my quirky errors that arise!! Thanks for the cool sig!! now I have to load the Census on my system so it can be updated :)
Rollie says:
June 10,2005 at 11:57
Well, I was able to find part of the problem. I can only speculate as to the other part though.

I did have a minor update bug if you had a border of 0 width not updating the file properly. This is fixed now (and why your sig is now updated).

The part with your sig being all green though, I can holy speculate that someone set your border color to that and made the border thickness like 200 or something. That will cause your sig to look like that.

I am working on securing your sig so that not just anyone can have access to everyone else's sig data. Hopefully I'll have that done within the next couple of days and your sigs will be secured so that only you can update them.

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