Disabling new Post Reactions / Emojis?

[zephyr]

Continuing discussion from: August Platform Upgrade Complete - #180 by LemonadeJoe

@LemonadeJoe

New feature:

Reactions: You can use an emoji just like you use the Like.

is there any way to turn this off on my profile? Because of a permanent muscle injury in my eyes, I have a really hard time with animated elements of the user interface that move around. It hurts my eyes.

I’m having a really hard time with this new animated popup menu that displays when you hover over the like button, and the animated popup menu that displays when you try to view who has liked your post.

I’m also seeing that when posts receive emojis instead of likes, the icons and like count are bumped to the far left instead of grouped with the like button.

This is all a lot more work for my eyes than the previous way that likes were displayed- consistently in the same place with no animations.

For people with eye injuries or other vision impairment, it’s a really big problem if elements of the ui move around on the page and aren’t consistently in the same place.

Update

Solution for desktop browsers is here:

Disabling new Post Reactions / Emojis?

Excellent. Thank you very much! I’ve just tried it and works great! This script hides the expanded reactions picker on an Overgrow forum website by injecting CSS code to make the reactions picker element invisible when it is expanded. This prevents a user from reacting to posts with anything other than Like and disables the reaction picker on mouse over. @zephyr, here is the repository, please read Installation instructions to install TamperMonkey and the script.

And also consider other option:

Reader Mode

New Feature: Reader Mode It’s available only in the topic view on the Desktop. Allows to hide unnecessary and distracting elements and focus on reading. [image] To activate, click the Book reader icon above timeline. You need to be logged in to use this feature. Please also refresh the page.

[zephyr]

For people with eye injuries, partial blindness, or other vision impairment,

it’s a really big problem if key elements of the ui move around on the page and aren’t consistently located in the same place.

(and I don’t know if we have members with blindness accessing the site, but it would likely be an issue for any users relying on screen readers and other accessibility tools to access the site.)

[LemonadeJoe]

Zephyr, which browser do you use? Are you referring to mouse hovers? I assume you’re on a PC, correct? Since on mobile devices or tablets, there aren’t any hover actions, and interface interactions are triggered by tapping.

[TrichomesToStun]

I might be experiencing something similar to Zephyr.

I’m using macOS Sonoma 14.6.1 with Firefox browser version 130.0.

When hovering the heart button a new menu pops up

If your cursor is in just the right spot, and while scrolling, this menu pops up sporadically.

I’ve notice that when scrolling, the avatars float. It’s a neat feature but when images load below or above when you’re currently reading, the forum does a stutter. The floating avatars seem to exaggerate this.

I hope this feedback is helpful.

I appreciate all the work you put into this place @LemonadeJoe and mods/staff. Overall I like the update and you hard work is evident

[zephyr]

@LemonadeJoe

Zephyr, which browser do you use? Are you referring to mouse hovers? I assume you’re on a PC, correct?

that’s right. chrome. But this has nothing to do with the browser, my problem is with these new design choices. If there is a way to revert the like system on my profile, that would make things a lot easier for me. I wasn’t having this much trouble with the new interface until these latest changes were made.

when you hover over the like button on a post, an animated popup opens with the emoji like options. The popup tends to flash or stutter as the icons populate / load in. Sometimes this popup menu disappears when you move the cursor, or it stays open blocking the post until you click somewhere else on the page to close it. This is inconsistent.

If you just click the like heart button, the popup still flashes open and closed even if I don’t hover the cursor.
On other sites with this feature, you don’t get the popup if you just click the like, you can avoid the popup if you’re not using the emojis.

For viewing who has liked your own posts, it no longer shows a simple list of user icons as it used to.

It shows the like count, and you click on the heart to see who liked it. This opens a popup with very small user icons, which disappears when you move the cursor. so you now have to click and hover to see who liked a post. The popup only displays 8 user icons, and has an additional animated drop down menu that has to be clicked to show the rest of the user icons. This popup also tends to flash as the icons populate.

If you click a user icon to see the name of the user, you get the usual profile details popup, and the rest of the popups underneath disappear. So to look at the next user in the list, you have to repeat the whole process. Frankly this is a really clunky clumsy interface, requiring multiple steps and multiple popups, just to display a simple list of users.

I’m also sporadically getting the scrolling stutter issue mentioned by barefrog and trichomestostun.

All these animated menus and popups are hard on my eyes, and generally require way more clicking around than the old interface did.

This is very difficult for my hands and wrists because of repetitive strain injuries. Actions that took one click on the old interface now take multiple clicks and hovers.

I understand people may enjoy the option of the emojis, but I don’t think the complication of the basic like function is worth it. Personally I’m disappointed by the needless complications, added steps, and constant popups- not only is the new like interface hard on my eyes, it’s also much harder on my muscular disorder.

[Igor]

I’m not a fan of all the new emojis either. I used to like it here precisely because it wasn’t hectic like Facebook or other social media, always trying to pull you back in. It was clean and simple and functional. I’m not sure what the reason for the update was but it seems to just be worse all round. Sorry if that seems ungrateful.

[allotment]

The reaction plugin (that does the emoji thing) is turned on or off sitewide. But maybe it is possible to create a user group “noemoji” and use custom CSS to not apply the reaction plugin to people in that group. I have seen CSS used to customize other things in Discourse but don’t know enough about the code and plugins to say it is possible.

Another option could be to offer a theme that does not apply that plugin. Again not sure if that works as I think the reaction plugin code is patched into the theme.

As it is a question of accessibility it may have come up somewhere on the meta Discourse forum. A solution should be found for OG that works for @zephyr and others with similar problems. If it were just a matter of taste I would not bother

Make CSS changes on Your Site

[LemonadeJoe]

Allowing more kind of reactions besides a Like was one of the most wanted features on the site wishlist and I think it would be a step back to just disable it for everyone.

Unfortunately, the feature (provided by Reactions plugin) in its current implementation doesn’t allow individual users to disable it.

@zephyr

that’s right. chrome.

There are still options how to change the behavior of the site for individuals. That’s why I was asking about your browser. You can run your own modifications using Chrome plugin like Home | Tampermonkey

I’m currently occupied with the ongoing roadmap for site developments, and can’t devote my time to a code that will likely have limited usefulness for most users. Additionally, I doubt the original developers of the reactions plugin would be interested in implementing this feature.

However, there remains a chance that a skilled web designer from the OG community might assist you in creating a script to disable the feature using Tampermonkey or another browser plugin (either via CSS or in combination with a JavaScript code).

I’m making this a separate topic to get more views from the broader community.

[ABushOfKush]

I’ll just say I personally can’t stand the emojis. Relying on likes for interaction was already a problem here. When someone will reply to a topic saying “sorry im out of likes”… thats fine! Just type how you feel. Now you can convey more of your reaction with a click of a button? Aren’t we on a text based forum where we talk through writing and not little animated faces?

[Foreigner]

I don’t mind the odd emoji but I’d agree that to rely on them for communication or to use them excessively is a bit much.

But that’s just how I feel about it. People can do as they wish, maybe English isn’t their first language which is totally cool.

[TrichomesToStun]

Does this list keep populating?

Yesterday there were 7

11 of those I’ve never used

[allotment]

I like them. I’d rather see 10 emoji reactions than 10 posts that just say “FIRE! and characters”. You will get used to it

I just was not aware of the possible accessibility problems.

[LemonadeJoe]

@ABushOfKush

When someone will reply to a topic saying “sorry im out of likes”

@ABushOfKush

Aren’t we on a text based forum where we talk through writing and not little animated faces?

I disagree and have a different perspective. In my opinion, posts should mainly provide informational value, with the exception of leisure posts, which I believe should be limited to Chat. If you have nothing further to contribute, liking or reacting with a thumbs up is sufficient. It does not take up any extra visual space than necessary.

@TrichomesToStun

Does this list keep populating?

I was asking for suggestions in the other topic. Feel free to submit it here…

[HorseBadorites]

@LemonadeJoe

In my opinion, posts should mainly provide informational value, with the exception of leisure posts, which I believe should be limited to Chat. If you have nothing further to contribute, liking or reacting with a thumbs up is sufficient. It does not take up any extra visual space than necessary.

No kidding, the degenerating into idle chit chat has kept me from viewing a lot of threads. Scrolling by 50 posts of people trying to be cute gets old fast, and I am old, I should know,

[LemonadeJoe]

That’s why we need integrated Chat application ASAP

[CocoaCoir]

Discourse Chat is now available.

[allotment]

Just turn it on, it works nicely.

[grotebag]

@LemonadeJoe

That’s why we need integrated

…I miss the BBS…as do all boomers…

[LemonadeJoe]

@allotment

Just turn it on, it works nicely.

Supporters will be the first to try the Chat. As we promised, they have the access to the preview of the features.

[Haggis]

Haha I feel old now. I used to Dial / log into bbs’s to download Cracked Amiga & DOS games from Fairlight & Razor1911 and ANSI art-packs from ACiD.

@LemonadeJoe

Joe if I am about to sign up as a supporter, Who do I notify on here to get my account changed to supporter?