Temporarily Hide Sidebar Button

[Rawhide]

I have added the ability to temporarily hide the sidebar (section with the links to the News, Comics, etc.) on forum pages that you need the extra space.

I should point out that this is a very quick and dirty hack. It will only hide the sidebar for that page until you refresh/reload the page and/or follow a link. Basically, it's there to hide the sidebar only when you want/need to in order to view a certain forum page with greater width.

There is also a button to restore the sidebar should you need it. The button is titled, aptly enough, Restore Sidebar, and is currently located at the bottom of the page under the "All times are GMT +/-??. The time now is ??:?? AM/PM."

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Please give it a try and report back any issues.

[Chess435]

Thanks a lot! It'll really help on threads with really big spoilered images! :smallbiggrin:

[TheCountAlucard]

Indeed - the demotivators thread will be more convenient now.

Thanks. :smallsmile:

[Icewalker]

Wow...cool! Seems to work fine for me. The cut at the top looks a little awkward, but like you said, super rough. I figure that kind of polish would be included in a more finished fix.

[Darth Mario]

Seems to be working as intended. I hope there will be an option to leave the sidebar hidden after new page loads coming up soon, but as you said, quick and dirty. It's a very good feature idea.

[Melayl]

It works great, Rawhide. Thanks for doing that extra bit of work to make things easier for us!

[Rawhide]

Wow...cool! Seems to work fine for me. The cut at the top looks a little awkward, but like you said, super rough. I figure that kind of polish would be included in a more finished fix.

I noted the sharp cut during creation. But, it is not worth the time to polish it up at this stage. Overall, the look of the buttons/etc. might change slightly, but it's going to remain unpolished for the foreseeable future.


Seems to be working as intended. I hope there will be an option to leave the sidebar hidden after new page loads coming up soon, but as you said, quick and dirty. It's a very good feature idea.

This isn't a planned feature for the foreseeable future, so don't hold your breath. Like I mentioned above, it's not worth the time to polish it up further at this stage.

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Glad you all like it and that it is working both well and as intended.

[crimson77]

Works great on my iPhone. Much nicer to view the forums with the sidebar minimized. I can now read the forums without having to zoom.

[Rawhide]

Works great on my iPhone. Much nicer to view the forums with the sidebar minimized. I can now read the forums without having to zoom.

I found the same thing myself just recently aswell.

P.S. Soon I will get bored with hiding and restoring the sidebar for no reason. Maybe.

[Douglas]

Hiding the sidebar works great. Restoring it, well...
http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/3724/sidebarnw.jpg

This appears to only happen on the full forum pages, where most of the page is a list of threads, and only if my browser window is wider than a certain amount, but the width threshold isn't all that high. I'm using Firefox, in case it matters.

[Rawhide]

Hiding the sidebar works great. Restoring it, well...
http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/3724/sidebarnw.jpg

This appears to only happen on the full forum pages, where most of the page is a list of threads, and only if my browser window is wider than a certain amount, but the width threshold isn't all that high. I'm using Firefox, in case it matters.

That is most odd, and I am unable to replicate it with either Firefox or Internet Explorer.

Could you please include your version and operating system? Also, what size screen?

[Douglas]

Firefox 7.0.1, Windows 7 Ultimate

Dual-monitor setup, main screen (though it was added second) is 1920x1080, the other is 1280x1024.

I just tested again and it happens on both monitors, though to varying degrees due to different widths.

Restoring the sidebar works perfectly on the main forum index (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/index.php), individual thread pages, and the post reply page. I've only gotten the bug to trigger on individual forum pages, such as this one (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=25). Oddly, while hide->restore screws up as shown in the screen shot, restore->hide->restore works the way it should.

[Castaras]

That is most odd, and I am unable to replicate it with either Firefox or Internet Explorer.

Could you please include your version and operating system? Also, what size screen?

Does it on mine too, at least in Board Issues forum, though it's only 1 extra blank sidebar.

I have Firefox 6.0.2, and Windows 7. I use a 1280x1024 screen.

[Douglas]

Does it on mine too, at least in Board Issues forum, though it's only 1 extra blank sidebar.
The sidebar and thread list widths are constant, and whatever's left over gets filled with repeats of the sidebar background. If I shrink the window afterwords, the junk area shrinks while the sidebar and thread list stay the same, and once the junk area has been shrunk out of existence (at least until I make the window bigger again) I get a horizontal scrollbar for the rest.

If I click the restore sidebar button before hiding the sidebar the first time, it has no immediate visible effect but causes subsequent restores to function correctly. This effect only occurs if I click the restore button between page load and the very first click on the hide button, but it lasts until I reload the page no matter how many times I hide and restore the sidebar first.

[Chambers]

Excellent addition, thanks. No problems yet.

[Gorgondantess]

I like it! Very handy. Definitely a keeper.:smallbiggrin:

[drakir_nosslin]

Very nice, thanks a lot! :smallsmile:

[Castaras]

Does it on mine too, at least in Board Issues forum, though it's only 1 extra blank sidebar.

I have Firefox 6.0.2, and Windows 7. I use a 1280x1024 screen.

Just an addenum - with google chrome it doesn't occur. But with firefox it does. :smallsmile:

[Mando Knight]

I saw this thread, thought "temporarily hide sidebar?" Then I saw the button. Then I clicked it. Then I went "Woah." :smalltongue:

[AmberVael]

I seem to encounter the same issue as Castaras and Douglas. I'm on Windows XP, Firefox 7.0.1, with a 1280x800 screen.

Interestingly, I do not appear to have this problem when I use the button while typing up a post, or when using IE 8.

[PirateMonk]

I get one or two extra sidebars in Firefox on all pages except Post Reply, but they seem to go away when I reload the page.

[FyreByrd]

Just want to add my +1 to the thanks to Rawhide for putting this in place, for those of us on non-standard systems, and especially non-standard, smaller screen res. it's fantastic. I only tend to use the sidebar to check whether the latest comic has changed, the rest of my time is spent in the forums.

The ability for it to persist accross a session would be fantastic, but I realise that may be ambitious of me.

[Suicidal Charge]

I am having the same problem as Vael, douglas, and Castaras.

I'm using Firefox 6.0.2, Windows XP Professional, and the screen is 1920 x 1080.

Screenshot:

http://i.imgur.com/dQmQ1.png

[Mewtarthio]

Latest version of Firefox, Windows Vista, resolution 1440x900:

http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/6865/errorvl.png (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/198/errorvl.png/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

[Douglas]

Latest version of Firefox, Windows Vista, resolution 1440x900:

http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/6865/errorvl.png (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/198/errorvl.png/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)
Huh, that's new, it wasn't doing it on individual thread pages before. Just tried it again, and now it is.

Post reply page still has no problem, though.

[Rawhide]

Thanks. It has been established that there is a weird bug happening on Firefox versions 6 and 7. I don't need further screenshots for the same issue occurring in these same circumstances.

[Rockphed]

Hiding the sidebar works great. Restoring it, well...
http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/3724/sidebarnw.jpg

This appears to only happen on the full forum pages, where most of the page is a list of threads, and only if my browser window is wider than a certain amount, but the width threshold isn't all that high. I'm using Firefox, in case it matters.


Thanks. It has been established that there is a weird bug happening on Firefox versions 6 and 7. I don't need further screenshots for the same issue occurring in these same circumstances.

I haven't checked, but I think the forum is being restored to the default forum width. I.E. the one that the image size rules are designed for. What is the default width of the forum? Also, opening spoilers the expand the width of the forum covers up the bar, bug, thing.

[Rawhide]

I haven't checked, but I think the forum is being restored to the default forum width. I.E. the one that the image size rules are designed for. What is the default width of the forum? Also, opening spoilers the expand the width of the forum covers up the bar, bug, thing.

The problem is that the CMS (Content Management System) is running on an unspecified HTML version, probably HTML 4 Transitional and without stylesheets for most functions, while the forums run on XHTML 1.0 Transitional with stylesheets for everything. I have to make the sidebar disappear and reappear, but the sidebar is inside the content outputted from the CMS, which I can't modify directly and is managed differently. That said, while the hide/restore is an ugly hack, it should work and the display problems are Firefox's fault - it recognises the (technically now depreciated) width value before hiding it, but for some reason forgets it when it is restored. Fun and games.

Try it again now.

[Suicidal Charge]

The problem is that the CMS (Content Management System) is running on an unspecified HTML version, probably HTML 4 Transitional and without stylesheets for most functions, while the forums run on XHTML 1.0 Transitional with stylesheets for everything. I have to make the sidebar disappear and reappear, but the sidebar is inside the content outputted from the CMS, which I can't modify directly and is managed differently. That said, while the hide/restore is an ugly hack, it should work and the display problems are Firefox's fault - it recognises the (technically now depreciated) width value before hiding it, but for some reason forgets it when it is restored. Fun and games.

Try it again now.

I get only a thin brown bar, now.

http://i.imgur.com/sPQ7A.png

[Douglas]

It's still not working quite right, but the giant tracts of wasted window have been reduced to a thin brown band.

It would probably be another ugly hack, but you could try having the hide button automatically do a restore first. Clicking the restore button manually before hiding (has to be before the first hide) prevents the bug entirely, so it seems logical that imitating that programatically should have the same effect. Or maybe call the restore function on page load?

[Flickerdart]

This calls for some jQuery magic - the only thing better than a collapsible sidebar is a collapsible sidebar that animates. In fact, a sliding panel dealie would probably work great for this...
Yay for overthinking things!

[Recaiden]

I can't help but notice that the 'Destroy Universe' button in the same style is no longer here.

Has our universe already been destroyed? Shouldn't that warrant some sort of announcement? :smallconfused:

[Chess435]

I can't help but notice that the 'Destroy Universe' button in the same style is no longer here.

Has our universe already been destroyed? Shouldn't that warrant some sort of announcement? :smallconfused:

Nah, we were just all shunted into an alternate dimension where nobody bothered to push the button. :smallbiggrin:

[Rawhide]

The Destroy Universe button has returned. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/announcement.php?f=34&a=65) Limited time only.

Now even more tempting than before.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

The Destroy Universe button has returned. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/announcement.php?f=34&a=65) Limited time only.

Now even more tempting than before.
More than tempting. Those blinking lights make it pretty well mandatory!

[Sanguine]

The Destroy Universe button has returned. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/announcement.php?f=34&a=65) Limited time only.

Now even more tempting than before.

Is it wrong that I saw this less than a minute ago and have already pushed it a half dozen times?

[Neftren]

The Destroy Universe button has returned. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/announcement.php?f=34&a=65) Limited time only.

Now even more tempting than before.

Now all you need to do is bundle it into the "That Was Easy!" button. :smalltongue:

[raymundo]

Is there a plan to have a more permament removal? The sidebar is quite annoying on mobile devices, but removing it on every page is even more annoying.

Nice job so far!

[Rawhide]

Is there a plan to have a more permament removal? The sidebar is quite annoying on mobile devices, but removing it on every page is even more annoying.

Nice job so far!

No, there is not.