# Want to see avatars on the SDMB? Here's a script. **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [July 8, 2012, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-see-avatars-on-the-sdmb-heres-a-script/627636 "2012-07-08T21:44:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-see-avatars-on-the-sdmb-heres-a-script/627636/61 "2012-07-26T13:20:01Z")
> [@Full\_Tilt\_Boogie](#): > > And what’s this voodoo about signatures not being visible - I’m guessing you need to post something like 20,000 posts before that feature kicks-in, right? Just to prove that you’re !a committed user…" It’s a feature from the history of the board servers being slow. Sigs are off by default in the control panel, but you can turn them on. Go to User CP \> Edit Options Then scroll down to Thread Display Options. There’s a tickbox to Show Signatures. Being able to post a sig, that’s a different story. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-see-avatars-on-the-sdmb-heres-a-script/627636/62 "2012-07-26T13:55:05Z")
> [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#): > > Only paying members are allowed to upload avatars to their profiles, so that’s the way it works for _them_. We plain ol’ folk have to do it the off-board way. Do my posts have an avatar next to them? Because when I turn the script on they do, but I haven’t added the SDMB Avatar text to my profile, so where is it pulling a picture from? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-see-avatars-on-the-sdmb-heres-a-script/627636/63 "2012-07-26T14:27:53Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Do my posts have an avatar next to them? Because when I turn the script on they do, but I haven’t added the SDMB Avatar text to my profile, so where is it pulling a picture from? There is an avatar visible but I don’t know where it’s from. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-see-avatars-on-the-sdmb-heres-a-script/627636/64 "2012-07-26T14:31:00Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Do my posts have an avatar next to them? Because when I turn the script on they do, but I haven’t added the SDMB Avatar text to my profile, so where is it pulling a picture from? Yes, you have a photo of a man, presumably you. No idea where it is coming from. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-see-avatars-on-the-sdmb-heres-a-script/627636/65 "2012-07-26T14:38:40Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > Yes, you have a photo of a man, presumably you. No idea where it is coming from. Tis indeed me. Way back in the day when I was still a member, I know I uploaded a picture to be a profile pic and it’s highly probable that’s what this is. I’m not a member anymore and I can’t upload or remove photos associated with my account but it appears the board has that info saved somewhere and the script can still access it, so that’s something that guests who used to be members might want to be aware of. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-see-avatars-on-the-sdmb-heres-a-script/627636/66 "2012-07-26T14:40:09Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > Yes, you have a photo of a man, presumably you. No idea where it is coming from. Interestingly, it’s not the same photo as on the SDMB picture page but it does appear to be the same dapper guy. Did you ever have a picture in your user profile, **IS**? ETA: Just saw your latest post. I think that you solved it. I bet that if you re-upped that pic would be visible in your profile again. An Admin could probably edit it out. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-see-avatars-on-the-sdmb-heres-a-script/627636/67 "2012-07-26T14:43:30Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Do my posts have an avatar next to them? Because when I turn the script on they do, but I haven’t added the SDMB Avatar text to my profile, so where is it pulling a picture from? It might be getting locally cached, meaning that all of our browsers are remembering your avatar even though you’ve removed it. I can still see it when I am logged in, but when I call up this page using chrome’s incognito mode, there is no avatar for you. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-see-avatars-on-the-sdmb-heres-a-script/627636/68 "2012-07-26T14:49:46Z")
> [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#): > > It might be getting locally cached, meaning that all of our browsers are remembering your avatar even though you’ve removed it. Be he didn’t say he removed it. He said he never had it. Where else could the script be pulling the picture from? ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-see-avatars-on-the-sdmb-heres-a-script/627636/69 "2012-07-26T15:05:48Z")
We’ll need to call tech support on that one. But I thought I remembered seeing his avatar in his profile when I looked a few days ago. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-see-avatars-on-the-sdmb-heres-a-script/627636/70 "2012-07-26T15:07:43Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Be he didn’t say he removed it. He said he never had it. Where else could the script be pulling the picture from? No. He said that he did upload one to his profile when he had a paid membership. When his membership expired, the pic became invisible but it’s still there. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-see-avatars-on-the-sdmb-heres-a-script/627636/71 "2012-07-26T15:11:23Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > No. He said that he did upload one to his profile when he had a paid membership. When his membership expired, the pic became invisible but it’s still there. I see. Then could he still remove it for real if he wished, and if so, would it _still_ show up as his script avatar? ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-see-avatars-on-the-sdmb-heres-a-script/627636/72 "2012-07-26T15:12:00Z")
> [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#): > > We’ll need to call tech support on that one. But I thought I remembered seeing his avatar in his profile when I looked a few days ago. ! Well, really! No, I let my membership expire when they moved to the free guest/paid member tiered system. It may have been several months after that switch but I’ve been a picless guest for quite a while now. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-see-avatars-on-the-sdmb-heres-a-script/627636/73 "2012-07-26T15:13:56Z")
Looking at the page source code, I don’t see any external images being pulled in. There is only a reference to his profile page. So I am guessing that even though he’s lost the ability to add/remove/edit his avatar, the forum is still saving it and providing it to any browser that asks for it. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-see-avatars-on-the-sdmb-heres-a-script/627636/74 "2012-07-26T15:14:25Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I see. Then could he still remove it for real if he wished, and if so, would it _still_ show up as his script avatar? I don’t know, would it? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-see-avatars-on-the-sdmb-heres-a-script/627636/75 "2012-07-26T15:16:52Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > ! > > Well, really! > No, I let my membership expire when they moved to the free guest/paid member tiered system. It may have been several months after that switch but I’ve been a picless guest for quite a while now. I don’t know anything about the User CP menu for Guests. Is there still a place to post a profile picture even though it won’t show up, and is your old link still typed in there? ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-see-avatars-on-the-sdmb-heres-a-script/627636/76 "2012-07-26T15:21:49Z")
No, there’s no field to input a picture URL. At least, there isn’t one under either Edit Your Details or Edit Options. I can’t imagine where else it might be. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-see-avatars-on-the-sdmb-heres-a-script/627636/77 "2012-07-26T15:28:46Z")
I guess when your membership expires, your avatar becomes a tattoo. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-see-avatars-on-the-sdmb-heres-a-script/627636/78 "2012-07-26T15:32:55Z")
I can edit mine, and I’m a guest. User CP-\>Edit Your Details (left hand side of the screen)-\>Scroll down to the Additional Information section…if you’ve got any pic link in those boxes, I think the script pulls it. Mine is in the “Additional details about yourself” field so I know it pulls from that one. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-see-avatars-on-the-sdmb-heres-a-script/627636/79 "2012-07-26T15:34:04Z")
How often does the script update the avatar picture? What is it showing for my avatar right now? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-see-avatars-on-the-sdmb-heres-a-script/627636/80 "2012-07-26T15:35:25Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > How often does the script update the avatar picture? > What is it showing for my avatar right now? I think it’s once an hour. Looks like a mall cop. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-see-avatars-on-the-sdmb-heres-a-script/627636.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-see-avatars-on-the-sdmb-heres-a-script/627636.md?page=5)