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Version 2.4   Updated Friday, September 29th, 2006 at 5:17pm

User Bio Popup plugin for WordPress

This WordPress plugin searches posts and pages for the nicknames of authors. When it finds one, it turns it into a link which brings up a popup window with the author’s bio and image. It uses the contents of the ‘About Yourself’ field in the user’s profile for the actual bio, and the image used depends on which of the two methods you select. The options page for this plugin allows you to configure the popup’s heading, width, height, and more. It also is fully customizable with the built-in CSS in the popup template file.

Download

Instructions

  • Download dd-user-bio-popup.zip and uncompress
  • Upload dd-user-bio-popup.php to your plugin directory
  • Upload ddub-template.php to your theme directory
  • Enable the plugin
  • Configure the plugin options (under DDUserBioPopup). More information on that is below

Upgrading

Be sure to download both files when you upgrade, and check the options and the information on this page to make sure something has not been changed.

Change Log

  • 09-29-07 Version 2.4 - ‘Load Default Options’ button added. Tested with WP 2.3
  • 05-16-07 Version 2.3 - Updated for WordPress 2.2.
  • 04-06-06 Version 2.2 - Now in the options, you enter the FULL URL to the images directory. It should help make things a bit more standard. Everything validates now as well.
  • 04-05-06 Version 2.1 - Image detection code improved, gravatar code improved, and a few other little things.
  • 04-04-06 Version 2.0 - Popup code completely redone. Now popup window has it’s own template file. Images are now supported (Uploaded and Gravatars), as well as many other fixes and updates.
  • 04-02-06 Version 1.0 - First release.

Using images

The image used depends on your settings. This plugin allows you to create a directory, and upload images to it. You must simply specify the full URL to this directory in the options.

If you like, you could use a directory that your other author’s have access to, so they can upload their images themselves.

For image file names, simply use the author’s nickname - lower case, with spaces removed. The plugin will search for matching files that are either jpg, gif, or png.

Example

Let’s say your wordpress installation is at http://www.somesite.com/wp/ and you create a subdirectory called authors for the images. In your options page you would enter http://www.somesite.com/wp/authors/ for the directory.

Let’s also say that you have a user called Some User. You would want to call the image someuser.jpg (or gif or png). That’s it!

Now if the plugin cannot find a matching image, and Gravatars are enabled, it will try to find one by using the author’s email address (in their profile).

This plugin uses its own code for Gravatars, so you do not have to install anything else. If you are already using a Gravatar plugin, that is fine. They will not conflict.

Configuring

The CSS code for the popup window is contained in the template file (ddub-template.php). Feel free to change this to fit your site.

Options

Here are the settings available in this plugin’s options page in the WordPress admin panel.

Author images directory

This is the full url to your author image directory. This is where you can choose to store images for each author.

Use Gravatars?

If enabled, and an author image cannot be found in the specified directory, the author’s gravatar will be used. If you want to always use gravatars, just leave the ‘author images directory’ option blank.

Heading for the popup

This will be shown at the top of the popup window. If you want to include the user’s name, use %U.

Hover text for link

This will be shown when the visitor’s mouse is hovered over the link. If you want to include the user’s name, use %U.

Popup window width

Self-explanatory.

Popup window height

Self-explanatory.

CSS for popup window

This allows you to completely customize the popup window. The #wrapper div is around the content.

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  1. 75
    Foggy
    5-20-07 4:02PM

    After reading the installation instructions one more time, I got the thing to work ;) Bad me. However, I can’t get the popup to size up the height so it includes the picture.

    Check the first post at http://blog.stockholmsyndromes.se/ and click my nick “Foggy” in the bottom and you’ll see what I’ve mean. I’ve tried altering the height to 100% in the template file, but when I upload it, it doesn’t show when I view the source code.

    What silly thing am I overlooking?

  2. 74
    Admin
    4-18-07 8:42PM

    While this plugin does not use any code that should have been affected by the changes in WordPress 2.1, I just tested it out on my test site, which runs WordPress 2.1.3.

    It worked fine for me at least.

    For those of you having problems with it, be sure you are using the nickname (not display name) of the author in your post or page - that is what the plugin looks for. Also try disabling your other plugins to make sure there is not a conflict.

  3. 73
    Brian
    4-18-07 9:38AM

    I agree with Austin’s comment #72 - I have installed the two files in their respective directories with no result. I am running WP 2.1.2.

    Also, you talk about ddub-template.php being installed in our themes directory. Is this in the general themes directory (wp-content/themes) or in the specific theme we have applied to our site (wp-content/themes/connections). As an aside, I have tried ddub-template.php in both locations and the plugin doesn’t work in either.

  4. 72
    Austin
    3-29-07 11:53PM

    Hey this plugin sounds really cool but i have installed and activated it and it doesnt work. It wont create the links or anything. I am running the newest WP i know that. Any ideas?

  5. 71
    Admin
    3-23-07 4:52PM

    Annelies: It sounds like you are somehow getting extra whitespace at the top of the files. The very first thing in the files needs to be the starting PHP declaration. If anything is sent to the browser first, it will generate that error. Or perhaps you have a plugin displaying output before it should. You can test by disabling your other plugins.

  6. 70
    Annelies
    3-21-07 6:58AM

    Hi, I’m trying to activate this plugin, but when I do, I get a blank screen with this warning:
    Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /storage/mijndomein/users/041361/public/sites/leden.helikonsymfonieorkest.nl/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/dd-user-bio-popup.php:258) in /storage/mijndomein/users/041361/public/sites/leden.helikonsymfonieorkest.nl/wordpress/wp-includes/pluggable.php on line 275

    I also have this problem when I try to activate your sitemap plugin. I’m using WP 2.1.2.

  7. 69
    Jurriaan
    2-18-07 1:30PM

    if there is a name in the alt tag or link i convert the name to unicode with this converter: http://www.mikezilla.com/exp0012.html

    Put the name in the ASCII field

  8. 68
    Michel Fortin
    11-9-06 9:28PM

    Great. Thank you. I absolutely love your plugins. I have several in use on my new multi-author blog, and nothing out there does what yours do. They’re excellent! (The link to that blog is in my comment link.)

  9. 67
    Admin
    11-9-06 9:16PM

    Michel: Ah, I see what you mean now - this is actually a known issue. Last time I updated this script I was trying to think of the best way to handle it actually. :) I may see about having it not replace instances of the name if it is inside a link or image.

  10. 66
    Michel Fortin
    11-9-06 9:00PM

    No, it’s not in their profile. It’s in the post. If there’s a link like a href=blah title=author’s name, or an image with the alt tag with the author’s name, it screws up the post as your plugin tries to linkify the author’s name in the post’s HTML coding.

  11. 65
    Admin
    11-9-06 8:58PM

    Michel: I will check that out, but I do not believe WordPress officially supports adding html to user profile fields anyway.

  12. 64
    Michel Fortin
    11-9-06 2:39AM

    Seems there’s a bug. If an author has a picture with the alt tag with their name, the plugin thinks it’s linkable and shows the code rather than the link, in the post. For example:

  13. 63
    Jurriaan
    10-4-06 1:22AM

    it’s working fine. I just combined your script with an ubb-parser. I was suprised it worked because i never have programmed in php before. I think it could use some optimizing but i don’t have the knowledge for that stuff ;)
    Offcourse you may edit it were you like and add it to future versions of your script.
    I think there is one little bug, after you used a ubb tag, the text goes to the next line (like a ).
    You can see the script in action here: http://sk8indtc.trimsalonpluto.nl/?page_id=37
    Just click my name.

  14. 62
    Admin
    10-3-06 6:56PM

    Jurriaan: Nice work :) After you have been testing it out for a bit, if you want to write up some info on it, I will add it to the article :) Email me if so.

  15. 61
    Jurriaan
    10-3-06 5:34AM

    hmm i can’t post the full code here.
    wel here’s a link. Just copy the code and save as ddub-template.php and replace for the original.

    http://sk8indtc.trimsalonpluto.nl/wp-content/ddub-template.txt

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