Better MetaFiltering through scripting March 26, 2025 12:01 PM Subscribe
Back in the aughts, MetaFilter and sites like it were often improved by community-designed "userscripts" that added useful features to the default experience. Unfortunately, as more and more sites moved to mobile-first design, this power-user approach to customization declined in popularity (and accessibility). But that's no reason for such clever code to go to waste! We've reached out to some developers of classic, much-loved MeFi scripts who have generously agreed to let frimble incorporate their functionality directly into the site so it runs easily on any device -- initially as a direct port, then as a model for the new codebase if it proves popular and workable. First up: Plutor's humble MeFiQuote script, which adds a [quote] button to the byline of every comment on the site. Click to jump to the reply field while quoting the comment in full, with the username linking back to the original -- or on most platforms, highlight some text first to quote that excerpt directly! It's especially handy for mobile, where you'd normally have to type out a lot of tedious HTML and multiple copy-pastes to do the same thing. And if you used to use userscripts (or still do!), check out this list of classic MeFi scripts and share which ones you think would be worth adapting.
Note: As a work in progress, the MeFiQuote feature is currently opt-in -- you can enable it in your Preferences page. This setting is per-device, so you can pick and choose where you want it to show up.
There is one known bug at the moment: if you have the in-line video player option enabled, quoting a comment with a YouTube or Vimeo link will try and fail to quote the embed icon as well, creating an unsightly gap in the quote. You can avoid this by either disabling the in-line player, or by deleting this bit after the video link in the quoted comment:
<a href="https://www.metafilter.com/yt.cfm?yt=xxxxxxxxxxx" title="Play Video" class="vid" target="_self"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon icon-icon_19502"><use xlink:href="#icon-icon_19502">
Also, if you have the original MeFiQuote running in your browser, it will conflict with this version, so best choose one or the other. The only differences are that the new one doesn't bold the quote button and puts it after the date rather than the end of the byline; the functionality is the same.
Special thanks to Plutor and frimble for making this long-overdue feature a reality! 🎉
Note: As a work in progress, the MeFiQuote feature is currently opt-in -- you can enable it in your Preferences page. This setting is per-device, so you can pick and choose where you want it to show up.
There is one known bug at the moment: if you have the in-line video player option enabled, quoting a comment with a YouTube or Vimeo link will try and fail to quote the embed icon as well, creating an unsightly gap in the quote. You can avoid this by either disabling the in-line player, or by deleting this bit after the video link in the quoted comment:
<a href="https://www.metafilter.com/yt.cfm?yt=xxxxxxxxxxx" title="Play Video" class="vid" target="_self"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon icon-icon_19502"><use xlink:href="#icon-icon_19502">
Also, if you have the original MeFiQuote running in your browser, it will conflict with this version, so best choose one or the other. The only differences are that the new one doesn't bold the quote button and puts it after the date rather than the end of the byline; the functionality is the same.
Special thanks to Plutor and frimble for making this long-overdue feature a reality! 🎉
Klipspringer: "Extremely cool!"
who is this dork
posted by Klipspringer at 12:09 PM on March 26 [4 favorites]
who is this dork
posted by Klipspringer at 12:09 PM on March 26 [4 favorites]
Klipspringer: "Klipspringer: "Extremely cool!"
who is this dork"
You seem to be talking to yourself.
posted by ashbury at 12:21 PM on March 26
who is this dork"
You seem to be talking to yourself.
posted by ashbury at 12:21 PM on March 26
ashbury: "Klipspringer: "Klipspringer: "Extremely cool!"
who is this dork"
You seem to be talking to yourself."
No, you seem to be talking to yourself.
posted by ashbury at 12:21 PM on March 26 [2 favorites]
who is this dork"
You seem to be talking to yourself."
No, you seem to be talking to yourself.
posted by ashbury at 12:21 PM on March 26 [2 favorites]
ashbury: "ashbury: "Klipspringer: "Klipspringer: "Extremely cool!"
who is this dork"
You seem to be talking to yourself."
No, you seem to be talking to yourself."
How dare you!!
posted by ashbury at 12:22 PM on March 26
who is this dork"
You seem to be talking to yourself."
No, you seem to be talking to yourself."
How dare you!!
posted by ashbury at 12:22 PM on March 26
ashbury: "ashbury: "ashbury: "Klipspringer: "Klipspringer: "Extremely cool!"
who is this dork"
You seem to be talking to yourself."
No, you seem to be talking to yourself."
How dare you!!"
Does anybody read the comments down here?
posted by ashbury at 12:22 PM on March 26
who is this dork"
You seem to be talking to yourself."
No, you seem to be talking to yourself."
How dare you!!"
Does anybody read the comments down here?
posted by ashbury at 12:22 PM on March 26
ashbury: "ashbury: "ashbury: "ashbury: "Klipspringer: "Klipspringer: "Extremely cool!"
who is this dork"
You seem to be talking to yourself."
No, you seem to be talking to yourself."
How dare you!!"
Does anybody read the comments down here?"
We all do.
posted by ashbury at 12:23 PM on March 26 [1 favorite]
who is this dork"
You seem to be talking to yourself."
No, you seem to be talking to yourself."
How dare you!!"
Does anybody read the comments down here?"
We all do.
posted by ashbury at 12:23 PM on March 26 [1 favorite]
ashbury: "ashbury: "ashbury: "ashbury: "ashbury: "Klipspringer: "Klipspringer: "Extremely cool!"
who is this dork"
You seem to be talking to yourself."
No, you seem to be talking to yourself."
How dare you!!"
Does anybody read the comments down here?"
We all do."
I grow weary of this banter.
posted by ashbury at 12:25 PM on March 26 [1 favorite]
who is this dork"
You seem to be talking to yourself."
No, you seem to be talking to yourself."
How dare you!!"
Does anybody read the comments down here?"
We all do."
I grow weary of this banter.
posted by ashbury at 12:25 PM on March 26 [1 favorite]
I never thought I'd appreciate how tumblr does replies....
posted by advicepig at 12:27 PM on March 26 [4 favorites]
posted by advicepig at 12:27 PM on March 26 [4 favorites]
I'd like to be able to navigate between a user's comments in a thread. And I'd like to sort by most favourited. Happy to take a look at coding that, when I get some free time — unless someone else has got there first.
posted by Klipspringer at 1:38 PM on March 26 [1 favorite]
posted by Klipspringer at 1:38 PM on March 26 [1 favorite]
This scripting preference doesn't seem to do stage directions or format dialog properly.
posted by snofoam at 2:17 PM on March 26
posted by snofoam at 2:17 PM on March 26
I've never used any of these (because I didn't know they existed), but I checked the list and think both MetaFilter Scroll Tag and MeFi Nope! would be useful to me.
posted by demi-octopus at 2:24 PM on March 26
posted by demi-octopus at 2:24 PM on March 26
Markdown for MeFi is an extension and probably not in scope here, but it sure is nice to have, having found it on that wiki page. I sorta want to disassemble it and make an org-mode version.
posted by A forgotten .plan file at 2:46 PM on March 26 [2 favorites]
posted by A forgotten .plan file at 2:46 PM on March 26 [2 favorites]
I'm using CKEditor with Markdown for the new site (demo here). Please note that this demo has features that won't be included in the new site.
posted by kirkaracha (staff) at 3:06 PM on March 26 [3 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha (staff) at 3:06 PM on March 26 [3 favorites]
Casually crushing our img tag dreams there.
posted by Klipspringer at 3:46 PM on March 26 [3 favorites]
posted by Klipspringer at 3:46 PM on March 26 [3 favorites]
FWIW I had to edit the MeFiQuote script so its scope was set to https://*.metafilter.com/*, not http://*.metafilter.com/* for it to work.
posted by signal at 4:46 PM on March 26
posted by signal at 4:46 PM on March 26
My only feedback on the new quote feature is that spelling out "quote" takes up too much space visually and means the byline can't fit on one line as often as before, on narrow screens.
Using ↩ , with the semantic of "reply", looks a little nicer to my eyes. You need an extra couple of pixels, or a space character, on the right to balance it with the ], and enlarge the hitbox.
There's also 💬, but that looks bad and is inconsistent with the "black emoji" ⚑.
posted by Klipspringer at 4:48 PM on March 26
Using ↩ , with the semantic of "reply", looks a little nicer to my eyes. You need an extra couple of pixels, or a space character, on the right to balance it with the ], and enlarge the hitbox.
There's also 💬, but that looks bad and is inconsistent with the "black emoji" ⚑.
posted by Klipspringer at 4:48 PM on March 26
Casually crushing our img tag dreams there.
I would've said "deliberately and brutally" instead of "casually," but tomayto tomahto.
posted by kirkaracha (staff) at 5:41 PM on March 26 [5 favorites]
I would've said "deliberately and brutally" instead of "casually," but tomayto tomahto.
posted by kirkaracha (staff) at 5:41 PM on March 26 [5 favorites]
On kirk's comment the quote link is in the wrong place (before the timestamp). Perhaps the staff badge is throwing things off.
posted by Klipspringer at 6:31 PM on March 26
posted by Klipspringer at 6:31 PM on March 26
Rhaomi: "check out this list of classic MeFi scripts and share which ones you think would be worth adapting"
The two I always loved were:
* HowlsOfOutrage, which allows you to see who favorited something just by mousing over the "3 favorites," without clicking and switching to a new page
* MetaFilthy, which remembered the last comment you read in a thread, drew a horizontal line at that point to separate the "read" from the "unread," and jumped you down automatically to that line when you opened a thread
Also, about Plutor's MeFiQuote implementation, maybe it's a problem with this implementation or maybe it's a problem with Plutor's script itself, but it only works on comments, not on posts.
posted by Bugbread at 8:06 PM on March 26 [1 favorite]
The two I always loved were:
* HowlsOfOutrage, which allows you to see who favorited something just by mousing over the "3 favorites," without clicking and switching to a new page
* MetaFilthy, which remembered the last comment you read in a thread, drew a horizontal line at that point to separate the "read" from the "unread," and jumped you down automatically to that line when you opened a thread
Also, about Plutor's MeFiQuote implementation, maybe it's a problem with this implementation or maybe it's a problem with Plutor's script itself, but it only works on comments, not on posts.
posted by Bugbread at 8:06 PM on March 26 [1 favorite]
I'd like to be able to navigate between a user's comments in a thread.
MeFi Navigator does that (and more, though some of its other nuances have stopped functioning on the site over the years).
Mefi Deleted Posts is the other one I've always had running, but the link on the wiki returns a 404 now, and I'm pretty sure the version on userscripts.com isn't the most recent (and thus probably doesn't work with the current site; if nothing else it'll need each http changed to https).
Great idea, everybody!
posted by nobody at 9:38 PM on March 26 [1 favorite]
MeFi Navigator does that (and more, though some of its other nuances have stopped functioning on the site over the years).
Mefi Deleted Posts is the other one I've always had running, but the link on the wiki returns a 404 now, and I'm pretty sure the version on userscripts.com isn't the most recent (and thus probably doesn't work with the current site; if nothing else it'll need each http changed to https).
Great idea, everybody!
posted by nobody at 9:38 PM on March 26 [1 favorite]
My guess is I'm not alone in not knowing how to use a "script" like this. I'm just a goof with less than zero background in computer languages or codes or whatever. (You can see
I literally don't know how to talk about what I'm talking about here )
How would someone like, I dunno, copy/paste this into a browser window of some sort to use it? Is there existing guidance somewhere?
posted by kensington314 at 10:31 PM on March 26 [1 favorite]
I literally don't know how to talk about what I'm talking about here )
How would someone like, I dunno, copy/paste this into a browser window of some sort to use it? Is there existing guidance somewhere?
posted by kensington314 at 10:31 PM on March 26 [1 favorite]
Kensington314, if you scroll down the page linked to by "check out this list of classic MeFi scripts" there's a section called "Installing Scripts" that has instructions for Firefox, Chrome, and Safari.
It's a bit weird, because the top of the page talks about using Greasemonkey on Firefox but the "Installing Scripts" part says to use Scriptish. But the Scriptish link is broken, so if you're using Firefox, just ignore the "Installing Scripts" explanation. Instead, install the Greasemonkey add-on, then click on the name of a script you find interesting on that mefiwiki page and click the big green "Install this script" button. And that should do it!
posted by Bugbread at 1:13 AM on March 27
It's a bit weird, because the top of the page talks about using Greasemonkey on Firefox but the "Installing Scripts" part says to use Scriptish. But the Scriptish link is broken, so if you're using Firefox, just ignore the "Installing Scripts" explanation. Instead, install the Greasemonkey add-on, then click on the name of a script you find interesting on that mefiwiki page and click the big green "Install this script" button. And that should do it!
posted by Bugbread at 1:13 AM on March 27
Mod note: This is good news and a great addition, with all the other recent code changes, so we've added this post to the sidebar and Best Of blog!
posted by Brandon Blatcher (staff) at 4:33 AM on March 27
posted by Brandon Blatcher (staff) at 4:33 AM on March 27
mute a filter
Mute a filter.
Mute a filter.
Never seen most of these, I like the one that changes an icon to a fish.
posted by tiny frying pan at 4:53 AM on March 27
Mute a filter.
Mute a filter.
Never seen most of these, I like the one that changes an icon to a fish.
posted by tiny frying pan at 4:53 AM on March 27
MetaFilter hedgehog comment pointer is an absolute must of course. Why wouldn't you want your comment pointer to be a hedgehog?!
Yes, Mute a Filter please and ASAP! I like how it's not quite a kill file, just turns certain comments to grey.
MefiQuote is an awesome addition and now can't imagine living without it!
posted by Brandon Blatcher (staff) at 5:23 AM on March 27
Yes, Mute a Filter please and ASAP! I like how it's not quite a kill file, just turns certain comments to grey.
MefiQuote is an awesome addition and now can't imagine living without it!
posted by Brandon Blatcher (staff) at 5:23 AM on March 27
This is super welcome. I am one of the few who still have Greasemonkey installed, and MefiQuote is one of the reasons. I’ve missed it on mobile, so I am super happy to see the functionality enabled here!
posted by caution live frogs at 5:58 AM on March 27
posted by caution live frogs at 5:58 AM on March 27
Yes, Mute a Filter please and ASAP! I like how it's not quite a kill file, just turns certain comments to grey.
That's the best part - if you have someone "greyed" you can still follow along in the convo. I'd like both ideally, the ability to "mute" but also to block outright. But blocking outright really also needs a placeholder to show that comment was blocked but still exists.
posted by tiny frying pan at 6:46 AM on March 27 [2 favorites]
That's the best part - if you have someone "greyed" you can still follow along in the convo. I'd like both ideally, the ability to "mute" but also to block outright. But blocking outright really also needs a placeholder to show that comment was blocked but still exists.
posted by tiny frying pan at 6:46 AM on March 27 [2 favorites]
Yay for UI improvements! I hope this gets mainstreamed and stops being only an opt-in preference.
Also a quick note of sadness about the change in MeFi culture. I've always kind of liked that we don't have quotes and we don't have comment threading. It encourages general discussion instead of back and forth to individual other commenters. OTOH lots of us are already doing quoting (myself included) so a standard way to do it may well be for the best.
posted by Nelson at 7:52 AM on March 27 [1 favorite]
Also a quick note of sadness about the change in MeFi culture. I've always kind of liked that we don't have quotes and we don't have comment threading. It encourages general discussion instead of back and forth to individual other commenters. OTOH lots of us are already doing quoting (myself included) so a standard way to do it may well be for the best.
posted by Nelson at 7:52 AM on March 27 [1 favorite]
I cannot live without:
metafilter-favisualised
metafilter-deletedposts
swipe right to favorites (mobile)
(I can dig up links for these if people can't find them.)
posted by Melismata at 10:40 AM on March 27 [1 favorite]
metafilter-favisualised
metafilter-deletedposts
swipe right to favorites (mobile)
(I can dig up links for these if people can't find them.)
posted by Melismata at 10:40 AM on March 27 [1 favorite]
Oooh Metafilter Scroll Tag is the other userscript I still use.
Also, checking my settings to enable MefiQuote made me realize I still had my Google+ ID number as an active social media field. Wow. I should check my settings more often I guess
posted by caution live frogs at 12:47 PM on March 27
Also, checking my settings to enable MefiQuote made me realize I still had my Google+ ID number as an active social media field. Wow. I should check my settings more often I guess
posted by caution live frogs at 12:47 PM on March 27
metafilter-favisualised
metafilter-deletedposts
Worth pointing out these are Firefox browser extensions rather than userscripts.
(I'm the author of these two, along with the other extensions prefixed with "metafilter-". Any issues with them feel free to drop me a memail.)
posted by urbanwhaleshark at 12:49 PM on March 27 [3 favorites]
metafilter-deletedposts
Worth pointing out these are Firefox browser extensions rather than userscripts.
(I'm the author of these two, along with the other extensions prefixed with "metafilter-". Any issues with them feel free to drop me a memail.)
posted by urbanwhaleshark at 12:49 PM on March 27 [3 favorites]
It was a full-fledged browser plugin, not a greasemonkey script, so it might not technically fit here. But I liked Calm Metafilter (forces you to either preview or wait 5 seconds before posting a comment). Chrome took it away from me when they changed how the browser interacted with plugins...
posted by a faded photo of their beloved at 1:01 PM on March 27
posted by a faded photo of their beloved at 1:01 PM on March 27
Good stuff, I used to use the script back in the day, but forgot to reinstall it at some point when changing computers or something, and it's nice to have the functionality back.
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 5:06 PM on March 27
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 5:06 PM on March 27
MetaFilter replace quote label (greasyfork): This script replaces the "quote" label with a ↩ arrow symbol.
Wait .. it's userscripts all the way down? Always has been 🔫
posted by Klipspringer at 8:43 AM on March 28
Wait .. it's userscripts all the way down? Always has been 🔫
posted by Klipspringer at 8:43 AM on March 28
See ftrttrs' bug report: once enabled, MefiQuote can't be disabled. I can reproduce.
posted by Klipspringer at 4:51 AM on March 29
posted by Klipspringer at 4:51 AM on March 29
Mefi Navigator Redux (greasyfork): a slimmer, updated version of the original Mefi Navigator script.
- Navigate users' comments with up and down arrows, and see their comment count. If this is their only comment, nothing is added to the comment byline.
- Highlights OP's comments with a left border (like on AskMe).
- Highlights your comments with a "me" indicator.
Tested on Chrome and Firefox on desktop with the Modern Dark theme, should also work elsewhere.
posted by Klipspringer at 10:56 AM on March 29 [1 favorite]
- Navigate users' comments with up and down arrows, and see their comment count. If this is their only comment, nothing is added to the comment byline.
- Highlights OP's comments with a left border (like on AskMe).
- Highlights your comments with a "me" indicator.
Tested on Chrome and Firefox on desktop with the Modern Dark theme, should also work elsewhere.
posted by Klipspringer at 10:56 AM on March 29 [1 favorite]
Apparently you don't even have to enable mefiquote, you just have to edit your profile in some way, and it's automatically enabled, without being able to be turned off?
posted by mittens at 4:32 PM on March 29
posted by mittens at 4:32 PM on March 29
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posted by Klipspringer at 12:08 PM on March 26