HOWTO: Change metadata order

[av8rmike]

UPDATE (3/03/08): I have updated this function as well as the other version of print_metadata() to add custom friends groups into the metadata.
I kept promising in my last HOWTO entry that I would re-work the metadata printing function for Expressive, so here it is, finally. Also as before, the code is based on kunzite1's Bloggish code here, which I've fixed and adapted for Expressive. A paid account is required, since you need to create a custom theme layer. Also, the original code had the capability to replace the meta header text with small images. I've left that functionality in, but you'll need to supply your own icons; 16x16 should be a suitable size. If you don't want icons, just remove the red text.

"Installation" is simple: Just cut and paste into your theme layer ( create it if you don't already have one). To change metadata order, just change the order of the $metadata array elements where the blue text is.
Limitations: Expressive is a little different from the other layouts in the way metadata is printed into blocks. Instead of one
and

for the entire block, there are actually two, one for location/mood/music and a separate one for tags. As it is, I chose to work in the confines of the existing CSS classes for Expressive and put the tags section after everything else. There might be a way to put the tags within the rest of the meta block, but I thought this was an acceptable solution. Unless there's a great deal of clamoring for a change, I'll just leave it this way. ;)

If you notice any problems, please let me know.


# define these properties somewhere in the layer
set text_meta_groups = "Groups:";
set text_meta_mood = "Mood:";
set text_meta_music = "Music:";
set text_meta_location = "Location:";

function Entry::print_metadata() {
var string[] metadata = [];
var string{} meta_images = {};

# define the meta order
# groups : custom friends groups to which the entry is posted, if any (viewable only by owner)
# location : current location
# mood : current mood
# music : current music
$metadata = [ # here is where you would change the meta order
"groups",
"location",
"mood",
"music"
];

# define the meta images
$meta_images = {
"groups" => "http://URL OF GROUPS MINI-ICON",
"location" => "http://URL OF LOCATION MINI-ICON",
"mood" => "http://URL OF MOOD MINI-ICON",
"music" => "http://URL OF MUSIC MINI-ICON",
"picture_keyword" => "",
"tags" => "http://URL OF TAGS MINI-ICON"
};

var string tags_header = """Tags:""";
var string currents_open = """
\n
\n"""; # html to open currents container
var string currents_close = """
\n\n"""; # html to close currents container

var string meta_label_open = """
• """; # html to open metadata label
  var string meta_label_close = """"""; # html to close metadata label
  var string meta_val_open = """"""; # html to open metadata value
  var string meta_val_close = """
"""; # html to close metadata value
# tags module has its own HTML in Expressive
var string tags_cont_open = """
""";
var string tags_cont_close = """\n

\n\n""";
var string tags_label_open = """""";
var string tags_label_close = """
\n

\n """;
var string tags_item_open = """
• """;
  var string tags_item_close = """
""";

var bool vanilla_loc = false; # strip current location value?
var bool have_meta = (size($.metadata) > 0); # do we have meta?
var bool have_tags = ((size($.tags) > 0) and $*tags_aware); # do we have tags?
var int tcount = 0;
var string currents = "";
var string image = "";
var string k = "";
var string label = "";
var string meta = "";
var string tag = "";
var string val = "";
var Tag t = new Tag;

# if we have meta
if($have_meta) {
# add opening of metadata container
$currents = $currents + $currents_open;

# if our meta order is empty, add 'em
if(size($metadata) < 1) {
foreach $k ($.metadata) {
$metadata[size($metadata)] = $k;
}
}

# cycle thru meta
foreach $k ($metadata) {
$label = lang_metadata_title($k); # get label
$image = $meta_images{$k} != "" ? $meta_images{$k} : ""; # get image
$val = $.metadata{$k}; # get value

# if we have an image
if($image != "") {
# add it
$label = """
""";
}

# add mood icon if present
if($k == "mood") {
if($.mood_icon) {
$val = " $.mood_icon " + $val;
}
}

# if we're doing the location and we're stripping it
if(($k == "location") and $vanilla_loc) {
# do it
$val = striphtml($val);
}

# if we have a val
if($val != "") {
# build meta row
$meta = """$meta_label_open$label$meta_label_close$meta_val_open$val$meta_val_close""";
} else {
# don't add row if there's missing meta
$meta = "";
}

# add meta
$currents = $currents + $meta;
}

# add closing of metadata container
$currents = $currents + $currents_close;
}

# if we have tags, put them at the end
# this section could also go above the metadata
if($have_tags) {
# add an image for tag header, if present
if($meta_images{"tags"} != ""){
$label = $tags_header;
$image = $meta_images{"tags"};
$tags_header = """
""";
}

$currents = $currents + """$tags_cont_open$tags_label_open$tags_header$tags_label_close""";

# cycle thru tags
foreach $t ($.tags) {
$tag = """$tags_item_open $t.name"""; # build tag
$currents = $currents + $tag; # add tag to val
$tcount++; # increment tag counter

# if current count is less than the size of the tags
if($tcount < size($.tags)) {
# add a sep
$currents = $currents + ", ";
}
$currents = $currents + $tags_item_close;
}
$currents = $currents + $tags_cont_close;
}

# print metadata
print $currents;
}Set your theme layer to be the active one from the Choose Journal Style page by clicking on "Your Custom Layers" in the left sidebar, then selecting "Apply Theme" under the appropriate layer.