Scratch Wiki:Custom Signatures

In the Scratch Wiki, custom signatures are signatures that are pre-made and replace the old, generic signature. Custom signatures are allowed on the wiki, however, they are not recommended because they sometimes cause undesirable page format issues. Custom signatures are saved in a sub-page of a userpage, and is referenced to on a talk page, where it will show up. Custom signatures also replace the scratchsig ( ) tags.

If your custom signature breaks formatting on talk pages, doesn't format properly itself, or looks very different from a regular signature, do not use it. Regular signatures surpass custom signatures.

Creating Custom Signatures
First, create a sub-page to place your custom signature in. After that, create a custom signature which has a 20*20 pixel picture on the leftmost part of the signature, a link to your own userpage and talk page. Adding a link to your contributions is also needed. Custom signatures are strictly regulated and therefore, compulsory rules must be followed when making a custom signature:
 * The profile photo must be a square shape and must be 18*18 or 20*20
 * The signature cannot attract undesirable attention (ex. flashy text, some flashy profile GIFs [some exceptions apply, see ] in which another user would tell the custom signature creator to change the signature)
 * This also means the signature may not contain any excessively bright colors
 * The signature may not contain any background colors, images, or borders
 * A link to the user's user page, talk page and contributions must be present
 * Links must be self-explanatory (ex. A link that says "talk" must link to a talk page, nothing else)
 * Nothing not Wiki related may be added (e.g. a link to your Scratch page is allowed, but not a link to your latest Scratch project, a quote, etc.)

Keep in mind that the timestamp should always be present. Editing the design of the timestamp is not relevant under custom signatures, and should not be done.
 * Signatures must occupy one line only; there should not be any formatting that cuts to other lines, such as adding text shadow.
 * Text font should be clear.
 * Signature cannot be very long. To test, do the eight colon test. Go to the sandbox and place your signature, with timestamp, after eight colons . If your custom signature breaks lines, it is too long.

Picture
The profile picture on the signature have specific regulations that prohibit signatures that are very obvious. Still profile pictures are recommended, but animated gifs are also acceptable. However, GIFS: Pictures are also welcome, however the photo must be resized to be an 18*18 square.
 * Have no limit on frame transition speed (frames per second) but cannot be flashy (there can be a fast transition GIF of a moving square, for example, but there cannot be a fast transitioning GIF that flashes different colors)
 * Cannot be inappropriate

Best Method for Using Signatures
If you want to make a signature that does not take up much room on wiki pages and are updated on each page as soon as you change it, you can use the method below.
 * Design what you want your signature to look like. (Make sure you follow the rules listed above.)
 * Create a custom signature page on your wiki profile. (Use something like User:USERNAME/signature)
 * Place your signature code on the newly created page.
 * Create a second page on your wiki profile to miniaturize your signature. (Use something like User:USERNAME/minisig)
 * Place this line of code on the newly created page:   (Make sure that you use the same URL that you used for the first page.)
 * Go into your user preferences page, and place this line of code in the line labeled "New Signature":   (Make sure this has the same URL as the second page you created.)
 * Save your changes and you will have an unobtrusive signature that you can use without worrying whether or not the signature is up to date on all your posts.

Maintaining Custom Signatures
Custom signatures are highly volatile; one custom signature formatted incorrectly can be placed on multiple pages, breaking the formatting of that page, but also indirectly suggesting to other users to make custom signatures based on the incorrect one. Administrators and Experienced Wikians regulate custom signatures to make sure they aren't breaking the rules. Reminders will be given in this order: Your custom signature may be changed by an admin or Experienced Wikian if you are inactive on the Wiki and your signature breaks the rules.
 * 1) The admin or Experienced Wikian will remind the user to fix their custom signature on their talk page.
 * 2) Another reminder will be given to the user on their talk page.
 * 3) If the user still does not comply, they will be asked not to use their custom signature.