Distribution Info Extension Got Better

Version 2.3 — Chocolate Bar

I have indulged myself in things I love doing. And yeah, chocolate was one of them. That is not the reason why this version is called Chocolate Bar, however. Read on if you want to know why and exactly how much chocolate I had while coding this new update. Or just read on to see all the nifty new features in this release.

Medium Distribution Info 2.3 — Chocolate Bar

Sometimes it doesn't take much to be happy, to experience a moment of bliss, to just forget about other things in life. That pretty much sums it up for this version. Want more detail? On to the list:

New Features

• Not distributed? Come on, I’ll show you. You can have some chocolate to feel better afterward.
• Support for smaller resolutions. This has got to do with scroll bars.
• Support for a hippy-URL of the stat page. No, this one is not for you hippies out there. I needed to write this to vent off some steam.
• Showing you exactly how much time is left for Distribution review. Maybe not exactly, it’s somewhat accurate. Nevertheless, it’s probably the most exciting feature in this release.

Now, there’s a clever name if I have ever seen one. Combining scroll bars and chocolate into a version name? Definitely beats version ‘2.3’.

There was a time I included Tim Burton quotes with the first of my little projects I released online. Back then, I have probably spent more time on gathering witty quotes than doing some actual coding. I like to think that I have a better balance between development time and writing release notes nowadays.

Update: I have released a newer version, check out the latest version here.

Not distributed in overview — feedback please!

For a time I didn’t rightly know what to do with the empty space at all of those stories that are not Distributed. I didn’t want to attract any attention to them. I experimented with various texts and icons. I finally settled with a multiplication sign. Here’s where you come in. Like this icon? Or do you have a better suggestion?

These were on my own list: 🞨 🞩 🞪 🞫 🞬 🞭 🞮, -, —, =, x, ﹣, ☹. But don’t let me limit your imagination!

Let me know in the comments!

Smaller resolutions

Some of you were unable to see the Distributed column on the overview-page. In two cases this was due to a resolution issue. Medium did a nice enough job in implementing support for multiple resolutions, but when it comes to an extension like this (and other stat-extensions), it’s not trivial to fit additional information onto a page.

As you can see in the screenshot above, I now force Medium to display scroll-bars if the table doesn’t fit the given real estate it's been handed.

Did you ever notice that Medium loves white space? There’s a large margin to the left and right while you are reading this post, for example. And for good reason. Having content spread too wide on a screen will greatly decrease readability.

When you read a table, you don’t want the columns to be too spread. That doesn't read great either. I have, however, taken the liberty of removing the white margins for some resolutions. This removes the need for scrolling altogether. If the resolution becomes too tiny, however, the table starts to wrap.

Implementing this was tedious. I do hope you guys like it and that it actually works properly on everyone’s machine. If it doesn’t, have some chocolate. I know I will.

Hippy-URL support. You won’t notice a thing

Disclaimer: I use the word ‘hippy’ to describe anything that is non-standard. Please don’t take offense to it.

Medium isn't the best when it comes to consistency. I hope that their redesign fixes some of the issues I have with their past decisions. Before I go into a rant of minor nuisances, let’s get to the issue at hand.

You can view your stats from two URLs. The little menu that usually resides on the top-right of your screen will take you to medium.com/me/stats. Sounds familiar? Good.

You can also get to your stats by visiting medium.com/@username/stats. This is utterly useless knowledge to most people. To extension developers, though, it’s the stuff of nightmares.

Chrome extensions are designed to protect the user from malicious activities. For example: my extension will only execute on medium.com and not on other websites (like medium-publications with custom domains). I can’t just execute the extension whenever you visit medium. First I need to know whether you are on a page where I can augment data with more beautiful data. Sadly, however, sometimes the extension only knows to take out its Swiss Army Knife by checking the URL.

Medium sometimes redirects you to this hippy URL for some reason. Probably a relic of the past. But I decided to support it anyway. I noticed that the Next Generation Stats extension doesn’t play nicely with the URL, by the way. Sometimes there is just no end to the neverending stream of unfun technical surprises. I wish I knew something that would help.

Maybe something sugary and bitter?

Again, the point of this ‘feature’ is that you won’t notice a thing. And please, please hold back the “that’s what she said” jokes.

Time left for Distribution review — feedback please

After you publish a story, you need to sit back and wait for a story to become Distributed. Then it’s pending review by the Medium staff. I noticed that any story is marked as Not Distributed after 10 days of pending. It’s not likely it becomes distributed later.

If you (think you) know more about this process, let me know!

While this is a validated working hypothesis of sorts, I decided to implement it into the extension. Can I get a drum roll?

What did I tell you? This is so exciting it calls for celebratory chocolate!

Oh, and one more thing…

In the previous version, the extension already showed the days left for review. I now decided to go with formatting that is more optimal for humans. To me anyway. I found out that it’s rather difficult to calculate 4.3 days to common sense. In case you’re wondering: common sense is my standard unit.

I opted to round the number of hours remaining. The number of hours since you published the story is not shown: due to rounding the number of hours doesn’t always add up to 24. Arc, math.

I opted for showing the most important things in the parentheses and go for the 4.3 days in the overview. I can teach Medium a thing or two about UX and consistency.

A Legend is Gone

I felt that the extension is now at a point where it no longer needs to show a legend. The texts are self-explanatory and the little hover-popups on tags and topics are sufficient in my humble opinion.

I used to provide a legend to the tags and topics if you clicked on the extension button. I have removed the legend and now refer you to some useful posts about the extension instead. Let me know if you like this in the comments.

The popup used to contain large friendly letters. Don’t panic: I removed them. The large font put too much strain on my eyes. I did add some colourful icons to the page. You should bring your own towel, though.

Feedback

As always, I love to receive feedback. Don’t skimp on compliments, constructive criticism, or anything chocolate-related. You know where to find that comment button.

Bugs

Is something bugging you? Please report your bugs here:

Downloading, Installing, and Updating

If you have already installed the extension, it will be updated automatically. Actually, chances are you are reading this because the extension just got updated.

If you’re new to the extension and would like to give it a whirl, download it from the Chrome Webstore using the link below. Installing is a breeze.

The extension works on Chrome and Blaze. No other browsers are currently supported.

Cost in Chocolate

By now you must think I am a chocoholic and have severe stomach problems, insomnia, heart problems and other cacao-related sufferings. No need to worry. I have had exactly one chocolate while developing. Not a whole bar. Just one delectable piece of delicious and delightful, bitter chocolate.

Although chocolate is awesome, coffee is my poison. I like it industrial strength. And maybe a chocolate on the side.

By popular demand (well, it was actually one person), I have decided to create an account at Buy me a Coffee. You can make a donation there to support my efforts in creating these extensions.

Feel absolutely free to check the link. It is a bit of motivation, but I develop these extensions for fun.

Oh, and before I forget, it would be awesome if you leave a review on the Chrome Webstore.

Still want more?

Upcoming updates

As it is, I think the extension is rather feature-complete. I don’t foresee any large additions to it. If you have any ideas or suggestions, please let me know in the comments.

Currently, this is on my todo-list:

• support for custom medium domains
• downloading stats (including information about Distribution)
• more unexplained pop-references in the release notes

The Chocolate Bar version also includes some minor things I added but neglected to write about here. I’ll let you find those on your own. It’s not that I have forgotten about them. The thing is: all this talk about chocolate is making these release notes rather long.

Check to see if a story is Scheduled by a publication

I’ve written another extension that shows you whether a story is scheduled for publication (either by you or by a publication). Quite nifty if you’re waiting for your story to start going viral. Check it out here:

Thank you for your support. Thanks for reading. And thank you for not eye-rolling too much about my ‘jokes’. In my defense: I am a dad. And there’s nothing as boring as stuffy, technical release notes.

Stay awesome and get your stories Distributed!