Gary Wright4
Level 1 (111 points)

Q: What is the banner that drops down from the top of support windows good for?

Whenever I scroll down to read a page on the Apple forums, a banner drops down from the top of the window. The banner has the question on it that started the thread.

 

I can't think of any useful purpose it serves unless one has a VERY short attention span. It's annoying, and covers up some text (reduces the window size), so it's worse then 'not helpful' - it's actually a hindrance.

 

Yes, I see the "X" which I can click to close the banner - but is there any way I can turn off this feature altogether?

Posted on Jul 29, 2016 11:43 AM

by ChitlinsCC,Solvedanswer
ChitlinsCC ChitlinsCC
Level 5 (7,448 points)
Notebooks
A:

If you use a computer, or non iOS mobile device, YES you can turn it off

This is copy/paste from an earlier post:

===

You may find our good friend turingtest2's efforts rewarding - if you use a computer to browse with, that is. In case you would like to try it out, this is how to add a Cascading Style Sheet that makes "Minimal" modifications that enhance your experience and productivity. It should take under two minutes.

  1. Install Stylish Add-on
    Stylish for Firefox, Stylish for Chrome, Stylish for Safari, or Stylish for Opera. It's all free, by the way.
  2. Install tt2's "style" - go here and punch the button > https://userstyles.org/styles/129130/apple-support-communities-minimal
  3. enjoy your new experience

Posted on Jul 29, 2016 4:20 PM

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Gary Wright4

Q: What is the banner that drops down from the top of support windows good for?

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  • by ChitlinsCC,

    ChitlinsCC ChitlinsCC Jul 29, 2016 1:07 PM in response to turingtest2
    Level 5 (7,448 points)
    Notebooks
    Jul 29, 2016 1:07 PM in response to turingtest2

     

  • by ChitlinsCC,

    ChitlinsCC ChitlinsCC Jul 29, 2016 1:50 PM in response to turingtest2
    Level 5 (7,448 points)
    Notebooks
    Jul 29, 2016 1:50 PM in response to turingtest2

    from "Minimal"

    ...

    First you need a way to get your CSS to override that of the site. To do this I use the add on Stylish for Chrome. See also Stylish for Firefox, Stylish for Safari, Stylish for Opera, and the website https://userstyles.org/ for more information. Sadly I'm not currently aware of any way to implement this on mobile devices such as iPads and iPhones.

    ...

    Firefox for iOS does not support add-ons of any kind (sandboxing?)

    FF for Android works as expected with Stylish and your style

    Example of it killing the Banner dealio

    Screenshot_2016-07-29-15-47-38.png

  • by turingtest2,

    turingtest2 turingtest2 Jul 29, 2016 1:53 PM in response to ChitlinsCC
    Level 10 (84,912 points)
    iTunes
    Jul 29, 2016 1:53 PM in response to ChitlinsCC

    Thanks, but not really a suitable caveat to add to my user tip on Apple's site.

     

    tt2

  • by ChitlinsCC,

    ChitlinsCC ChitlinsCC Jul 29, 2016 2:28 PM in response to turingtest2
    Level 5 (7,448 points)
    Notebooks
    Jul 29, 2016 2:28 PM in response to turingtest2

    just for your FYI about FF iOS.

    wasn't suggesting inclusion in tip about drawbacks

  • by turingtest2,

    turingtest2 turingtest2 Jul 29, 2016 3:44 PM in response to ChitlinsCC
    Level 10 (84,912 points)
    iTunes
    Jul 29, 2016 3:44 PM in response to ChitlinsCC

    Yep. I had quite a thorough hunt for an iOS app that might support stylesheets. In some ways I'm surprised they don't exist given Apple's overall efforts on accessibility, but like you say I guess it is perhaps a sandboxing issue and they're not allowed.

     

    tt2

  • by ChitlinsCC,

    ChitlinsCC ChitlinsCC Jul 29, 2016 3:55 PM in response to turingtest2
    Level 5 (7,448 points)
    Notebooks
    Jul 29, 2016 3:55 PM in response to turingtest2

    So iOS users are Safe AND Sorry!

  • by Gary Wright4,

    Gary Wright4 Gary Wright4 Jul 29, 2016 4:31 PM in response to ChitlinsCC
    Level 1 (111 points)
    Jul 29, 2016 4:31 PM in response to ChitlinsCC

    Thanks to all who replied.

     

    I'm going to go ahead and mark this as 'Solved' - but honestly, I'm too lazy to install software, figure out what it does and how it works - just to be rid of one small annoyance. I was hoping I could just check a box somewhere. Otherwise, I guess I can live with it. Just spent 30 minutes trying to import and burn a CD in the new and improved iTunes (v. 12.4) - compared to that experience, the floating banner is a minor annoyance, indeed.

     

    I did send Apple feedback about the banner, for what that's worth.

  • by ChitlinsCC,Helpful

    ChitlinsCC ChitlinsCC Jul 29, 2016 8:15 PM in response to Gary Wright4
    Level 5 (7,448 points)
    Notebooks
    Jul 29, 2016 8:15 PM in response to Gary Wright4

    Suit yourself, amigo... it literally takes two minutes (or less)

    all the best whatever you choose

  • by Gary Wright4,

    Gary Wright4 Gary Wright4 Jul 29, 2016 8:25 PM in response to ChitlinsCC
    Level 1 (111 points)
    Jul 29, 2016 8:25 PM in response to ChitlinsCC

    OK, I did it in less than than 2 minutes, but only because I skipped doing enough research to really understand exactly what it is I've done.

     

    But I'm not missing the banner.

  • by ChitlinsCC,

    ChitlinsCC ChitlinsCC Jul 29, 2016 9:09 PM in response to Gary Wright4
    Level 5 (7,448 points)
    Notebooks
    Jul 29, 2016 9:09 PM in response to Gary Wright4

    Lemme get this straight...

    You are STILL SEEING the banner?

    OR

    You don't miss it now that it's gone?

     

    What device, OS, browser & version if still seeing it?

  • by Gary Wright4,

    Gary Wright4 Gary Wright4 Jul 30, 2016 8:27 AM in response to ChitlinsCC
    Level 1 (111 points)
    Jul 30, 2016 8:27 AM in response to ChitlinsCC

    Sorry if not clear.

     

    I mean to say the banner is gone, and I don't miss it. Two clicks, and it's gone. Thanks again for that.


    But the ease with which it was done brings up an issue in my mind. By installing Stylish, have I made it easier for someone to exploit my Mac if I click on something Evil?

     

    Now that I've installed the style sheet, do I still need Stylish? That is, if I remove Stylish, will the banner return?

  • by turingtest2,

    turingtest2 turingtest2 Jul 30, 2016 8:40 AM in response to Gary Wright4
    Level 10 (84,912 points)
    iTunes
    Jul 30, 2016 8:40 AM in response to Gary Wright4
    Gary Wright4 wrote:

    But the ease with which it was done brings up an issue in my mind. By installing Stylish, have I made it easier for someone to exploit my Mac if I click on something Evil?

     

    Not at all. You're in complete control. You would need to actively instigate the installation of any additional stylesheets. These are also only able to modify the layout of site, e.g. change text fonts, colours or sizes, or in this case show or hide particular elements that form part of the page. There are other ways of attaching stylesheets to browsers, but Stylish makes it easier to turn the changes on or off, limit them to a particular domain, or edit and test any changes. If you want to explore you now have a tool that will let you take similar control of other web sites you visit if there are aspects that bug you.

     

    Now that I've installed the style sheet, do I still need Stylish?

     

    Yes, Stylish is loading the custom CSS on demand for each page you load on Apple Support Communities. Remove it and things go back to normal.

     

    tt2

  • by ChitlinsCC,

    ChitlinsCC ChitlinsCC Jul 30, 2016 9:03 AM in response to Gary Wright4
    Level 5 (7,448 points)
    Notebooks
    Jul 30, 2016 9:03 AM in response to Gary Wright4

    YIPPEE.

    NO - we would NEVER suggest anything that is unsafe = a BUNCH of very smart folks here use this method of "seasoning to taste"

    YES. That is the add-on to your browser that loads up the Minimal stylesheet everytime you visit ASC. It does NOTHING at all on other sites.

  • by ChitlinsCC,

    ChitlinsCC ChitlinsCC Jul 30, 2016 9:05 AM in response to turingtest2
    Level 5 (7,448 points)
    Notebooks
    Jul 30, 2016 9:05 AM in response to turingtest2

    It's a Phantom PLAGUE!

  • by Gary Wright4,

    Gary Wright4 Gary Wright4 Jul 30, 2016 8:45 PM in response to turingtest2
    Level 1 (111 points)
    Jul 30, 2016 8:45 PM in response to turingtest2

    You say, "You're in complete control. You would need to actively instigate the installation of any additional stylesheets."

     

    When I 'actively instigated the installation' of the Minimal style sheet, all I did was to click a web link, right? I can imagine a web site which says "Click here to see cute kitten video" but when I click it, the site uses Stylish to secretly load a CSS that does who knows what?

     

    Last time I looked at any web code, the Mac OS was at about version 8 and most browsers were at about version 4; CSS was still somewhat esoteric. I never learned enough about CSS to even guess what that kind of code can do. If, as you say, a CSS is "only able to modify the layout of site, e.g. change text fonts, colours or sizes..." then I can quit worrying about it - and a bit of Googling suggests that's true.

     

    By now, I'd guess my 2 minute fix is up to about 2 hours.

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