Shareaholic

Frequently Asked Questions Last Updated: January 31st, 2010

It's broken and the sky is falling!
Well Henny Penny, I can assure you that the sky is not falling. However, if the plugin seems to be broken or doesn't work the way it's supposed to... First, please be sure to read through all of the FAQ to make sure your question isn't answered already. If it's not, please use the Bug Report Form to let me know what's wrong.
I've uploaded and activated the plugin but the icons aren't showing up!
This is by far the most common problem people tend to run into, and it's usually caused by their Wordpress theme. Check your theme's header.php file for <?php wp_head(); ?> within the <head> and </head> tags. If it is not there, then the plugin is unable to hook the stylesheet into your document, thus making it impossible to display the icons.
You might also check your theme's stylesheet for anything that ends with "!important;" as that has the potential to override any styles that are applied elsewhere.
Lastly, if this isn't your first time installing the plugin (ie. you're upgrading to a newer version) there may have been changes made to filenames or file locations in the plugin folder. This can potentially cause problems if you have a caching plugin activated. Try clearing the cache in your caching plugin and clear your browser's cache as well, then refresh to see if that fixed the problem.
Did you make all of the icons for the social bookmarking sites?
No. The icons I used for this plugin were originally from the Function Icon Set by Liam McKay. However, many of social bookmarking sites were not included in the icon set, so I did my best to duplicate the style/look of the original set when creating any of the *missing* icons.
Is there a way to use the plugin ANYWHERE on my site instead of just above or below posts and/or pages?
Yes. Please see the Installation Page for detailed instructions regarding "manual mode".
Can you add [insert site name here] to the plugin?
In most cases, yes. Just fill out the Feature Request Form and let me know the details of the site you'd like added.
However, as I mentioned above, that is only in *most* cases. I have had quite a few requests for the addition of "adult oriented" sites that I have turned down. This is due to the fact that I am trying to keep this plugin as family friendly as possible.
Why does the plugin no longer include Furl or Yahoo! MyWeb?
Furl was recently absorbed by Diigo, and Yahoo! MyWeb was phased out in light of the new Yahoo! Buzz. I simply replaced each one with their corresponding *new sites* to keep the plugin current and relevant.
Why don't special characters get encoded properly in the Twitter link?
If you've found that any special characters, such as accents, are not being encoded properly and displaying as garbled numbers and percent signs, then you need to upgrade to a more recent version of the plugin.
This was a problem for quite a while with the Twitter link, but we were able to get it fixed in v2.5.2.1 and haven't had any issues with it since. Therefore, if you're still having this problem, you should update your copy of the plugin to the latest version.
My *other* favorite plugin doesn't work now that I've activated SexyBookmarks, any ideas?
This is normally something pretty simple. Many times there will be conflicts with plugins using hooks and filters. If you use the Bug Report Form to let me know what plugin is giving you grief, I can take a deeper look into it and figure out a solution.
I've uploaded and activated the plugin, but nothing shows up where the bookmarking menu should be!
There could be several reasons for this. First, please ensure that your Wordpress theme is not the culprit.
If that isn't the issue, try disabling your other plugins one at a time. Each time you disable a new plugin, go to your site and refresh the page to see if the bookmarking menu shows up. If it does, please use the Bug Report Form to let me know which plugin is conflicting with SexyBookmarks so I can work on a bug fix.
If all else fails, please use the Bug Report Form to get in touch with me regarding the issue. I will most likely have to work with you personally to get to the root of the problem so that I can release a bug fix.
I'm a Wordpress theme developer and I'd like to bundle your plugin with my theme(s), is this okay?
Absolutely! I would only ask that you contact me and let me know when you release the theme so that I can post a news update here as well!
Your plugin broke my layout! | Where did all this stuff come from?!?
This is a problem with some of the URL shortening services when they update or change the name of the page used for API requests. If you're seeing a bunch of stuff being inserted on your site that doesn't belong there after activating the plugin, please take the following actions:

  1. Choose another URL shortening service from the dropdown list

  2. Check the box that says "Clear all short URLs"

  3. Click the "Save Changes" button

  4. Use the Bug Report Form to let me know which URL shortening service caused the problem

The plugin works fine, but there's a bullet next to each of the icons in the bookmarking menu!
This problem was fixed post v2.4, so please upgrade the plugin to the latest version (or at least something past 2.4) if you're having this problem.
If you have upgraded your plugin to a version past 2.4, please make sure to clear the cache in any caching plugin you may be using. If that still doesn't do the trick, use the Bug Report Form to send me a link to where I can see the issue first hand...
Can I use my own site to host the short URLs?
Yes, this feature was introduced in v2.5 and it works in conjunction with other third party plugins. As of v3.0, you can use either the Twitter Friendly Links Plugin or the YOURLS plugin to host your own short URLs and SexyBookmarks will recognize them.
I chose "Twitter Friendly Links Plugin" from the dropdown menu, but my short URLs aren't working!
Please make sure that you have downloaded and activated the Twitter Friendly Links Plugin before choosing to use it to shorten URLs. I know it sounds pretty redundant, but some people seem to think that I have integrated the plugin into SexyBookmarks. This isn't the case at all, I have simply made an option which will check to see if the TFLP plugin has made a short URL, then SB will use that short URL.
If you are still having troubles with it not working, please contact the author of Twitter Friendly Links for more assistance with his plugin.
I chose "YOURLS Plugin" from the dropdown menu, but my short URLs aren't working!
Please make sure that you have downloaded and activated the YOURLS Plugin before choosing to use it to shorten URLs. I know it sounds pretty redundant, but some people seem to think that I have integrated the plugin into SexyBookmarks. This isn't the case at all, I have simply made an option which will check to see if YOURLS has made a short URL, then SB will use that short URL.
If you are still having troubles with it not working, please contact the author of YOURLS for more assistance with his plugin.
Why do the links have a solid background color when I hover over them?
If you are using the most recent version of the plugin, this should not happen. There was a bug in previous versions which didn't explicitly define a transparent background color, and thus allowed a theme which defined a solid background color for links to apply that style to the bookmarking icons. If you are having this issue, please update to the most current version of the plugin.
Why are there gaps in my menu where icons should be?
Most times this is caused by a faulty installation. If you used the "automatic install" feature in your WordPress dashboard, this could be to blame. I have had several reports of users installing automatically via the dashboard which resulted in files either not being uploaded, or being only partially uploaded.
This can be fixed by simply deleting the plugin all together and doing a manual upload via FTP. If you are unsure of how to do this, please refer to the Usage & Installation Page for instructions regarding manual FTP upload and installation of the plugin.
I tried the previous solution, but it didn't work! Now what?
If you tried the previous solution then the answer could be that whatever service used to occupy that space has been removed from the plugin either temporarily or permanently.
We normally try to institute some sort of "automatic check" to see if you had that particular service enabled and if so, the plugin would disable it for you thus removing the blank space. However, we aren't perfect and may let one slip through from time to time. If you feel this could be your problem, please follow the instructions below to solve it.

  1. Login to your dashboard and navigate to the SexyBookmarks options page.

  2. Examine the "Enabled Networks" box and look for a duplicate icon. (most generally will be a second Newsvine icon)

  3. Hover your mouse over the icon you believe to be the duplicate. If there is no tooltip that pops up telling you to add this particular service to the menu, then you've found the right icon.

  4. Now, simply un-check the box beneath that icon and save your changes.

Why am I getting the following warning?
"You need to set at least 1 default tag for any articles submitted to Twittley."
Twittley requires at least one tag to categorize your article(s) in their system. If you have selected Twittley to appear in your bookmarking menu and did not enter one or more "default tags" then you will recieve this error when you try to save your changes. Simply enter at least one default tag to describe in a general way what your article(s) is/are about and the error will go away.
However, if you are receiving this error and you DO NOT have Twittley selected to display in your bookmarking menu, then you are suffering from the same bug many others have as well. The solution to this bug was added several versions ago, but to fix it temporarily until you decide to update, simply follow these directions:

  1. Login to your dashboard and navigate to the SexyBookmarks options page.

  2. Put a check in the box below the Twittley icon

  3. Enter any word you wish in the "Twittley Default Tags" input area.

  4. Uncheck the box below the Twittley icon

  5. Save your changes.

Why doesn't my jQuery slider/fader work now that I've activated your plugin?
If you notice that jQuery dependant features of your theme seem to quit functioning after enabling the SexyBookmarks plugin, you should select the "jQuery Compatibility Fix" option in the plugin options page. This will prevent jQuery from being loaded by the plugin. However, do not mistake this as being the plugin's fault. If your theme were loading jQuery correctly, then the plugin would already know not to load jQuery once again.
If selecting the jQuery compatibility fix still doesn't work, please deselect any of the jQuery dependant options in the plugin. (auto-center, auto-space, auto-expand, etc.)
Why doesn't the plugin work with the ProPhoto Theme?
The plugin actually does work... I've found that the vast majority of users who are using the "ProPhoto" theme are wanting the SexyBookmarks menu to be displayed beneath the posts ON the main page of the blog. However, they don't seem to realize that they have full control over where the menu is displayed by using the plugin options page.
If this sounds like you, then simply login to your dashboard and navigate to the plugin options page for SexyBookmarks. Once there, scroll down near the bottom and select one of the options that include the word "Index" from the dropdown list.
I've uploaded and activated the plugin and set the options, but all that displays is a list of text links!
This is caused by your theme not being coded properly. Please see here for more details about this issue and how to fix it.
Why doesn't SexyBookmarks send the post image when I share articles on Facebook?
There is actually a lot of speculation as to why this is happening, but the only certainty is that it's NOT a SexyBookmarks problem. Some people think it's a Facebook problem, while others think it's something to do with WordPress 2.9+
One thing is certainly clear though, SexyBookmarks has not changed the way in which it submits data to Facebook, therefore, the problem has nothing to do with SexyBookmarks. You can see here for some of the speculation: http://wordpress.org/support/topic/345821
Why does SexyBookmarks still show up even after disabling the plugin?
This is most likely caused by using a "caching" plugin. Most caching plugins create static versions of your content, therefore, you'll need to clear the cache in your caching plugin for it to realize that you've disabled the SexyBookmarks plugin.
Why doesn't the plugin work right in IE6?
Ah, the dreaded "Why doesn't your script work in IE6" question... Well seeing as how I'm an avid IE6 hater, I have compiled a list below that should MORE than answer your question.

  1. The icons are PNG images with transparent backgrounds to ensure that it can be used on ANY background color. This is a problem in terms of IE6 because that dinosaur of a browser has no clue how to render alpha transparency, so it renders the image with a default background color that 99.99999% of the time is NOT going to be the same color as your page's background.

  2. The icons are actually ALL ONE IMAGE. This is called an image sprite. Now, the problem mentioned above can be fixed with javascript and IE6 can be made to render alpha transparency correctly. However, since the icons are an image sprite (which drastically reduces http requests, page load times, and eliminates the "flicker" effect when hovering over an image) the javascript fix for alpha transparency won't work.

  3. The menu uses CSS 2.1 specific features such as "li:hover", and that simple bit of CSS is totally unrecognizable to IE6. So, the special hover effect will be totally lost.

  4. However, I would venture to say that the absolute biggest reason this plugin will not work in IE6 is...

I HATE IE6 & REFUSE TO *FIX* MY CODE TO BE COMPATIBLE WITH IT!

I've encountered a bug not covered here!
Please use the Bug Report Form to submit your problem for further investigation.

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