What is this "bonus" gray bar?

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Teague
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What is this "bonus" gray bar?

Post by Teague »

Greetings all,

Occasionally I've noticed a grayish bar at the bottom of a post. A recent example may be seen at the bottom of the first post, here:
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=343126&newpost=5881411

At least I see one there, perhaps others do too?

I once saw this appear at the bottom of one of my posts and wondered-
Had I typed the secret word?
Had I broken a rule?
Was I the one millionth customer?
Might I redeem this gray bar for valuable discounts on goods or services?
Or had I simply gone off my meds again?

Does anyone know if there is any significance to this apparition or if it carries any significance? Thanks.

(If a gray bar appears under this post I shall don my tinfoil hat and take other reasonable measures.)
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JoMoney
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Re: What is this "bonus" gray bar?

Post by JoMoney »

What "gray bar" are you talking about?
Are you talking about the break that appears above your signature block "Semper Augustus" :confused
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Re: What is this "bonus" gray bar?

Post by 123 »

What operating system, version, browser, and platform are you using when you see the "bonus" gray bar?

Can you post a screenshot?
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Re: What is this "bonus" gray bar?

Post by livesoft »

Also post your meds, too, please.
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Marseille07
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Re: What is this "bonus" gray bar?

Post by Marseille07 »

As JoMoney said, are you talking about the separator between your post and your signature line?
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Teague
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Re: What is this "bonus" gray bar?

Post by Teague »

JoMoney wrote: Sun Mar 14, 2021 5:50 pm What "gray bar" are you talking about?
Are you talking about the break that appears above your signature block "Semper Augustus" :confused
Uh-oh, I was afraid of this. No, not the signature separator line, which appears as a thin line, but similar. More pixels high, maybe oh, I don't know, 15-20 pixels high instead of the pixel or two high line that comprises the signature separator line. I'll try to post a screen shot.

As to Livesoft's request for a med list, I've think I've got it here somewhere...

Hmm, let's see, (reads down list) antihypertensive, antihyperlipidemic, antibiotic, antiinflammatory, antacid, anti... ah, here we are, antipsychotic! :D
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Re: What is this "bonus" gray bar?

Post by LadyGeek »

There's nothing in the forum software that would do this, especially "occasionally". I'm wondering if you have a browser add-on that's interfering with it's ability to display the forum.

Does this line appear when you use a different browser?

Try clearing your browser's cache. (You'll get logged out when that happens.)
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ResearchMed
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Re: What is this "bonus" gray bar?

Post by ResearchMed »

Teague wrote: Sun Mar 14, 2021 7:40 pm
JoMoney wrote: Sun Mar 14, 2021 5:50 pm What "gray bar" are you talking about?
Are you talking about the break that appears above your signature block "Semper Augustus" :confused
Uh-oh, I was afraid of this. No, not the signature separator line, which appears as a thin line, but similar. More pixels high, maybe oh, I don't know, 15-20 pixels high instead of the pixel or two high line that comprises the signature separator line. I'll try to post a screen shot.

As to Livesoft's request for a med list, I've think I've got it here somewhere...

Hmm, let's see, (reads down list) antihypertensive, antihyperlipidemic, antibiotic, antiinflammatory, antacid, anti... ah, here we are, antipsychotic! :D
I've seen it!

Sorry, Teague, I obviously submitted my copy first and got the prize! :twisted:

But seriously, I can't be 100% sure that it was here on BH, although I'm about 95^% sure it was here. (I haven't recently been on sites where I'm posting, so that rules them out.)
Maybe a day or two ago, and once or twice before, but not sure just when.
Yes, it was at or very near the bottom.

I kept trying to get rid of it, by closing and re-opening the post, and then the entire thread, etc., but it would still just be there.
I should have done a screen shot, but... I didn't...

RM
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Teague
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Re: What is this "bonus" gray bar?

Post by Teague »

Below is a screenshot. Notice at the bottom of the first post there is a gray line, similar to the signature separator line, but thicker.
(If no one can see it this time I'm blaming the cumulative effects from the indiscretions of my youth, particularly the 80's.)

Image
Semper Augustus
Marseille07
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Re: What is this "bonus" gray bar?

Post by Marseille07 »

Interesting. That kind of seems like a horizontal scrollbar.
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Re: What is this "bonus" gray bar?

Post by sycamore »

Yep, that's a scrollbar.

I saw one earlier today but I don't remember what thread it was. I only saw it on my Android phone. When I tried scrolling it, there was barely any movement. It was as if the the BH stylesheets caused the browser to think a scrollbar was needed but only by a couple of pixels or so.
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ResearchMed
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Re: What is this "bonus" gray bar?

Post by ResearchMed »

Teague wrote: Sun Mar 14, 2021 7:53 pm Below is a screenshot. Notice at the bottom of the first post there is a gray line, similar to the signature separator line, but thicker.
(If no one can see it this time I'm blaming the cumulative effects from the indiscretions of my youth, particularly the 80's.)

Image
Yesssss.

That is it!

I'm using a Mac and Safari, but I've been using that combo, and these specific HW/SW, so it can't be due to some other equipment or different physical copy.
Most of the time, there is nothing whatsoever even remotely similar.

RM
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Marseille07
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Re: What is this "bonus" gray bar?

Post by Marseille07 »

Maybe some stylesheet is off by a couple of pixels and causing that, depending on the OS / browser combination or something along those lines. Crisis averted.
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ResearchMed
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Re: What is this "bonus" gray bar?

Post by ResearchMed »

Marseille07 wrote: Sun Mar 14, 2021 7:55 pm Interesting. That kind of seems like a horizontal scrollbar.
sycamore wrote: Sun Mar 14, 2021 7:57 pm Yep, that's a scrollbar.

I saw one earlier today but I don't remember what thread it was. I only saw it on my Android phone. When I tried scrolling it, there was barely any movement. It was as if the the BH stylesheets caused the browser to think a scrollbar was needed but only by a couple of pixels or so.
Yes, that is what it looked like, but not all the way across.
And expanding/reducing the window size didn't help. And there was no way to change it's position (other than to have it just disappear out of the window along with everything else on the same side.
I remember (now) being annoyed b/c I had thought it should "scroll" but I couldn't 'do' anything with it.

And I don't remember (could be, uh, age? :annoyed ) ever seeing or using a scroll bar in that exact position.

RM
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Topic Author
Teague
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Re: What is this "bonus" gray bar?

Post by Teague »

I tried clearing my cache but no difference.

I'm using Windows 10 and Chrome. It occurs pretty rarely for me, and I haven't been able to relate it to any particular action, inaction, pattern, barometric pressure, St. Swithin's day forecast, etc.

It does indeed appear to be a scrollbar, (thanks!) and if I try to use it I can indeed shift the above block of text, but by just the tiniest amount, maybe 2-3 pixels or so.
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Re: What is this "bonus" gray bar?

Post by LadyGeek »

Interesting, I've never seen that before. Rare combinations of OS, browser, day of the week, shoe size, which cause that scroll bar to display inside a forum post is why we stick to the "stock" software as much as possible. If anything goes awry, I assume the developers are handling it correctly.
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Re: What is this "bonus" gray bar?

Post by Duckie »

Teague wrote:Below is a screenshot. Notice at the bottom of the first post there is a gray line, similar to the signature separator line, but thicker.
I've seen that occasionally in the last year. I'm on a Mac using Safari. Just ignore it.
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Re: What is this "bonus" gray bar?

Post by GrowthSeeker »

Try zooming in and out.
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Re: What is this "bonus" gray bar?

Post by RubyTuesday »

Heads up, you have 52 notifications.
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Topic Author
Teague
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Re: What is this "bonus" gray bar?

Post by Teague »

GrowthSeeker wrote: Sun Mar 14, 2021 8:20 pm Try zooming in and out.
Ding ding ding! I was zoomed to 110% without being aware. Apparently zooming to anything other than 110%, or 90%, fixes it in my case. In other words, it only happens at 90% or 110% zoom. Even then, only quite rarely. :happy
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Re: What is this "bonus" gray bar?

Post by nisiprius »

Oh, I've definitely seen it, too. Frequently. For years. Never bothered me enough to mention.

As others have suggested, I've assumed it was a scrollbar, displayed either when there was only only a pixel or two of scrollable territory or, possibly, displayed erroneously when there was actually zero scrollable territory.

I really don't remember but I think that the slightest widening or resizing of the window makes it go away.

Mac OS X 11.2.2, Safari 14.0.2, although I'm not 100.00% sure if it has occurred with those versions.

Parenthetically, Mac OS X 11 ("Big Sur") features a metric boatload of visual annoyances. They have to do mostly with crazily inappropriate sizings of fonts, etc. The easiest example can be seen by double-clicking the normally blank top bar of a sticky note. The note collapses to show just that top bar, with the first line of the sticky note--and in Big Sur the font size appears to be about 3 pt. and is virtually illegible. Big Sur is a festival of optical irritation. And don't get me started on file dialogs. A random scroll bar in phpBB is nothing, I tell you, nothing, nothing...
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Teague
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Re: What is this "bonus" gray bar?

Post by Teague »

^^^ Agreed, now that I know the matter is of no practical consequence I will treat it as such.
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