Fedi.Tips 🎄
Do you prefer typing emoji instead of stopping to choose them from a picker?
You can do this when writing a post on Mastodon's web interface by typing a : (colon) and then a keyword without a space. This will automatically bring up emoji with that keyword in their description.
For example if you type :sun it will show you emoji with the keyword "sun".
(Note that if there are many matches for a keyword, you may need to go to the picker to see them all.)
Fedi.Tips 🎄
The admin of your server can add more emoji using Mastodon's "custom emoji" feature.
You can ask your server admin if there are particular emoji you want added. These will be available for you to use, and people on other servers will be able to see them.
For example my server has a Rick Astley emoji :rickroll:
Nouscat
@feditips I would like some more emoji's, like more animals ( I mis a Capybara 😉) and more vegetables.
Fedi.Tips 🎄
There is an emoji picker built into the apps, but it only covers custom emoji.
For normal emoji they do assume you are using an on-screen keyboard with a built-in picker, yes.
Sayar Tyler :fediverse:
@feditips I actually wished the Android apps (Mastodon, Tusky, etc.) supported the picker, as well. Oftentimes, I'm using a Bluetooth keyboard with my Android tablet and not the default Android keyboard with the emojis built in.
Fedi.Tips 🎄
It should do, if your server has a potato emoji available in the picker using the word "potato"?
Mine produces 🥔 if I type :potato but I'm on a different server to you.
Also, you have to be using the web interface on Mastodon.
not sam
@feditips :potato doesn't work??
Fedi.Tips 🎄
Agreed, some of them are just tiny on a computer.
There is an unofficial version of Mastodon called Glitch which magnifies emoji when you put the mouse over them, but it depends on your server's admin to install Glitch Mastodon.
Also, some servers use custom high contrast emoji sets to make them easier to view, with thick black lines around everything.
Robbie Coleman :verified:
@feditips
Even with my reading glasses on, I struggle to make out the useful details that differentiate sets of them.
Is there any way to view your instance's custom ones larger? ...or best would be zoomable!
Fedi.Tips 🎄
The tip is mainly for people on a computer anyway, as they have a unified picker and tend to be using a keyboard.
The mobile apps normally assume you're not on a physical keyboard.
not sam
@feditips I get it now. At first I thought it was the standard emoji set, but now I see it's a server-specific set of emoji and/or emoji-like images. Also maybe effected by my mobile client.
Anyway, cool!
Fedi.Tips 🎄
Yeah, it's a fair point!
I guess a workaround in this situation would be to use the Mastodon website with your tablet? That would give you the same unified picker that computer users have.
Sayar Tyler :fediverse:
@feditips Yeah that's exactly my issue. If there's already a picker, why not just make it complete?
SiobhanVohn
@feditips when I type :sun, I get no suns and these are the first 12 options to choose from 😆🤷♀️...
:ablobcatrave: :apartyblobcat: :autism: :beaver: :beaver_bother: :blob_bear: :blobcat: :blobcatace: :blobcataww: :blobcat_bongo_ban: :blobcatbreadpeek: :blobcatcoffee:
Fedi.Tips 🎄
Weird... sun emoji are part of the standard set, they should be showing up 🤔
And none of those mention the word sun in their descriptions.
Fedi.Tips 🎄
No, but you can ask your server admin to add emoji from another server.
The admin's custom emoji settings include an option to clone emoji from other servers.
Colin
@feditips somehow I'm limited by what's available on this server. Can I access other server emoji's in the same way?
Fedi.Tips 🎄
Interesting...
Do the emoji on your server have English language descriptions?
Pierre Jiji ⏚
@feditips This tip seems to work only with English keywords.
Fedi.Tips 🎄
Ahhh.. okay, this is possibly because you're using a phone?
Are you using the website through a phone, or an app?
SiobhanVohn
@feditips I'm often told I'm weird. Didn't know my phone is too. 😆
Fedi.Tips 🎄
I don't know if Elk handles it in a different way.
Does this happen when you use the standard web interface?
The feature is mainly meant for people using a physical keyboard as there is no built-in picker on those.
Pierre Jiji ⏚
@feditips I've no idea about this. But if I type (via my @elk client) ":cool" i get the 🆒emoji proposed, but if I type ":froid" I get nothing.
I will try on my computer.
Fedi.Tips 🎄
Oh no, I'm sorry about that.
It looks like the default emoji pack on Mastodon has english descriptions even if it's set to another language?
This is not a good situation, it ought to translate emoji names as well.
Pierre Jiji ⏚
@feditips I get the same behavior when using the standard web interface.
Thus, I suppose the piaille.fr instance uses english emoji
Fedi.Tips 🎄
Sorry about that, I should have made clear in the original post that the tip was mainly aimed at people using a physical keyboard on a computer.
There's no emoji button on physical keyboards, and some people find it frustrating to suddenly stop typing to click on the emoji picker icon.
SiobhanVohn
@feditips oh, interesting. Most people in Scotland tend to use social media on their phones. I'm using the regular Mastodon app on my phone.
Fedi.Tips 🎄
Brilliant! 👍
SiobhanVohn
@feditips Yes, it definitely is because I was on my phone & using mobile app.
I'm now using the browser app on my laptop and have typed :sun on it and this works exactly as you said and I got these emojis to choose from 😎 🌻 🌄 🌅
Fedi.Tips 🎄
If you look at the emoji in the picker and hover the mouse pointer over an emoji, it will show you its text description (which is the code you type after the colon).
SiobhanVohn
@feditips ah righto gotcha. Thanks. I have a windows keyboard, so use windows key with semi-colon to bring up the emoji menu.
It's useful to know about the code you mentioned, which I will have a play around with. Is there a list of the keywords anywhere you could link to please? I have found :eye but it would be useful to have a list.
Fedi.Tips 🎄
If you're using a computer, there are also a lot more keyboard shortcuts for doing all kinds of stuff. You can do almost everything without the mouse if you remember the correct keys.
There's more info about these shortcuts at https://fedi.tips/using-mastodon-through-a-keyboard/
SiobhanVohn
@feditips oooh - so it does. Brilliant! 🤩
I sometimes struggle with the mobility to use a mouse, so anything that gives me more keyboard shortcuts is a great help to my online accessibility. Thanks so much! 😍
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