Fedi.Tips 🎄
Server admins!
If you're creating custom emoji, remember to fill in the section marked "Shortcode" as this will be the emoji's alt text description for blind people. Their screen reader software will be able to read the shortcode aloud so that they can hear what the emoji is.
If the emoji's shortcode includes multiple words, split them up with underscores or CamelCase, so that screen readers will be able to read each word correctly.
U.S. Elaine for Harris
@feditips I often see the descriptive text instead of the emojis used by Styx, so I assume the custom made ones can only be seen on their instance of origin. Is that correct?
Fedi.Tips 🎄
No, you can normally see custom emoji regardless of where they were made.
The only restriction on custom emoji is that you have to be on their origin server to use them in your own posts.
Fedi.Tips 🎄
Ahhh, it might be that Ivory still has trouble with custom emoji. You should be able to see it if you use a different app.
U.S. Elaine for Harris
@feditips I see colon catto blush colon. I’m using Ivory. Does that make a difference?
U.S. Elaine for Harris
@feditips I’ll check that next. I’m now looking with the Mastodon app and I can see your sample. Thanks for the help!
Fedi.Tips 🎄
Some other good iOS apps include Toot! and Ice Cubes.
Fedi.Tips 🎄
Yes, really good point! Sometimes emoji federation goes wrong and you can only see the shortcode, so sighted people can also be dependent on it to know what the emoji is.
Christopher M0YNG
@feditips @USelaine but this is another good reason to do shortcodes well, not everyone can see the custom emoji, sometimes it's because they're blind, sometimes the file doesn't load, sometimes the app doesn't support it, sometimes their display can't do it (e.g. using toot)
Fedi.Tips 🎄
Brilliant! 🥳
U.S. Elaine for Harris
@feditips Just updated Ivory and it works now. Thanks again for the guidance.
Fedi.Tips 🎄
There's no difference as far as I know.
(However, hashtags on Mastodon can only use CamelCase, so underscores won't work if you're making hashtags.)
Gytis Repečka
@feditips Are underscores preferred over camel case to separate words for screen readers or there is no difference?
Fedi.Tips 🎄
Yes, you can type emoji on Mastodon using colon and the name of the shortcode.
LastCelebration
@MaryPot @feditips same!! this is one of the many small conveniences of discord i keep looking back to when i open up other platforms
MaryPot
Having touch-typed since I was 17 (a "couple" of years ago), I actually prefer using the shortcode instead of stopping to click on the emoji and find the icon.
this is :slight + Enter
🙂
This is :heart + Enter
❤️
Much faster!
Paul Chambers
@SmartmanApps @feditips @gytis
Here's a couple old underscore tags that are populated
#TheReasonIDislike____is____
#____Needs____Because
I wonder how it sounds in #ScreenReaders
💡𝚂𝗆𝖺𝗋𝗍𝗆𝖺𝗇 𝙰𝗉𝗉𝗌📱
@paul @feditips @gytis
I'm not seeing anything for those other than your post, so maybe doesn't work so well after all.
Paul Chambers
I thought #Hash_tags_with_under_scores works on Mastodon. I'm not sure how they work with #screenReaders.
Edit: add screenshot
💡𝚂𝗆𝖺𝗋𝗍𝗆𝖺𝗇 𝙰𝗉𝗉𝗌📱
@paul @feditips @gytis
Confirming your underscored hashtag works for me in the web UI. i.e. I can click on it and get search results for it. Of course, your post is the only one to have used that hashtag, but still 🙂
Fedi.Tips 🎄
I'm guessing multiple underscores is not a good idea? But I could be wrong?
Hey @weirdwriter how does the hashtag #TheReasonIDislike____is____ sound in your screen reader? Does it repeat the underscores that are next to each other?
Fedi.Tips 🎄
@weirdwriter @paul @SmartmanApps @gytis
Thank you so much for the reply!
I guess it's best to just avoid underscores in hashtags then? CamelCase is a surer way of staying accessible?
Robert Kingett backup
@feditips @paul @SmartmanApps @gytis On iOS, voiceover doesn’t have a problem with underscores at the end of hashtags, but underscores in the middle of hashtags is extremely verbose and very hard to listen to. I can’t even understand what your hashtag was above earlier in the thread. While I personally won’t follow hashtags with under scores, under scores at the end appear to be OK on iOS because voiceover will just truncate how many underscores there are so it’ll say like three underscores or nine underscores I haven’t tried it with NVDA on windows yet, but I absolutely would not want underscores in the middle of hashtags. This is what camo case/Pascal case addresses. It’s also just easier to read on mobile devices if you use Pascal case/camelcase. Camelcase it’s where you capitalize every word after the first word. Pascal case capitalizes every word in the #HashtagIncludingTheOneWord. As for underscores and hashtags, while I personally don’t get it, you can still put hashtags with underscores at the end to be the least disruptive. #LikeThis________
Paul Chambers
@weirdwriter @feditips @SmartmanApps @gytis
Thank you for this feedback.
Robert Kingett backup
@paul @feditips @SmartmanApps @gytis Just tried it with NVDA on it's default punctuation setting. #WH en_you_do_this it breaks up the words, so it sounds like. When You Do This, but on mobile devices that can get very annoying, very quickly. I'd still default to Pascal/CammelCase wherever possible just so it reads well no matter what device/OS someone is on. Also, here's a good explainer on hashtags https://www.accessible-social.com/copy-and-formatting/hashtags#:~:text=Lowercase%20and%20uppercase%20letters%20help,the%20status%20of%20their%20vision.
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