BJ Pie Filter

Balloon Juice now has it's built-in pie filter, so there's no need to install this one!


Latest update: May 10, 2017. Filter version 7.1.1


7.0.0 : catching up to yet another BJ layout change.
7.0.1 : fix for users with links on their display name
7.0.2 : added an @include for https://... BJ is now a secure site?
7.0.3 : can now find people with IMG tags in their name
7.0.4 : some BJ html output weirdness was causing errors in the filter code. BJ-proofed the code.
7.0.5 : can now filter people with IMG tags in their name, again.
7.1.0 : add/remove people based on comment #
7.1.1 : minor fixes

If things change over there and it stops working, let me know.

To use this, you’ll need Greasemonkey:

I'm not sure if other browsers have GM support or not. Consult your local geek.

You can download the pie filter, here.

Usage:
Install it.

Then, whenever you load a BJ article page, you will see three buttons at the end of the comments: "Add", "Remove" and "Show List". There's also a text box where you will enter the name of the person to be filtered (or removed from the filter).

  • Add : To filter a user, enter the user's name in the text box, and click this. From then on, comments from that user, and any other user you've added, will be pie'd.
  • Add By # : To deal with people who use complex names, you can just enter the number of a comment they wrote and press this.
  • Remove : To remove a user from your list of pie'd users, enter the user's name and click this.
  • Remove By # : Enter comment number, press this, to remove a person by comment #.
  • Show List : To see the names you currently have in your pie filter, click this.

If you see two pie filter toolbars, you'll need to go to GreaseMonkey / Manage User Scripts and remove the one titled "Balloon Juice Disemvoweller".

If GreaseMonkey asks you to grant permission to use GM_setValue, GM_getValue and/or GM_xmlhttpRequest, grant that permission (the script can't do anything without these functions).

51 thoughts on “BJ Pie Filter

    1. cleek Post author

      i have the 30.0 update for Windows, and it seems to be working OK. unfortunately, i don’t have a Mac to test with.

      does it just not catch anyone, or is it showing something wrong?

      Reply
  1. AnneW

    Okay, that’s a huge cup of never mind. I uninstalled the pie filter & then reinstalled, and now it’s working again. Go ahead and delete these comments if you want.

    Many thanks for the filter!

    Reply
  2. Another Scott

    Thank you! CS was getting to be, er, overbearing again.

    Working well with Chrome on Win7 (on TamperMonkey Stable)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

    Reply
  3. chmatl

    Cleek, I must be doing something wrong. I used your pie filter with Firefox and it worked beautifully. But since I’m no longer using Firefox, I’d like to set it up for Chrome. I’m running Tampermonkey and have installed the pie filter script. When I’m on BJ, the Tampermonkey extension button in the upper right hand corner shows that the Balloon Juice Disemvoweller is running, but I just don’t see the add and remove buttons in the comments.

    Can you help? That miserable troll Political Realism (Unlimited Corporate Cash!!!) has shown up again, and I just can tolerate his bullshit.

    Reply
    1. cleek Post author

      I installed Chrome, installed TamperMonkey, installed the pie filter and went to BJ. I see the pie controls under the comment box, and when I added someone to my pie list, it worked fine. So, it’s working for me.

      You don’t see the “Pie filter stuff” way down at the bottom of the page?

      Reply
      1. chmatl

        Duh! I thought the the Add/Remove button was at the bottom of each individual comment. Sorry to have bothered you; yes, I see it now. I will add Political Realism to it immediately!

        Thanks for the help.

        Reply
  4. Ruckus

    Have been using the pie filter for quite a while and it has been working fine. Mac with OSX 10.10.4 and tonight 9/3/15 it no longer works for one name, which is still in the filter. I tried adding it again and that makes no difference. And it is working in the same thread earlier on the same person and the name shows up the same. Have the latest update.

    Reply
  5. Ruckus

    OK just went back and refreshed and now the pie filter is not working at all. It shows in add-ons as being enabled. Forgot to say Firefox 40.0.3 but that was updated a few days ago and the script has been work since then.

    Reply
    1. cleek Post author

      it’s working OK for me.
      i have FF 40.0.3 and 3.0.3 of the pie filter (also tried 3.0.2 – worked too).

      are you adding the name by editing the script or by using the Add Selected button?

      Reply
      1. Ruckus

        cleek
        Sorry didn’t see your reply earlier.
        Using the add button.

        And a new wrinkle, and a good one. I just installed the latest revision and now I no longer get the null article issue whenever I refresh or comment. Was that something in the script that you fixed or was it something in the interaction of BJ and the script?

        Reply
    1. cleek Post author

      OK. pie filter has been updated.

      uninstall your current version and install the new one.

      i tried to post a notification over at BJ, but it’s stuck in moderation. so, if it works for you, could you drop a line over there and tell people the new version is up?

      Reply
  6. Another Scott

    I’ve been trying to get version 5.0 going with the latest incarnation of B-J without much luck. Earlier versions had been working great before the Great Upgrade. I’d been using uBlock Origin as my adblocker on Chrome on Win7.

    I’ve also been using The Other Chuck’s Stylish script (More Better Balloon Juice) and his Tampermonkey Script (Even Betterer Balloon Juice) and updated to the latest versions today. They’re not essential, but they’re nice to have.

    Unfortunately, the pie filter doesn’t do anything or me. I have the buttons at the bottom of the screen and they appear to be active, but on highlighting a name in a Reply (which sometimes seems impossible with the other scripts above installed, so I highlight the @name (without the @) in a reply to that person), click the Add Selected button and nothing happens: no popup with “Add XXX to pie filter?” that I’m expecting. The page doesn’t change.

    I’ve removed uBlock Origin, I’ve disabled then removed the Stylish scripts then Stylish itself. I removed TOC’s Tampermonkey script, too. It seems that 5.0 isn’t happy with this version of B-J yet. At least I can’t find what I’m doing wrong.

    Any pointers?

    Thanks as always for making this available!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

    Reply
    1. cleek Post author

      i just download and installed Chrome, then TamperMonkey and then installed the BJ script. and it’s working for me.

      i’m not really familiar with Chrome, but is there any kind of ‘block notifications’ setting? FF has one and it will stop those little message boxes from showing, and it’s easy to turn on by accident.

      Reply
      1. Another Scott

        Thanks for checking, kind sir. The weirdness has gone away and the Pie Filter is working fine. I don’t know if changing to Adblock Plus is what did it, but everything is Ok now.

        Thanks you. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving.

        Cheers,
        Scott.

        Reply
  7. Ruckus

    pie filter doesn’t seem to be working again. Removed and reloaded and still not working.

    BTW I heard about your house problems. Hopefully something gets better.

    Reply
    1. cleek Post author

      i just tried the current version (5.0.1) in FireFox and it’s working for me.

      which version and browser are you using? do you see the add/remove/how buttons ?

      Reply
  8. AnneW

    I have installed the latest version (7.0.1) on Firefox for Macs 43.0.1, but I have no pie filter tool bar. Using Grease Monkey 3.6.

    Reply
    1. cleek Post author

      they changed things again.

      i’ll have to rewrite it, again.

      they’ve decided the site should be an https site, not http. i don’t know why.

      7.0.2 will handle https…

      Reply
  9. AnneW

    They must have changed things again–I’m seeing Bob in Portland’s comments un-pie’d. The humanity!

    Many thanks for your hard work, by the way. :)

    Reply
    1. cleek Post author

      looks OK to me right now.

      they’re experimenting with changes over there. so things will probably be on and off for a while.

      Reply
  10. Ruckus

    It is so nice of you to work on this. Those of us with very limited programing skills (OK basically none!) thank you. Anyway just updated to FF 46 and can you imagine, broken again. It is possible that it was broken before though, BiP was not being blocked. I removed his name and added it back in, and still not blocked. Then I up graded to FF 46 (on mac, adblock and no script) and no one is being blocked now.

    Reply
    1. cleek Post author

      which pie filter version do you have?

      hover your mouse pointer on the “Pie Filter Stuff” text next to the filter controls. it will give you the version #

      Reply
  11. lwestsd

    The Pie Filter, v 7.0.3, in Chrome on Win 10 works well for me. The pie jokes and quotes were an unexpected plus. Thanks!

    Reply
  12. PatrickG

    I’ve been tempted to install the Pie Filter for some time now (hi Bob in Portland!), but I questioned whether I was going to miss out on insightful commentary and responses (by other people responding to Bob in Portland). The agony! The decision-making!

    Then Jonathan Holland Becnel showed up.

    Not only did I download the Pie Filter, I’m about to kick $20 to cleek’s beer/coffee/lubricant/whatever fund.

    Cleek, I would very much enjoy knowing that my money went to sinful excess. I want you to experience the sheer pleasure and bliss I now feel seeing:

    Bob In Portland says:
    May 19, 2016 at 2:18 pm
    You know, with all that makeup and pie and stuff, I actually thought I was SMART for a second.

    Thank you sir/madam/title-of-choice. You’re doing the Lahwd’s work.

    Reply
    1. PatrickG

      Er, about that donation. I swear I saw a link, but now I can’t find it.

      IT GIVES US THE LINK OR IT DOESN’T GET THE MONIES.

      Reply
    1. Another Scott

      Apparently I wasn’t running the latest version. Installing 7.0.4 (again?) took care of the problem. Sorry for the noise!

      Cheers,
      Scott.

      Reply
  13. applesauce

    I love this thing — I only wish it worked on front pagers. What I wouldn’t give to have Rettig’s pretentious bullshit replaced with pie.

    Reply
  14. Another Scott

    On Chrome on Winders the latest pie filter doesn’t seem to handle folks with Unicode and/or emojis in their ‘nyms. Is there any easy fix for that?

    Thanks for this wonderful code. I would have even less hair on my head without it. :-)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

    Reply
    1. cleek Post author

      i changed the code to ignore images in names. so if you wanted to filter Goku , for example, just enter ‘Goku’ and press Add.

      not sure what to do about Unicode. do you have an example of a user with a Unicode name?

      try the latest version (7.1.1). add the user by comment number.

      Reply
      1. Another Scott

        Thanks, Cleek. You’re the best.

        (I don’t have any specific Unicode thing in mind (I haven’t seen the Jester trying post with that ‘nym) – I just assumed the emojis were Unicode.)

        Cheers,
        Scott.

        Reply

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