ash garcia

made washboard, they/them

[washblog]

Washboard is in maintenance mode

Hi all,

You probably guessed as much from the lack of updates over the last couple years, but I’m making it official: Washboard is essentially “done” at this point. I will do my best to keep the site online for as long as people find value in it (which a startling number of you still do!), but I just don’t have the time to rewrite everything from the ground up like I touted in 2018.

Thanks for sticking around for so long, and please do send me a message if anything breaks (although by now, any weird behavior is usually the Tumblr API’s fault and not mine 😉).

[garciash]

It’s due in part to Washboard that I was able to get my first job writing code at my university, and due largely to that job that I was able to land subsequent jobs in the industry. In some small way, every one of you has helped me stay afloat in this increasingly nightmarish capitalist hellscape. Sincerely, thank you all for being a part of this project.

- ash

[staff]

Tag filtering is here Don’t see what you don’t wanna see

In our ongoing effort to help you all determine your own experience here on Tumblr, we’re launching one of our most requested features: the ability to filter out posts from your dashboard based on their tags.

Trying to avoid #Star Wars spoilers? Filter them out. Need a break from all the #holiday excitement this month? Sheesh, fine. Filter it out. It’s your dashboard. Groom it well.

Where do I set up a tag filter?

In your settings! You’ll find it in your general settings on mobile, under “Filtering.” On the web, you’ll find it in your account settings, also under “Filtering.”

That makes sense. Will I know when stuff is being filtered out?

Yup. Just like with Safe Mode, you’ll see a placeholder in your dashboard wherever something is being hidden. If you actually do want to see it, you can click/tap on it, and it’ll appear.

I follow some real nimrods. How can I stop seeing their posts?

Unfollow them! And if they’re really being a jerk, block them. And if they’re truly being hateful, report them.

Anything else I should know?

Sure. There are lots of other tools for making Tumblr the Tumblr you want to see. You can read about them all in our help center.

<3 Tumblr

[garciash]

It’s come to my attention that the links to Washboard in my original announcement (which is still being passed around 4 years later!) show this message:

{"error":"Redirect failed"}

I don’t know why this happens (maybe an HTTPS issue?) but, for any new users: Washboard is still available and won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.

[washblog]

Mobile issues - July 17

It looks like Tumblr recently introduced a change that attempts to redirect all requests to www.tumblr.com from mobile browsers to their apps. Unfortunately, this includes the authentication endpoint used by Washboard, and so clicking on the “Sign in with Tumblr” button ends up redirecting you to the app and possibly displaying an error message in the web browser.

I don’t think there’s anything I can do about this from my end, so I’ll be reaching out to Tumblr support as soon as I can to get this resolved. In the meantime, if you’re already logged in on your mobile device, be careful not to log out or you may lose access to Washboard until this gets fixed.

[garciash]

Thank you so /so/ much for making Washboard. I have a question; if you don't have Tumblr Savior already, are you still able to get Washboard?

Answered before!

Do I have to be using Tumblr Savior?  What if I use XKit for blacklisting?

There’s no requirement to be using any existing blacklisting extension – you can type in your blacklisted keywords directly into Washboard.  Additionally, Washboard now supports importing blacklists from both Tumblr Savior and XKit.

[garciash]

Can you whitelist things in your app? As much as I love the thought of blacklisting, I really don't have anything I need to blacklist. Rather, the opposite, I would LOVE to see posts about specific things on mobile, since I use that most.

As a matter of fact, you can do this - but you may need to sign into Washboard on a PC / laptop to do it.  In your rules, add a blacklist rule that’s simply “.” (a period, no quotes), then check the Regex box for that rule.  This will hide everything -- and now you can add whitelist rules to control exactly what’s visible.

The only caveat is that you’ll see a “post hidden” notification for every post that doesn’t match the whitelist.  You can uncheck the “Show notification” box for the “.” rule, but then you’ll get a hidden notification for every post that does match the whitelist*, so it’s kind of cumbersome either way.  But at least it can be done!

*This was a feature I added in case someone unchecks the notification box for a keyword that they really doesn’t want to see, but the post gets whitelisted too.  This strikes me as the more important use case.

[garciash]

So is this washboard thing safe? Because there was a thing saying that it would make posts on my account? But I don't want that to happen... but I want to get the app so I can block certain tags. What do I do?

http://garciash.tumblr.com/post/147620936725/brief-faq

[garciash]

Hey, I really like your app. However, pictures don't load. At all. Can you maybe fix that? Thanks.

I don’t know why pictures wouldn’t be loading for you.  Has anyone else had this issue?

It’s possible that Tumblr’s ongoing maintenance caused some of the CDN servers to stop responding for awhile.  Could you let me know off anon if the issue lasts longer than a day or so?

[garciash]

Brief FAQ

The Washboard release post seems to be making the rounds again, so I thought I’d answer some of the questions / concerns a lot of folks have.

Is it safe to use?

Yes!  Despite the warning Tumblr gives you, Washboard will never post to your account.  It also never sees your password (OAuth handles authentication), never deletes anything, and can be removed simply by going into your app settings and revoking Washboard’s permissions.

I got a warning about insecure content?

The original post was written before I added HTTPS support, so it links to the standard HTTP version of the site.  Just add an ‘s’ after the ‘http’ in the URL and that warning should go away.

Does this filter posts from the Tumblr app?

Unfortunately, there’s no way for me to change the official app’s behavior.  You have to go through washboard.ws in your browser for the blacklist to have any effect.  It’s a tradeoff between ease of use and safety; for many people, the safety of blacklisting is worth it.

Do you have any plans to make an iOS / Android app?

Not at the moment.  I lack the resources and experience to develop “real” apps.  If you have an Apple device, XKit for iOS is a viable alternative, although it does cost $2.

Do I have to be using Tumblr Savior?  What if I use XKit for blacklisting?

There’s no requirement to be using any existing blacklisting extension -- you can type in your blacklisted keywords directly into Washboard.  Additionally, Washboard now supports importing blacklists from both Tumblr Savior and XKit.

As always, send me an ask if you have any questions or concerns.

[garciash]

Washboard — Tumblr Savior for mobile devices

Hello, Tumblr! Over the last few months I’ve been working on a project that brings keyword blacklisting to mobile devices, and it’s finally ready for the public. If you’re not familiar, Tumblr Savior is a browser extension that allows users to hide posts containing certain keywords or tags. It works great for desktops, but it can’t be used on phones or tablets, and the official Tumblr apps don’t offer any alternatives.

That’s where Washboard steps in: just sign in with Tumblr, import your blacklist from Tumblr Savior, and start browsing! Washboard also features infinite scrolling, a “Safe Mode" toggle that hides images, and a few other features that make mobile browsing as painless as possible.

Any questions or suggestions? Send me an ask or tag a post #washboard.ws and I’ll look at it as soon as possible!

SCREAMS IN HAPPINESS

[meloncrab]

guys i’d hate to burst your bubble but this post is 3 years old

[garciash]

It’s still up and running!  In fact, it’s only improved over the last 3 years.

[garciash]

hi! um, i went to download washboard and it said that it would,, make posts to my account..??? ?? is it going to make text posts for me like some of those other apps?... i'm sorry for asking, stuff like that just makes me incredibly nervous and uncomfortable so i haven't downloaded it yet..

Washboard doesn’t make any posts to your account.  Sorry for the confusion; unfortunately, there’s no way for me to change the warning message Tumblr gives you (I can’t ask Tumblr for fewer permissions or anything like that).

[garciash]

Can you only import your blacklist from tumblr savior? I'm an xkit user.

You should be able to use XKit’s Export feature to transfer your blacklist to Washboard as well.  If I remember correctly, both extensions use the same format.

[garciash]

In the FAQ there was something about how you can add it to your homescreen to make it look like a app, but the link doesnt help and i dont know how. The link just sends me to the apple site

Thanks for letting me know; looks like Apple doesn’t take care of their links very well.  All you have to do is open Washboard in Safari, tap the “Share” button (box with arrow) in the center of the bottom bar, then tap “Add to Home Screen”.  The FAQ will be updated shortly.

[garciash]

Quick note on asks

It’s come to my attention that I stopped receiving emails for asks at some point in the last few months.  I’m currently going through my inbox and responding to everyone who’s inquired about Washboard recently, and if you don’t remember sending me an ask, it’s probably because you sent it to Washblog and it got answered as me due to a quirk in Tumblr’s ask system.

I’ve turned on email notifications (again?) and should be much more timely about responding to questions in the future.

[washblog]

XKit Mobile and the future of Washboard

There’s no denying that the unveiling of XKit Mobile puts Washboard a bit out of the spotlight. If I had had the resources to make a native app, I certainly would have done so, but I’m glad someone else (a very competent developer, at that) stepped up to the plate.

That said, I will continue to support Washboard for a number of reasons: users who cannot purchase XKit Mobile, users on devices other than iOS (especially Android), and so on. The improvements I promised in May are forthcoming, slowly but surely.

I think that’s all I have to say for now. Congrats to the XKit guy for a successful launch!

[xkit-extension-blog]

Introducing XKit for iPhone

Well it took a few months, but it’s here: XKit for iOS is now available on the App Store. It comes with Blacklist, PostBlock, Mute, One-Click Reply, Disable GIFs, No Recommended Posts and much more.

I also wrote a transparency letter about it, if you are interested. (highly recommended as it discusses some missing features and the future of the app.)

Learn more at xkitm.com

[garciash]

This is great news for everyone who's been waiting for a native iOS solution for blacklisting posts! If you've been using Washboard on the iPhone, you should definitely give XKit Mobile a shot. As one of the beta testers, I can confirm that it's an excellent app and well worth the $2.

[garciash]

Readeasy (demo blog)

I've wanted to create a theme with a strong emphasis on readability for a long time, and I think I accomplished my goal here. Readeasy is a minimalist single-column theme with large text and as few distractions as possible. I'm by no means a professional designer, but I had a ton of fun making this theme and I think it looks and works great, so feel free to give it a spin if you want!

Here's some stuff you can do with it (copied from the theme's description):

Showcase your photos in their full glory, up to 960 pixels wide.

Write whole paragraphs that are readable on any device and any browser.

Tweak every color on the page to your liking, or just use your mobile theme's design.

Tuck away the details until the user hovers over them -- or don't. It's your call!

For the nerds out there, post snippets of code with syntax highlighting for extra readability.