====== Avatars for users ======

This is tracked at: http://www.mantisbt.org/bugs/view.php?id=8206

===== Rationale =====
In many sites, posts are associated with an "avatar", a small image chosen by the user to represent his online presence.

We could implement the same feature, targetting primarily the bugnotes, where such images will not waste space

===== Implementation =====

The implemented code is based on the http://gravatar.com web service. In order to show the personal avatar, users should register with the service using the same e-mail address stored in mantis. 

NOTE: after the initial registration (or after changing the gravatar icon) there is often a delay before the avatar is correctly shown on mantis. More informations in the [[http://blog.gravatar.com/2007/3/2/gravatar-properly-syncing-again|gravatar blog]]

The feature is controlled by the $g_show_avatar configuration variable and right now defaults to OFF

===== Possible improvements =====

Add a local storage for avatars, so that users can opt to upload the avatar directly in mantis. 

This is probably something to add on the user preference page