Admin: Badge icon vs. image - what's the difference?

When creating or editing a badge, there are text fields for both “Icon” and “Image”. However, both use the same help description: Use either a Font Awesome class or URL to an image.

As an admin, I ask:

  • What’s the actual difference between the two?
  • Should we enter something for one, the other, or both fields?

This is a bit confusing as it stands now. :confounded:

PS: Maybe a link to the current (well, out-dated) available FA icon classes would help admins know what to type here, too.

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I agree, the UI does not explain what the difference is between “Icon” and “Image”.

But if I would have to venture a guess, an icon simply means the tiny image, and the image means when you look at the badge’s page you get this fancy image … but I would have to look at the source to know what the difference is for sure.

As for the PS
Unfortunately, I haven’t managed to get links to appear properly in the description fields on the settings page, but if you’re looking for FA icon classes then look no further than http://fontawesome.io/icons/

Yes, familiar with that page as we it’s an upstream component of our own software. Unfortunately, Discourse is using a very old version from Nov 5, 2013, when many 150 of the current icons listed weren’t yet included. Update is rumored to be coming someday soon. :slight_smile:

“Very” old? I’ve told you a million times to stop exaggerating…

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Fair enough. Updated to show the Nov 5, 2013 release date. :slight_smile:

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I thought I had found a bug, but it’s probably just the UI being unclear about the difference between icon and image.

To make matters worse the help text reads “Use either a Font Awesome class or URL to an image” and there is one field titled “Icon” and another titled “Image”. When I saw this I assumed I either put a font awesome class into the icon field, or I put an image url into the image path.

After trying to “debug” this for a while I finally figured that I was supposed to put a Font Awesome class or image URL into each box. Icon is for small badges image is for (not sure where this is used yet).

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It’s used on the user card, what you get when you click or tap your avatar or @username here.

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Ok, I see where it’s used now.

Thanks for the clarification.

I still can’t understand what is what - may someone elaborate, please?

The “Image” field creates a badge image that will show up using the “User Card Badge” preference option. This badge image will show up on the lower-right hand corner of the user card if selected (as far as I can tell, not frequently used).

The “Icon” field is what shows up for the badge everywhere else.

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I’m hoping to create a new badge called “staff” and have each staff member have that badge.
I have an image I’d like to use for the badge.
But I can’t just upload that image to have it used? It needs to be on the web somewhere with a URL to it that I then attach to the badge setting in discourse?

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