Frequently Asked Questions

Please note this section is under construction!

Questions

Problems

What is the difference between PNG and GIF?
PNG and GIF are two different ways of storing images. By default MyStatus uses PNG.
PNG looks better, but is a bit larger. When using a transparent background, older browsers can give some problems.
GIF is smaller, but doesn't support as much colors as PNG. When using a transparent GIF, you will get some nasty edges around the text and icons.

How can I use a custom background for the image?
At the moment it is not possible to generate a image with a custom background. I'm not sure this will be possible in the future. However, when you have the possibility to use HTML, there is a workaround. If you let MyStatus generate a image with a transparent background, you can place another image behind it.
An example how to realize this is displayed below. Please note the width and height of the image is different for each of the styles.

<div style="width:widthpx; height:heightpx; background-image:url(URL to custom background image);margin:0px;padding:0px;">
 <img src="URL to MyStatus image" alt="MyStatus" />
</div>

In that example you have to change the width, height, URL to custom background image and URL to MyStatus image. If you don't get the code working just send me a message.

Why do I have to register before I can use this service?
This is to make sure nobody else then you can update the status of your MyStatus image. It also enables you to choose your own level of privacy, varying form only showing your status to sharing your email address. Your Live Messenger address is only used for this purpose, and will not be given to any third parties.

Why does MyStatus not show my email address properly?
By default your email address is kept hidden for your privacy. If you would like to display your email address in your MyStatus image you have to modify you Profile Settings first. To do this, log in at the account page and click on Profile Settings.

My image is not completely transparent although I checked the transparent checkbox. What is causing this?
GIF has no alpha layer, and therefore you will see some of the background color. When using GIF you should always enter a background color for the image that is close to the background color of the page. If this is not possible or doesn't solve the problem you should choose PNG as image type.

Why is the background color of my image grey instead of the color I have chosen?
This is caused by the lack of proper PNG transparency handling of some browsers. Common browsers which support PNG transparency are Internet Explorer 7, Mozilla Firefox and Opera 6. Please note that Internet Explorer 5 & 6 don't handle PNG transparency properly. You can fix this by either turning transparency off or by choosing GIF as image type. GIF however has no alpha layer and therefore you will probably see an edge around the text and icons.

Why do I see rectangles on my image instead of characters?
If a certain font does not support a character, a rectangle will appear instead. The fonts Arial Unicode and Unifont support the widest variety of characters. However choosing on of these fonts will slow down the rendering of the image and they do not support an italic personal message.

Why does my image show I'm online, although I'm offline?
When you logout or close Live Messenger your status on your image will be updated instantly. However, when Live Messenger crashes the logout notification cannot be sent to the server. It may take up to ten minutes before your image will show you're offline