Formatting ChatGPT conversations.
Oops! It's been over a month since my last post about fine-tuning the website theme. I've been expecting this from the start, that sooner or later I'd fall behind on making new blog posts because of being busy and distracted by everyday life. Oh well. (I'll try not to fall so far behind again, but I'm sure it will happen again, probably sooner than later!)
I've also been procrastinating on this post because formatting these ChatGPT conversations is a rather tedious process. That procrastination contributed to the long delay since my last post. Actually, figuring out how to format ChatGPT conversations is the topic of this post...
I wanted to be able to quote parts of my conversations with ChatGPT in these blog posts, but I did want them to be nicely formatted. This turned out to be more challenging than expected. I did eventually come up with an acceptable solution to this issue, but it remains a slow, painstaking process to render these ChatGPT conversations. Surely there must be a better way?
Unfortunately, I can't just copy & paste the conversation from the ChatGPT web page into these Markdown content files and get a decent result. If I try to copy & paste the raw HTML, the result looks terrible and the content file becomes unmaintainable anyhow. Instead, I have to paste the conversation as plain text, losing all of the original formatting in the process.
After that, I have to compare the original ChatGPT web page side-by-side with the rendered blog post and fix a myriad of formatting issues, adding the structural code to show the conversation in a box with the avatar images, inserting hyperlinks, adding bold highlighting and backquotes, recreating code blocks, escaping various metacharacters as necessary, fixing edge cases, etc.
This isn't a perfect reproduction of the way the conversations are actually rendered on the ChatGPT website, but by the time I'm done fixing all the formatting issues, the end result is a pretty good approximation. I haven't tried to match the fonts and colors but the overall formatting is similar.
To illustrate this, here is a screen capture (without the sidebar) from the ChatGPT website showing the first part of the conversation quoted below, as it was actually rendered:
Compare the screen capture above with the rendered conversation below, then continue reading the conversation as I start in on the topic of how to do this in the first place!

If I'm posting about my conversations with you, what's the best way to copy & paste parts of our conversation and format them nicely with Markdown?
When copying and pasting parts of your conversations with me into a Markdown file, you can use a combination of blockquotes and code blocks to format the conversation nicely.
1. Blockquotes: Use `>` at the beginning of each line to create a blockquote. This is useful for quoting text from our conversation.
For example:
> User: What is the capital of France? > Assistant: The capital of France is Paris.
This will render as:
"User: What is the capital of France?
Assistant: The capital of France is Paris."1. Code blocks: Use triple backticks (```) to create a code block. This is useful for preserving the original formatting of the conversation, including line breaks.
For example:
<pre>
```
User: What is the capital of France?
Assistant: The capital of France is Paris.
```
</pre>This will render as:
User: What is the capital of France? Assistant: The capital of France is Paris.
Choose the formatting style that best fits the context and style of your post. You can also use other Markdown formatting options, like bold or italic text, to emphasize parts of the conversation as needed.
(Yes, ChatGPT numbered both "Blockquote" and "Code blocks" as "1." Go figure.)

How hard would it be to add the avatar images to each message block as shown on chat.openai.com?
To add avatar images to each message block, you'll need to modify your Zola theme's CSS and HTML templates. Here's a step-by-step guide to achieve this:
1.
First, download or create the avatar images you want to use for the user and the assistant. Save them in your theme's `static` directory, for example, `static/user-avatar.png` and `static/assistant-avatar.png`.
2.
Next, modify your theme's CSS file to add styles for the message blocks and avatar images. Add the following CSS classes in your theme's CSS file:
.message-block { display: flex; align-items: flex-start; margin-bottom: 1rem; } .avatar { width: 40px; height: 40px; margin-right: 1rem; } .user-message .avatar { background-image: url('/user-avatar.png'); background-size: cover; } .assistant-message .avatar { background-image: url('/assistant-avatar.png'); background-size: cover; } .message-content { max-width: 80%; }
1. In your Zola content Markdown file, wrap each message in a `div` element with the appropriate classes. For example:
<div class="message-block user-message"> <div class="avatar"></div> <div class="message-content"> <blockquote> User: What is the capital of France? </blockquote> </div> </div> <div class="message-block assistant-message"> <div class="avatar"></div> <div class="message-content"> <blockquote> Assistant: The capital of France is Paris. </blockquote> </div> </div>
You can adjust the CSS properties to change the size of the avatar images, the spacing between elements, or any other styling preferences you may have.
This is a simple example and can be further customized to fit your desired design.

Your avatar image is implemented as <svg>
If you want to use an SVG image for the avatar, you can directly include the SVG code in your HTML template.
Here's an example of how to do it:
1. Modify your theme's CSS file to remove the background-image properties from the `.user-message .avatar` and `.assistant-message .avatar` classes:
.user-message .avatar { /* Remove background-image property */ } .assistant-message .avatar { /* Remove background-image property */ }
1. In your Zola content Markdown file, replace the `div` element for the avatar with the SVG code. For example:
<div class="message-block user-message"> <div class="avatar"> <!-- User avatar SVG code goes here --> </div> <div class="message-content"> <blockquote> User: What is the capital of France? </blockquote> </div> </div> <div class="message-block assistant-message"> <div class="avatar"> <!-- Assistant avatar SVG code goes here --> </div> <div class="message-content"> <blockquote> Assistant: The capital of France is Paris. </blockquote> </div> </div>
You can find the SVG code for the avatars in the chat.openai.com page source or create your own SVG images. Make sure to adjust the size and other properties of the SVG elements to fit the design you have in mind.

My avatar isn't SVG, of course. It's a WEBP image. Yours is SVG. Can I put the SVG code into an external HTML file and include it with a Zola directive?
Yes, you can put the SVG code into an external HTML file and include it using the `include` directive in Zola. Here's how to do it:
1.
Create an `_includes` directory inside your theme's `templates` directory if it doesn't already exist. The path should be something like `themes/your-theme/templates/_includes/`.
2.
Create an HTML file with the SVG code for the avatar inside the `_includes` directory. For example, name it `assistant_avatar.html` and add the SVG code for the assistant avatar.
3.
In your Zola content Markdown file, use the `include` directive to include the SVG code in the avatar `div`. For example:
<div class="message-block user-message"> <div class="avatar"> <img src="path/to/your-avatar.webp" alt="User Avatar" /> </div> <div class="message-content"> <blockquote> User: What is the capital of France? </blockquote> </div> </div> <div class="message-block assistant-message"> <div class="avatar"> {% include "assistant_avatar.html" %} </div> <div class="message-content"> <blockquote> Assistant: The capital of France is Paris. </blockquote> </div> </div>
Make sure to replace `path/to/your-avatar.webp` with the actual path to your WEBP avatar image.
By using the `include` directive, Zola will include the content of the `assistant_avatar.html` file in the specified location when rendering the template.

Since the DeepThought theme comes from another repository, can I create "includes" or "_includes" at the top level of my site's directory structure, where the "content", "themes" and "templates" directories are?
Yes, you can create an `_includes` directory at the top level of your site's directory structure, alongside the `content`, `themes`, and `templates` directories. Zola will look for includes in both your site's top-level `_includes` directory and the theme's `_includes` directory.
To create an `_includes` directory at the top level of your site:
1.
In your site's root directory, create a new directory called `_includes`.
2.
Move the `assistant_avatar.html` file (or create a new one) inside the newly created `_includes` directory.
3.
In your Zola content Markdown file, use the `include` directive to include the SVG code in the avatar `div`:
<div class="message-block user-message"> <div class="avatar"> <img src="path/to/your-avatar.webp" alt="User Avatar" /> </div> <div class="message-content"> <blockquote> User: What is the capital of France? </blockquote> </div> </div> <div class="message-block assistant-message"> <div class="avatar"> {% include "assistant_avatar.html" %} </div> <div class="message-content"> <blockquote> Assistant: The capital of France is Paris. </blockquote> </div> </div>
Zola will first look for the `assistant_avatar.html` file in your site's top-level `_includes` directory and then in the theme's `_includes` directory. If it finds the file in either location, it will include the content of the file in the specified location when rendering the template.
This all sounds good, but of course it didn't actually work. ChatGPT can be helpful and informative one moment, and lead you astray the next. Beware!

The {% include "assistant_avatar.html" %} is just being rendered as HTML text.
Apologies for the confusion. In Zola, to include an HTML file, you'll need to use the `load_data` function and then output the loaded data as safe HTML.
To do this, follow these steps:
1. In the content Markdown file, use the `load_data` function to load the `assistant_avatar.html` file:
{% set assistant_avatar = load_data(path="_includes/assistant_avatar.html") %}
1. Use the `safe` filter to output the loaded data as safe HTML in the avatar `div`:
<div class="message-block user-message"> <div class="avatar"> <img src="path/to/your-avatar.webp" alt="User Avatar" /> </div> <div class="message-content"> <blockquote> User: What is the capital of France? </blockquote> </div> </div> <div class="message-block assistant-message"> <div class="avatar"> {{ assistant_avatar | safe }} </div> <div class="message-content"> <blockquote> Assistant: The capital of France is Paris. </blockquote> </div> </div>
With these changes, Zola should include the SVG code from the `assistant_avatar.html` file in the rendered output, and you should see the avatars as expected.

Where in the file should I put the {% set ... %} directive?
You should place the `{% set ... %}` directive at the beginning of your content Markdown file, before the opening `+++`. This way, Zola will load the data before processing the rest of the content. Here's an example:
{% set assistant_avatar = load_data(path="_includes/assistant_avatar.html") %} +++ title = "My Conversation with ChatGPT" date = 2023-04-18 slug = "conversation-with-chatgpt" [taxonomies] categories = ["AI"] tags = ["OpenAI", "ChatGPT"] +++ In this post, I'll share a conversation I had with ChatGPT, OpenAI's language model. <div class="message-block user-message"> <div class="avatar"> <img src="path/to/your-avatar.webp" alt="User Avatar" /> </div> <div class="message-content"> <blockquote> User: What is the capital of France? </blockquote> </div> </div> <div class="message-block assistant-message"> <div class="avatar"> {{ assistant_avatar | safe }} </div> <div class="message-content"> <blockquote> Assistant: The capital of France is Paris. </blockquote> </div> </div>
This will ensure that the `assistant_avatar` variable is set and available for use in the rest of the content.
Of course, this didn't work either! ChatGPT's hallucinations continue...

Building site...
Error: Failed to serve the site
Error: Couldn't find front matter in `/home/deven/git/codereflections/content/20230419-whats-in-a-name.md`. Did you forget to add `+++` or `---`?
Apologies for the confusion. It seems that Zola does not support setting variables outside of the front matter. You can try the following workaround:
1. Create a new file called `avatars.toml` in your `content` directory:
assistant_avatar = """ <!-- Paste your SVG code here --> """
1. In your content file, load this data file and then use the `assistant_avatar` variable:
+++ title = "My Conversation with ChatGPT" date = 2023-04-18 slug = "conversation-with-chatgpt" [taxonomies] categories = ["AI"] tags = ["OpenAI", "ChatGPT"] +++ {% set avatars = load_data(path="avatars.toml") %} {% set assistant_avatar = avatars.assistant_avatar %} In this post, I'll share a conversation I had with ChatGPT, OpenAI's language model. <!-- Add your message blocks here, using assistant_avatar -->
This should allow you to load the SVG data without encountering issues with the front matter.

I didn't try the TOML file yet because I'm also seeing {{ chatgpt_avatar | safe }} rendered as HTML text.
My apologies for the confusion. Since the content is being rendered as HTML text, it seems that the `safe` filter is not working as expected.
Please try this alternative approach:
1. Create a file called `avatar_macros.html` in your `templates` directory:
{% macro render_assistant_avatar() %} <!-- Paste your SVG code here --> {% endmacro %} {% macro render_user_avatar() %} <img src="path/to/your/webp/image" alt="User avatar" /> {% endmacro %}
1. In your content file, import the macros and use them to render the avatars:
jinja2 Copy code +++ title = "My Conversation with ChatGPT" date = 2023-04-18 slug = "conversation-with-chatgpt" [taxonomies] categories = ["AI"] tags = ["OpenAI", "ChatGPT"] +++ {% import "avatar_macros.html" as avatar_macros %} In this post, I'll share a conversation I had with ChatGPT, OpenAI's language model. <!-- Add your message blocks here, using avatar_macros.render_assistant_avatar() and avatar_macros.render_user_avatar() -->
With this approach, you won't need to use the `safe` filter. The macros will be called directly in the content and should render the SVG and image elements correctly.

I just tried asking the GPT-3.5 default model, in a new conversation, "Using Zola, how can I have my content Markdown file include a block of HTML from another file?" This was the response:
To include a block of HTML from another file in your Markdown content using Zola, you can use Zola's built-in shortcodes feature.
Here's an example of how to use a shortcode to include HTML from another file:
Create a new file in your Zola project's templates/shortcodes directory, e.g. include.html.
In the include.html file, add the HTML code you want to include, wrapped in a div or other appropriate container element.
In your Markdown content file, add a shortcode to include the HTML code from include.html. The shortcode syntax is {% shortcode_name "file_path" %}, where shortcode_name is the name you want to give the shortcode (e.g. include_html), and file_path is the path to the file containing the HTML code you want to include, relative to the root of your Zola project.
For example, let's say you have a file called header.html in your Zola project's templates directory that contains the HTML code for your website's header:html
Copy code
<div class="header">
<h1>My Website</h1>
<nav>
<ul>
<li><a href="/">Home</a></li>
<li><a href="/about">About</a></li>
<li><a href="/contact">Contact</a></li>
</ul>
</nav>
</div>
To include this header HTML in your Markdown content file, you could create a shortcode like this:Create a new file called header.html in the templates/shortcodes directory.
In the header.html file, add the following code:
html
Copy code
{% with file_path = "templates/header.html" %}
{% include file_path %}
{% endwith %}
In your Markdown content file, add the shortcode {% include_html "header.html" %} where you want to include the header HTML.
When Zola processes your Markdown file, it will replace the shortcode with the contents of header.html, so the resulting HTML output will include your header.
It appears that the response you received describes using Zola's shortcodes feature to include a block of HTML from another file.
To use this method, please follow these steps:
1.
Create a new directory named `shortcodes` inside your project's `templates` directory.
2.
Create a new file called `include_html.html` inside the `templates/shortcodes` directory, and add the following code:
{% with file_path = args.path %} {% include file_path %} {% endwith %}
1. In your Markdown content file, add the shortcode `{% include_html path="path/to/your/file.html" %}` where you want to include the HTML. Replace `path/to/your/file.html` with the path to the HTML file you want to include, relative to your Zola project's root.
For example, if you have an HTML file called `assistant_avatar.html` in the `templates/includes` directory, you can include it in your Markdown content file like this:
+++ title = "My Conversation with ChatGPT" date = 2023-04-18 slug = "conversation-with-chatgpt" [taxonomies] categories = ["AI"] tags = ["OpenAI", "ChatGPT"] +++ In this post, I'll share a conversation I had with ChatGPT, OpenAI's language model. {% include_html path="templates/includes/assistant_avatar.html" %}
When Zola processes your Markdown file, it will replace the shortcode with the contents of the specified HTML file.
At this point, I was getting pretty tired of ChatGPT leading me into dead ends with this, so I took the time to read through Zola's "shortcodes" documentation myself, and quickly found that ChatGPT's instructions were wrong yet again.
I decided to call the documentation to ChatGPT's attention to see whether or not it would improve its answer. I knew that ChatGPT wouldn't fetch the URL, but the URL might have been included in its training data. I figured that identifying the relevant URL might direct ChatGPT in the right direction...

Reference https://www.getzola.org/documentation/content/shortcodes/ and tell me if you need to change your recommendation.
Apologies for the confusion earlier. Based on the official Zola documentation, my previous recommendation was incorrect. Here's the correct method for including an HTML file using shortcodes:
1.
Create a new directory named `shortcodes` inside your project's `templates` directory.
2.
Create a new file called `include_html.html` inside the `templates/shortcodes` directory, and add the following code:
{% include args.file_path %}
1. In your Markdown content file, add the shortcode `{% include_html file_path="path/to/your/file.html" %}` where you want to include the HTML. Replace `path/to/your/file.html` with the path to the HTML file you want to include, relative to your Zola project's root.
For example, if you have an HTML file called `assistant_avatar.html` in the `templates/includes` directory, you can include it in your Markdown content file like this:
+++ title = "My Conversation with ChatGPT" date = 2023-04-18 slug = "conversation-with-chatgpt" [taxonomies] categories = ["AI"] tags = ["OpenAI", "ChatGPT"] +++ In this post, I'll share a conversation I had with ChatGPT, OpenAI's language model. {% include_html file_path="templates/includes/assistant_avatar.html" %}
When Zola processes your Markdown file, it will replace the shortcode with the contents of the specified HTML file.

In this case, shouldn't I just create a "chatgpt_avatar" shortcode with the SVG code?
Yes, you can directly create a `chatgpt_avatar` shortcode with the SVG code. Here's how you can do it:
1.
Create a new directory named `shortcodes` inside your project's `templates` directory if it doesn't already exist.
2.
Create a new file called `chatgpt_avatar.html` inside the `templates/shortcodes` directory, and add the SVG code for the ChatGPT avatar:
<!-- Paste the ChatGPT SVG code here -->
1. In your Markdown content file, add the shortcode `{% chatgpt_avatar %}` where you want to include the ChatGPT avatar. For example:
+++ title = "My Conversation with ChatGPT" date = 2023-04-18 slug = "conversation-with-chatgpt" [taxonomies] categories = ["AI"] tags = ["OpenAI", "ChatGPT"] +++ In this post, I'll share a conversation I had with ChatGPT, OpenAI's language model. {% chatgpt_avatar %}
When Zola processes your Markdown file, it will replace the shortcode with the contents of the `chatgpt_avatar.html` file, which contains the ChatGPT avatar SVG code.
Again, having read through the documentation, I knew ChatGPT's instructions were still wrong, so I decided to provide the content of that documentation so that it could respond more appropriately.

Are you sure about that? Here's the content of that Zola shortcodes documentation:
[Here I copied and pasted the content of the documentation page.]
I apologize for the confusion. You're correct. Based on the Zola documentation, we should create a shortcode using a different approach. Here's the updated method:
1.
Create a new directory named `shortcodes` inside your project's `templates` directory if it doesn't already exist.
2.
Create a new file called `chatgpt_avatar.html` inside the `templates/shortcodes` directory, and add the SVG code for the ChatGPT avatar:
<!-- Paste the ChatGPT SVG code here -->
1. In your Markdown content file, add the shortcode `{{ chatgpt_avatar() }}` where you want to include the ChatGPT avatar. For example:
+++ title = "My Conversation with ChatGPT" date = 2023-04-18 slug = "conversation-with-chatgpt" [taxonomies] categories = ["AI"] tags = ["OpenAI", "ChatGPT"] +++ In this post, I'll share a conversation I had with ChatGPT, OpenAI's language model. {{ chatgpt_avatar() }}
When Zola processes your Markdown file, it will replace the shortcode with the contents of the `chatgpt_avatar.html` file, which contains the ChatGPT avatar SVG code.
Finally! I had to quote the documentation to ChatGPT, but at least this time the instructions were actually valid. (It was a hassle to format the above ChatGPT response for this post because Zola was trying to expand the "chatgpt_avatar" shortcode in the code block! I had to work around the problem using HTML directly.)
I decided to press ChatGPT a bit on why providing the content of the documentation was necessary, although I didn't really expect much from this question...

That worked finally. Why didn't you get the right answer the first time, or when I specifically referenced the Zola documentation link, which was clearly in your training data? Why did I need to copy and paste the content of that page instead?
I apologize for the confusion and inconvenience caused by my initial response. As an AI language model, I strive to provide the most accurate and helpful information based on the context of the conversation. However, I'm not perfect and can sometimes misunderstand the context or provide less than optimal solutions.
When you provided the Zola documentation link, I should have recognized the proper solution based on your request. It's possible that I didn't fully understand your context or intent, which led to the less accurate response. When you pasted the content of the documentation, it provided more context and information, which helped me understand better and provide the correct solution.
Again, I apologize for the confusion, and I appreciate your patience in working with me to find the correct solution.
Okay, so I've got a way to insert the ChatGPT avatar SVG image using a Zola shortcode. Now I need to figure out the CSS details...

Where should I put the new CSS rules? Should that be in the "static/css" directory?
Yes, the best place to put your new CSS rules would be in the `static/css` directory. You can either create a new CSS file for your custom styles or add the rules to an existing CSS file if one is provided by the theme.
If you create a new CSS file, you'll also need to make sure it's included in your site's templates. To do this, open the `base.html` file (or a similar file, depending on your theme's structure) in the `templates` directory of your theme, and add a link to your new CSS file within the `<head>` section:
<link rel="stylesheet" href="{{ get_url(path='/css/your_new_css_file.css') }}">
Replace `your_new_css_file.css` with the name of the CSS file you created. This will ensure that your new CSS rules are applied to your site.

Okay, I'll create "static/css/chatgpt.css" for this. But what is the point of using the get_url() instead of just using href="/css/chatgpt.css"?
You're right that using a direct path like `href="/css/chatgpt.css"` can work in many cases. However, using the `get_url()` function in Zola provides some benefits:
1.
URL generation: Zola handles generating the correct URLs for you, taking into account any changes to the base URL or the site structure. This can be especially helpful when deploying your site to different environments, such as staging or production, where the base URL might differ.
2.
URL normalization: `get_url()` normalizes the URLs, ensuring that they are properly formatted and do not contain any issues that might cause broken links or unexpected behavior.
3.
Future-proofing: By using `get_url()`, you ensure that your code remains compatible with future changes to Zola or your site structure, as the function will continue to generate correct URLs even if the internal handling changes.
In summary, using `get_url()` is a good practice because it helps maintain the consistency and robustness of your site's URLs. It makes your code more maintainable and future-proof.
I had a typo in the word "defined" in my next question, but ChatGPT understood without skipping a beat...

The SVG code is defiend with width="41" and height="41". How do I resize this to 32x32?
You can easily resize the SVG by updating the `width` and `height` attributes in the SVG code. To change the dimensions to 32x32, modify the attributes like this:
<svg width="32" height="32" ...>
Keep in mind that if the aspect ratio of the original SVG is not 1:1, the image might appear slightly distorted when resized to 32x32. In this case, the original dimensions are 41x41, which is a 1:1 aspect ratio, so you shouldn't have any issues resizing it to 32x32.

Changing the width and height like that won't affect the coordinates in the SVG code?
You're correct. If the SVG contains absolute coordinates, changing the width and height attributes might not scale the entire image as expected. In that case, you can use the `viewBox` attribute to control the scaling properly.
If your SVG doesn't already have a `viewBox` attribute, you can add it like this:
<svg width="32" height="32" viewBox="0 0 41 41" ...>
Here, the `viewBox` attribute is set to `0 0 41 41`, which means that the original dimensions of the SVG are 41x41. By setting the width and height attributes to 32, the SVG will be scaled down proportionally to fit within a 32x32 box while maintaining its aspect ratio.
If your SVG already has a `viewBox` attribute, you can just update the width and height attributes to 32x32, and the SVG should scale proportionally.

Ah, it already had viewBox="0 0 41 41". Good.
Great! Since the viewBox attribute is already set to "0 0 41 41", you can simply change the width and height attributes to 32x32, and the SVG will scale down proportionally while maintaining its aspect ratio.
Here's the updated SVG code:
<svg width="32" height="32" viewBox="0 0 41 41" ...>
Now the SVG should display at the desired size of 32x32 pixels.

That worked fine. Here's one of the original CSS rules you gave me:
.assistant-message .avatar {
background-image: url('/assistant-avatar.png');
background-size: cover;
}First, should this be using the Zola get_url() also? Also, how do I change this to use the SVG code?
Since the CSS file is a static asset and not processed by Zola, there's no need to use `get_url()` in this case. You can continue to use the relative path to the CSS file in the `href` attribute.
To change the CSS rule to use the SVG code, you can use an inline SVG as a background image by encoding it as a data URI. Here's how to do it:
Remove the line `background-image: url('/assistant-avatar.png');` from your CSS rule.
Go to an SVG-to-data-URI converter tool, such as this one.
Paste your entire SVG code into the converter tool.
Copy the resulting data URI from the tool.
Add the data URI as the `background-image` in your CSS rule:
.assistant-message .avatar { background-image: url('data:image/svg+xml;base64,...'); background-size: cover; }
Replace the `...` in the `url()` with the actual data URI you got from the converter tool.
This way, the CSS rule will use the inline SVG code as the background image for the `.assistant-message .avatar` class.

Can I simplify this example by using CSS to insert the div for the avatars?
Yes, you can simplify the example by using the `::before` pseudo-element in your CSS to insert the avatar without having to add an extra `div` in your HTML. Here's how you can modify the CSS:
.assistant-message::before, .user-message::before { content: ""; display: inline-block; width: 32px; height: 32px; margin-right: 8px; background-size: cover; vertical-align: middle; } .assistant-message::before { background-image: url('data:image/svg+xml;base64,...'); }
Replace the `...` in the `url()` with the actual data URI you got from the converter tool.
Now you can remove the avatar `div` from your HTML:
<div class="assistant-message"> <p>Assistant: Hi, how can I help you today?</p> </div>
With this approach, the avatar will be automatically inserted before each message with the `.assistant-message` class, and you don't need to include the extra `div` for the avatar in your HTML.

What does "background-size: cover" mean?
`background-size: cover` is a CSS property that controls the size of a background image in an element. The `cover` value specifies that the background image should be scaled proportionally to completely cover the content area of the element. In other words, the image will be resized so that it is at least as large as the element's width or height, whichever is greater.
This might result in the image being cropped if its aspect ratio doesn't match the element's aspect ratio. The main goal of using `background-size: cover` is to ensure that the background image always covers the entire element, regardless of the element's size or the image's aspect ratio.

I feel like I have more rules than I need here:
.message-block {
display: flex;
align-items: flex-start;
margin-bottom: 1rem;
}.avatar {
width: 32px;
height: 32px;
margin-right: 1rem;
}.user-message .avatar {
background-image: url('/images/deven_avatar.webp');
background-size: cover;
}.chatgpt-message .avatar {
background-image: url('/chatgpt-avatar.png');
background-size: cover;
}.message-content {
max-width: 80%;
}.chatgpt-message::before,
.user-message::before {
content: "";
display: inline-block;
width: 32px;
height: 32px;
margin-right: 8px;
background-size: cover;
vertical-align: middle;
}.chatgpt-message::before {
background-image: url('data:image/svg+xml;base64,...');
}
It seems that you have some redundant styles. Here's a simplified version of your CSS:
.message-block { display: flex; align-items: flex-start; margin-bottom: 1rem; } .avatar { width: 32px; height: 32px; margin-right: 1rem; background-size: cover; } .user-message .avatar { background-image: url('/images/deven_avatar.webp'); } .chatgpt-message .avatar { background-image: url('data:image/svg+xml;base64,...'); } .message-content { max-width: 80%; }
In this simplified version, I removed the redundant styles for `::before` pseudoelements and directly set the background-image for the `.chatgpt-message .avatar` and `.user-message .avatar` classes. The `background-size: cover;` style has been moved to the `.avatar` class, as it is common to both avatars.

How are the ::before elements redundant? I thought the whole point of them was not to need a second div in the content?
Apologies for the confusion. You are correct that the `::before` pseudoelements can be used to avoid having a second div in the content. I misunderstood your intention in the previous response. If you would like to use the `::before` pseudoelements, you can update your CSS like this:
.message-block { display: flex; align-items: flex-start; margin-bottom: 1rem; } .message-content { max-width: 80%; } .chatgpt-message::before, .user-message::before { content: ""; display: inline-block; width: 32px; height: 32px; margin-right: 8px; background-size: cover; vertical-align: middle; } .chatgpt-message::before { background-image: url('data:image/svg+xml;base64,...'); } .user-message::before { background-image: url('/images/deven_avatar.webp'); }
With this CSS, you won't need the extra `.avatar` div in your content. The avatars will be generated using the `::before` pseudoelements for both `.chatgpt-message` and `.user-message` elements.

Which is better for the "margin-right"? "8px" or "1rem"?
Both "8px" and "1rem" can be used for the "margin-right," but they serve slightly different purposes.
Using "8px" sets a fixed margin of 8 pixels between the elements, which will remain the same regardless of the font size or zoom level.
Using "1rem," on the other hand, sets a margin relative to the root element's font size. If the root font size is set to 16 pixels (which is the default for most browsers), then "1rem" will be equivalent to 16 pixels. However, if the user changes the font size or zooms in/out on the webpage, the margin will adjust accordingly.
In general, using "1rem" is preferred in responsive designs because it allows for better adaptability to different devices and user settings. If you want a fixed margin that doesn't change with the font size, you can use "8px."

Should this work?
.chatgpt-message::before {
background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,M37.5324 16.8707C37.9808 15.5241 38.1363 14.0974 37.9886 12.6859C37.8409 11.2744 37.3934 9.91076 36.676 8.68622C35.6126 6.83404 33.9882 5.3676 32.0373 4.4985C30.0864 3.62941 27.9098 3.40259 25.8215 3.85078C24.8796 2.7893 23.7219 1.94125 22.4257 1.36341C21.1295 0.785575 19.7249 0.491269 18.3058 0.500197C16.1708 0.495044 14.0893 1.16803 12.3614 2.42214C10.6335 3.67624 9.34853 5.44666 8.6917 7.47815C7.30085 7.76286 5.98686 8.3414 4.8377 9.17505C3.68854 10.0087 2.73073 11.0782 2.02839 12.312C0.956464 14.1591 0.498905 16.2988 0.721698 18.4228C0.944492 20.5467 1.83612 22.5449 3.268 24.1293C2.81966 25.4759 2.66413 26.9026 2.81182 28.3141C2.95951 29.7256 3.40701 31.0892 4.12437 32.3138C5.18791 34.1659 6.8123 35.6322 8.76321 36.5013C10.7141 37.3704 12.8907 37.5973 14.9789 37.1492C15.9208 38.2107 17.0786 39.0587 18.3747 39.6366C19.6709 40.2144 21.0755 40.5087 22.4946 40.4998C24.6307 40.5054 26.7133 39.8321 28.4418 38.5772C30.1704 37.3223 31.4556 35.5506 32.1119 33.5179C33.5027 33.2332 34.8167 32.6547 35.9659 31.821C37.115 30.9874 38.0728 29.9178 38.7752 28.684C39.8458 26.8371 40.3023 24.6979 40.0789 22.5748C39.8556 20.4517 38.9639 18.4544 37.5324 16.8707ZM22.4978 37.8849C20.7443 37.8874 19.0459 37.2733 17.6994 36.1501C17.7601 36.117 17.8666 36.0586 17.936 36.0161L25.9004 31.4156C26.1003 31.3019 26.2663 31.137 26.3813 30.9378C26.4964 30.7386 26.5563 30.5124 26.5549 30.2825V19.0542L29.9213 20.998C29.9389 21.0068 29.9541 21.0198 29.9656 21.0359C29.977 21.052 29.9842 21.0707 29.9867 21.0902V30.3889C29.9842 32.375 29.1946 34.2791 27.7909 35.6841C26.3872 37.0892 24.4838 37.8806 22.4978 37.8849ZM6.39227 31.0064C5.51397 29.4888 5.19742 27.7107 5.49804 25.9832C5.55718 26.0187 5.66048 26.0818 5.73461 26.1244L13.699 30.7248C13.8975 30.8408 14.1233 30.902 14.3532 30.902C14.583 30.902 14.8088 30.8408 15.0073 30.7248L24.731 25.1103V28.9979C24.7321 29.0177 24.7283 29.0376 24.7199 29.0556C24.7115 29.0736 24.6988 29.0893 24.6829 29.1012L16.6317 33.7497C14.9096 34.7416 12.8643 35.0097 10.9447 34.4954C9.02506 33.9811 7.38785 32.7263 6.39227 31.0064ZM4.29707 13.6194C5.17156 12.0998 6.55279 10.9364 8.19885 10.3327C8.19885 10.4013 8.19491 10.5228 8.19491 10.6071V19.808C8.19351 20.0378 8.25334 20.2638 8.36823 20.4629C8.48312 20.6619 8.64893 20.8267 8.84863 20.9404L18.5723 26.5542L15.206 28.4979C15.1894 28.5089 15.1703 28.5155 15.1505 28.5173C15.1307 28.5191 15.1107 28.516 15.0924 28.5082L7.04046 23.8557C5.32135 22.8601 4.06716 21.2235 3.55289 19.3046C3.03862 17.3858 3.30624 15.3413 4.29707 13.6194ZM31.955 20.0556L22.2312 14.4411L25.5976 12.4981C25.6142 12.4872 25.6333 12.4805 25.6531 12.4787C25.6729 12.4769 25.6928 12.4801 25.7111 12.4879L33.7631 17.1364C34.9967 17.849 36.0017 18.8982 36.6606 20.1613C37.3194 21.4244 37.6047 22.849 37.4832 24.2684C37.3617 25.6878 36.8382 27.0432 35.9743 28.1759C35.1103 29.3086 33.9415 30.1717 32.6047 30.6641C32.6047 30.5947 32.6047 30.4733 32.6047 30.3889V21.188C32.6066 20.9586 32.5474 20.7328 32.4332 20.5338C32.319 20.3348 32.154 20.1698 31.955 20.0556ZM35.3055 15.0128C35.2464 14.9765 35.1431 14.9142 35.069 14.8717L27.1045 10.2712C26.906 10.1554 26.6803 10.0943 26.4504 10.0943C26.2206 10.0943 25.9948 10.1554 25.7963 10.2712L16.0726 15.8858V11.9982C16.0715 11.9783 16.0753 11.9585 16.0837 11.9405C16.0921 11.9225 16.1048 11.9068 16.1207 11.8949L24.1719 7.25025C25.4053 6.53903 26.8158 6.19376 28.2383 6.25482C29.6608 6.31589 31.0364 6.78077 32.2044 7.59508C33.3723 8.40939 34.2842 9.53945 34.8334 10.8531C35.3826 12.1667 35.5464 13.6095 35.3055 15.0128ZM14.2424 21.9419L10.8752 19.9981C10.8576 19.9893 10.8423 19.9763 10.8309 19.9602C10.8195 19.9441 10.8122 19.9254 10.8098 19.9058V10.6071C10.8107 9.18295 11.2173 7.78848 11.9819 6.58696C12.7466 5.38544 13.8377 4.42659 15.1275 3.82264C16.4173 3.21869 17.8524 2.99464 19.2649 3.1767C20.6775 3.35876 22.0089 3.93941 23.1034 4.85067C23.0427 4.88379 22.937 4.94215 22.8668 4.98473L14.9024 9.58517C14.7025 9.69878 14.5366 9.86356 14.4215 10.0626C14.3065 10.2616 14.2466 10.4877 14.2479 10.7175L14.2424 21.9419ZM16.071 17.9991L20.4018 15.4978L24.7325 17.9975V22.9985L20.4018 25.4983L16.071 22.9985V17.9991Z");
}
Yes, the code should work. You've correctly included the SVG path using the "data:image/svg+xml," followed by the path itself, in the "background-image" property of the ".chatgpt-message::before" selector. Just make sure that the SVG path doesn't have any line breaks or extra spaces in it, and it should display the SVG as a background image correctly.

It's not working. The WEBP background image for my avatar works, but the ChatGPT SVG avatar is not visible. Here's all the CSS rules I added:
.message-block {
display: flex;
align-items: flex-start;
margin-bottom: 1rem;
}.message-content {
max-width: 80%;
}.chatgpt-message::before,
.user-message::before {
content: "";
display: inline-block;
width: 32px;
height: 32px;
margin-right: 1rem;
background-size: cover;
vertical-align: top;
}.chatgpt-message::before {
background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,M37.5324 16.8707C37.9808 15.5241 38.1363 14.0974 37.9886 12.6859C37.8409 11.2744 37.3934 9.91076 36.676 8.68622C35.6126 6.83404 33.9882 5.3676 32.0373 4.4985C30.0864 3.62941 27.9098 3.40259 25.8215 3.85078C24.8796 2.7893 23.7219 1.94125 22.4257 1.36341C21.1295 0.785575 19.7249 0.491269 18.3058 0.500197C16.1708 0.495044 14.0893 1.16803 12.3614 2.42214C10.6335 3.67624 9.34853 5.44666 8.6917 7.47815C7.30085 7.76286 5.98686 8.3414 4.8377 9.17505C3.68854 10.0087 2.73073 11.0782 2.02839 12.312C0.956464 14.1591 0.498905 16.2988 0.721698 18.4228C0.944492 20.5467 1.83612 22.5449 3.268 24.1293C2.81966 25.4759 2.66413 26.9026 2.81182 28.3141C2.95951 29.7256 3.40701 31.0892 4.12437 32.3138C5.18791 34.1659 6.8123 35.6322 8.76321 36.5013C10.7141 37.3704 12.8907 37.5973 14.9789 37.1492C15.9208 38.2107 17.0786 39.0587 18.3747 39.6366C19.6709 40.2144 21.0755 40.5087 22.4946 40.4998C24.6307 40.5054 26.7133 39.8321 28.4418 38.5772C30.1704 37.3223 31.4556 35.5506 32.1119 33.5179C33.5027 33.2332 34.8167 32.6547 35.9659 31.821C37.115 30.9874 38.0728 29.9178 38.7752 28.684C39.8458 26.8371 40.3023 24.6979 40.0789 22.5748C39.8556 20.4517 38.9639 18.4544 37.5324 16.8707ZM22.4978 37.8849C20.7443 37.8874 19.0459 37.2733 17.6994 36.1501C17.7601 36.117 17.8666 36.0586 17.936 36.0161L25.9004 31.4156C26.1003 31.3019 26.2663 31.137 26.3813 30.9378C26.4964 30.7386 26.5563 30.5124 26.5549 30.2825V19.0542L29.9213 20.998C29.9389 21.0068 29.9541 21.0198 29.9656 21.0359C29.977 21.052 29.9842 21.0707 29.9867 21.0902V30.3889C29.9842 32.375 29.1946 34.2791 27.7909 35.6841C26.3872 37.0892 24.4838 37.8806 22.4978 37.8849ZM6.39227 31.0064C5.51397 29.4888 5.19742 27.7107 5.49804 25.9832C5.55718 26.0187 5.66048 26.0818 5.73461 26.1244L13.699 30.7248C13.8975 30.8408 14.1233 30.902 14.3532 30.902C14.583 30.902 14.8088 30.8408 15.0073 30.7248L24.731 25.1103V28.9979C24.7321 29.0177 24.7283 29.0376 24.7199 29.0556C24.7115 29.0736 24.6988 29.0893 24.6829 29.1012L16.6317 33.7497C14.9096 34.7416 12.8643 35.0097 10.9447 34.4954C9.02506 33.9811 7.38785 32.7263 6.39227 31.0064ZM4.29707 13.6194C5.17156 12.0998 6.55279 10.9364 8.19885 10.3327C8.19885 10.4013 8.19491 10.5228 8.19491 10.6071V19.808C8.19351 20.0378 8.25334 20.2638 8.36823 20.4629C8.48312 20.6619 8.64893 20.8267 8.84863 20.9404L18.5723 26.5542L15.206 28.4979C15.1894 28.5089 15.1703 28.5155 15.1505 28.5173C15.1307 28.5191 15.1107 28.516 15.0924 28.5082L7.04046 23.8557C5.32135 22.8601 4.06716 21.2235 3.55289 19.3046C3.03862 17.3858 3.30624 15.3413 4.29707 13.6194ZM31.955 20.0556L22.2312 14.4411L25.5976 12.4981C25.6142 12.4872 25.6333 12.4805 25.6531 12.4787C25.6729 12.4769 25.6928 12.4801 25.7111 12.4879L33.7631 17.1364C34.9967 17.849 36.0017 18.8982 36.6606 20.1613C37.3194 21.4244 37.6047 22.849 37.4832 24.2684C37.3617 25.6878 36.8382 27.0432 35.9743 28.1759C35.1103 29.3086 33.9415 30.1717 32.6047 30.6641C32.6047 30.5947 32.6047 30.4733 32.6047 30.3889V21.188C32.6066 20.9586 32.5474 20.7328 32.4332 20.5338C32.319 20.3348 32.154 20.1698 31.955 20.0556ZM35.3055 15.0128C35.2464 14.9765 35.1431 14.9142 35.069 14.8717L27.1045 10.2712C26.906 10.1554 26.6803 10.0943 26.4504 10.0943C26.2206 10.0943 25.9948 10.1554 25.7963 10.2712L16.0726 15.8858V11.9982C16.0715 11.9783 16.0753 11.9585 16.0837 11.9405C16.0921 11.9225 16.1048 11.9068 16.1207 11.8949L24.1719 7.25025C25.4053 6.53903 26.8158 6.19376 28.2383 6.25482C29.6608 6.31589 31.0364 6.78077 32.2044 7.59508C33.3723 8.40939 34.2842 9.53945 34.8334 10.8531C35.3826 12.1667 35.5464 13.6095 35.3055 15.0128ZM14.2424 21.9419L10.8752 19.9981C10.8576 19.9893 10.8423 19.9763 10.8309 19.9602C10.8195 19.9441 10.8122 19.9254 10.8098 19.9058V10.6071C10.8107 9.18295 11.2173 7.78848 11.9819 6.58696C12.7466 5.38544 13.8377 4.42659 15.1275 3.82264C16.4173 3.21869 17.8524 2.99464 19.2649 3.1767C20.6775 3.35876 22.0089 3.93941 23.1034 4.85067C23.0427 4.88379 22.937 4.94215 22.8668 4.98473L14.9024 9.58517C14.7025 9.69878 14.5366 9.86356 14.4215 10.0626C14.3065 10.2616 14.2466 10.4877 14.2479 10.7175L14.2424 21.9419ZM16.071 17.9991L20.4018 15.4978L24.7325 17.9975V22.9985L20.4018 25.4983L16.071 22.9985V17.9991Z");
}.user-message::before {
background-image: url('/images/deven_avatar.webp');
}
Here's the test in the content file:
<div class="message-block user-message">
<div class="message-content">
<blockquote>
User: What is the capital of France?
</blockquote>
</div>
</div><div class="message-block chatgpt-message">
<div class="message-content">
<blockquote>
Assistant: The capital of France is Paris.
</blockquote>
</div>
</div>
It looks like the SVG code you provided has an issue that is causing it not to be displayed correctly. The problem is that the SVG data URL in the CSS is not URL-encoded, and some characters in the SVG data might cause issues when used directly in CSS. Here's a quick solution for you:
Replace the SVG code in the `background-image` for `.chatgpt-message::before` with the following URL-encoded SVG:
.chatgpt-message::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg width='40' height='41' viewBox='0 0 40 41' fill='none' xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%3E%3Cpath d='M37.5324 16.8707C37.9808 15.5241 38.1363 14.0974 37.9886 12.6859C37.8409 11.2744 37.3934 9.91076 36.676 8.68622C35.6126 6.83404 33.9882 5.3676 32.0373 4.4985C30.0864 3.62941 27.9098 3.40259 25.8215 3.85078C24.8796 2.7893 23.7219 1.94125 22.4257 1.36341C21.1295 0.785575 19.7249 0.491269 18.3058 0.500197C16.1708 0.495044 14.0893 1.16803 12.3614 2.42214C10.6335 3.67624 9.34853 5.44666 8.6917 7.47815C7.30085 7.76286 5.98686 8.3414 4.8377 9.17505C3.68854 10.0087 2.73073 11.0782 2.02839 12.312C0.956464 14.1591 0.498905 16.2988 0.721698 18.4228C0.944492 20.5467 1.83612 22.5449 3.268 24.1293C2.81966 25.4759 2.66413 26.9026 2.81182 28.3141C2.95951 29.7256 3.40701 31.0892 4.12437 32.3138C5.18791 34.1659 6.8123 35.6322 8.76321 36.5013C10.7141 37.3704 12.8907 37.5973 14.9789 37.1492C15.9208 38.2107 17.0786 39.0587 18.3747 39.6366C19.6709 40.2144 21.0755 40.5087 22.4946 40.4998C24.6307 40.5054 26.7133 39.8321 28.4418 38.5772C30.1704 37.3223 31.4556 35.5506 32.1119 33.5179C33.5027

Your response was truncated, but is the real problem that the data URI needs the <svg> tags and not just the path string alone? Don't quote the full path again in your response; just show a placeholder instead.
Yes, you're correct. The problem is that the data URI for the SVG needs to include the `<svg>` tags and not just the path string alone. You should replace the path in the `background-image` property of the `.chatgpt-message::before` selector with the complete SVG, which includes the `<svg>` tags and its attributes.
Here's an example of how it should look like:
.chatgpt-message::before { background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml, [your_complete_SVG_here]"); }
Replace `[your_complete_SVG_here]` with the complete SVG code including the `<svg>` tags, and it should work as expected.

Okay, the background image is working now. It had nothing to do with needing to be URL-encoded, it was the missing <svg> tags, and then I had to change the outer quotes to single quotes to nest the double quote in the string. Here's what the working code looks like:
.chatgpt-message::before {
background-image: url('data:image/svg+xml,<svg width="32" height="32" viewBox="0 0 41 41" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" stroke-width="1.5" class="h-6 w-6"><path d="M37.5324 16.8707C37.9808 [...] 25.4983L16.071 22.9985V17.9991Z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg>');
}
Great! I'm glad to hear that it's working now. You have correctly added the missing `<svg>` tags and changed the outer quotes to single quotes. Here's the working CSS code for reference:
.chatgpt-message::before { background-image: url('data:image/svg+xml,<svg width="32" height="32" viewBox="0 0 41 41" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" stroke-width="1.5" class="h-6 w-6"><path d="M37.5324 16.8707C37.9808 [...] 25.4983L16.071 22.9985V17.9991Z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg>'); }
Now the ChatGPT SVG avatar should be visible, and the CSS rules should work as intended. If you have any other questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask.
Whew! That was quite an ordeal, just to get a couple avatars working! This isn't the end of the quest to find a clean solution for formatting ChatGPT conversations for these blog posts, but this post is quite long already, so I'll return to the topic in a later post.
This is a good stopping point, since this the point at which I diverted the conversation for a while to discuss a problem I had discovered for the dark mode theme. I'll continue with that issue in the next post...