using javascript on tumblr pages – how to ask support for permission

✧ What is happening?

As of early May 2022, you might have gotten this message when trying to save edits on your custom pages or when trying to install new ones:

✧ Why is this happening?

Tumblr is preventing potential malicious uses of javascript and decided to ban any form of javascript on your pages, and for now the only way to re-enable it is to “contact Support”.

More info: https://help.tumblr.com/hc/en-us/articles/5869629271319

✧ How to contact support:

Just “contact Support” is vague enough in itself, so here’s a quick guide on what to write in your request to them so you can get approved asap. Please note that it may take some time for them to process your request. This exact method isn’t guaranteed, but here’s what I did that got me approved within a week.

1. Go to https://www.tumblr.com/support

2. In the Category option, choose “Customizing your Tumblr”.

3. In the message box, list out all the blogs you want to use custom pages on. Then, give a brief description of what you use those blogs for. You only need to state the blog names, *not* each of the custom page urls, or the javascript file links. Here’s a template:

(Remember the please & thankyous! Staff are flooded with requests right now so be mindful).

4. Skip the Attachment part.

5. For the Relevant Blog option, pick your main blog (the very first blog you created on your account)

6. For the Account Email, enter the email you use to sign in to Tumblr

7. Complete the Captcha and wait for the tick ✓ to show

8. Click Next.

9. You’ll reach the “Does any of this help?” screen. No, it does not. Scroll to the bottom and click “No, send my thing”.

And done! You’ll receive a confirmation email from staff that they’ve received your request. They will not send you a reply if your blogs have been approved for javascript usage. You need to check your custom pages every few days to see if you can save any edits, or if you can install new ones.

✲ edit: they do send you a reply, but you might’ve already been granted javascript usage approval *before* they send an email back!

re: Tumblr’s ban on JS in pages

as many of you are probably already aware, Tumblr recently banned pages that use javascript. if you try to edit a page that uses javascript, you’ll get an error message that won’t let you use your page - you can see Tumblr’s official notice on this here. via Tumblr:

according to Tumblr, you can contact support and apply for an exemption here. if you’re using one of my pages that uses javascript and you’d like to continue, please follow that link and contact support about an exemption for your own blog (note: it’s a blog-wide exemption, not an account-wide exemption). I don’t know whether they’ll allow blogs to use pages with javascript coded by a third party, and I feel like it may be a long shot, but I suppose it’s worth a try.

I’ve applied for an exemption for my own pages and I’ll ask about the possibility for thememakers like myself to get a blanket exemption for our pages; however, I think that’s probably impossible since all of my pages are hosted extraneously from Tumblr and I don’t think the logistics necessary for Tumblr to create a policy that would allow for blanket exemptions on third party pages are even possible and still allow for spam filtering are even possible.

I’ll update once I hear back from support and if/when Tumblr puts out more info on this.

some faqs responding to the many messages in my inbox:

help! I’m using one of your pages and it stopped working. what do I do?

the only thing you can do is to contact support, apply for an exemption, and see if they’ll let you. I’m not optimistic about it and I don’t think support has clarified to anyone whether it’s possible to get an exemption for javascript coded by a third party (I assume they’re deluged with requests), but I suppose it’s worth a shot.

if you have pages that use JS, don’t touch them. don’t try to reinstall; it won’t work. 

I’m using one of your themes that uses javascript; do I need to do anything?

if your theme uses JS, it will be fine; this only affects pages.

do you have any pages that don’t use javascript? 

hyacinth and rue are the only pages of mine that doesn’t use javascript, so those should be fine. everything other page won’t work.

would you be able to come up with a javascript-less fix or version of your pages to evade the ban?

I don’t have the time to do that right now, so unfortunately, not right now. plus, a lot of my pages are centered around some kind of function that requires javascript - i.e. poppy would be super lame without the popup descriptions and the filtering. 

plus, Tumblr hasn’t released much info about this and what possible exemptions will entail, so I’d rather wait and see what’s going to happen with exemptions, whether this ends up being a permanent policy, or if they’ll get rid of it, or if they’ll modify it. I don’t want to put a ton of work into making js-less versions till there’s more clarity on what’s going to happen. I might reconsider and create JS-less versions of the few pages I have that aren’t JS-heavy, but as I’m going to be very very busy writing my thesis and being logged off for the future, I wouldn’t count on it.

what will you do if this is permanent?

if it’s permanent, I’d be really annoyed, but I’ve always considered myself more of a theme thememaker than a page thememaker, so I’d stop making pages and continue to solely make themes. it’s really frustrating for us thememakers who use static previews though.

also, as a final note: please be nice to support if you contact them. Tumblr’s support is well aware that thememakers exist and they’ve been responsive to our concerns pretty consistently. 

I have a ton of messages in my inbox I’ll try to get around to in the next little while, but please be patient since I’m busy and tired :(

UPDATE: I’ve heard from at least one user who was able to get an exemption to use one of my pages with JS. if that pattern holds true, then it sounds like Tumblr support is likely to grant exemptions to people who are using javascript they didn’t write themselves in custom pages that were originally coded by thememakers. sooooo I guess that’s somewhat good news for everyone who uses custom pages with JS.