MSN Messenger

[mashby]

I've scoured the vBulletin.com and vBulletin.org forums for a simple answer to this and I haven't been successful, so I thought I'd post it here in the hopes that someone with the skills to do this can point me in the right direction, or simply create the modifications. :)

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The Current Environment
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Microsoft has not enabled any web based features to it's MSN Messenger IM Client. For this reason vBulletin has not included MSN features like it has (although commented out) with ICQ, AIM and Yahoo. The only solution seems to be to install a hack that integrates MSN into your forum.


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What I've Done Thus Far
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I didn't like the graphics that vB uses for the IM portions of the code. Of course, it's not THEIR graphics, but the graphics that the various IM server make available. So, I changed the graphics to pull from my local server and not from the IM server.

By doing this, I know that I have disabled the Online/Offline aspect of the code. I hope to somehow be able to fix that in the future, but for now, I'm happy with the look (see attachment).


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A Simpler Approach - The Icon
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I'd like to add a template for MSN that functions much like the Yahoo and other IM templates do. Basically, that if the MSN field contains data, then show the MSN image I have stored locally. If it doesn't then no image appears.

What this modification doesn't do is actually see if the person is online, or any of that stuff. Only that if the user has an MSN number then it should display the graphic.


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A Simpler Approach - The Link
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The second part of this is the link. If a user clicks on another users MSN icon in a post, then it needs to link somewhere.

Since there are no web based features that MSN provides, there's nothing to link to on their site. My only solution has been to create an additional html page, or template that displays the MSN handle of the user. Personally, I'd like to do it in the form of a pop-up, much like Pixel Junction has done with their "How Does This Work" link in the postbit on their forums [link (http://board.pixeljunction.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=789#)].


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Wishful Thinking?
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I'm sorry this has been such a long post, but I wanted to convey as best I could what I am trying to accomplish and I couldn't think of any other way. Hopefully I'm not alone in wanting to add this functionality and this will be a popular tutorial. :)

Anyway, thanks in advance to anyone who can help me out!

[element]

Hmm, shouldn't be a difficult hack. Probably all you would need to do is make a custom user profile box when they register, where they enter their MSN handle, then just add the code to the file that you will be using it on, and just have it display. Quite simple if you know PHP, which unfortunetly, I don't :(

[mashby]

I have the field already added and part of the site. That was the easy part (see attachement). I also know that the data is stored at $ userinfo[field5], so I could query that field to make sure it's not null.

Unfortunately, like you, I don't know php that well, so I don't know how to proceed. :rolleyes: Also, I'm not familiar enough with templates to know what templates to add and how to make them work properly.

[Mark]

Hmm I'm gonna try to add a yahoo icon now as well as the template replcaement because mine doesn't seem to have it.

[Jakelshark]

i have been working on this, i am setting it up to show an icon (if field is filled in) then when you click it adds them to your msn buddy list, its taken a while and all i need is to make the profile field5 to work correctly

[Lazerus]

mashby, check http://beta.vbulletin.com/

[Jakelshark]

i shouldnt bother then, i will just wait

[KingsGambit]

Hi, I'm a newbie but I've actually managed to do this myself. I don't know what is a hack and what isn't by definition and I have noticed such things are not to be posted here, but I will post and if a mod feels it's out of place please forgive me.

To get an MSN field, the first thing you need to do is an SQL thing. You need a mySQL manager and basically under the "user" tables, you'll notice all the entries for icq, aim and yahoo. Add another called msn for example, make it a VARCHAR of reasonable length (as it's a whole Email address).
Then in the user CP template and registration template (and memberlist/postbit templates as appropriate) you can simply add an extra <td> table under the ICQ one for MSN. the variable the information will be stored in is $msn (or whatever you called it with the mysql manager).
I have no idea about sql or php but found this one fairly simple. Just duplicated the ICQ bits, relabelled them MSN and added the SQL entry under "User". :) Hope that helps, and again apologies if this is too much info.

[Brad]

I made this (https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?s=&threadid=40452) awhile back. I think thats what you guys are looking for.

[DestyNova]

@ Anime-loo, nice hack but it is unfinished.. did you update it to 2.0 any chance or ?

[Brad]

2.0 will be coming as soon as i get time. I dont have school tonight so i might sit down and finish it. Right now i have to find some BC *rubs head* stupid hang over.