Embedded chat
 

This "hack" will allow you to run a semi-integrated (free or paid) chat room "inside" your forum:

+ It's quite generic and should work with several chat providers (made a seperate template, just for the applet code)
+ The chat room will be displayed within your forum's structure,
+ The chat applet will be sized according to the user's screen resolution (could get scary at 1600x1200 :eek:)
+ People will be logged into the chat room using their forum usernames (if the chat supports auto-login)
+ Invalid characters in usernames will be replaced before logging in to the chat, plus too lengty names will be shortened
+ Easy installation :)

- At this time there's no feedback from the chat room to the forum. A "chat monitor" is planned though (version 2)

The install docs and template examples are mainly focussed on the chat provider we use (http://www.raidersoft.com), but it shouldn't be a problem adjusting one or two things to get this thing to work with your own chat provider.

The sizes of the chat applet haven't been tested out fully. I have no clue how bigger resolutions work out. All the rest seems to work fine.

Hope you like it...

[update 1.4]Sizes can now be set more easily, just by editing the chatredirect template, nothing else.
Added support for raidersoft's ICE, which is more flexible with usernames.

any screens?

I wish to use this, but I do not know which 'free' chat I can use, and one that allows me to connect to a given server, instead of only localhost! Which one do you use and which one can you advice? err. I couldn't get eIRC to work though ..

Well, I started with the free chat from http://www.raidersoft.com, and it convinced me to go paid. The free version does have ads in them (logo sized), but there not annoying and no "register" messages inside the chat room. Simply excellent stuff :)

I don't have suitable screenshots right now, but will later today.

Just tried it. I like it!
One question though- what do I need to change to make the screen size just a bit smaller than the settings you have in the chatredirect template. My screensize for example, is 1024x768 and the chat screen appears as 955 wide, which blows out my content table (set to 90%). I tried changing the sizes in chatredirect and the array in chat.php but it doesn't seem to make a difference, it keeps going back to 955 width.
Thanks!

I think you did everything right:
in chatredirect change:
chat.php?setwidth=955&setheight=330

to something like:
chat.php?setwidth=925&setheight=330

Don't know if the size is right, it takes some experimenting.

(Do NOT use percentages! The whole reason for this setsize construction is because IE6 has a bug in it's java support, which effectively kills a chat room re-load (the first load is fine, and reload fails). Chris from raidersoft support found this out for me :) )

chat.php the array should contain the same values as the set"size" from the javascript bit.

Now you've all done that, meaning that the chat is cached somewhere. I ran into the same problem.
Either empty your browsers cache,
or (in my case):
PHP Accelerator had cached chat.php, but failed to see any subsequent minor changes. I had to stop apache, clear out the PHP Accelerator cache, end start apache again

Hope that helps

The size array isn't necessary, but I put it there to filter out any weird input, and to "force" a valid layout. The layout thing is still not foolproof though :)

Hey thanks! I cleared the cache and that did the trick. Looks great!

Cool!

Could you share your settings with us?
I mean forumwidth%, versus the setwidth settings in chatredirect

Such settings might help others with different widths settings on their forums. The basic settings in the install are based on full width

Ok, here's a screenshot.

It's based on a 800x600 resolution to keep the size down a bit :)

This is raidersoft's paid chat, but the free version looks about the same (except for the logo, hehe)

thanx i will test this out

ok...i have a somewhat silly question here:

The chat system I am now using uses a java applet, but one which is imbeded into a php file, with php code interspersed throughout it.

Won't putting the php into the template bomb it? Or will the template process the php?

it's the other way round: php processes the templates, but I'm not sure I understand what you mean, ladyfyre ???

You want to use your own chat php file with these templates or such? Can you be a bit more specific about what you want exactly?

hey, i've been on a chat install mission all week. First i installed jakemans IRC chat hack, which worked fine. But this is way cool. Nice job!!

*blushes*

Thanks! :classic:

I'm using the free version for now, but I just upgraded to the pro.

A couple of questions. How long does it take them to upgrade you to the pro version? And are there any changes I need to make once I upgrade? Or is it all done on their end?

another question? In the Preventing Identity Spoofing you have some confusion. It says find this: But they look the same to me??

Never mind. I changed the code to what you said above. Works! No more logout button.

I was a little confused by the way it was phrased.

I've been in need of a chat hack for my board for awhile now but didn't want anything on my own server, and wanted something simple.

Just happened to see this today and got it all goin in about 10 minutes.

I just went with the raidersoft.com chat. Its a good chat, and this is nice.

thanks

Well, my english could have been better...

The difference between those lines is this:
<archive="scclient.zip"> versus <archive="scclient4.zip">

I'm not sure if that's the same for the free version though? In case of doubt, log in to your account and click faq or support. It shows the possibilities somewhere.

As for the upgrade to the Pro version, after I ordered it, it was all done within minutes. Dunno if it's like that every time.


And thanks for the nice comments RapCheck :)

yea, you are 100% correct. i missed that 4. anyway, works like a charm. One of the best additions to our forums.

BTW, they upgraded me in a matter of minutes as well. $49 well spent.

Thanks for your hard work and sharing with all.

Okay, being totally dumb here lol

My server provides chat room options, Is this the same thing?

I mean, does this incorporate the chat room facilities on my server. rotohost.

Thanks in advance

I installed this hack and bought the upgraded chat room, but all of my users are getting "invalid login name" when attempting to access the chat room. I am passing the $username variable in the chatbit template...

ps: I've told people to delete their browser cache and that does not work either.

any ideas?

jjj0923,

Did it work with the free version?

If so:
on raidersoft's admin page, on the General page, did you turn on "require validation", or what's that setting called?

Did you change the files in any way?

If no on everything, pm me your chatbit, and your General settings at raidersoft. An url and test account might help too :)

=================

Datatec,

What kind of chat rooms does your server provide? This hack should work with a lot of java based chats. All that's needed is to dump the code to call the chat into the chatbit template (with a few minor adjustments, I think). Do you have an example of such code?
Otherwise simply try it out. All that's really needed to get this thing going is the creation of three templates, and uploading the chat.php file. No modification of any vBulletin file or database setting is necessary. If it's never going to work (or you don't like it) undoing the install is easily done.

jjj0923,

I meant: did you turn on the "Verify Handle" setting on your general page, not "require validation". Don't know where I got that from :)

thanks I figured that on out. yes, that was one of my problems. The other one was that I allow my forum members to use names up to 20 characters. The java chat client only allows 15 and will not let someone in with a $username greater than 15 characters long. I modifed chat.php to truncate $usernames longer than 15 and now they can get logged in automatically.

thanks!

- jeff

wot-mike...

would you please email me, I have some question for you.
webmaster@fastboats.info

thanks

- jeff

Hmm, I never even thought about that. I have our forum set to usernames up to 15 characters. A reminiscent from an older one, where long usernames really messed up the layout. Guess more "stuff" out there has problems with 15+ characters in usernames...

Anyway, the accepted usernames for raidersoft chat are 2 to 15 characters, alfa-numerical only and no other characters but an underscore. The chat.php deals with that at least, but not the lenght.

So, what change did you make to deal with longer names? Time to put up version 1.4, I think, hehe.

I truncated them:

$username1=ereg_replace("[^A-Za-z0-9]", "_", $bbuserinfo['username']);

$myLength = strlen( $username1 );

if ($myLength > 15) {
$username = substr( $username1, 0, 15 );
} else {
$username = $username1;
}

The hack is perfectly working...:)

Two questions:

1) In the security txt you say:

On the General Tab at raidersoft.com I couldn't find that settings. Could you verify? Don't know how to disable it.


2) Is it possible to hack index.php so to have a Who's on chat bar, like the Who's Online one? How could I do that?


Thanks for sharing this hack...it's great. :D

Are you using the free chat? This setting is not available on the free chat. Most of the txt I wrote is based on the paid version. It doesn't matter for the installation instructions, but it does for the extra's :(

And a "who's chatting" add-on is planned, but I wonder if it's better to wait for vB3 before spending too much time on someting that might need to be completely rewritten then.
On the other hand, having sort of a base ready by then might help.

I'm playing with such a thing though, but I don't want to change tables and such. If it's going to be made, then it should use whatever vBulletin has to offer already :)

(Do I ever sleep? Hmm, just about every time I close my eyes for more then a few seconds, I drop off :sleep: )

yea, upgrade to the pro version. You'll have more settings than you'll know what to do with. I upgraded and it rocks. And that's correct, the setting for disabling nicks is not in the free version.

ok....i got everything merged and working (will soon post the chatbit template info for anyone wanting to use Jpilot and WTfrontend with this)...

however, i have one question: a few people wanted to know if there was a way to get rid of the sizing thing, as they were previously able to resize their chat windows, and now cannot.....

shouldn't there be a way to put in a link above the applet which would let you resize your chat window?

Well, you can call the chat.php with "prefixed" settings, like
http://blah.com/chat.php?setwidth=720&setheight=320

Adding such links to your template(s) will allow people to click them and choose the applet size of their choice.

To explain about how the chat.php works:
1- It first checks for a valid username (if not then the login window appears)
2 - Then it checks for setwidth and setheight variables (if not it calls chatredirect to get those)
3 - If valid variables are found, then the username is "modified" (if necessary) and then the chatbit and chat templates are called, et voila...

By putting setheight and setwitdh directly into the url, you'll bypass the chatredirect...

Maybe the next version should look at the browser window size instead of the screen resolution? But I think that's more, umm, sensitive to weirdness. Well, let's try and see...

I'm curious about your chatbit template, by the way :)

No problem....i am going through them now to take out a few site proprietary things, and will post a zip when done.....

Ok....so in order to avoid user confusion, I created a zip file of the jpilot embed add-on pack I did...but please note:

THE AUTHOR OF THIS HACK STILL DESERVES ALL THE CREDIT.

All I am doing is sharing some of the modifications to it that I made in order to make it work prettily with jpilot.

I also found a free IRC server and put in the connection info for it.

Realistically, if you unzip the file, and upload all contents in the "forumsroot" directory into your forum root, and add the three templates, it will run as is, without any modifications needed.

However: You DO want to at least go ahead and change the channel names....as I doubt you want to call your chat room "#test", or share it with every other person downloading this hack who doesn't edit the channels list ;)

I edited the install file, to make it all make sense.....and renamed the original install file.

The free server which is listed in the parameters does not support Nickserv/Chanserv/Botserv/Memoserv, so you can either use a different server, or simply use the contents of the "without_serv_options" version of the chatbit template.

There are three versions of the chatbit template included:
one with all options, one with op controls, but without *serv options, and one with no options, just the applet.

There are also two colors of graphics: blue and green. the green is the main one, as that is what i use for our forums, and the blue is in a subfolder, but you can easily copy them over the others.

Hope it helps :)

Since the file is too big (due to the graphics) to attach here....the file can be downloaded here

Ok....last thing....but here is a screenshot for those interested in seeing how it works.

Mind you, this is just with my color scheme, but yours will adapt according to the theme of your board.

Ladyfyre, first of all I wanted to tell you that it works fine, but I had to make some modifications:

1. In controls.js you have:

You have to change to:

2. In the chatbit template you capture the user clicks on actions in this way:

The problem with this is that the browser opens a new empty window everytime you click on an action button. I had to change it in this way:

In practice I just added the target="_self" attribute to tell the browser to render the link in the current frame and not open a new one.

I attach the chatbit modified template for anyone who's trying this hack.

Anyway thanks for sharing this one...;)

good calls there Axel :)

mine is edited differently from the version I posted, so I appreciate you pointing things out!

The target issue is actually one that I created myself....mainly because the applet had one big downfall: links clicked on in chat opened in the same window, thus kicking the user out of the chat. So I added the page default for opening in a new window. I think I changed most of the links to self...but obviously looks like I missed a couple!!!

Thanks for the revisions :)