SigmaChat Complete Integration & Authentication
 

Hack Info
Name: SigmaChat Complete Integration & Authentication Add-on
Version: 2.0.0
Author: Chris Duerr, RaiderSoft
First Introduced: 28 Mar. 2004
Last Modified: 15 Nov. 2004
Compatability: vBulletin 3.0.x

Overview
This addon allows you to fully integrate a SigmaChat Java? Chat Room (free or paid service; Platinum or Enterprise required for full functionality) with your vBulletin 3.0.x forum system, including the ability to authenticate access via your vBulletin forum system, and provide a "Who's Chatting" page list showing who is currently logged into your chat room.

Features

• Chat room integrates via a single link in your vBulletin forum navigation bar, or via a forum link.
• Chat room may be placed in it's own vBulletin page, and/or as a popup window.
• Automatic user login option.
• Remote authentication script allows you to authenticate access into your chat room via your vBulletin user database.
• Complete control over which user groups are allowed access, allowed administrative access, or denied access.
• Real time "Who's Chatting" page allows you to show which users are currently in your chat room by interfacing with SigmaChat's "Who's Online Module" system.
• Makes use of vBulletin's template and phrase system for easy modification, and multilingual operation.
• Show who is chatting from your forums main page
• Automatic chat integration with your vBulletin user profiles, email, PM, etc..

Installation
Installation will require between 15 to 30 minutes of your time depending upon your proficiency in installing addons to vBulletin. Download the attached 'sigmachat.zip' file, and load the INSTALL.html file in your web browser for detailed instructions.

RaiderSoft may be able to assist you with installation should you require it. Please contact us for details.

Support
Support is provided by RaiderSoft for this script provided you have a Platinum or Enterprise SigmaChat account. Read the included instructions for details. I'll be happy to answer questions here as well regarding the script.

Screenshots are attached :)

The all new extension for vBulletin 3.5 has been released. For more information, please visit this link .

Download: VB3SC7_2.0.0.zip or download using the download link in the upper-right hand corner of this message.

I've been waiting on this for the longest time.
Finally I can put my $75 to very, very good use.
Thank you so much Grim.

wow, been waiting for this too. it would be great if you could mouseover the 'chat' link and a list of who's chatting dropped down, but that's probably not possible. I'll move the who's chatting link to the chat link though. Is there a way to have a line of text on the forum index that says "x number of users are currently in the chat", I'm wary of using that option from other chat rooms because they never seem to update properly. Anyway, will look into this chat program now. thanks!

Damn.
How much extra would I have to pay for the platinum account. I have the one right before Platinum and my chat-room doesn't show up any more now.

mine doesnt show up now either - and im on the free acct -- i tried to put it in a forum and all i get is a gray screen -- althought i do get the welcome sound all i get on the screen is this (screenshot)

Is there an issue with the different account levels?

I have had the SigmaChat (free) integration installed on vb2 and vb3 (not with this particular hack), and there have been issues of being able to connect to the chat room from some locations, particularly from network systems which may be caused by a firewall. Or is this a totally different issue?

I think it is totally different cause I had no troubles with the chatroom before isntalling this hack

is very good¡¡¡

thanks

A few of you have private messaged me saying the hack doesn't work -- ironically, it's working perfect for me :) The problem appears to be an issue with the Java Virtual Machine. The Microsoft version (MVM) is not working and shows a gray screen (this is because we're using 100% x 100% in the table for the applet width/height) although the Sun JVM works perfectly.

I've uploaded a new version of the hack to correct this problem. For those of you who installed v1.0.0, simply replace the sigmachat_embed and sigmachat_popup templates with the templates attached to this posting.

Nope -- didnt work

I looked at your site -- it doesn't look like you replaced the sigmachat_embed template -- still the old code.

Ok, im an idiot. :) thanks

If I may, reitterate a previously asked question:
Is there a way to display the number of users in the chat room from a vB page?

I have integrated about 5 different chat systems and I have found that MANY more members will enter chat if they see that someone is already in there.

Yes, see the fourth screenshot and the feature listing:
Presently; however; this hack does not provide an option to embed thee Who's Online Module on every VB page, or as a hover popup as previously asked.

Thank you very much for the reply. I very much like this integration and the Who's Chatting is great, however, I have a specific requirement to be able to display just the number of people chatting on my forum's main page. This is further complicated by the fact that I get over 1,000,000 hits on the main page per month so the script generating the number of users chatting would be best if it wrote the number to a static file on a specified interval instead of querying each time the page was loaded.
Do you think this type of modification to your integration hack is possible?

When I attempt to download the zip file it seems to be corrupt.

Which installations does the 'whos online' feature work with?

That's odd. It was working fine earlier, now it seems to be getting cut off -- I wonder if the vBulletin.org team is making updates or something. I've reuploaded the file twice, and although it uploads fine (shows the correct filesize and everything looks OK) when I attempt to download it, it gets truncated as well.

Try this link: sigmachat101.zip

Do you mean which editions of SigmaChat? You'll need either a Pro., Platinum, or Enterprise edition for this. I'd recommend getting at least the Platinum edition for the free allowence of Who's Online hits. It's all discussed in the FAQ in INSTALL.html in the addon download. With the Platinum you can make use of every feature in the hack.

you know, its just my opinion - but its not too smart to restrict features that would help make a chat room's popularity within a website - many of us start with the free one to test popularity - and if my members cant see whos in they might not bother to go in - and if people arent using it, why should I buy a better one? Give us 2 months of full features to test if it is worthwhile for us - you'll sell alot more.

Just my .02

Great script!! I just clicked installed

My .02:

The free service comes with 100 free Who's Online hits, so you can use it to test out, but only for a short while before you'd need to upgrade. I think we offer a pretty competitive piece of software in both price and feature set, and our user satisfaction is very high. The free service provides the basic functionality you'd need to determine if our chat software would work well for you. The applet is the smallest that I'm aware of, and we use top notch major network centers to ensure reliable uptime. Most of RaiderSoft's business is word of mouth referral. We've always offered one-time, two week trial upgrades to those who ask (just e-mail support@raidersoft.com with your account ID number and the service you're interested in).

For those of you concerned about having an unused chat room, I recommend announcing specific chat event dates/times to build support for your new chat room. :)

Cool! Great to hear! :)

Grim77,

Have you heard of any issues concerning the problem I mentioned earlier?

SigmaChat uses a real TCP port (it is not an HTTP hack like PHP based chat solutions) and requires a TCP socket connection, so some environments with strict firewall settings may have issues, and need to change their firewall settings for use with the applet. Our server status page at http://support.raidersoft.com/ can provide you with the firewall details if neccesary for your chat room. For the vast majority, this isn't an issue.

I'm sure that's the problem then. The problem occurs for me when I'm at work. We are on a large network and they have a very, very strict firewall.

Ok I have installed this hack and the chat room works, whos chatting works - one problem though...when in the chat area if I click on a drop down menu in the navigational bar the list goes behind the chat room not in front. How can this be corrected?

Chris

www.rustysoaptraders.com

This problem is specifically mentioned in the FAQ section of the installation file. The problem relates to how web browsers render objects and applets, and currently there is no fix. There is one work around that works on one or two major browsers that works by shadowing a dynamically placed inline frame with the DHTML content (i.e., the menu) but is not a cure-all. For instance, it will not work on Macs.

If anyone is interested in releasing a VB mod to cure this (it's a little out of the scope of this hack) the only reference you'd need is here.

For now, I definitely advise using the popup method if you'd like a link in the navbar. This also allows your visitors to browse your forum simultaneously while they chat :)

The pop-up may be the best way to go now.

Another quick work around that I did was to make the chat window collapsible. It's not the best solution, but it allows for the display of the pop-up menu.

Good idea! I wonder if there is a way to make it automatically collapse when the a menu is opened from the navbar, and automatically expand when the menu is no longer in use (?)

thanks for the info - went pop up and actually like that better...thanks again.

Thank you. This is just what I needed. I didn't get the 'Who's Chatting' to work (authentication error?), but it's no big deal.

I have noticed something else that the other Sigma Chat integration hacks had that doesn't seem to be included with this one.

In the other hacks if someone wasn't logged in or not registered and tried to access the chat room they were redirected to the log in screen. Can this be done here or did I just miss that somewhere?

OK. I got this working with a little change to the chat.php file. If anyone is interested, I'll attach the file with Grim77's permission.

Any way to have the Who's Online display on your main forum page where it shows whos online in the forums?

Like under the currently active users list.

*CLICKS INSTALL

Please do! :)

OK. This is working on my test site with vB3 Gold.

Also attached is a screenshot and the instructions for adding all the chat links to the bottom of the Quick Links pop-up menu.

Have you considered putting together an installer?

Nope, I'm afraid this is my first go at a VB hack :)If anyone would like to improve upon the code, feel free to do so, and re-archive your work :)

I'm actually working on it right now. Check out the attached preview.

I'd definitely recommend updating the list only once every specified amount of minutes to keep from quickly depleting the who's online module hits..