vBChat v2.3
 

NOTCE: ALL SUPPORT SHALL NOW BE ANSWERED HERE

This is a php/mySQL powered chat system, just brought into production. It's features for v1.0.0 are wide but more are to follow i future versions, this version has the following features:

Key:

• White Text - Original Features
• ColorA Text - v1.0.1 Features
• ColorB Text - v1.1.0 Features
• ColorC Text - v1.1.1 Features

• vBChat Page
  • Shows All Messages
  • Shows Users Currently In The Chat
  • Click usersname to auto add /msg [username] into post field
  • Ability To Post A Message
  • "/me" is also available to be used
  • "/msg [USERNAME] msg here" command added
  • Auto scrolling to bottom of page (If msg's set to latest at bottom)
• vBChat User Preferences Page
  • Ability to choose desired font color when posting in the chat
  • Ability to choose desired font face when posting in the chat
  • Ability to ignore as many user's as desired in the chat
    • Ignore users will not display any messages by those users specified on the vBChat page
    • The inputs for ignoring users are "Auto Creating", baisically when you have filled all the inputs in, 2 more will automatically create to allow the user to input more users without having to submit and reload the page, the inputs are added aslong as the rest are filled in. This requires javascript to be enabled, but it is compatible in IE/FireFox/Netscape
• Admin Controls
  • vBChat Options
    • Turn the chat system on/offline
    • Allow users to enter bbcode
    • Ban specific usergroups from accessing the vBChat system
    • Ban specific members from accessing the vBChat system
    • Choose which way msg's are displayed, newest at top or newest at bottom
  • vBChat Prune Options
    • Prune By Days - Prunes messages older than number of days inputted
    • Prune By Member - Prunes all messages by member inputted
    • Pune By Private MSG's Sent By User - Prunes All Private MSG's sent by user
    • Pune By Private MSG's Recieved By User - Prunes All Private MSG's recieved by user
    • Complete Prune - Removes All Messages
• v1.0.1 FEATURES
• Smilie Box - Smilies Are displayed above the chat input
  • Additional Features
  • ACP - Select if the smilies are displayed
  • ACP - Select amount of smilies shown
  • Query Reduction - No extra queries are required for the smilies to be loaded
  
  
• User Status - User status is displayed in the vBChat Page (in replace of time/date)
  • Additonal Features
  • User can edit there user status in the vBChat User Preferences page
  
  
• User Auto Responder - User can choose to have an auto message auto sent to anyone that Private MSG's them on vBChat
  • Additional Features
  • User can input a message that will be displayed with the auto responder
  • User can select if the auto responder is on or off
  
  
• Private MSG Link Updated (When you press people's names at the side on vBChat, the command to private msg them pop's into the input box)
  • Additional Features
  • If using internet explorer, the text "<Your Private MSG Here>" will automatically be highlighted
  
  
• Admin/SMod Ban/Unban Abilities - Type in /ban [Username] or /unban [Username] to ban/unban members
  • Additonal Features
  • ACP - Choose if unban/ban tags are operational
  
  
• Chat Rooms
  • Additonal Features
  • ACP - Edit/Remove Chat Rooms
  • ACP - Delete "All" Inactive Rooms
  • ACP - Set max number of rooms that can be open at the same time
  • Optional Password Protection
  
  
• Display Users In Chat On Forum Index Page
  • Additional Features
  • None

New v1.1.1 Features:

• Ability to change smilie information to DB Call to stop Red X's (Optional because setting it to yes will cause 1 extra query, and should only be set to yes if you have the Red X's problem)
• vBChat Auto Pruning - Ability to turn auto pruning on, and set how many days old messages that will be deleted to be

Version 2.0 Features
- Iframe Refresh Abolished
--- The system now uses hidden iframes to gather data, then uses Javascript to transport the HTML to the display iframe, which never reloads, and never flashes white when recieving chat messages or posting, just like any of chat system like MSN etc...

- Users Currently In vBChat Reformatted
--- The display of users is now more formal, showing the there chat status here, also displaying a link to send a private message instead of clicking there username

- Timestamp in messages
--- The timestamp has been put back, it was removed in an earlier release due to the user chat status, however this has been moved to Users Currently In vBChat Display

- vBChat Preferences Redesigned
--- The vBChat Preferences form has been re-designed to be a more neater and easier to use form.

- Smilies Animation Problem
--- Before when clicking to insert an emoticon, the animation of any current ones would come to a complete pause, this has been fixed, you can click on them continually and the animations will continue to play onwards.

- Improved Users In vbChat
--- The users in vbchat display is now more correct, and works towards your forums session cut-off time, where as before it may of displayed a user offline, but still showed them within vBChat, this is no longer a case, improving accuracy more :)

- Chat Now In Pop Up Window
--- The chat will be displayed as a pop now instead of a normal page, allowing users to chat & browse at the same time

- Inactive Rooms Auto Pruned
--- This is admin controllable, you may set if rooms with inactivity will be auto pruned, you can select from 1 to 24 hours, if rooms havn't had any inactivity in the last x hours, they will automatically be removed.

- Permanent Rooms
--- When admins/smods create a chat room, they have the option to make it permanent, doing this will stop the room from been pruned due to inactivity, the only way to remove it then is via the ACP.

- What Room Are You In
--- The main chat page will now display which room you're chatting within

- Total Users
--- The main chat page will now display the total amount of users currently within that chat room

- User Joining Rooms
--- Upon first joining vBChat, the chat will display: "[user] Joins Room"

- User Changing Rooms
--- Upon changing rooms, the previous room you were in will display "[user] Leaves Room" and the new room will display "[user] Joins Room"

- Exit vBChat Link
--- Upon clicking, chat automatically closes and a message is left in the room saying "[user] Leaves Room"

- /status Command
--- Change your vBChat Status by typing: "/status YOUR STATUS HERE"

- /exit Command
--- Same as the Exit vBChat link, only you may type it in as a command

- vBChat Help
--- Displays all chat commands, descriptions and examples of using them

- Close Chat Window
--- Upon closing the chat window, the system recognizes this and displays a message in the chat saying you have left: "[user] Leaves Room"


Version 2.1 Updates:

- Uncached template "chat_iframe_blank" has now been cached
- Clicking smilies will now enter the code into the post field
- Upon exiting vBChat, your session will be deleted so other users will instantly see you removed from "Users Currently In vBChat"
- Internet Explorer may delete your message half way through typing, this has been fixed

vBChat v2.2 Updates:

- Bug Fix: Window too large upon opening
- Bug Fix: Other vBChat Links Didn't Open Pop Up For vBChat
- Admin CP interface for Usergroup & User banning completely re-designed, no more manual inputting of id's, the system will use a new format to add/remove banned usergroups/users to make it even easier.
- Usergroup Permissions
--- Group Can Create Custom Rooms (Yes/No)
--- Group Can Join Custom Rooms (Yes/No)
--- Group Can Join Permanent Rooms (Yes/No
--- Permissions removed if usergroup is banned
- Upon changing room you are redirected straight to vBChat instead of been stuck at the room select page
- Upon deleting chat rooms (via ACP or Auto Prune) all chat messages inside are deleted for good
- When editing a chat room via ACP you may choose if it is a permanent room or not

vBChat v2.3 Updates:
- Now only 1 refreshing iframe, eliminating a minimum of 8 queries per page refresh, cutting the system resources needed by nearly half!
- Several queries have been optomized, selecting data which wasn't required.
Note: This was a maintenance update, to optomize the system, no new features have been made.

Installation Update For v2.3
You may install v2.3 fresh
You may upgrade from v2.2 -> 2.3

(Archived versions included for those who missed updates!)


The install has an automatic script to add templates and database modifcations.

Previews are available below showing the vBChat system and admin controls.

Branding Free Option
Should you wish to have the visible copyright removed from vBChat, please send me a private message here on vbulletin.org, the price is $30. If you require any other details on this, please make sure all enquiries are put into a PM, and not the thread itself. Note: Payment method must be via PayPal

Donations
All donations great or small are appreciated to the greatest extent, wether it's for the modification itself or just a little incentive for myself, if you would like to donate then you can do so via PayPal, my email to send to is: webmaster@gzevolution.net
Thanks to all those who have currently donated for this modification!

Enjoy :)

- Zero Tolerance

very nice ZT:)

[high] * Skyline_GT installed:)[/high]

Sweet code man
i installed it in less than 7 minuts :-D

Fantastic work buddy! Installed in a matter of minutes.

Cheers :)

installed !!! thanks for this mod !

Thanks for this nice hack ;)

It looks veeeeeeeery nice ZT!! Bravo!! And I must compliment you on the excellent instructions. Worded very clearly and with examples for those who are not experienced in code modifying.

One question - If I ban specific usergroups will they be aware that the chat is present? In other words is it possible for me to upload this for use by administrators and moderators only without the other forum members aware of it?

Wooow!

very nice!

But Are U able to let people (by usergroup or not...) to create private chat rooms with or without password (or filter by username)? :D

Awesome, well done!

/me installs

/me installs the crap outta it

I need a new chat, good job man all my users thank you

Works well for VB 3.0.0. *clicks install* :)

there is one thing so far that i do not like, its the fact that if there are enough messages to warrent a scroll bar it pops back to the top of the page so i have to scroll back down. When it gets populated it might be a problem

EDIT: It also does this when it refreshes too

EDIT2: my little temp fix is to limit the number of messages i changed in vbchat.php;

into

Ya, me too !
I want to creat private chat rooms !!!

Nice :) The refresh is a flash of white, can this be dark so a refresh is not so...noticable?

Well, I think it'd be better if the messages were from top to bottom rather bottom to top. In other words, instead of the new messages being the bottom ones, make the new messages appear at the top.

I had to set it to 10 to work for me... There must be a line we can chage so it will not go to the top, as this is the only complaint members have, although your solution seems to work ok. As long as nobody posts a picture that is. :D

i have it set to 13 because of the fact that i have quite a few in there and some of the messages got lost

EDIT: and i agree with bolth of you

That is the only thing I don't like about it as well. Thanks for your little workaround. Worked a treat!

Cheers :)

Yeah i have updated the one on my forum so it auto scrolls down., part of v1.0.1

I will be including other features such as:
Create Rooms
/noicon command (cancels out emoticons)
Choose message order (top-bottom / bottom-top)
Display Name's for the chat
/msg {user} command (only the user inputted will see the message)

As for th flash of white, im afraid that cant be changed, on load the webpage is white, this will only occur for people on slower modems tho.

- Zero Tolerance

Zero T- Will there be an upgrade script as well? I have other forums I would like to install this on, perhaps i should wait for the update?

Very nice work, thank you sharing this with us.

Yes there will be an update script and a fresh install script when new versions are released :)

- Zero Tolerance

Spoken like a true professional. :)

nice hack zt!

Awesome.

/me clicks install

Awsome.

ZT, I have one question....I have the vBadvanced CMPS v1.0.0 and in the AdminCP/index.php there's really nothing there just a few statements, nothing like should be...any suggestions?

Here is what's in the file:


<?php
// ++================================================ =========================++
// || vBadvanced CMPS v1.0 RC2 ||
// || ? 2003-2004 vBadvanced.com & PlurPlanet, LLC - All Rights Reserved ||
// || This file may not be redistributed in whole or significant part. ||
// || http://vbadvanced.com ||
// ++ ================================================== ======================++

error_reporting(E_ALL & ~E_NOTICE);
define('NO_REGISTER_GLOBALS', 1);
define('THIS_SCRIPT', 'adv_index');
define('VBA_PORTAL', true);

// ============================================
// Enter the full path to your forum here
// Example: /home/vbadvanced/public_html/forum
// ============================================

http://www.skaterscafe.com/public.html

// ============================================
// No Further Editing Necessary!
// ============================================

require_once('./global.php');

print_portal_output($home);

?>

Well i havnt used the vBAdvanced Portal cms thingy, but are you sure your admin files are not in another directory, or the admin index.php is renamed to something else when you install this? If so then edit the renamed file.

vBChat v1.0.1 40% Done

- Zero Tolerance

ZT, you are top-notch. Upgrade worked perfectly.

Good to hear :)

Enjoy the new features.

- Zero Tolerance

Installed v1.0.0, but it doesnt show up on any skin but the default, any ideas?

Upgraded to 1.0.1 and that went nicely. I get the following error though when I try and change where the newest message appears:

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/raywells/public_html/forums/includes/adminfunctions.php:223) in /home/raywells/public_html/forums/admincp/admin_vbchat.php on line 126

excellent work *clicks install*. is it possible to put to create a vbadvanced module and put this chat in there instead of having it's own page? then it can be left on in the home portal page and people can instantaneously join and see what's going on.

Change your "default skin" in your vb options, then run the skin installer part, it will then install on that skin :)

I decided not to go with redirects with this acp control, so i used the header(); function, now default the vb acp does not echo/output any html before the script has executed, so a modification has changed this, you will have to find out what im afraid.

I arn't familiar with the system but ill look to see what i can do :)

- Zero Tolerance

Thanks,

0_0

I have to do alot of non-lazy mans work now ??

Ok, sorry for the trouble, but how would i do these? (Attached image)

Also

why doesnt the child style inherit the templates from the parent style when it comes to this hack?

can you show users currently in chat on forumhome?

SuperHack! :)
I'm sure that Zero is reserving us lot of features for the next upgrade! ;)

@Blam Forumz:

You need to change your skin to get rid of the background, the chat uses iframes, and also modify the templates to merge the menu's.
And the templates added get inherited to child styles, if you install it on the parent style.
______________________________________________

@Lethal

It is a possibility for future versions
______________________________________________

@Bolas

Seems your 1 step ahead.
______________________________________________

- Zero Tolerance