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

[djjeffa]

Originally Posted by cosmin

i second this need as well.. considering many use vbadvanced as the main page, it would be a HUGE bonus to have a module to display the chatters on the main page... instant traffic to the chat room

ahh.. btw.. its installed in our community of over 10K members and works great! ...excellent job!

also it may be nice to make a modual with the main chat room in it for the home page

[Adrian Schneider]

Anyway to kick auto-kick idle users, since it refreshes every x ammount of seconds, it keeps them as 'online' in the current minute. Probably bad for bandwidth & is a pain.

Also, anyway around the bug relating to the # of users online?

[brianj]

Very sweet addition! Got one question though. At the end of the instructions, there is this last thing to do:


Go to your Admin CP, then go to the following area:
Scheduled Tasks -> Add New Scheduled Task

Fill in the form as follows:
Title: vBChat Auto Prune
Day of the Week: *
Day of the Month: *
Hour: 0
Minute: 2
Log Entries: Yes
Filename: ./includes/cron/vbchat.php

Well, I don't have this setting to choose from in my admincp....what to do?

[brianj]

ok, does the above info mean that this needs to run every 2 minutes every day of the week every month of the year? I can use wget and windows task manager until I find a fix for this issue...anyone else using this to run maintanence?

[Holidazed]

I made the mistake of attempting to upgrade from 1.0.0 to 1.1.1 using the upgrade script (1.1.0-1.1.1). I did not seem to have a problem when running the install script even though it was obviously it is the wrong script. Anyway, when I update my "vBChat Options" I get the following database error:

Database error in vBulletin 3.0.1:

Invalid SQL: update vbchat_datastore set d_online='yes',d_allowbbcode='yes',d_bannedgroups='1|3|8|11',d_bannedusers='',d_chat_order='bottom',d_smiliedisplay='1',d_smilieamount='10',d_allowbantag='1',d_maxrooms='5',d_smilequery='0',d_autoprune='1',d_autoprunedays='1' where did='1'
mysql error: Unknown column 'd_chat_order' in 'field list'

mysql error number: 1054

Ideas?

[Adrian Schneider]

The bug on the forum home showing who's online is really bugging me (shows I am only one online, when there are others online). Any way to fix this?

[bi11i]

I just installed this and although a room is created when I enter one, i'm never forwarded on to the next page or given a confirmation. It looks like it takes, and i can even join the room - but even on the join room page, when i select the room and click to get there, the page still never refreshes. Is anyone else seeing this? It looks like all my templates are there - what gives?

Is there a way to turn that clicking refresh of the page sound of from IE globally (like so all my users don't have to mess with their audio settings?)

this is a great mod - thanks. my only suggestions would've been to add a global phrase for vbchat so the word 'vBchat' could be changed throughout the navigation and chat pages and maybe provide a little more control on where the smilies are coming from. I have some smilies that are really tall (like a BS Flag) and when those happen to show themselves, the chat window is pretty much one line. Where is it pulling the default smilies from? is there a way to control this?

Originally Posted by Zero Tolerance

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

- Zero Tolerance

how about an uninstall script (for those like me, that tried to modify some stuff and didn't know what they were doing....) actually - after editing some of this, it would be really handy if there was an uninstall script or someone could just tell me how to do it manually. I shudder at the thought of messing with mySQL tables knowing what I did the last time. OOOPSIES.

Thanks for an awesome mod, however - really cool.

[Katman]

There is a security hole in this hack!
If a person logs into your forum, enters the chatroom, then logs off, then clicks their back button they can post in the chatroom and it doesn't show a member/user name. If you refresh the screen then you see the No Guest Access message.

[bi11i]

oh man, better contact macafee (sorry, just kidding....)

[trilOByte]

About the blinking/refresh thing. I ran PHPMyChat for a while, and as far as I can tell, theat uses a similar refresh system, but it doesnt blink. Anyone know how they got round the issue?