Chat Modifications - Envolve Chat Integration Module

About the Envolve Chat Plugin
This module will connect your vBulletin forum to Envolve chat. Envolve is a chat toolbar similar to Facebook's chat bar that allows your users to have group and one-on-one chats with each other while browsing your forums.

This mod requires an API key from Envolve in order to function. Visit http://www.envolve.com to get one. A free version is available that provides a full feature set for up to 25 concurrent users. Higher numbers of chatters require a paid account.

This mod integrates your forum's account system with Envolve so that when users are logged into your vBulletin site it also logs them into the chat. In addition, it integrates your profile pictures / avatars and profile information. With the 2.0 release of the mod, other users can now view your profile information and get a link to your profile simply by placing their mouse over your name.

The Envolve chat system is a rich solution for community chat. Some of its features include group chat (both public and private), one-on-one chat, the ability to pop chats out into their own windows, moderation controls (boot / block / ban / timed ban), chat message translation, resizable chat windows, chat sharing, and drag-and-drop chat invitations. As a hosted solution, all chat traffic is handled by Envolve's servers and will not place any additional load on your server.

Installation:
Detailed installation instructions can be found here:
https://www.envolve.com/docs/vbulletin-chat-plugin.html. They are also provided in the Readme.txt file.
You can see and try out the chat at http://www.envolve.com.

This version of the mod will work for both vBulletin 4.x and vBulletin 3.8.x.

Screenshots:
Here the "People List" can be seen open in the lower right hand corner of the page. This shows all users who are currently viewing the forum. This site owner has chosen to only allow logged-in users to chat.


Here a public group chat has been opened, and the user has moused-over another user to see his profile information.


Here a user is creating a new group chat that will be shown to the other users on the site. He has also "popped-out" the "General" chat into its own window.

[ProFifaLeagues]

Installed and tested for a few days now,Users love the system and all have said they prefer this to any of the chat systems we have used in the past.
Prices are the only drawback for us at the min.

But great for any forums with under 25 chatters as a free mod Superb work thank you

[socialteenz]

Also is there any options for the admins to hide their country displayed during the chat?

It's quite annoying :/

[andrew.lee]

yes there is! We have a whole bunch of cool options like that. Check them out on our backend at http://www.envolve.com/admin

[andrew.lee]

Hey All - I just posted an update that makes the install process a little easier. Now everything is contained in the plugin xml file rather than requiring files to be uploaded seperately. If you had troubles before, please give it another shot!

[Rideharder]

I will try it now and put feedback.

[Rideharder]

Took 1 min to install.
All is working with Version 4.1.4

I will put feedback in a week.

One thing I would like to know, is it safe for vBSEO?

[grey_goose]

ewwwww text ads in the free one?

[andrew.lee]

@RideHarder -- Thanks! I'm not familiar with vBSEO. It should work fine with other vB plugins though, and it shouldn't affect your search results.

[Poker Face]

Installed 4.1.4

Free version doesn't seem to recognize all primary usergroups...

Picks up primary usergroup "registered users", but the created primary groups are not being recognized as being logged in.

Also curious what the Chat Admins are.

[andrew.lee]

Could you be a little more specific? I'm not sure I understand. Are some of the usernames getting logged in, but others are not? Are those other groups still able to chat as guests or can they just not see the chat at all?

Chat Admins have the ability to boot / block / ban unruly users and to remove chats from the page.