Chat Modifications - MGC Chatbox (with AJAX)

Last version - MGC Chatbox Evo available : here

Description

When I had left the vBulletin world, I was in the past the co-author of a little chatbox (shoutbox), very well known in the vBulletin world.
This chatbox had been developed by Svaliotti (known as Poseidon on vb.org) for vB2 in the past and I had made the porterage (with is authorisation as we were both members of the same french non-official support forum) and the improvement for vB3.

It is thus normal that in my return in the vBulletin world, I begin by getting down to this hack. Even if several versions of chatbox are already present in the vBulletin world, I said to myself that it would be a good thing to make a made in France.

Naturally, I don't deal with a "copy" version of the other chatbox, I have any coded at the beginning (it was preferable because the front code wasn't so clean any more), and I integrated a good quantity of very interesting features.

New version features

The new version contains all the features from the previous version. Description of these versions can be found in Sofia's post hereabove (https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showpost.php?p=1257510&postcount=3).

Modifications from previous version are the following :

• 1.5 :
  • Fixed bugs :
    • Chatbox is shown two times in full page mode when the Display on all pages under the navbar option is selected.
    • "Fermer" is not in a sentence.
    • Overflow problem with Netscape.
    • Uppercase transformed to lowercase in the PM channel.
    • The ban cron debans user indefinitly banned.
    • Chatbox continuously loading on some forums.
    • Inactivity and guests problem.
    • Team icon blinking is not working properly.
    • Coma error in the who is online.
    • 2 spaces instead of one between the date and the time.
  • New functionnalities :
    • Option to deactivate the random smilies.
    • Option to deactivate the automatic PM sending when banning a user.
    • New permission to allow or not the downloading of shouts.
    • Option to specify the name under which unregistered users shouts appear.
    • Syntax change for the /ban, /ignore, /del, /pm commands : Possibility to use them with the username or the userid (For more information about the new syntax, check the help button in the chatbox).
  • Removed functionnalities :
    • vBAdvanced integration [TEMPORARLY] => See this for integration with this version https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=163628

This hack is very light in term of queries : only one for every recharging / refreshment of the chatbox and 5 for the statistics in the load of the page if you actiate them. If you don't activate advanced options of course as stated aside each in the acp

Installation

Read the file "Installation" in the pack.

Once the installation is ended, go in usergroups and edit permissions to see the Chatbox.

By default, no group has access to the chatbox.

Screenshots

The screenshots are in french as I have made it on an online website which is in french. Don't hesitate to give me new one if you want in english

They are up to date of 1.3 version.

See the following post : https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showpost.php?p=1292136&postcount=559

User manual

Coming soon ...

Copyright

This hack is under copyright MGC (Mtor&Grog Corporation) 2007-forever and was developed for vBulletin-Resources.com & vb-hacks.org. Its redistribution on another forum that vbulletin-ressources.com, vb-hacks.org or vbulletin.org are prohibited without aggreement of the authors!

Evolutions and improvements

This sixth version of the chatbox is already very complete, but like each product, its evolution depends on all. Then don't hesitate especially to share your ideas of improvements so that we can improve even more this chatbox.

Languages

Actually available :

1. French
2. English
3. Arabic [Translator : alessai]
4. German [Translator : captainslater]
5. Vietnamese [Translator : Anhyeu12000]
6. Turkish [Translator : neutralizer and bocek]
7. Spanish [Translator : obmob] [TO BE UPDATED FOR 1.5]

To be available [Translation in progress] :

1. Bosnian [Translator : Benjaminbih]

[FONT='Calibri','sans-serif']For the translators : phrases with version number 1.5 in the English language file are the one that have been modified or added in the new version so you should probably find the modification for your language file easily.[/font]

Contact me if you want to participate and add your own country language file

Support

Several possible problems are explained in the file "Read Me"
Chatbox in iBProarcade and vBadvanced CMPS

See the readme file for iBProarcade.

For vbadvanced, a module is available here : https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=163628.

FAQ

Q: I installed the chatbox but it doesn't display
R: Check if you have allowed users (permissions in usergroups)

Q: I see shouts but in the collapsed chatbox
R: You can specify number of shouts in the collapsed chatbox. If you don't want to see it, put "0" for this option.

Q: The chatbox doesn't display below or in the top of one of the pages while in the other position it displays
R: You use a style and it's possible that variables used in templates aren't present. (Read the file "Read Me")

Q: I have a problem with accents in the Chatbox
R: Read the file "Read Me"

Q: How to change the value of color for date and for command /me?
R: When you add additionnal CSS for each style, you can change color in class CSS.

Thanks to Sofia for her earlier help on the chatbox.

You can donate if you want to show your support

Last version - MGC Chatbox Evo available : here

[VBDev]

Wow 2 seconds

You should becareful when putting a such lower rate, this could grow your server load !

This is an issue already reported, I thought it was working well but it seems like it's not. I'll have to check that out but this won't be corrected until the release of the next version as you can imagine

[inciarco]

Originally Posted by nebu

i have a problem with my chatbox.
first: its working great
but there is one little mistake.

i have "autorefresh set to 2 seconds"
but with every refresh the chat scrolls to the bottom (the newest message)
its impossible to read "older" posts.

can u fix that?
thx,
nebu

You Should Set Your Autorefresh to More than 30 to 60 Seconds to Allow your Users to Read the Posts!!

As VBDev says, by using 2 Seconds you're Loading your Server with lot's of Data Requests and you're also Using a lot of the Data Transfer of your Site Hosting!!

This Hack Consumes a Lot of Data Transfer, so be careful with that Aspect, and more if your Forum has lot's of Visitors and Members Browsing the Pages and Loading the Chatbox everytime they Refresh the Page!!

This is the Best ChatBox Hack I've seen on vBulletin, I Hoppe VBDev release Version 2.0 Very Soon!!

My Best Regards!!

[thisgeek]

It would be good if there was functionality in vb options to edit the ban list, as well as the ability to specify userids & groups that are unbannable. Also a usergroup permission to use the ban functionality (such as exists for /pm and /ignore).

I didn't find it too funny when I was banned from the chatbox by an experimenting admin. Had to run some sql queries to get back in.

[thisgeek]

Sorry about the double post, but I thought it would be better to keep topics seperate.

Feature request:
My users have requested the ability to add/remove reputation based on chatbox entries.

Not sure how painful this would be to implement.

[VBDev]

Originally Posted by thisgeek

It would be good if there was functionality in vb options to edit the ban list, as well as the ability to specify userids & groups that are unbannable. Also a usergroup permission to use the ban functionality (such as exists for /pm and /ignore).

I didn't find it too funny when I was banned from the chatbox by an experimenting admin. Had to run some sql queries to get back in.

The ban list can be edited while typing /showban so I won't add a separate a new page for that especially with the change in my code for the new version.

However, I think I'll add the abitiliy to specify which usergroups/userids can't be banned.

About the permission to use the functionnality the usergroup permissions will automatically be added due to the code changes.

Originally Posted by thisgeek

Sorry about the double post, but I thought it would be better to keep topics seperate.

Feature request:
My users have requested the ability to add/remove reputation based on chatbox entries.

Not sure how painful this would be to implement.

What do you mean exactly I don't clearly understand your request.

[nebu]

Originally Posted by VBDev

Wow 2 seconds

You should becareful when putting a such lower rate, this could grow your server load !

This is an issue already reported, I thought it was working well but it seems like it's not. I'll have to check that out but this won't be corrected until the release of the next version as you can imagine

thx VBDev!
i have a forum with a small community with less than 50 member,
so we have no problem with a 2 second rate

[thisgeek]

Originally Posted by VBDev

What do you mean exactly I don't clearly understand your request.

To clarify - vbulletin has the reputation system built in where a user can add reputation to a user for a good forum post, or take rep away for a bad post - by clicking the scales icon on the top right of a post (Which is only visible if the reputation system is activated).

Anyway, when it comes to the chatbox, users would like to be able to utilize the rep system to give or take rep for comments posted in the chatbox.


Does that make sense?

Another issue: If you change the size of the input field, it causes the chatbox to be bigger than the width of the page, and users have to scroll sideways.
It would perhaps be better if the buttons to the side of the input field could wrap to the next line.

[VBDev]

Originally Posted by thisgeek

To clarify - vbulletin has the reputation system built in where a user can add reputation to a user for a good forum post, or take rep away for a bad post - by clicking the scales icon on the top right of a post (Which is only visible if the reputation system is activated).

Anyway, when it comes to the chatbox, users would like to be able to utilize the rep system to give or take rep for comments posted in the chatbox.


Does that make sense?

Yes it does. Please keep it your head until the next release and I'll be open for new ideas

Originally Posted by thisgeek

Another issue: If you change the size of the input field, it causes the chatbox to be bigger than the width of the page, and users have to scroll sideways.
It would perhaps be better if the buttons to the side of the input field could wrap to the next line.

This is configuration dependent, so I am sorry but my answer will be now.

If you decide to have a bigger input field and the buttons are a problem then you should edit your templates but I won't complicate things for that purpose .

[RockMTP]

This is a nice looking shoutbox but I think i've gone wrong somewhere when installing.

I followed the readme file, the shoutbox appeared on the home page but there are no options on it - only the 'go' button is there. Also, if I click the link 'MGC chatbox' thats next to a username in the shout box i get this route, example '/mp user "username" ' in the text box.

Any ideas on how to fix this would be great as i'd really like to implement this as it seems far superior to the shoutbox i currently use.

Thanks

[VBDev]

Originally Posted by RockMTP

This is a nice looking shoutbox but I think i've gone wrong somewhere when installing.

I followed the readme file, the shoutbox appeared on the home page but there are no options on it - only the 'go' button is there. Also, if I click the link 'MGC chatbox' thats next to a username in the shout box i get this route, example '/mp user "username" ' in the text box.

Any ideas on how to fix this would be great as i'd really like to implement this as it seems far superior to the shoutbox i currently use.

Thanks

For the link, this is normal behaviour.

For the buttons not appearing, this is perhaps because you haven't uploaded the mgc_chatbox image directory in all of your styles misc folder