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

[abroad]

yes I did!

[bwize]

It's probably something really simple but i've been staring at my computer so long nothing's easy. I've done all what is asked in the readme file, everything seems like it went ok. Nothing shows up, page loads as quick as normal. I went to this address:

site.com/forum/mgc_chatbox.php and get this msg

"test, you do not have permission to access this page. This could be due to one of several reasons"

All the permissions are set, it happens with a test account and admin

"

[yeku]

Originally Posted by VBDev
What's strange is that the link when clicking to see archives redirect to the index again is that the problem ? If yes then its a vbulletin misconfiguration you made.

Really, error in URL of the forum admincp.

Now you work perfectly.

thanks for your advice

[bhanuprasad1981]

thanks its working now ,i really forget sometimes
another question why don't i see smiley's ???

[firstrebel]

Server load has been covered a few times on this thread, but I am still baffled why there is a problem. With Zero Tolerance's Shoutbox 2.1 there was no increase on server load and shouts were instant.

With this mod if you set the refresh too low you get high server load. If you set the refresh high then you have ridiculous time delays and messages get out of synch.

I have set refresh to 4 seconds and the server load as in 'top' can get up to 4 or 5. If I set the refresh to 10 or more seconds my members complain about the delay.

I ran FlashChat for a while and that did not affect server load.

So how come we have this problem?

Bob

[VBDev]

Originally Posted by bwize

It's probably something really simple but i've been staring at my computer so long nothing's easy. I've done all what is asked in the readme file, everything seems like it went ok. Nothing shows up, page loads as quick as normal. I went to this address:

site.com/forum/mgc_chatbox.php and get this msg

"test, you do not have permission to access this page. This could be due to one of several reasons"

All the permissions are set, it happens with a test account and admin

"

Are you sure you've set things correctly, especially the option of the number of posts to see the chatbox in the permissions ?

Originally Posted by bhanuprasad1981

thanks its working now ,i really forget sometimes
another question why don't i see smiley's ???

Coz you perhaps haven't activated them in the option of the acp.

Originally Posted by firstrebel

Server load has been covered a few times on this thread, but I am still baffled why there is a problem. With Zero Tolerance's Shoutbox 2.1 there was no increase on server load and shouts were instant.

With this mod if you set the refresh too low you get high server load. If you set the refresh high then you have ridiculous time delays and messages get out of synch.

I have set refresh to 4 seconds and the server load as in 'top' can get up to 4 or 5. If I set the refresh to 10 or more seconds my members complain about the delay.

I ran FlashChat for a while and that did not affect server load.

So how come we have this problem?

Bob

The way the shouts are retrieved is not the same on my chatbox as I have decided that shouts would be retrieved through ajax, even for the first load of the chatbox, this is why they don't appear immediatly on page load.

About the problem of server load, 4 or 5 is a bit high IMO, most chatbox overload the server in that case, how did you track that server load ? Is it cpu time ?

[firstrebel]

Originally Posted by VBDev

The way the shouts are retrieved is not the same on my chatbox as I have decided that shouts would be retrieved through ajax, even for the first load of the chatbox, this is why they don't appear immediatly on page load.

About the problem of server load, 4 or 5 is a bit high IMO, most chatbox overload the server in that case, how did you track that server load ? Is it cpu time ?

vB Shout 2.1 is AJAX as well. I get server load from 'top' in SSH.

Bob

[bhanuprasad1981]

but i dont see options for smileys

[Roxie]

Is it possible to have the username color be for the usergroup the member chooses to display and not the primary group?

[VBDev]

Originally Posted by firstrebel

vB Shout 2.1 is AJAX as well. I get server load from 'top' in SSH.

Bob

And it gives you how much percent ?

Could you send me by pm or here the result of your top plz.

Originally Posted by bhanuprasad1981

but i dont see options for smileys

It's in formating options in the acp.

Originally Posted by Roxie

Is it possible to have the username color be for the usergroup the member chooses to display and not the primary group?

This is a bug of the current version, it's on my todo list for the new one