Embedded chat

This "hack" will allow you to run a semi-integrated (free or paid) chat room "inside" your forum:

+ It's quite generic and should work with several chat providers (made a seperate template, just for the applet code)
+ The chat room will be displayed within your forum's structure,
+ The chat applet will be sized according to the user's screen resolution (could get scary at 1600x1200 )
+ People will be logged into the chat room using their forum usernames (if the chat supports auto-login)
+ Invalid characters in usernames will be replaced before logging in to the chat, plus too lengty names will be shortened
+ Easy installation

- At this time there's no feedback from the chat room to the forum. A "chat monitor" is planned though (version 2)

The install docs and template examples are mainly focussed on the chat provider we use (http://www.raidersoft.com), but it shouldn't be a problem adjusting one or two things to get this thing to work with your own chat provider.

The sizes of the chat applet haven't been tested out fully. I have no clue how bigger resolutions work out. All the rest seems to work fine.

Hope you like it...

[update 1.4]Sizes can now be set more easily, just by editing the chatredirect template, nothing else.
Added support for raidersoft's ICE, which is more flexible with usernames.

[wot-Mike]

Hmm, yeah. One thing I've noticed in our chat is that sometimes people start multiple instances of chat and login using various names. Not a big issue. I've made it pretty clear upfront that impersonating someone else is NOT funny. That's why the autoregister thingie can be nice. If only registered people can enter, then no more spoofing. And any subsequent login will (or can be set to) kick the previous login.
And one thing not in the applet code I posted is a password parameter. Autologin will stay, just with passwords now.

Maybe a register thing, maybe a Safe Settings button. Plus SC7 does provide more options for registration.
I'm still working on the basics now though, so who knows what the end result will be, hehe
Any suggestions are welcome though

[BrAinZ]

Just keep up the great work on this hack!

As long as it works, auto logs users on with their vbb username, and has a "Who's in chat" feature... it will be GREAT!!

[trainer]

just noticed with the new sigma version 7 the autologin doesn't work. i guess we need an update... any suggestions?

[jbear6]

I got it to work by using the chatbit code from wot-Mike above:

<applet
codebase="http://client.sigmachat.com/current/"
code="Client.class" archive="scclient_en.zip"
width=625 height=315>
<param name="room" value="roomnumber">
<param name="username" value="$username">
<param name="autologin" value="yes">
</applet>

[LearningMan]

Has anybody been able to figure out how to properly pass the OTHER parameters to v.7? I'm talking about URL logging off, sub room creation off and stuff like that. These parameters don't seem to pass properly anymore either.

Autologin (the fix above) has been working correctly for me all day. Thanks!

[wot-Mike]

Originally posted by LearningMan
Has anybody been able to figure out how to properly pass the OTHER parameters to v.7? I'm talking about URL logging off, sub room creation off and stuff like that. These parameters don't seem to pass properly anymore either.

Autologin (the fix above) has been working correctly for me all day. Thanks!

All settings are now done through the SigmaChat control panel. The only params that work are the ones in the post above, plus a password param, which will be used in the next chat script.

[tanster]

Took five minutes to update the chatbit code per your instructions. SigmaChat 7 now works beautifully with VB 2.2.6.

Thank you wot-Mike!

[wot-Mike]

Awwwww

And thank you!

[DTC]

I used to have it like the following:

- Users were auto logged in (all the way)
- They could not change it
- When they hit logout, it logged them all the way out and brought them to the main forum page

My previous chatbit was:

<applet code="Client.class" codebase="http://freechat.raidersoft.com" archive="scclient6_en.zip" width=760 height=500>
<param name="port" value="9000">
<param name="room" value="ROOMNUMBER">
<param name="canvaslength" value="1000">
<param name="lang" value="en">
<param name="layout" value="std">
<param name="lopt" value="s+t+a+c+h+d+l+">
<param name="urllist" value="false">
<param name="subroom" value="false">
<param name="exitURL" value="http://www.MYFORUM.com/forums/">
<param name="USERNAME" value="$username">
</applet>

I applied the new chatbit like in the thread and it does work, but it does not auto log in the user, and if I do log on manually, hitting the Logout brings me back to the login screen....not good because users can then login as someone else.

Thanks for all your time!!!

[wot-Mike]

Well, most settings are done through the control panel now. I'm having troubles finding various things too, but it's just a matter of playing with it, and learning the new layout.

Ok, where to find various options in the SigmaChat control panel:
* Log in here - http://www.sigmachat.com/login.html

* Click on User Accounts, and then on Options
/nick Command -> disabled
Disable Automatic User Registration System for now
Allow Guest Access = Yes (also for now)
Ghost Users - If IP matches
This will kick any previous login by the same username coming from the same IP address. This will unfortunately leave the old window open in the SigmaChat login screen. Choosing "Always Deny" will leave the new window open with the loginscreen. But the "if IP matches" option will at least stop your users from kicking other users by logging in as them (ok, there's still users coming from behind the same proxy server. Let's hope no one of them will discover this funny option....)

* Click on Websites, and then on Settings
Exit URL -> http://whatever you want
or Exit Url -> javascript:window.close();

This will either redirect the user away from the logout screen, or
the last one will try to close the window, but only after prompting the user first (just the first time though)

As for chatbit, this really should do the trick:

<applet codebase="http://client.sigmachat.com/current/" code="Client.class" archive="scclient_en.zip" width=$setwidth height=$setheight>
<param name="room" value="YOUR ROOM NUMBER">
<param name="username" value="$username">
<param name="autologin" value="yes">
</applet>

I've been having some issues with people logging in multpiple times. The above settings will help a bit, but there's enough holes left (Ghost Users). Right now I can think of a few solutions, but the best bet is the new script. That will register users and log them in using their name and password. You can then disable Guest access, which will effectively kill the possibility to login multiple times using multiple names.
Since loginnames and passwords will be stored inside the vB database, installing the new script won't be as simple as the current version.

Hope this helps.