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]

I've been blabbering a bit. Any automatic user registration feature comes with RaiderSoft's Platinum services. Not with the Professional service.
A slight change in plan then to overcome such a thing.

[amity]

hi! i am trying to read the last page of this thread, but when i click on last or the arrows, i get this message.

Bad Request

Your browser sent a request that this server could not understand.

The request line contained invalid characters following the protocol string.

i need to update this script since raidersoft updated their chat script and i no longer have auto login.

amity

[wot-Mike]

I've sent you a pm, amity

For the rest that used this:
==========
* Click on My Account
Allow Chat Room to be used from this website only:
http://www.yoursite.com/path/to/chat.php
==========

Well, don't do that. This setting in combination with chat.php can (and fairly regularly will) cause your users to get a message that chat cannot be accessed from that page. The reason for that is that chat.php uses variables in the url to call chat.

[DTC]

Hi Mike!

OK, finally did some updating and got the logout to close the window and get them back to my forum.

Still though, when you first logon it brings up the username and password box (not auto login). A user then can overwrite the username thats autofilled in, use any password they want and presto...there in.

I don't have a problem with upgrading to Platinum service if it will auto login the user as before (go directly to chat with no login screen whatsoever)....

Is that cabability in that service??

Thanks!!!

[wot-Mike]

Auto-login is available in the professional service. It should work.

Maybe you have a link to your forums for me? And a test account

[DTC]

Whoooooo! It works!!!

You know what, it just stops at the login screen for me, Admin.

All other registered users it goes right to chat!!! I don't know how or why, but it works just as it did before!!!

I'm a happy camper...no need for platinum services

Mike, just noticed your other post...if you need my account login to check out my settings, just PM me!

[wot-Mike]

Well, if it works then things are ok

And I'm guessing your Admin account for chat has a password? Otherwise there's no reason for it to stop there.

[DTC]

Right! Admin is the only user listed with sigma chat, so it won't auto-login that user.....

All other users get right in and they can't change it because when they hit logout, brings them back to the forum....Its a wonderful thing

Actually, this is a good thing...at least I get the option of logging in as someone different

Again, thanks for all you hard work with this hack...IT IS GREAT!

[BrAinZ]

I'm using the FREE option of the chat. It all works fine, but I'm trying to work out how to stop people changing their usernames.

The system logs them in OK using their VBB username, but they can then simply use /nick or /n to change it.

I've found that if you add "nick" to the banned words list then they can no longer use /nick to change their nicknames.
Unfortunately this doesn't seem to work for a single "n" as it then bans ANY word with an "n" in it

Any ideas on how to get this working ?

[Ghostsuit]

Not sure if it's in the free option but if you go to user account then select options there is a drop down for Disabling /nick command