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.

[Odil]

Originally posted by wot-Mike
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.

Excellent chat, I have it working with no problems on my board. I just have no clue how to force the chat to login people using their VB names. It prompts people to enter a nick. I have my chat setup so people just click on "chat" and it calls up the chat.php.

What do I need to add to set the login names automatically? Chat uses Raidersoft.

Thanks!

Kim

[FWC]

Originally posted by Odil
What do I need to add to set the login names automatically? Chat uses Raidersoft.

If you have Verify Handle set to off in the chat room this happens automatically in chat.php. I'm not sure what the problem could be.

[dprice]

Just noticed that this hack disables the RIGHT-CLICK menu? How would users adjust their font size now?

Is there a "/" command for fonts since right-click no longer works?

[tkeil69575]

hi dprice,
I dont think the hack has anything to do with the fact that the right-click no longer works. I think that a raidersoft problem. Its the same with me.

If you change

<applet codebase="http://freechat.raidersoft.com" archive="scclient4.zip" code="Client.class">

to

<applet codebase="http://freechat.raidersoft.com" archive="scclient.zip" code="Client.class">

then the fonts will work with right click, but it will also allow the users to logout and then they would be able to login again using a different name.

grettings tina

[ThoughtDiver]

I talked with Chris at raidersoft and that is true. The scclient4 does not allow the right-click for font change.

They are also planning on coming out with some updates in a month or so from what I gathered.

[dprice]

Thanks for the info guys.

I did not want the logout buttonfor security reasons. Dont want other members using screen names not belonging to them, therefore I use the autologin feature.

My fix for the small fonts was to login to Raidersoft.coms control panel and under General options, you can make the font 16 standard for all users. Alot bigger than the default.

Where the problem now lies is if a user opens up a new window while in the chat room, the auto-login process will fail due to user already being logged in on other window.

The system will now ask them to enter a name/handle. They can now type whatever they want. What I have done is went into Raidersofts control panel and created account names that I wanted protected (IE. admins/moderators). If a user tries to use one of these names, they will be forced to enter a password.

Is there a way around this? Would like for it to keep looping and force them to close the second chat window. Is there an option or a script that I missed inserting?

Thanks in advance

[|-Last-Spirit-|]

Ok, I got quite some problems here, could someone just write 1 hack instead of letting people mix 2 versions ?

I have a registered irc channel so I don't need one like raiden thingie. So I used jpilot...

Now I installed the "embedded hack" the original thread this was about. That till the point is asks refers to the other hack "jpilotchatembed.zip" for the last template. Then I ignored the start of that hack (as they ask to upload the same stuff I already uploaded from the first hack) and edited my "template_chatbit_without_serv_options.txt" file and used it in the redirect template.

The chat.php included in the second hack screws everything up so I kept using the chat.php from the first hack. The window loads, all the buttons and stuff, but the chat area stays gray and when I choose a room it doesn't do anything, also my browser says it loaded the page but with errors.... and it says something like "class not found" so cound someone plz make 1 installation instructions to set up a embedded chatroom with jpilot with all files you need included (so don't refer to other hacks)

TNX A LOT !!!

[wot-Mike]

Originally posted by dprice
...Is there a way around this? Would like for it to keep looping and force them to close the second chat window. Is there an option or a script that I missed inserting?...

In short, unless you set up user accounts within chat, and require valid usernames, then no, there's nothing you can do to stop people from logging in a second time with a different username. I think I stressed a couple of times that the least anyone should do is to set up password protected accounts for admins and mods.
I was thinking about a solution for this, but with my chatroom, very occasionally people get disconnected while they remain logged in in the chat. By entering a different name they can always come back in. Any disconnected usernames will be released after 15 minutes I believe.

I also haven't had time yet to work on the "who's in chat". I'm really bothered by that, but I cant help it
Think that when it will be there, it will contain an option to keep people from firing up the thing twice.


And I can't help with the jpilot thing. I know nothing about it
The simplest tip I can give is:
suppose you build a html page within the forum structure to hold the chat room, then all the chat specific code that you normally put in the html page, can be placed within the chatbit template. Maybe with a little work, but all output by the forum is just html anyway. The chatbit template is inserted between <TD> tags

[BrAinZ]

Thanks for this GREAT hack.. really appreciate it !!

One question I have though, is that I want to open the Chat in a resizeable window WITHOUT my normal HEADER stuff showing at the top.. BUT with my users auto logging in.

Any ideas on how this can be done?

[wot-Mike]

Edit the chat template. That defines what the page looks like. People will still be auto-logged in

And you can resize the window anyway, but you can't resize the chat applet itself without logging out and in again. If people want a different sized applet, then all they have to do is play with the "setheight=" and "setwidth=" settings in the url, and hit enter. This will reload the applet with the sizes they've specified