jPilot (IRC chat) Integration

JPILOT / vBULLETIN INTEGRATION by jake (first hack! wOOtie! )
-for jpilot 2.5.1 and vbulletin 2.2.6

to see this in action visit my site at www.macsubculture.com (there is a link in the nav column called IRC Chat)

please see http://www.jpilot.com/ for info on the jpilot chat applet.

instructions:
-upload all the jpilot files to your vb root. see jpilot site for download and instructions.
-upload both scripts in the scripts folder to your vb root.
-create the new templates in your vb admin cp. see templates folder... templates to be named the same as each file, etc.
-configure the jpilot params in the chatmain template. see the jpilot site for a list of all params and their functions.
-put this link in your header template or where ever you want the IRC chat link to be: <a href="chat.php?s=$session[sessionhash]" onClick="window.open('chat.php?s=$session[sessionhash]','key','WIDTH=600,HEIGHT=450,scrollbars=no,left=5 0,top=50,screenX=50,screenY=50');return false">IRC Chat</a>
-that's it!

how it works:
-link to the chat.php file first... this pulls the "chat" template which is an intro type of thing with info about the chat. put whatever "intro" type stuff you want in the "chat" template. the chat.php script does not check for registration.
-in the "chat" template that the chat.php pulls there is a link to the chatmain.php file which checks for registration. if the user isn't registered or not logged in they are directed to the "chatnoreg" template which gives them a note saying they aren't logged in, etc. you can customize the chatnoreg template to say whatever you want. if they *are* logged in then they are directed to the chatmain template which has the applet and the params which loads the chat.
-my jpilot params are set up so the user isn't even given a chat config screen. their name is auto filled in and they are auto logged into chat. i also have a param that disables the /nick command. only registered members can chat and they can't change their name in chat to impersonate people. if you want this set up differently it's all in the params (see the jpilot site for info).


--jake
*cream pie*

[Grover]

Thanks JJR512,

Is it possible for you to figure out how I can prevent other visitors to come to the channel trough MIRC or some other IRC client?

I ONLY want registered users to have access to the chat. ONLY them.

This is VITAL for me and our visitors, 'cause we run a website for people who suffer from a hair disease and privacy is a VERY important thing to us.

I'll hope someone can help, because we need an integrated chat very badly.

Thank U,
Grover.

Ohh....and thanks very much for your test-user! I just saw your chat...great! There's another one at: http://www.chins-n-quills.com/forums/

[Jakeman]

i'm not sure how you could limit IRC chat to the jpilot applet only. if anyone else can tell me how then i'll add it to my zip file.

[JJR512]

You should probably set the channel to be secret, meaing it will not show up in a channel listing:

/mode #YourChannelName +s

Now for the real trick: You can password-protect your channel, so that a user must use that password when joining the channel.

/mode #YourChannelName +k YourChannelPassword

(Note: You can reverse any of these settings later by changing the + to -.)

This sets a password for your channel. Now, to make the hack work with a password-protected channel, you need to add a parameter to the template. Somewhere in the "param" list, add this:

<param name="DisplayConfigChannelPass" value="true">

Also, make sure that you have this line in there, too:

<param name="DirectStart" value="false">
This will make sure the config screen, which asks for the password, is shown. Note that you have not seen this screen on my site, because I have it bypassed.

Look here for a complete list of the various parameters you can set through the template: http://www.jpilot.com/java/irc/manual.html By setting various parameters, you can show the config screen, but block it from showing the channel or server info, which will help keep that info secret, making it harder for people to break in.

You just need to tell the people who need to know it what the password is. Note that they can still join through mIRC or other separate programs, by using this command:

/join #YourChannelName YourChannelPass

Note: I have not tried all of this stuff myself. It's all from what I've read here: http://www.jpilot.com/java/irc/manual.html and here: http://www.newircusers.com/ircmds.html I think this is about as secure as you can make IRC, from what I can tell.

[Jakeman]

wow... seems like too much trouble ;p. plus it isn't full proof. plus you would have to disable directconnect which is a really cool feature; i think it's better to have as few steps as is possible for the end user to start chating.

i wonder if ircd can be setup to check for the client software and disallow all but jpilot? that would be ideal. i wouldn't mind implementing something like that!

[dirgotronix]

If you're running the IRCD you could possibly password protect the server, or kline everything except the relative hostmask of the jirc applet.

just a few ideas.

[Grover]

[QuOTE]Originally posted by JJR512
Note that they can still join through mIRC or other separate programs, by using this command:

/join #YourChannelName YourChannelPass

[Jakeman]

i'm gonna update my chat scripts soon to exclude the "awaiting e-mail confirmation" group and the "awaiting moderation" group as well as my own personal "Bad Peeps" group that i put bad people into . it's a simple condition. i'm gonna add a couple more templates for those conditions too. for example, if you are in the "awaiting e-mail confirmation" group and try to log into chat it will say, "Sorry, you have not completed the registration process. You need to verify your e-mail address by clicking the link in the e-mail you were sent." little stuff like that.

the current scripts only check if you have a username. well, the above two mentioned groups are going to have user names so they are allowed to chat when they probably shouldn't be allowed to. i'm gonna patch up those holes.. complete with error pages for each condition.

[Prince]

Does this hack have a "who's in the chat now" feature?

thanks!

[JJR512]

If you install a hack from FireFly located here, you can quickly and easily add new Who's Online locations to your board. Basically, after installing the hack, you use it to tell the board about a new non-vBulletin page that you've added into the vBulletin system, and you tell it what to show as a description for that page in the Who's Online. With either this hack by Jakeman or the similar one by myself that I linked to in an earlier post above, the chat room is on a separate page, to FireFly's hack is perfect.

The only limitation is this doesn't actually check to see if a member really is in the chat room; it only knows that the member tried to visit that page. If the member was unsuccessful (due to permissions or whatever), he/she will still look to Who's Online as if he did get into the chat room...just as if a member tries to edit another member's post, Who's Online would show that the member is editing that post, even though the member is really seeing the no permission page. Also, if the member is browsing the board in multiple browser windows, then as soon as he goes to another location in another window, he/she will be shown as being in that location, even if he/she is still in the chat room in the first browser.

There has been mention in the past about setting up bots to stay in the chat room that would somehow be able to keep vBulletin actively and accurately notified about who is in the chat room, but all that is beyond me at this time. But if you really want to read up on that, follow the link to my hack in my first post above, and in that thread, look here, or search this board or the one at vbulletin.com for "chat" or "chat AND integration".

[Jakeman]

i've found that the default online.php has a condition for the file "chat.php". it parses this to say "Entered Chat" in the whois online. with my setup the chat.php is only an intro page though. so it will only say "Entered Chat" when on the chat intro page. the actual chat page shows as an unknown location.

cool hack by firefly! i didnt' know about that one.