vBChat v2.3

NOTCE: ALL SUPPORT SHALL NOW BE ANSWERED HERE

This is a php/mySQL powered chat system, just brought into production. It's features for v1.0.0 are wide but more are to follow i future versions, this version has the following features:

Key:

• White Text - Original Features
• ColorA Text - v1.0.1 Features
• ColorB Text - v1.1.0 Features
• ColorC Text - v1.1.1 Features

• vBChat Page
  • Shows All Messages
  • Shows Users Currently In The Chat
  • Click usersname to auto add /msg [username] into post field
  • Ability To Post A Message
  • "/me" is also available to be used
  • "/msg [USERNAME] msg here" command added
  • Auto scrolling to bottom of page (If msg's set to latest at bottom)
• vBChat User Preferences Page
  • Ability to choose desired font color when posting in the chat
  • Ability to choose desired font face when posting in the chat
  • Ability to ignore as many user's as desired in the chat
    • Ignore users will not display any messages by those users specified on the vBChat page
    • The inputs for ignoring users are "Auto Creating", baisically when you have filled all the inputs in, 2 more will automatically create to allow the user to input more users without having to submit and reload the page, the inputs are added aslong as the rest are filled in. This requires javascript to be enabled, but it is compatible in IE/FireFox/Netscape
• Admin Controls
  • vBChat Options
    • Turn the chat system on/offline
    • Allow users to enter bbcode
    • Ban specific usergroups from accessing the vBChat system
    • Ban specific members from accessing the vBChat system
    • Choose which way msg's are displayed, newest at top or newest at bottom
  • vBChat Prune Options
    • Prune By Days - Prunes messages older than number of days inputted
    • Prune By Member - Prunes all messages by member inputted
    • Pune By Private MSG's Sent By User - Prunes All Private MSG's sent by user
    • Pune By Private MSG's Recieved By User - Prunes All Private MSG's recieved by user
    • Complete Prune - Removes All Messages
• v1.0.1 FEATURES
• Smilie Box - Smilies Are displayed above the chat input
  • Additional Features
  • ACP - Select if the smilies are displayed
  • ACP - Select amount of smilies shown
  • Query Reduction - No extra queries are required for the smilies to be loaded
  
  
• User Status - User status is displayed in the vBChat Page (in replace of time/date)
  • Additonal Features
  • User can edit there user status in the vBChat User Preferences page
  
  
• User Auto Responder - User can choose to have an auto message auto sent to anyone that Private MSG's them on vBChat
  • Additional Features
  • User can input a message that will be displayed with the auto responder
  • User can select if the auto responder is on or off
  
  
• Private MSG Link Updated (When you press people's names at the side on vBChat, the command to private msg them pop's into the input box)
  • Additional Features
  • If using internet explorer, the text "<Your Private MSG Here>" will automatically be highlighted
  
  
• Admin/SMod Ban/Unban Abilities - Type in /ban [Username] or /unban [Username] to ban/unban members
  • Additonal Features
  • ACP - Choose if unban/ban tags are operational
  
  
• Chat Rooms
  • Additonal Features
  • ACP - Edit/Remove Chat Rooms
  • ACP - Delete "All" Inactive Rooms
  • ACP - Set max number of rooms that can be open at the same time
  • Optional Password Protection
  
  
• Display Users In Chat On Forum Index Page
  • Additional Features
  • None

New v1.1.1 Features:

• Ability to change smilie information to DB Call to stop Red X's (Optional because setting it to yes will cause 1 extra query, and should only be set to yes if you have the Red X's problem)
• vBChat Auto Pruning - Ability to turn auto pruning on, and set how many days old messages that will be deleted to be

Version 2.0 Features
- Iframe Refresh Abolished
--- The system now uses hidden iframes to gather data, then uses Javascript to transport the HTML to the display iframe, which never reloads, and never flashes white when recieving chat messages or posting, just like any of chat system like MSN etc...

- Users Currently In vBChat Reformatted
--- The display of users is now more formal, showing the there chat status here, also displaying a link to send a private message instead of clicking there username

- Timestamp in messages
--- The timestamp has been put back, it was removed in an earlier release due to the user chat status, however this has been moved to Users Currently In vBChat Display

- vBChat Preferences Redesigned
--- The vBChat Preferences form has been re-designed to be a more neater and easier to use form.

- Smilies Animation Problem
--- Before when clicking to insert an emoticon, the animation of any current ones would come to a complete pause, this has been fixed, you can click on them continually and the animations will continue to play onwards.

- Improved Users In vbChat
--- The users in vbchat display is now more correct, and works towards your forums session cut-off time, where as before it may of displayed a user offline, but still showed them within vBChat, this is no longer a case, improving accuracy more

- Chat Now In Pop Up Window
--- The chat will be displayed as a pop now instead of a normal page, allowing users to chat & browse at the same time

- Inactive Rooms Auto Pruned
--- This is admin controllable, you may set if rooms with inactivity will be auto pruned, you can select from 1 to 24 hours, if rooms havn't had any inactivity in the last x hours, they will automatically be removed.

- Permanent Rooms
--- When admins/smods create a chat room, they have the option to make it permanent, doing this will stop the room from been pruned due to inactivity, the only way to remove it then is via the ACP.

- What Room Are You In
--- The main chat page will now display which room you're chatting within

- Total Users
--- The main chat page will now display the total amount of users currently within that chat room

- User Joining Rooms
--- Upon first joining vBChat, the chat will display: "[user] Joins Room"

- User Changing Rooms
--- Upon changing rooms, the previous room you were in will display "[user] Leaves Room" and the new room will display "[user] Joins Room"

- Exit vBChat Link
--- Upon clicking, chat automatically closes and a message is left in the room saying "[user] Leaves Room"

- /status Command
--- Change your vBChat Status by typing: "/status YOUR STATUS HERE"

- /exit Command
--- Same as the Exit vBChat link, only you may type it in as a command

- vBChat Help
--- Displays all chat commands, descriptions and examples of using them

- Close Chat Window
--- Upon closing the chat window, the system recognizes this and displays a message in the chat saying you have left: "[user] Leaves Room"


Version 2.1 Updates:

- Uncached template "chat_iframe_blank" has now been cached
- Clicking smilies will now enter the code into the post field
- Upon exiting vBChat, your session will be deleted so other users will instantly see you removed from "Users Currently In vBChat"
- Internet Explorer may delete your message half way through typing, this has been fixed

vBChat v2.2 Updates:

- Bug Fix: Window too large upon opening
- Bug Fix: Other vBChat Links Didn't Open Pop Up For vBChat
- Admin CP interface for Usergroup & User banning completely re-designed, no more manual inputting of id's, the system will use a new format to add/remove banned usergroups/users to make it even easier.
- Usergroup Permissions
--- Group Can Create Custom Rooms (Yes/No)
--- Group Can Join Custom Rooms (Yes/No)
--- Group Can Join Permanent Rooms (Yes/No
--- Permissions removed if usergroup is banned
- Upon changing room you are redirected straight to vBChat instead of been stuck at the room select page
- Upon deleting chat rooms (via ACP or Auto Prune) all chat messages inside are deleted for good
- When editing a chat room via ACP you may choose if it is a permanent room or not

vBChat v2.3 Updates:
- Now only 1 refreshing iframe, eliminating a minimum of 8 queries per page refresh, cutting the system resources needed by nearly half!
- Several queries have been optomized, selecting data which wasn't required.
Note: This was a maintenance update, to optomize the system, no new features have been made.

Installation Update For v2.3
You may install v2.3 fresh
You may upgrade from v2.2 -> 2.3

(Archived versions included for those who missed updates!)


The install has an automatic script to add templates and database modifcations.

Previews are available below showing the vBChat system and admin controls.

Branding Free Option
Should you wish to have the visible copyright removed from vBChat, please send me a private message here on vbulletin.org, the price is $30. If you require any other details on this, please make sure all enquiries are put into a PM, and not the thread itself. Note: Payment method must be via PayPal

Donations
All donations great or small are appreciated to the greatest extent, wether it's for the modification itself or just a little incentive for myself, if you would like to donate then you can do so via PayPal, my email to send to is: webmaster@gzevolution.net
Thanks to all those who have currently donated for this modification!

Enjoy

- Zero Tolerance

[Cornolio]

i'm trying to update, but when i "Save vBChat options"...

Database error in vBulletin 3.0.3:

Invalid SQL: update vb3_vbchat_datastore set d_online='yes',d_allowbbcode='yes',d_bannedgroups='',d_bannedusers='',d_chat_order='bottom',d_smiliedisplay='0',d_smilieamount='10',d_allowbantag='1',d_maxrooms='5',d_smilequery='0',d_autoprune='0',d_autoprunedays='0',d_roomprune='1' where did='1'
mysql error: Unknown column 'd_smilequery' in 'field list'

mysql error number: 1054

[...]

[Zero Tolerance]

@ Cornolio - Read these instructions: https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showpost....&postcount=675

@ Crapaddict - Here: https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=72288, this will copy all templates to other styles, blank screen = templates not on skin.

- Zero Tolerance

[Cornolio]

thank you master!

[WiBu]

Good to see your supporting this hack again.

One question is how do I make the window smaller, its huge and unresizeable. Simply changing the height and width from 9999 wont work for me...

Thanks in advanced.

[Zero Tolerance]

Originally Posted by WiBu

Good to see your supporting this hack again.

One question is how do I make the window smaller, its huge and unresizeable. Simply changing the height and width from 9999 wont work for me...

Thanks in advanced.

I'll release an update tomorrow which fixes this, along with a couple of other minor problems. I hope it is okay for you to wait untill then

- Zero Tolerance

[Zero Tolerance]

Confirmed Features & Release Date For vBChat Version 2.2:
- Admin CP interface for Usergroup & User banning completely re-designed, no more manual inputting of id's, the system will use a new format to add/remove banned usergroups/users to make it even easier.
- Usergroup Permissions
--- Group Can Create Custom Rooms (Yes/No)
--- Group Can Join Custom Rooms (Yes/No)
--- Group Can Join Permanent Rooms (Yes/No)
- Multiple minor bug fixes

Release Date: Sometime tomorrow, can't be sure of when, but it's tomorrow none the less

If anyone has more usergroup permission idea's they would like to have functional within the system then please reply saying so

- Zero Tolerance

[WiBu]

No Can't wait! :P

Great job man and I thought you had given up on this mod .

[Megareus Rex]

Ok, 3 problems:

1: When I click on the link, it makes the box super-wide (like 20+ screens wide). But its ok if I choose "Open Link in new window". What gives?

2: The chat section of the hack only half-displays the latest reply in the chat. Whats wrong with it?

3: How can I make it so the Who's online in the chat box does NOT display the primary display usergroup's HTML markup? We use the glow code in usergroups, so it makes a new line for every username.

Thanks in advance for any help.

[MauriceReed]

just installed this, and it works a treat.
only minor gripe if any is the wndow size, but i see that is going to be addressed with the update.

seriously mate, your hacks are the best ive seen so far!!

[sv1cec]

Originally Posted by Zero Tolerance

If anyone has more usergroup permission idea's they would like to have functional within the system then please reply saying so

- Zero Tolerance

Since I first saw this hack, I keep thinking that you should have used a separate table for the rooms.

Anyhow, what I like to see, as far as usergroups are concerned, is the ability for the admin, to define, which usergroups are allowed in a room. The password is an entrance restriction, but it has to be distributed to, say, the mods, to allow them to access a certain "Staff only" room. Not very convenient. If we could define "Allowed Usergroups" when a window is created, it would be much more convenient. The fact that we are working inside vB, with the usergroups being a standard feature, allows you to do tricks that non-vB chat systems cannot even imagine.

One issue I am facing with the way rooms are handled (as serialized fields, inside a column), is that I can't use a dedicated index number for the permanent rooms. A situation I can forsee, is this:

There is a permanent room, which is used to discuss staff-only issues which has the room number 4. Above that, there are only temporary rooms, which are deleted when no longer used. At some time, the admin decides to remove the staff-only room, and then a temp room is created. This gets room number 4 again. If the admin hasn't remember to prune the contents of room 4 before deleting it, then simple members who use the new room 4, will be able to see the last contents of the old room 4, which was a staff-only room. NOT GOOD. An Auto-increment field could solve this issue, as well, as the precaution to automatically prune the contents of 'store' when a room is erased.

One suggestion: when someone changes rooms in chat, you could take him directly in the room he selected to join instead of letting him stay in the "Change Room" screen. No point to let him stay there. Oh if you do apply this change, you have to remove the "User Joined room" from the bottom if the change room routine, if you do not the program will show two such messages, one from the change room routine, one from the main routine.

Another thing I would like to see, is the ability to create rooms from the AdminCP. Especially, the permanent rooms. Again, this is a convenience-only issue.

Another issue, something for you to consider. As I said, I am using the non-permanent rooms, as a ... well, non-permanent. When the last user of a non-permanent room logs out, the room is erased. If all users decide to "change" rooms, then the room remains (even though I could implement the same logic to erase it, even when they change rooms) and is erased (I hope) by the cron job. This reduces clatter, and makes admin life easier.

The behaviour of the non-permanent groups, could be adjustable from AdminCP.

Finally, a management issue. Would it be too much for you to release any future enhancements in the form of a change log, so that people who have customized this lovely hack, don't have to redo everything from scratch? I have practically changed every single item in this hack, templates and files, so this would be a great convenience for me.

I have to agree with the rest of the people's comments here. Your hacks are the greatest I've seen (immitation is the most sincere form of flattery, see my AWS). And given your age, I know for sure I have a lot of patching to do in my board, I am sure you will come up with many more nice additions for us. Congrats mate.

[Zero Tolerance]

Well a seperate table for rooms for people modifying this chat system would be a lot easier for them, however it means extra queries, and i push myself to the limit when it come's to reducing server strain to a minimal, this chat system is extremely optomized and i have yet to see it crash my server, or even make it a little slower. So unfortunatly the serialized array will stay in place, you can still do everything, but it does make things a little more difficult.

Admin's are allowed to dis-allow usergroups from accessing certain rooms? Sounds good to me, i'm guessing as default any rooms created by members would be accessible by all? If so it sounds good, i may wait untill v2.3 for that though.

The issue with that is very easy to fix, i'll just make it so when a room is deleted via ACP or the auto prune, it just prunes that room's messages with it

Changing straight to chat room, sounds good to me, no need to change the program, notice that if "nojoin=1" is within the URL, the message to say they have joined will not occur

Permanent change in ACP control, yes that should of been in, it completely escaped my mind. I'll do that for v2.2

A change log, hmm, i sometimes change the same thing 3 or more time's, i think what would be better is a program to differentiate the differences between the 2 files, many use it on here to see what changes vBulletin made to upgrade to the newest version, one program i know of is here: http://www.araxis.com/, or if you want the direct .exe file link: http://www.araxis.net/files/merge60_win32_evl.exe
I hope that will help you, i believe it would make things easier for you and me in that respect

Time to start on v2.2 i believe...

- Zero Tolerance

[Creed]

Thanks for the link. Is there an automated install script? When I say that, I mean I see many hacks released with an automated installer. Is there a script available that will allow me to release any hack/add-on I create to have an automated installer? It would make things much easier than your normal text install. I know about the HTL and HIS, however I was looking more for the type of install script that you (and many others) use.

[Zero Tolerance]

Sorry but i don't use automatic installers, or like them, i prefer to do things manually, since automatic installers can sometimes cause problems.
If you desire to release a 3rd party automatic installer for this script then feel free, i'll add it to the available addons section

- Zero Tolerance

[sv1cec]

Originally Posted by Zero Tolerance

Well a seperate table for rooms for people modifying this chat system would be a lot easier for them, however it means extra queries, and i push myself to the limit when it come's to reducing server strain to a minimal, this chat system is extremely optomized and i have yet to see it crash my server, or even make it a little slower. So unfortunatly the serialized array will stay in place, you can still do everything, but it does make things a little more difficult.

I agree with you, you are right, it's better. Now, when is that private tutoring class you promised me on the use of serialized columns? LoL

Admin's are allowed to dis-allow usergroups from accessing certain rooms? Sounds good to me, i'm guessing as default any rooms created by members would be accessible by all? If so it sounds good, i may wait untill v2.3 for that though.

Rooms created by non-admins/mod/supermods are accessible to all, unless a password is set, in which case they are accessible to all who know the password. But in Permanent rooms (which can only be created by the staff), I would suggest a way to define NOT which groups CANNOT go in, but which groups are allowed to go in.

The issue with that is very easy to fix, i'll just make it so when a room is deleted via ACP or the auto prune, it just prunes that room's messages with it

And then I 'll have to copy your code to my log out routine, so that the contents of a room are deleted when the last user logs out of that room, as well. Perfect!

Changing straight to chat room, sounds good to me, no need to change the program, notice that if "nojoin=1" is within the URL, the message to say they have joined will not occur

Ah! Grasshoper, now I see it! LoL

Permanent change in ACP control, yes that should of been in, it completely escaped my mind. I'll do that for v2.2

I'll be looking forward to it.

A change log, hmm, i sometimes change the same thing 3 or more time's, i think what would be better is a program to differentiate the differences between the 2 files, many use it on here to see what changes vBulletin made to upgrade to the newest version, one program i know of is here: http://www.araxis.com/, or if you want the direct .exe file link: http://www.araxis.net/files/merge60_win32_evl.exe
I hope that will help you, i believe it would make things easier for you and me in that respect

Tell me about it! Files is not an issue, I use Beyond Compare for that. The bloody templates is what bothers me. You have to save them in files, and then compare them. And since you use the installer, I have to copy them from the XML file and copy the ones from the database and then compare. Ah, don't worry about it. I'll find my way, as long as you do not issue as many upgrades as I used to issue with AWS (1-2 a day!! LoL).

Time to start on v2.2 i believe...

What? It's not out yet? So last night you were at the local pub instead of coding???

:-)

[guydogg]

in firefox the vbchat shows up perfectly, but in IE its like 10-15 times too wide for the screen?

please help, as most of my users use IE.