OLD - ChatBox II - Discussion and Feedback

You can find this in the download section here.

There is also a link on the Plugins Download page to link back here for discussion.

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ChatBox II is based on the original Chatbox with many new and configurable options including;

1. Dynamic Updating to all site visitors.
2. ChatBox Colorizing and configuration
3. Sound on posting.
4. Ability to allow Users to Colorize text.

[NEW IN 1.4.x]
5. Ability for Users/Mods to delete posts.
6. Headers for ChatBox or ChatPage (optional)


Also included;

A 'chatpage.php' which is a simple chat that matches the chatbox in style and functionality.

A script to copy existing chatbox posts, to the new ChatBox II table (...chatbox2_menu/admin_copy_cbt.php)


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NOTES:
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1) Sound may not work totally, or in part in all browsers and may depend on users individual configuration.

2) CHATBOXSTYLE related controls may not work if a CHATBOXSTYLE is defined in the THEME or elsewhere.

3) Setting the REFRESH times too low may cause users, including ADMIN (Yourself) to be locked out if set too much lower than FLOOD PROTECT settings. Be sure you know now to get in and clear ADMIN bans before making settings too low. [New - v1.4.x - Some protection to avoid low settings is now built in]

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This is an initial release with all the changes and although it has been tested to minimize issues, there could still be some. Please post any issues, coments, suggestions in the Chatbox II forum at e107(Link above).

Also let us know if it is working well.


Thanks and enjoy.


NOTE:
Don't rate a plugin based on YOUR need for it, but how it functions for the person who needs it.

To those who rate plugins LOW without any type of feedback are just shooting themselves in the foot. Why would programmers create and distribute FREE plugins and software if they get that type of treatment. You will just see what is available to you become less and less. If you have issues with plugins, dont be dumb and just rate them low. At least give feedback.

Nice i will test it

The chatpage.php feature is really nice!

10 Ponits from me keep up the good work !


maybe inculde this into core ??

Thanks, I've been looking at it too long, so I may have missed a few things.

One I already see is in admin. 360 = 6 minutes, not 5 hehe.

where is the link ? to download ??

The link is posted at both OFFICIAL e107 download sites.

When someone spends a month or more writing these things, it's nice to be able to see how many copies are used from a small amount of distribution points. So, if you are taking it to add it to another distribution point, can you at least mention it here.

Keeping it on less distribution sites also makes it easier for people to ask for, and recieve support from few locations.

Note: Ticking off code writers may make them pull their projects which hurts the community, and the e107 project as a whole.

THanks for the "1" Vote. Why do people even bother trying when there are idiots like that out there, that give the lowest vote without ANY feedback.

Someone let me know if it works OK, or if there are REALLY issues. If there are issues and it DESERVES a '1' vote, I will have them pull it from the downloads section so no one else will have the problems.

be patient, if people like it, they will give you positive feedback. also, try to edit your post and put the download link there. it'll make finding your work much easier.

Thanks!!

Updated to 1.4.0

Added 5. Ability for Users/Mods to delete posts. (If the option is enabled.

This looks great, is it possible to have an option to use the default chatbox data table instead of using a new one.

No, I needed an extra field to hold the font color. I didn't want to get fancy and embed it in an existing field.

There is a script though that will copy your chatbox table to the new chatbox2 table.

....{plugin dir}/chatbox2_menu/admin_copy_cbt.php

I didn't make it easy to run from admin for a reason.

But this way, you can copy it over, and still have the old one, in case you choose to revert back.

Oops. 1.4.0 is on hold. It doesn't work with the deletion on posts done dynamically, until the page it refreshed. I'm on 30 hours, but working on it. I am driving them nuts I bet with the uploads and little fixes. But they are down to little ones after three weeks on this.

Please be patient.

Just a thought, yuo could have used the chatbox table and your own table for extra columns and joined the two in your plugin. Probably a bit late for that now, though.

you're right bugrain but we (you and I) told him not to touch the core
as he made an import script it's fine

a problem I can see with joining the default chat table is:
if a user find ChicksHateMe's chatbox fine AND then uninstall chabox AND remove the core chabox table ... chatboxII need a fallback

Chatbox 2 is better than chatbox 1.

Thank you very much... its very useful 4 me

Yup thats what I was thinking, intergrates better with current setups and other plugins.

Can't make everyone happy. Hey, I am donating time, so take it as it is.

It's separate, and won't interfere with the core or chatbox 1. (Hopefully).

I just posted Chatbox II version 1.4.1

OPTIONAL ITEMS
* Allows you to add an Optional Header - Can be colorized. using XHTML tags.

* Allows Users to delete their own posts. -If enabled, Icons are replaced with an `x` in front of users names, and in front of all names for MODS to delete easily. Helps a lot with spam removal.


ISSUES
Embedded sound isn't easy. Some embed codes don't work (hidden in certain versions of FF). Sometimes the players don't stay hidden (problems with ie6). I didn't want to embed a separate player letting people still use their own for now, SO, there may be times Sound doesn't work, or the player comes out of hiding for older borwsers. It still seemed fairly stable with the currnent setting.

Color - Slow loads show the text in the color box. I will eventually make this work with a transparent image, changing the background and holding the value in a hidden input so it looks cleaner.

REFRESH - If you are on a bad server, sometimes the check for new post will receive an error post and look ugly. I will eventually set it to ignore that. I also plan on actually using that to create another plugin to monitor and track site-server uptimes.

DEFAULT CHATBOXSTYLE and CHATPAGESTYLE are in a seperate file in the plugin for viewing to incorporate in a THEME or elsewhere. The original CHATBOXSTYLE in current themes should Still work fine. They can also be seen in the Chatbox2_menu.php or the chatpage.php files.

I should be done for a while on it, I will wait to here the whining and complaints before I do anymore to it.

Thanks to those who do like it and appreciate it (tansas), those are the people I do it for.

I didn't use the default table for a few reasons. The main one being, if someone Removed the Plugin Chatbox, it would remove the SAME Table I'd be using, deleting all the data.

I set up a script to copy it over from the Original Chatbox, so the same data could be used, and being separate, as the men suggested was best, so that they don't interfere with each other.

If the script doesn't work because the data is too large, it's pretty easy for ppl that know mySQL to just copy or edit the current table and change field names and add the color field as shown in the plugin.php file

I did think of other way, including the original table and more tables, but I felt this was the simplest, fastest , most efficient and safest way.

I try to download ChatBox II v1.4.1 at [-link-] but it turn out to be a graphics file (.jpg)

Thanks for posting.

I'm not sure what happened. I must have screwed up the upload.

I just uploaded v1.4.2 with fixes. So be patient for approvals.

There have been a LOT of changes from the Original, and in spending a month on it made me go a lil insane. I tried to test everything a few times on different sites with different browsers, but I may still have missed some stuff.

So, please post comments and issues here and I will try to address them quickly.

Thanks!!!