New Version - report new bugs here

I've seen that issue before and I don't believe we ever isolated what the problem was. Connection status 0 is an impossible to define error. It's literally a junk error that the chat gives when the server spits out something unexpected, and usually happens when you use a wireless connection or an unstable connection. The error also often appears for a second when you navigate away from chat, but this is normal.

My suspicion is that it's an issue with the server configuration but unfortunately your guess is as good as mine as to why it happens. Tried everything I know how to debug with another guy who had the problem.

I'm just here to say thanks to Phil (frug) and easygo (net4seven).
It's all due to their voluntary work that a new version has been released.

Regards,
Sebastian

YES THANK YOU!!! BOW BOW....
I have done so much customizaiton though I am scared to touch it.. hahahaah

Will try it on new website working on for sure though... I am good at finding bugs when customizing.. lol

Thank you once again

"I have done so much customizaiton though I am scared to touch it"

This is why it's best to do all your customization by using the custom.js file and customAJAXChat.php file to override the functions, rather than write code directly into the chat.js or AJAXChat.php files.

I used to edit the files directly but in the long run it's way, way easier to use the custom overrides.

yeah makes sense.... when your on the go though and have so much to get done though its easier to say to yourself... screw it.. lol.... but you are right... as well as jsut getting code in there without commenting on what you done at all...

then when it comes time a week later to go back and work on it your lost.. lol

hahah either way thanks for everything...

now that its all set up I can play around now as well...

Want to do a pop up window with extra smilies now... ppl like to post pics up to make fun of each other.. hahahah
I saw a thread on here will try it... makes sense also just add new pop-up array...

It wouldn't be hard to make the smilies appear in a new window, or even a fake window that is just a div floated above the chat page that you can move around. I am not convinced that it's better for the chat to make that the default though, so I don't see it making it into the official build.

Took me a few hours to update for the same reason. Only reason it took that long is cuz I kept having to roll back from it not working. Works best if you take a clean version of the new one, and line by line add in your mods, testing for general functionality each line. Only a few files were changed.

For the emots, look for my "Radical changes to emotes" (opr something like tat) thread. It allows a small div pop-up for additional emotes, and allows choosing which emotes go in the pop-up and which in the emote strip. It also allows multiple codes for emotes ( ':)' and ':-)' ).

I'd like to see the following emote features:

An emote database table (several advantages... Easier import of codes from other apps, cleaner programming code, easier maintenance)
Support for multiple emote codes per emot ( ":)" and ":-)" for smile )
Allowing multiple overlapping emote codes ( ':)' for smile, and ':))' for grin/smirk; as-is, grin/smirk would never display)
Allowing easy sorting of emotes for display (i.e. a field for sorting)
Emot trigger replacement being independent of BBCode and URL encoding (I have ":/" as an emote code; links work, but they look stupid)
Adding a pop-up div for greatly expanded emote options (also would allow a tighter screen by allowing the removal of the emot strip)
An option in the settings to disable emote display (for slow or unstable connections)

The only other "problem" I have with Ajax Chat is there is not support for true templates...

I'm curious what you mean by 'true' templates

From what I've seen, there's just the one set of "template" files, LoggedIn.html, LoggedOut.html, etc. This system, though easy to understand and modify by anyone with web expierence, does not allow multiple display styles by different users. For instance, one user may like the default, while another user may want a slim version for use at work or a rearranged version for use on a mobile device, or something. Personally, I have no burning need for it, but since I first installed AJAX Chat months ago, I saw it as... something that could be improved on.

But with the amount of the page that is displayed through JS, I'm not sure how much customization is really even possible.

Hello, I don't know if this might be a problem, but requestMessagesPriorChannelEnter in config.php doesn't seem to work any longer.

Following the upgrade to 0.8.2 (for SMF forum), I changed the value to false but the chat still shows previous messages upon entering a room.

>> From what I've seen, there's just the one set of "template" files

I wouldn't talk about ONE SET of template files.

Let's compare loggedIn.html, logs.html and shoutbox.html to spot the difference.
If you want to have a mobile version, try to customize the shoutbox mode.

Just to give an example // easy

>> I changed the value to false but the chat still shows previous messages
>> upon entering a room.

And what's your current setting for requestMessagesPriorChannelEnterList?

From my understanging, there's no way for mupliple users to have multiple displays. Customizing the view is easy enough, but the changes become global to all users. If I were to use the chat under normal circumstance, and prefer to have a view with all design elements visiable, and, at another time (or another user) who wishes to have a minimal view for use at work, or to use while multitasking, and wish to remove the sidebar and style icon bar, one view or the other would have to be imposed on all users. There is one SET of template files, but, ideally, there should be the option, at the users choice, to display different layouts.

>> From my understanging, there's no way for mupliple users to have multiple displays.
>> Customizing the view is easy enough, but the changes become global to all users.

No way! What makes you think so? See e.g. shoutbox mode or date/lang/style options.

Please explain... Date options = date format display. Lang = language. Style = color pallette. Non of these change layout. I'm not familiar with shoutbox mode. But seems, assuming that allows customized layout, and is selectable by the user, that is still limited to only two layout options.

Is there a way for multiple users to be given multiple independent layout options, a different layout for positions of elements (or hiding/removing specific elements), such as sytle bar, theme selection, language selection, connection status, side bar, icon bar, help icon, option icon, sound icon, etc., on a single install?

Ahh, it had been set to null, I tried just now setting it to 0 for the ID of the default channel, no change.

Is there a table in the database I should check?  I had 0.8.1.2 installed previously, maybe a dupe record is in there for this setting that's confusing it? 

Thanks for the help so far.   :-)

> And what's your current setting for requestMessagesPriorChannelEnterList?

>> I changed the value to false but the chat still shows previous messages
>> upon entering a room. 

OK just to make it easier to understand...

>> From my understanging, there's no way for mupliple users to have multiple displays.

No way! What makes you think so?  See e.g. shoutbox mode

>> Customizing the view is easy enough, but the changes become global to all users

No way! What makes you think so? See e.g. date/lang/style options.

Beyond that, there is no mode limit, i.e. feel free to adapt the shoutbox mode
functionality to get as much layouts as can do, or makes sense for you.

Okay, to make it easier to understand....

>> No way! What makes you think so? See e.g. shoutbox mode
There's nothing in the documentation or options that state what "shoutbox mode" is. I always thought it was a global option used for integration into other apps, like phpBB.

>> No way! What makes you think so? See e.g. date/lang/style options.
Date and lang options are used to customize how data is displayed, not where (or if) their elements are displayed. Style options are used to specify what color they're displayed in. Not where (or if) their elements are displayed.

It is, to my understanding, impossible for UserX to have the emot strip on top, and UserY to have it in the default place, and UserZ to not have it displayed at all. Displaying it in a blue box doesn't allow that. Displaying it in Russian doesn't allow it. Displaying it year/day/month doesn't allow it.

There is one LoggedIn.html. And only one LoggedOut.html. And one shoutbox.html. If it is possible to have mutliple versions of these files on a single install, and allowing users to select which version they which to use, please give an overview on how to do it, or point me to where in the documentation it states how to do this.

Roguetech: There is nothing you can't customize using CSS and I can't think of any reason why you would need a new HTML template to customize the view of the chat for your users.

Using the CSS files you can change the color, position, size, and show/hide all elements of the chat based on a theme. What else is there that you'd need to change?

"Style options are used to specify what color they're displayed in. Not where (or if) their elements are displayed."

You should look at css/positions.css and perhaps touch up on your knowledge of css. All you need to do is override the positions in the theme you want to give users the ability to choose a 'slim' view in the same way that they can choose colors.

"It is, to my understanding, impossible for UserX to have the emot strip on top, and UserY to have it in the default place, and UserZ to not have it displayed at all."

Create themeA with an override for the position of the emote strip on top. ThemeB with nothing in it, and themeC with display:hidden on the emote strip element.

"If it is possible to have mutliple versions of these files on a single install"
It is not possible because it's not necessary unless there is some kind of complex html you only want to have some users view but I can't think of any application where you'd need this.

Excuse me for double posting. This regards version 0.8.2. Is it usual for just two people being logged into chat to generate nearly 1.8 MB of apache logs in less than an hour?

Basically apache is logging every two seconds or so a line of the sort:

GET ............... /chat/?ajax=true&lastID=47 HTTP/1.1" 200 260 "http:// ......................

I thought that this was something new in 0.8.2 but I've been back and checked and it appears to be there in earlier versions. Is there anyway of reducing this without a dedicated server?

It is normal for there to be an http request sent every time chat makes an update, which is about every two seconds. Nothing has changed there, that's how the chat refreshes the window.

This is the first I've heard of Apache logs being a problem and while I haven't looked into apache log handling at all, I would guess that there's a maximum size to those logs that will be reached. Or you could look into turning off logging. But either way chat needs to request those updates.

I would be very surprised to find that logs are a source of problems for any busy website or one using ajax.

Frug, thanks for the reply

I'm looking into adjusting the logging so that it is less aggressive for the chat area. In the mean time I've changed the update frequency time to 8 seconds which is taking the strain off the logs. I no longer hit 2 MB in less than an hour with just two people on the chat area.

I would of though if you got enough clients on to a chat running at 2 second update intervals you could crash out a standard Apache server, I don't know what the maximum log size is by default but I could see it top 20 MB in a standard day when including the other traffic and more than a couple of chat users.

I'll keep my eye on it.

Cheers again