TLK (Bash Multi-User Chat Script) Files

 _____   _       _  __
|_   _| | |     | |/ /
  | |   | |     | ' / 
  | |   | |___  | . \ 
  |_|   |_____| |_|\_\


                      
@ ABOUT
======================================================================================
Its a Simple Chat-Script for *nix based systems.
It is written completely in Bash.
Different users logged in to a system (ssh or local), can use it to interact in
a complete interactive chatroom environment.
======================================================================================



@ FEATURES
======================================================================================
Multiple Rooms,
Private Messages,
Password Protected private rooms,
Kick/Mute users,
and much more intutive features that make up a real-time chatting environment. :)
======================================================================================




@ DEPENDENCIES
======================================================================================
bash         (for interpreting bash script),
tput         (for cursor movement),
finger       (for user information),
wn (wordnet) (for dictionary, optional)
bc           (for numerical calculations, optional)
Please have them installed for perfect functioning of script and avoiding errors :)
======================================================================================



@ INSTALL
=====================================================================================
To install you need to run install.sh with root permissions.

Command:> sudo bash install.sh
=====================================================================================




@ DETAILS
======================================================================================
After running installation script, tlk.sh script will be copied to /tlk/,
and all chat data,history and all chat-files will be kept in /tlk/tlkdata directory.

( You can change directory names in install script if u want to install in some
  custom directory.
  Dont forget to change path in tlk.c wrapper,
  Also change DIR variable in tlk.sh script according to changes u make. )

A new system account named tlk wil be added (will be disabled of course).
This account is necessary to prevent other users from reading chat-files.
Only chat script can access those files.
To run chat script a wrapper will be compiled from tlk.c with gcc and setgid bit
for tlk will be set.
It will be copied to /usr/bin and you can execute it by typing "tlk" at shell.

Some features like Flush, Kick, Mute can only be used by users belonging to
group elite.
To add users to elite group, create a user group named elite and add users.

To Create group use command:>      sudo groupadd elite
TO add user blah to group elite:>  sudo usermod blah -G elite -a

By Default, Chat-History contains last 10000 lines at disk.
You can increase,decrease it by Variable HISTORY in tlk.sh script (declared at top)
======================================================================================




@ NOTE
=====================================================================================
*  In chat-script (tlk.sh) change path to your bash interpreter if different.
   (default is /bin/bash)

** Notice -p in tlk.sh ((#!/bin/bash -p)).
   That is must to make setgid bit set wrapper to work with bash.
=====================================================================================



@ LICENSE
=====================================================================================
There are as such no conditions regarding distribution,copying or modifying this 
little package. You can do whatever you want to do with it.
A lot of possibilities are there for this package.
Feel free to make changes and suggest new features.
Please, Dont keep changes to urself, let me and others know about it.
Dropping an email is not gonna take much of your time i guess.
=====================================================================================



@ CONTACT
=====================================================================================
For any bugs/queries/suggestions, or whatever
Feel free to report.

vincian@sdf.org

Thu Mar  6 16:53:39 IST 2014
=====================================================================================

@ CHANGES and Fixes
=====================================================================================
In tlk1.0 tput had some issues at some distros with calculating correct number of 
columns at user terminal which affected indentation. (tput -T xterm cols)
It has been fixed by using an external c file which executes `tput cols`.
=====================================================================================