XenForo Modifications
TaigaChat Pro - Realtime chat/shoutbox 1.4.7
Submitted by mehetts, 10-11-2017, 11:40 AM, Thread ID: 59658
Thread Closed
Compatible XF Versions:
Description:
TaigaChat Pro brings to the table a wide array of commonly-requested features in the original TaigaChat free version, along with many improvements of my own concoction to make TaigaChat Pro more than an old-fashioned shoutbox - it is now also suited to replace highly-concurrent Flash, IRC and proprietary chatrooms.
For your money, you will not only receive a significantly more versatile and powerful product, but the same lifetime updates and support I offer on all my premium addons. By contrast, the free version of TaigaChat is largely unsupported - all future updates will be channelled into TaigaChat Pro. You are also buying into tried and tested technology - TaigaChat was one of the first major XenForo addons and has existed since the first beta versions of XenForo, with constant updates ever since.
In moving from the free version to TaigaChat Pro on my live forum, the activity of the shoutbox has drastically increased. Factors such as the new 'speed mode' refresh system and persistent message colouring have given it the 'XenForo Effect'; it is simply more fun to use. Of course, standard forum posting has not decreased - on the vast majority if not all forums, shoutbox messages and forum posts are used for entirely discrete purposes.
New Features and Improvements:
The features listed here are what has been added compared to the original TaigaChat free.
For those who are unfamiliar with the original TaigaChat, you are advised to view its description in the Resource Manager for more information.
New 'speed-mode' refresh system
Inspired by the architecture behind all good 4chan-style imageboard scripts, this system replaces the extremely server-intensive calls to a PHP script on every refresh with a static HTML file that is rewritten when someone posts a message.
This creates a level of efficiency previously only reachable by embedded IRC chatrooms or custom server software. And the best part? It works on shared hosting.
Where previously maybe 10 or 20 people could chat on a low refresh time like 1 or 2 seconds without having an effect on server load and site speed, now most servers should have absolutely no problem handling hundreds of concurrent users.
(Note that this system makes it possible for users who know what they are doing to view (not post) shoutbox messages regardless of permissions - be sure to disable it if you plan on posting private data in shoutbox messages. For the vast majority of uses (even as a members-only or VIP chat), this is not an issue and it can be safely enabled.)
Persistent message colours and colour picker
Inspired by vSA ChatBox, users can now pick a colour to use for all their messages - this improves overall readability as messages can be identified at a glance. Plus, instead of having to figure out the bbcode and fiddle with hex codes, there is now a full colour picker.
[attachment=12504:0yjv.jpg]
[attachment=12505:hii9.png]
Realtime-updating Message Of The Day
Going above and beyond the original request for some kind of 'announcement' or 'sticky message' in the shoutbox, I have added an MOTD which updates for all users viewing the shoutbox instantly without refreshing, and that can be edited by anyone with appropriate permissions - so even your moderators, not just admins.
[attachment=12506:apln.png]
[attachment=12507:4--8.png]
Realtime 'users in chat' listing
As you may have noticed from the above screenshots, all shoutbox views now display the number of users currently viewing the shoutbox, and this is updated in realtime.
The 'users in chat' sidebar display on the Full view has also been brought up to date, with all previous bugs fixed and the addition of realtime updating. Additionally, it is now available as a XenPorta and [bd] Widget Framework widget.
[attachment=12508:wu3v.png]
Message notifications in tab/window title
A new optional feature: while in the full shoutbox and the tab or window is unfocused, the title will be flashed to grab your attention when a new message is posted, akin to Facebook messenger.
[attachment=12509:if7y.gif]
Live threads and posts
If you desire, new threads or new threads and replies can now be displayed in the shoutbox.
[attachment=12510:esrv.jpg]
/me command
[attachment=12511:gohq.png]
Ban from shoutbox
A new addition to the message dropdown, allowing anyone with the appropriate permissions to ban a user from the shoutbox. This allows you to have 'shoutbox moderators' without giving them Admin CP access.
[attachment=12512:i4h1.png]
/prune command
Commonly requested, this allows anyone with the appropriate permission to clear the shoutbox. Unlike the community-made prune button, this will save any new messages to your archive thread, if enabled.
[attachment=12509:if7y.gif]
Ignore support
Added support for the built-in XenForo Ignore feature. It is also possible to have messages hidden entirely, rather than how they are displayed in this screenshot.
[attachment=12513:8a2d.jpg]
[bd] Widget Framework and XenPorta support
Comprehensive support for the [bd] Widget Framework addon has been added, and the existing XenPorta support has been extended.
Available widgets in both:
- Sidebar shoutbox
- Alt (full width) shoutbox
- Users in Chat (realtime updated)
[attachment=12514:bq7p.jpg]
Miscellaneous features
Other new features, or features that cannot be easily described with a screenshot:
- Moved mini avatars to the left of timestamps to improve readability.
- Moved BBCode toolbar to the side of the message input box.
- Changed template edits to use template hooks, eliminating the need for the ?global hook option - should reduce server load slightly if you had it enabled.
- Added option to disable smilies.
- Refresh speed now controlled on a window focused/unfocused basis, with extra support for slower refreshing in background tabs in modern browsers.
- Message editing is now done inline and instantly without redirecting.
- Added new 'Absolute Time' time display - displays full date for previous days' messages and time only for current day.
Bugfixes
Many bugs from TaigaChat free have been resolved - here are a few of the noteworthy ones:
- Fixed 'Users in Chat' being basically completely broken
- Fixed small client-side/browser freezes when refreshing
- Fixed scrolling to bottom with Reverse mode enabled not taking large images into account (now waits until images are loaded)
- Fixed URLs not being parsed in archive output
- Fixed numerous javascript console errors and warnings
Admin Panel options:
Hopefully this screenshot speaks for itself:
[attachment=12515:btnu.jpg]
If you DO NOT use [bd] Widget Framework:
- 1.2
- 1.3
- 1.4
- 1.5
Description:
TaigaChat Pro brings to the table a wide array of commonly-requested features in the original TaigaChat free version, along with many improvements of my own concoction to make TaigaChat Pro more than an old-fashioned shoutbox - it is now also suited to replace highly-concurrent Flash, IRC and proprietary chatrooms.
For your money, you will not only receive a significantly more versatile and powerful product, but the same lifetime updates and support I offer on all my premium addons. By contrast, the free version of TaigaChat is largely unsupported - all future updates will be channelled into TaigaChat Pro. You are also buying into tried and tested technology - TaigaChat was one of the first major XenForo addons and has existed since the first beta versions of XenForo, with constant updates ever since.
In moving from the free version to TaigaChat Pro on my live forum, the activity of the shoutbox has drastically increased. Factors such as the new 'speed mode' refresh system and persistent message colouring have given it the 'XenForo Effect'; it is simply more fun to use. Of course, standard forum posting has not decreased - on the vast majority if not all forums, shoutbox messages and forum posts are used for entirely discrete purposes.
New Features and Improvements:
The features listed here are what has been added compared to the original TaigaChat free.
For those who are unfamiliar with the original TaigaChat, you are advised to view its description in the Resource Manager for more information.
New 'speed-mode' refresh system
Inspired by the architecture behind all good 4chan-style imageboard scripts, this system replaces the extremely server-intensive calls to a PHP script on every refresh with a static HTML file that is rewritten when someone posts a message.
This creates a level of efficiency previously only reachable by embedded IRC chatrooms or custom server software. And the best part? It works on shared hosting.
Where previously maybe 10 or 20 people could chat on a low refresh time like 1 or 2 seconds without having an effect on server load and site speed, now most servers should have absolutely no problem handling hundreds of concurrent users.
(Note that this system makes it possible for users who know what they are doing to view (not post) shoutbox messages regardless of permissions - be sure to disable it if you plan on posting private data in shoutbox messages. For the vast majority of uses (even as a members-only or VIP chat), this is not an issue and it can be safely enabled.)
Persistent message colours and colour picker
Inspired by vSA ChatBox, users can now pick a colour to use for all their messages - this improves overall readability as messages can be identified at a glance. Plus, instead of having to figure out the bbcode and fiddle with hex codes, there is now a full colour picker.
[attachment=12504:0yjv.jpg]
[attachment=12505:hii9.png]
Realtime-updating Message Of The Day
Going above and beyond the original request for some kind of 'announcement' or 'sticky message' in the shoutbox, I have added an MOTD which updates for all users viewing the shoutbox instantly without refreshing, and that can be edited by anyone with appropriate permissions - so even your moderators, not just admins.
[attachment=12506:apln.png]
[attachment=12507:4--8.png]
Realtime 'users in chat' listing
As you may have noticed from the above screenshots, all shoutbox views now display the number of users currently viewing the shoutbox, and this is updated in realtime.
The 'users in chat' sidebar display on the Full view has also been brought up to date, with all previous bugs fixed and the addition of realtime updating. Additionally, it is now available as a XenPorta and [bd] Widget Framework widget.
[attachment=12508:wu3v.png]
Message notifications in tab/window title
A new optional feature: while in the full shoutbox and the tab or window is unfocused, the title will be flashed to grab your attention when a new message is posted, akin to Facebook messenger.
[attachment=12509:if7y.gif]
Live threads and posts
If you desire, new threads or new threads and replies can now be displayed in the shoutbox.
[attachment=12510:esrv.jpg]
/me command
[attachment=12511:gohq.png]
Ban from shoutbox
A new addition to the message dropdown, allowing anyone with the appropriate permissions to ban a user from the shoutbox. This allows you to have 'shoutbox moderators' without giving them Admin CP access.
[attachment=12512:i4h1.png]
/prune command
Commonly requested, this allows anyone with the appropriate permission to clear the shoutbox. Unlike the community-made prune button, this will save any new messages to your archive thread, if enabled.
[attachment=12509:if7y.gif]
Ignore support
Added support for the built-in XenForo Ignore feature. It is also possible to have messages hidden entirely, rather than how they are displayed in this screenshot.
[attachment=12513:8a2d.jpg]
[bd] Widget Framework and XenPorta support
Comprehensive support for the [bd] Widget Framework addon has been added, and the existing XenPorta support has been extended.
Available widgets in both:
- Sidebar shoutbox
- Alt (full width) shoutbox
- Users in Chat (realtime updated)
[attachment=12514:bq7p.jpg]
Miscellaneous features
Other new features, or features that cannot be easily described with a screenshot:
- Moved mini avatars to the left of timestamps to improve readability.
- Moved BBCode toolbar to the side of the message input box.
- Changed template edits to use template hooks, eliminating the need for the ?global hook option - should reduce server load slightly if you had it enabled.
- Added option to disable smilies.
- Refresh speed now controlled on a window focused/unfocused basis, with extra support for slower refreshing in background tabs in modern browsers.
- Message editing is now done inline and instantly without redirecting.
- Added new 'Absolute Time' time display - displays full date for previous days' messages and time only for current day.
Bugfixes
Many bugs from TaigaChat free have been resolved - here are a few of the noteworthy ones:
- Fixed 'Users in Chat' being basically completely broken
- Fixed small client-side/browser freezes when refreshing
- Fixed scrolling to bottom with Reverse mode enabled not taking large images into account (now waits until images are loaded)
- Fixed URLs not being parsed in archive output
- Fixed numerous javascript console errors and warnings
Admin Panel options:
Hopefully this screenshot speaks for itself:
[attachment=12515:btnu.jpg]
- Install new addon using addon-TaigaChat.xml.
- Set the permissions for all relevant user groups.
- Import widget_framework_taigachat_pro.xml from Appearance > Import Widgets - do NOT delete your existing widgets when prompted.
Then, go to Appearance > List Widgets and enable one of the two available Shoutbox types (Sidebar or Full width), and additionally the ?Users in Chat widget if you desire.
- Observe the settings in Home > Options > TaigaChat Pro, especially the top setting (?Speed mode) if shoutbox security matters.
- If you use XenPorta and wish to include TaigaChat in your portal, upload contents of xenporta/upload folder to your forum root, then in Home > Blocks > Install Block, install TaigaChat.xml, TaigaChatAlt.xml and TaigaChatOnline.xml.
If you DO NOT use [bd] Widget Framework:
- Upload contents of upload folder to forum root.
- Install new addon using addon-TaigaChat.xml.
- Set the permissions for all relevant user groups.
- For sidebar: in the forum_list template, before or after (personal preference) <xen:include template="sidebar_online_users" /> add <xen:hook name="dark_taigachat" />
For full width above/below forum list: in the forum_list template, before or after (personal preference) <xen:if is="{$renderedNodes}"><xen:include template="node_list" /></xen:if> add <xen:hook name="dark_taigachat_alt" />
- Observe the settings in Home > Options > TaigaChat Pro, especially the top setting (?Speed mode) if shoutbox security matters.
- If you use XenPorta and wish to include TaigaChat in your portal, upload contents of xenporta/upload folder to your forum root, then in Home > Blocks > Install Block, install TaigaChat.xml, TaigaChatAlt.xml and TaigaChatOnline.xml.
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