Dungeon Master Forum

I've just uploaded a new AJAX powered chat facility in place of FlashChat. It's totally untested so far, but looks pretty damn sweet. No need to login separately, it's completely integrated with the forum and even allows Channels based on forum names...

Check it out. We can test it for a bit. If we like it, I'll integrate a permanent link into the forum theme.

http://www.dungeon-master.com/forum/chat/

Oh I hope this thing is better than the bugged out flash chat.

Seems to be!

Except it doesn't have :yeah: and :nono: and :usa: ...

The horror

i still have at least the yeah available as a gif

Can the new chat have a link where the flashchat link used to be?

You're the third person to ask that. Doesn't anyone read any more?

Gambit37 wrote:Check it out. We can test it for a bit. If we like it, I'll integrate a permanent link into the forum theme.

I think it looks good, I just have the misfortune of both times having tried it, those inside logged out just as I was entring Like linflas just now

I think it doesn't bother to "update" or whatever until something new happens, so it doesn't time an idle person out until a new one comes in. It just looks like horrible timing.

(Either that, or you just happened to leave exactly as I came in!)

It's currently set to poll for inactivity every five minutes. People are considered inactive after two minutes and logged out.

I can modify this if that's too short -- I reckon 15 minutes for kicking out inactive users would be better, and a 2 minute delay for checking the status.

I think even 15 minutes are to short.

How does it work anyway? I was logged in pretty much all night without getting kicked that time I logged in, yet I saw others like zyx get kicked out for being innactive.

I think what some poeple did with flashchat was log in, and let the sound warn them if someone entered while doing other things - so I think the longer innactivity period the better just to ensure people can meet up or keep a watch that way.

Nitpicky!

:p

Yeah, I reckon a much longer time before auto-kick-out would be better, for if, say, you're the only person to log in and want to leave the chat up in the background for it to ping at you when someone else logs in or something.
Anyway, I think I've only been in there a couple of times so far - the first time I logged in, Wuffy was there but he was busy on the phone, and the second time the room was empty. But anyway it looks pretty cool .

Sophia, if you look at our post times, it's only a couple mins difference.. so I must have logged out right as soon as you entered

Ameena wrote:if, say, you're the only person to log in and want to leave the chat up in the background for it to ping at you when someone else logs in or something.

beowuuf wrote:I think what some poeple did with flashchat was log in, and let the sound warn them if someone entered while doing other things

The problem with that is that if everyone does it, the server ends up doing a lot of polling for no good reason. It's better just to login in when you are available and logout again when you're done.

I'll see if I can get something working that shows who's online on the main page so that you don't have to leave the chat open in the background.

beowuuf wrote:How does it work anyway? I was logged in pretty much all night without getting kicked that time I logged in, yet I saw others like zyx get kicked out for being innactive.

Maybe admins don't get kicked? I'll have to check it out fully.

Gambit37 wrote:The problem with that is that if everyone does it, the server ends up doing a lot of polling for no good reason. It's better just to login in when you are available and logout again when you're done.

I'll see if I can get something working that shows who's online on the main page so that you don't have to leave the chat open in the background.

Only one person waits idly in the chat at any given time. If two people were doing it they would find each other and talk. On the other hand, if there is a list of chat users on the front page, the chat will always be empty, since it will be obvious from the front page that nobody is in so nobody will go in.
Not that I mind a list on the front page, that's actually useful, but it has to be coupled with the possibility to wait in chat for others to join, or the chat will remain unused.

cowsmanaut wrote:Sophia, if you look at our post times, it's only a couple mins difference.. so I must have logged out right as soon as you entered

Well, ok.
But I'm serious, the timestamps for you leaving and me entering were like the exaaaaaaaaccccttt same. To the second!

So it was either an issue of something timing out as a new user comes in, or it would be

Please delete the TWO old flashchat "Who is in Flashchat" threads?... Archive them then, anything.

http://www.dungeon-master.com/forum/vie ... hp?t=26440
http://www.dungeon-master.com/forum/vie ... hp?t=26288

Thanks.

Actually, since the new chat functions exactly the same as flashchat (or infact kicks you out more), then this is still a valid thread (just you need to use the new chat link)

The reason they were in two places was because there could be two logical places to look for such a thread - forum matters, or for general talking

I'll let some other admin move them if they disagree - I'll update the links on both though!

Thanks twice over!

A Chat link has been added to the top nav bar. It only shows when you're logged in.

I've changed the "inactive user timeout" to half an hour.

Thread demoted as it's no longer an announcement.

I've now added a bigger link on the Viewforums and Viewtopics pages for the Chat. Note that it's dynamically bound to the forum you're currently in, so if you use it, you'll go straight to the associated Channel in the Chat Room.

I know you all want some kind of status thingy showing who's there but I've found no code to do that for our version of the forum and I'm not clever enough to do it myself. Sorry!

Some clever people did a "show who's online" thingy for this version of phpBB2 so I've integrated it.

The small Chat icon in the top bar now displays a count of users in there and if you hover over the link you'll see the names too.

This is probably my last tweak to the forums before stepping down as tech bod. Enjoy.

Cool, I noticed it says "Chat [1]" at the top of the screen, but when I clicked it I just got a screen with an error message. Must be something to do with my comp or something I suppose, 'cause if it was a bug with the chat in general I'd've thought there'd be no-one in there at all .

Oops, my mistake, should be OK now.

By the way, this is only going to be accurate if people actually use the LOGOUT button in chat.

If you open Chat in another tab for example and simply close that tab instead of logging out, you'll still be listed as logged in until the software times you out automatically which I bumped up to 30 mins.

So to make everyone's life easier and this new feature actually useful, please remember to logout of chat when you're done.

Okay, cool . I'm going to bed now but I'll probably poke my nose into the chat a bit more in future if I happen to notice anyone's in there. Handy feature .

Great addition! Thanks Gambit!