Enable Chat Between Online Members

It would be very helpful if the forum would enable a real-time chat between logged on users of the forum. I am not sure if such a feature exists in the forum software, but just saying. I have frequently wanted to chat with a user experiencing a problem and be able to dialog about the issue.

This is something better handled by real chat programs such as IRC or Kik or WhatsApp than a resource hogging forum add-on.

This is something better handled by real chat programs such as IRC or Kik or WhatsApp than a resource hogging forum add-on.

I am not recommending a "how". If a user is online I would like to be able to request to chat with that user without asking them to register with some external chat service (which 99% of the people won't do). I am fine if behind the scenes it is using some other chat software and not bloating SMF.

Maybe as a group we should pick a program preferable one that you can open in a web browser so you don't have to install something, create a room, and have the info posted on the forum or have a button at the top of the page that says chat.

I remember there used to be this php irc chat client.

Since we have emhttp and PHP, perhaps a plugin can be developed to go out to a specific IRC server and channel.

If there are other client/server potentials then this could be used in a similar fashion.

I remember we tried to start up an IRC channel. I believe it did not have much participation.

However if it's part of an emhttp plugin, that may change.

Is this it?  http://www.phpclasses.org/package/1409-PHP-IRC-client-for-creating-chats-or-bots.html

I believe I used CGI::IRC in the past.

http://cgiirc.org/docs/install.php

It was a cgi-bin app, however emhttp does not do cgi-bin. So it would have to be something totally in PHP, which is quite feasible.

Another option is a java jar that is installed into the emhttp plugin system and when you load the plugin page, the .jar is downloaded and does the real work from the client/browser side.

What about Jabber?

Your forum profiles allows you to enter some (old school) chat IDs for which will generate a clickable link on your profile.

Easiest way for a 1-1 chat

ICQ

This is your ICQ number.

AIM

This is your AOL Instant Messenger nickname.

MSN

Your MSN messenger email address

YIM

This is your Yahoo! Instant Messenger nickname.

I haven't used those clients in ages!

Here's an interesting Java one.

http://www.oldschoolirc.com/

Perhaps a plugin client can be created that stores the .jar on the unRAID server with a pre-determined java irc server destination.  Or maybe a page hosted on the limetech server itself directly accessible from the forum.

I am sure it is probably just as simple as linking to this

http://webchat.freenode.net/

with the appropriate switches to joint the existing #unraid channel

That's way easier.

http://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=unRAID&uio=d4

Finished!
Your custom link is:
http://webchat.freenode.net?channels=unRAID&uio=d4


You can embed this into your page with the following code:
<iframe src="http://webchat.freenode.net?channels=unRAID&uio=d4" width="647" height="400"></iframe>

You all can join #unraid channel on IRC, freenode: http://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=unRAID&uio=d4

Unraid Room screenshot: