This extension provides a html-chatbox based on ajax. This means messages are sent and received with the use of JavaScript, so no page reload is necessary. More features are:
Views
The chat room itself consists of one list with all connected users, one window of chat messages and one text area for entering a message. When moving the mouse cursor over one user name of the user list, more details are shown in a tool tip window. When clicking on one user name, the name is copied to the text area. Optionally there are also buttons for sending a private message and creating a private room with this user as member of it.
The moderated chat is extended by an extra window for stored messages. If a moderator stores at least one message this window gets visible. There he can decide whether to delete or to commit the message.
Another view consists of all available chat rooms. From there an user can enter a chat room or get to the session list view where all available session logs are displayed.
The session list view shows all available sessions of a chat room.
Finally there is the session log view. All messages of a session are listed and a moderator – if logged in – can delete unwanted messages.
Chat modes
There are two chat modes: normal and expert mode. The expert chat is a moderated chat where messages from normal users are hidden at first. A moderator can unhide a message by “committing” the message.
Chat rooms
There can be created an unlimited number of chatrooms. Each chatroom consists optionally f title, description, welcome message, moderators, experts (only in expert mode), banned users, superusers and a frontend usergroup that is allowed to use the chat room. You can also define if you want to use nicknames or real names (this is experimental only), usercount limit and what informations are shown about one user for each group (moderator, expert, user). Since version 0.2.0 there are private chat rooms available. One user can create a new chatroom by using the command /newroom. An invitation can be sent via /invite.
Messages
Messages can have different styles for each type: user, system, moderator, expert, superuser and hidden user messages. Chat messages are parsed and emoticons (like “:)”) are replaced with images. By using the command /msg one can send a private (hidden) message to any user.
Sessions
It is possible to create a session log entry. It is defined by title, description, relation to one chatroom and two relations to chat entries (first message and last message). All messages between the two defined messages are displayed in the session logs view.
Commands and live moderating
During the chat one can use commands to get some information about one user or to moderate the chat. By entering “/help” the user receives a list of available commands. Some commands: ban, kick, redeem, whois, who, makesession, help.
Usergroups
A chat room can contain four types of users. First the ordinary chat user. Second the so-called moderator is mostly the owner of the chat room or was explicitly defined. In an expert chat room the messages of an user are hidden until a moderator commits the message. Messages of an expert are never hidden. The superuser can always execute all chat commands and can even be hidden. All message have a different CSS style for each group one.
