rejetto forum

Software => HFS ~ HTTP File Server => Topic started by: KalleB on July 14, 2007, 11:17:03 AM

Title: Introducing HFS Messaging protocol
Post by: KalleB on July 14, 2007, 11:17:03 AM
When you can't think of anything else to code, here's something you might concider: Messaging.


Background:

Quite many times I've had something to say to some user browsing my server.. like recommending something to download for example. Only way to say it has been to ban that person temporarily, type the message as the "reason" and hope they would get it when they request the next page..

Also, sometimes while browsing someone elses server I'd like to be able to send a message to the server owner. In that case the only way has been to type my message to the URL after "?" sign and hope they'd spot that request from the log..

Here's a simple messaging protocol to help in this kind of situations and also to allow messaging between the users.


Look & feel:

(http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/2646/chat1sb7.th.jpg) (http://img177.imageshack.us/my.php?image=chat1sb7.jpg)
A new private message has arrived when user was browsing the server. Instead of serving the requested page to the user, HFS serves this private messages page with a link to continue where he was really going. This page lists all the private messages user has received from any sender. To reply to specific user, its name can be clicked to change that value into he To: box. Also, multiple receivers could be added by separating them with comma. When a message has arrived and user is redirected to this page, the senders name obviously is the default value of the To: box.

The Chat history list would actually be just a borderless white table (with three columns) inside an iFrame (with 5 sec autoupdate).

At the bottom of the page there's a link to clear all private messages of that username and IP-address. Otherwise anyone logging in from same IP-address or with same username later could see these messages.


(http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/3994/chat2cw4.th.jpg) (http://img172.imageshack.us/my.php?image=chat2cw4.jpg)
This is the servers public chat page. It's accessible using the link at the page footer. Here anyone can post messages that everyone can see. Clicking any username or IP-address would open up the private chat window with that username or ip-address in the To: box.

Otherwise this would be similar to the private chat window ...with the exeption that public messages cannot be cleared.
Users own messages are, like in private chat too, grayed to hide them a bit.

Additionally, when user is chatting from 127.0.0.1 aka localhost he would be considered as Server.


(http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/622/chat3qw7.th.jpg) (http://img511.imageshack.us/my.php?image=chat3qw7.jpg)
Private messages pointed to the server owner would open up a simple popup window in HFS...
In this case it might be better if every user has it's own popup window and all Servers private messages are not in the same list...or I don't know..

User would have to have an option to select whether these popup windows are displayed also when HFS is minimized to tray icon or only after HFS is opened from the tray by the user.


(http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/6616/chat4xk1.th.jpg) (http://img172.imageshack.us/my.php?image=chat4xk1.jpg)
Similar window for the public chat... Server admin can clear the whole public chat history with that Clear button.




Under the hood:

HFS would have a (hidden) "message log" with format: [time][from][to][message]
This would include all messaging happened inside HFS...every message sent.

Example:
12:15:42 123.34.56.678 Server "Hello!"
12:15:49 Server 123.34.56.678 "Hello to u too"
14:52:11 mike@234.423.23.33 All "....."
14:52:59 amanda@42.244.53.11 mike "......."
14:53:50 mike@234.423.23.33 42.244.53.11 "......"
16:21:45 Server 123.34.56.678,mike,amanda "......."

* Server is obviously the server admin
* Message with All as [to] value is a public message
* Messages [From] anonymous users get an entry according to their IP-address
* Messages [From] logged in users get an entry including their name and IP-address
* Receiver [To] can only be a name OR an IP-address (or many of then separated by comma)
   (not name@12.34.56.7 because then "name" would not see his messages when he logs in at 76.54.32.1)

Parsing the message log

When for example user john logs in at 123.34.56.678 and his private messages are requested, the log is searched for
* line that has user john OR IP 123.34.56.678 in its [To] field
* line that has user john OR IP 123.34.56.678 in its [From] field AND where [To] is NOT "All"

The resulting lines would then be output into the table inside the iframe as described earlier.

The same way when someone opens up public chat, the message log is searched for any line that has "All" as its To value.

Clear messages function would work just the same way as these searches but it would just delete the matching lines found.



I don't know if this is the most effective or logical way of things to work...but this is the way I see it would be reasonably "doable" with rather low effort. If someone can think of better ways to do this, just let us know...  :)



Here are the mockup images also as attachments:
Title: Re: Introducing HFS Messaging protocol
Post by: Tuskenraider on July 14, 2007, 11:48:08 AM
!!!!!!!WOW!!!!!!! cant wait to use this handy gizmo!!!! 
Title: Re: Introducing HFS Messaging protocol
Post by: Giant Eagle on July 14, 2007, 01:01:13 PM
Nice feature but... Why havent you started already?

http://www.google.com/search?q=Delphi+for+beginners

^^
Title: Re: Introducing HFS Messaging protocol
Post by: KalleB on July 14, 2007, 01:24:02 PM
Well I know Delphi already :D ...wrote a few quite decent apps couple of years ago ;)

It's just impossible to find enough time for coding nowadays :( ...otherwise I think I'd already tried coding this and some other things to HFS.
Title: Re: Introducing HFS Messaging protocol
Post by: TSG on July 14, 2007, 01:29:04 PM
Well I know Delphi already :D ...wrote a few quite decent apps couple of years ago ;)....

It's just impossible to find enough time for coding nowadays...

Good you can help rejetto a bit :P

How do you think rejetto feels...
Title: Re: Introducing HFS Messaging protocol
Post by: radd on July 14, 2007, 03:08:21 PM
just wanna tell u, i embed myshoutbox in my page. dont u think it act the same, but easier?

if u wanna have a look
http://radd.myftp.org:81/
Title: Re: Introducing HFS Messaging protocol
Post by: TSG on July 14, 2007, 03:24:57 PM
just wanna tell u, i embed myshoutbox in my page. dont u think it act the same, but easier?

if u wanna have a look
http://radd.myftp.org:81/

Main reason i haven't replied to the idea yet :P i have no need for it. Nice template btw.
Title: Re: Introducing HFS Messaging protocol
Post by: radd on July 14, 2007, 04:07:57 PM
thanks, tsg
Title: Re: Introducing HFS Messaging protocol
Post by: rejetto on July 14, 2007, 06:56:23 PM
there are so many php boards you could run.
it's better to work on php than on a board you may not like.
Title: Re: Introducing HFS Messaging protocol
Post by: radd on July 14, 2007, 08:12:06 PM
just to add, im not saying what Kalleb proposed worthless. in my case for example, i use myshoutbox where anybody can leave a message if they want to. however, evrytime people connect to my server, i can't chat personally with them. what im trying to say is this way is not very interactive.
Having messaging system is still a nice idea
Title: Re: Introducing HFS Messaging protocol
Post by: MarkV on July 15, 2007, 01:18:08 AM
Yes, right.

PHP+MySQL and you can run virtually any board software you like:

- phpBB 3.0 (Olympus) -> The board of my choice
- SMF forum (you are using it ATM)
- etc.

There are even boards out coded in Perl interpreter language which don't need a database (working with flatfiles). A good example in this category is Yabb2.1 ...
Title: Re: Introducing HFS Messaging protocol
Post by: ebola on July 15, 2007, 07:43:27 AM
Hi

I'm 99,99% of the time NOT watching users crawling through my server.
An interactive messagesystem is therefor not realy needed in my eyes - shoutbox is enough - but if someone want's to get in contact with me atm I left an UIN there for them...

ebola
Title: Re: Introducing HFS Messaging protocol
Post by: maverick on July 15, 2007, 09:32:07 AM
A few years ago, I ran an actual chat server called from HFS.  It rarely got used so I removed it.    People that come to my site are more interested in files and not about chatting.  If any of my users want to get in contact with me or leave a message, they can do that.