pgroettjord
asked on
Creating an Instant Messenger
I have a forum based WebWizGuide, where active users are already built in. I'm starting to think about how I can allow active users (users currently online) to contact other acive users.
I'm thinking to do the following: clicking on the active username (e.g. Send an Instant Message to <Username>) will open a smaller window that has frames. The top frame will contain a large textbox or iframe that gets refreshed every second or so. The bottom frame is where you would enter the instant message. Every submit in the bottom frame sends the instant message to the db. The receiving user will get the pop-up window in their side when the navigate pages (have a query to searches this table for instant messages sent to them).
Once both sides have the "instant messenger" window open, it should be straightforward. I realize the receiver needs to navigate in the site in order to kickoff the query to check for instant meessages, but that's all I can think of now. Before starting on this, has anyone done anything like this before? It's probablt better to session variables and db-less approach, but I'm not that advanced. I have searched the web for days from something that would work, but without luck. Any ideas? Would this work?
I'm thinking to do the following: clicking on the active username (e.g. Send an Instant Message to <Username>) will open a smaller window that has frames. The top frame will contain a large textbox or iframe that gets refreshed every second or so. The bottom frame is where you would enter the instant message. Every submit in the bottom frame sends the instant message to the db. The receiving user will get the pop-up window in their side when the navigate pages (have a query to searches this table for instant messages sent to them).
Once both sides have the "instant messenger" window open, it should be straightforward. I realize the receiver needs to navigate in the site in order to kickoff the query to check for instant meessages, but that's all I can think of now. Before starting on this, has anyone done anything like this before? It's probablt better to session variables and db-less approach, but I'm not that advanced. I have searched the web for days from something that would work, but without luck. Any ideas? Would this work?
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>>I also will say that this was a hard project...
I really isn't that difficult, maybe using a DB, but just to concatenate and parse aan application variable is pretty simple. I built a couple for clients, and even though they are annoying, they work fine.
>>don't see how the other user would receive an instant message pop-up
Not possible unless your using sockets or Java applets, or something to those means. ASP has no constant connection to the Server like those, so you can't send messages to someone else unless they are using the same screen at the same time....like a chat room.
Best you could do is pop-up a message to the other users if his name matches the name you just type in...
All in all, not worth the time! Leave IM to AOL....it sucks anyway!
I really isn't that difficult, maybe using a DB, but just to concatenate and parse aan application variable is pretty simple. I built a couple for clients, and even though they are annoying, they work fine.
>>don't see how the other user would receive an instant message pop-up
Not possible unless your using sockets or Java applets, or something to those means. ASP has no constant connection to the Server like those, so you can't send messages to someone else unless they are using the same screen at the same time....like a chat room.
Best you could do is pop-up a message to the other users if his name matches the name you just type in...
All in all, not worth the time! Leave IM to AOL....it sucks anyway!
alorentz-
No you are right, was not that hard...more along the lines of the way the client wanted it...and the biz rules involved it just became harder..by itself it is not that bad.
No you are right, was not that hard...more along the lines of the way the client wanted it...and the biz rules involved it just became harder..by itself it is not that bad.
@pgroettjord - what is the status of this question?
@glsac - you mentioned getting rid of the flicker with Javascript....do you have the code for that?
I'll give you points for the code if you have it...
I'll give you points for the code if you have it...
ASKER
I did find a solution from www.hubz.com that works well, but it's not very cistomizable. Hope you don't mind I split the points, and sorry for the REALLY long delay in this.
OK, good luck!
ASKER