 Notice. New forum software under development. It's going to miss a few functions and look a bit ugly for a while, but I'm working on it full time now as the old forum was too unstable. Couple days, all good. If you notice any issues, please contact me. |
Forum Index : Site News : Online Chat?
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Bryan1 Guru  Joined: 22/02/2006 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1343 |
Glenn as a test I had both IE7 and firefox going, I could type in IE7 but the screen wouldn't display the chat. The firefox window did update it straight away. I did do a heap of tests on the chatroom so I do hope it helped Cheers Bryan  |
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Downwind Guru Joined: 09/09/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2333 |
I had a quick play in chat and it worked for me with posting. I agree a time stamp would be good. I am not in favor of the past history function except for the past hour of discussion. I see chat as exactly that, it is a here and now conversation between members. Like a phone call. To history of 15 mins or an hour to give others a chance to catch up on a current chat is fine, otherwise we have a forum of chatter and not postings. What do the rest of you think??? Pete. Sometimes it just works |
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Gizmo Admin Group  Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5078 |
I've added the time to the chat messages. The past history only displays the last 100 entries, but I agree, the last 15 to 30 minutes is enough. The messages are recorded in a database for legal reasons, defamations, that sort of thing. I need to rethink the way it tracks users online. I see VK4AYQ is stuck on, even though hes not online. The way it works now is, when someone click on the Chat button above, it saves their username into a database of logged on users. When the userlist on the chat page gets updated, every couple of seconds, it retrieves the list of current users from that database. When the user closes the chat window, it deletes that user from the database. It works OK in theory, but if someone opens a second chat window, or has some weird security setting, the database could be out of sync with who is actually online. So I'll change the code to a better system tomorrow. Tonight, its time for bed. Glenn The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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GWatPE Senior Member  Joined: 01/09/2006 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2127 |
Hi Gizmo, the chat is screwing up the forum somehow. Since you added it, I am logged in, but the reply to post window gets lost somehow. I was in the chat room, and appeared on the chat user list, then I disappeared, and the reply to post went with it. I went back to the main forum page and then navigated back to the forum page I had been reading again, and the post reply had come back. SOme bubs still in there. Gordon. become more energy aware |
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| Gizmo Admin Group Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5078 |
A few notes. The Chat button above, Members in chat now, wont update unless you refresh the page or go to another page. Its only there as a indicator of who was online when you loaded the page, its not live. If anyone does notice a bug, please let me know what OS and browser you are using. The chat works perfectly for me, so I need to know more information and try to replicate the bug before I can fix it. Still a few issues with tracking who is online. Glenn The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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| Gizmo Admin Group Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5078 |
Another update. If you refresh the chat window, which you shouldn't need to do, but anyway, you disappear from the online user list. But if you then type in a chat message, the chat software finds you again and adds you to the list. The Chat can now understand special characters like &, ' and " Glenn The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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Greenbelt Guru Joined: 11/01/2009 Location: United StatesPosts: 566 |
Glen, The post reply window loaded automatically without a log on user name or password. this is April 2, 10;24 pm 18 hours behind you. Earlier today while you were sleeping the site seemed normal. Go Back to Bed.!! 
EDIT; I used this automatic window to post this reply, appears to function normally. Gizmo;This may be false alarm , I have an old computer with WIN's ME and old IE browser. I logged on the site and shortly after it crashed. I never did try to log on after. May have been logged on all day?? I Use XP with Firefox normally. end edit 
Time has proven that I am blind to the Obvious, some of the above may be True? |
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| Gizmo Admin Group Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5078 |
OK, the chat software is working most of the time for most people. There are still a few issues with it loosing track of who's online, but I cant understand why. There are two ways the server knows when you have left the chat room. First, when you close the chat window, the page sends a quick message to the server to say you are leaving. This works 95% of the time. The other way it works is, when you have the chat window open, every 2 seconds it sends a request to the server for a page refresh. It also tells the server who you are. The server has a list of who's online, and each person has a time stamp. If the server hasn't heard from a user in over 10 seconds, meaning their chat window is no longer open, it drops them from the online users list. This works 99% of the time. The other 1% has got me buggered. Next I want to work on ways to reduce the bandwidth and improve the speed. Currently all the chating you see on the page is resent every 2 seconds. Its not a lot of data, so dont worry. I want to rewrite the software to only send any new chat messages, instead of the whole page worth. Less data means I can reduce the refresh rate to once a second. Basically, the chat client ( your chat window ) will tell the server it's last message was number X, and the server will send any new messages after X. Writting the server code to do this is dead easy, its VB Script, my native language. But the client is using javascript, which I'm not that fluent in, so it will be a challenge. But I enjoy this sort of thing, in my own sad little way, and I do need more experience with java. Once the speed is improved and the bandwidth reduced, I can look at adding some more features, like a sound when someone sends a message, logs in or out. Back to the coal face. Glenn The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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| Bryan1 Guru Joined: 22/02/2006 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1343 |
Hi Gizmo, As Ross hasn't responded this thread I will add what he said about bandwidth. He did work out it cost around 1 meg an hour just to stay in idle chat. For guys like me on a 5gig limit something like that will soon use my allowance and I will be stuck paying 5c a meg over my 5 gig limit. I really do appreciate the work your doing getting this chat going but if the bandwidth is so high it will be a problem. Cheers Bryan |
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| Gizmo Admin Group Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5078 |
Hi Bryan. I would like to know how he worked that out. Maybe before I updated the software a couple of hours ago. I just did the maths. If no one is chatting, and you have 3 members online, each with a username of 10 characters, then the server will send 55 bytes, plus any protocol overheads, every 3 seconds. Thats 1100 bytes a minute, or 66k per hour. I have another update soon that will drop that to 25 bytes per 3 seconds, or 30k per hour. Just been looking at my internet connection, the protocol overheads is adding up to 237k per hour. Glenn The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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| Gizmo Admin Group Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5078 |
Another note. The chat software tracks users separately from the forum software. They can't affect eachother. So, if a members name is in the Online users list in the chat window, but, their name is no longer in the forum as a online member, it simply means they have closed their forum page, but still have the chat page open. Glenn The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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| Bryan1 Guru Joined: 22/02/2006 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1343 |
Hi Gizmo, Bruce was in irc chat at the time and I only got the message when I scrolled up, Ross did go into chat and mention it so it should be in the logs. Cheers Bryan |
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| brucedownunder2 Guru Joined: 14/09/2005 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1548 |
working nicely Glenn. Thank you for your efforts. any bandwidth problems will be worked out ,,I'm sure of that Bruce Bushboy |
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