phpBB + other Chat software integration issue

[Linda]

Hi,

I am not sure I understood.  

This is the part that I have trouble:

The X7 Chat tables and phpBB tables need to be in the same database, the $SERVER['AUTH'] variable needs to be set to phpBB, the X7 Chat script needs to be one directory below the phpBB one (in the case of your non-subdomain chat).

Currently, my x7chat is not within the phpbb folder. So, I have only 1 x7Chat installed. I try to use it from the subdomain. Do you think I should install another one in phpbb folder, as well? Fresh installation?

That is correct, that is why registration on the X7 Chat should be disabled.

if I disable registration for x7Chat, how people can register to it from the subdomain? Should I leave the registration open for the one from the subdomain and close for the one within the phpbb? I am little bit confused. Sorry.

I think I solved the log problem. It was not logging because there was a 1024 K limit set in Admin Setting. I made 0, so, hopefully it should log now.

Thank you very much.

Best Regards,

Linda


 

[E-Oreo]

Ok, that explains a bit

Currently, my x7chat is not within the phpbb folder. So, I have only 1 x7Chat installed. I try to use it from the subdomain. Do you think I should install another one in phpbb folder, as well? Fresh installation?

Since X7 Chat is at a subdomain it is unable to access the phpBB session cookie which is why user's are not logging in automatically.  Check the config.php file and make sure that the $SERVER['AUTH'] variable is set to phpbb2 and it should allow them to login with their phpBB username's and passwords. (but still not automatically)

if I disable registration for x7Chat, how people can register to it from the subdomain? Should I leave the registration open for the one from the subdomain and close for the one within the phpbb? I am little bit confused. Sorry.

If you are using X7 Chat as a phpBB mod (using the phpBB database) then you must disable registrations on the X7 Chat.  If you are using the phpBB database then people who register on the phpBB will be able to login to X7 Chat using their username and password from phpBB.  If X7 Chat is NOT using the phpBB database then you can enable registrations on the X7 Chat.

[Linda]

Hi,

I am in trouble.

I did this:

Check the config.php file and make sure that the $SERVER['AUTH'] variable is set to phpbb2 and it should allow them to login with their phpBB username's and passwords.

It was set to plain and I changed it to phpbb2, and now x7chat does NOT open at all. Not from the subdomain and Not from within phpbb.

I hope you read this early enough and can tell me what to do.

Thank you very much.

Best Regards,

Linda
 

[Linda]

Hi,

Sorry about my panic but I was able to correct the situation by cleaning up my cookies.

However, this is getting very complicated.

If we put aside all we discussed so far, this is what I really want to accomplish as a bottom line:

I want to be able to run x7chat independently, from a subdomain like http://chat.mydomain.com (http://chat.mydomain.com). Users should be able login from here, new users should be able register. I think this can already be done with no problem. (it gets complicated when I want the following   )

I want to be able run x7chat as a mod withing my phpbb. phpbb members should be able to click the Chat link and automatically logged in to the x7chat without re-entering their username and password. I believe it gets complicated here. It does NOT work this way. Right?

At the same time, I want a registered member of x7chat OR phpbb be able access to x7chat, either through http://chat.mydomain.com (http://chat.mydomain.com) or from the Chat link within the phpbb pages. It gets most complicated here, right? is this possible at all?

One thing I realize that you keep mentioning is the cookies.
There is e cookie management in the admin panel of phpbb. It is possible to set up the Cookie domain, cookie name and cookie path. Do you think making some changes ( which I do not know what they may be   ) can help to solve the situation? It seems possible to me but I just do not know what it is.

Another thing comes to my mind is that: Let's say I install x7chat as a mod, within phpbb ONLY (not to the subdomain). Given that, you will find a way for me so that phpbb members do not have to enter their username/password again. After that, in my chat subdomain index.html file, I will create a frame call, so that it refers the index.php for x7chat within the phpbb folder. It will look like this:

Code:

<frameset cols=100%, 0%>
<frame src="http://www.mydomain.com/phpbb/chat/index.php">

</frameset>

Do you think this would work? I believe the only problem with this would be the registration issue. Because you say we should cancel registration through x7chat.

I know I am taking your time but we still could not solve the seemingly an easy problem. This is mostly because I am not an expert. I wish I was. I think you know what I am trying to accomplish as a final result. I just want to make things easier for the members. I would greatly appreciate your continuous help with this problem.

Thank you very much.

Best Regards,

Linda

[E-Oreo]

I want to be able run x7chat as a mod withing my phpbb. phpbb members should be able to click the Chat link and automatically logged in to the x7chat without re-entering their username and password. I believe it gets complicated here. It does NOT work this way. Right?

correct.

At the same time, I want a registered member of x7chat OR phpbb be able access to x7chat, either through http://chat.mydomain.com (http://chat.mydomain.com) or from the Chat link within the phpbb pages. It gets most complicated here, right? is this possible at all?

I think that the solution you thought up should work.

One thing I realize that you keep mentioning is the cookies.
There is e cookie management in the admin panel of phpbb. It is possible to set up the Cookie domain, cookie name and cookie path. Do you think making some changes ( which I do not know what they may be  ) can help to solve the situation? It seems possible to me but I just do not know what it is.

The problem with cookies is that X7 Chat needs to be able to access the phpBB cookie in order to automatically log the user in.  Cookies may only be set to one domain and only the domain that they are set to is allowed to access the cookie. (i.e. if yahoo.com sets a cookie on my computer then google.com can not access it).  The problem then is that if the cookie is set to yoursite.com/phpBB only scripts running on yoursite.com and below the phpBB directory level can access the cookie.  That means that chat.yoursite.com cannot access the cookie either.  In short, there is no way to set it so two domains can access it, unless chat.yoursite.com redirects to a directory inside the phpBB one like yoursite.com/phpBB/chat.

Another thing comes to my mind is that: Let's say I install x7chat as a mod, within phpbb ONLY (not to the subdomain). Given that, you will find a way for me so that phpbb members do not have to enter their username/password again. After that, in my chat subdomain index.html file, I will create a frame call, so that it refers the index.php for x7chat within the phpbb folder. It will look like this:

Code:

<frameset cols=100%, 0%>
<frame src="http://www.mydomain.com/phpbb/chat/index.php">

</frameset>

Do you think this would work? I believe the only problem with this would be the registration issue. Because you say we should cancel registration through x7chat.

I think that it would work very well that way.

I think that the first thing you should do is set it up as a phpBB mod inside the phpBB directory.  Get that working first and make sure all your phpBB members can sucessfully access it, get logged in and auto-login works and everything like that.  After you have that set up and working I suggest that you create the subdomain chat.yoursite.com and put the index.html file with a frame to yoursite.com/phpBB/chat just like you suggested

[Linda]

Hi,

You say:

I think that the first thing you should do is set it up as a phpBB mod inside the phpBB directory.

I tried this with a fresh installation but it did not work. I followed the instructions to make a mod within the phpbb directory, it did not work. After I run install.php, it did not even allow me to login. I changed the Server Path value each and every way possible, it did not help. At that point I clicked the Register button, and this is what I keep getting:

You must already be registered to use this feature.

So, I could not go any further. As a bottom line, I was not able set X7Chat as a mod inside phpbb directory. I do not know what is wrong? Any ideas?

I have one question regarding the 10 parameters within the config.php of X7Chat. Am I supposed to create a new MySQL database for it like I am setting up an independent installation OR should I use the values from phpBB configuration for these:

$DATABASE['USER'] =
$DATABASE['PASS'] =
$DATABASE['DATABASE'] =
$SERVER['TBL_PREFIX'] =

for example, should I use

$SERVER['TBL_PREFIX'] = "X7Chat_";// Your database table prefix

OR

$SERVER['TBL_PREFIX'] = "phpbb_";// Your database table prefix

Thank you very much.

Best Regards,

Linda

[E-Oreo]

You MUST use the values you used for phpBB (meaning that X7 Chat has to run on the same database).  You can change the PREFIX variable but the MySql username, password, host and database name need to be the same as you used for phpBB.  Then just change the AuthMod type to phpbb2 and run install.php and everything should be setup.

[Linda]

Hi,

This last piece of information was the most crucial information so far.  

Some things are much more clear now. I wish it was explicitly clear in the instructions that using same identical database info as phpBB is a requirement to make a mod. I hope you will add this to your instructions. Otherwise, some more people might have sleepless nights as I did.  

Right after I figured that out, I was able to make everything working.

Your previous sub-domain solution is also working.

Thank you very much for everything.  

Best Regards,

Linda

[E-Oreo]

Ok, I am glad everything worked out for you  I will do as you suggest and add it to the instructions.

[Linda]

Hi,

I just discovered few problems.

Although smilies were working before, they are not working now. When you choose one, it just sends it as text, not as an image.

Although font face, size, color options were working before, they are not working now. One can only use default ones despite the fact that selections can be made.

I believe these happened after the recent updates. Do you have any ideas.

One more thing is that, members can NOT add anything to their Profile or change their Settings. I tried to access both from phpBB Chat and directly from the subdomain but did not make any difference.

Any ideas?

Best Regards,

Linda

[Linda]

Hi,

I just realized when a new member joins to phpbb, it is added to to X7Chat_users table, rather than phpbb_users table. Do you think this might be part of the problem? How does this effect the overall working of X7Chat and phpBB?

Thank you very much.

Best Regards,

Linda
 

[E-Oreo]

It is programmed to add the user to both the phpbb_users table and the x7chat_users table.  If it is not adding it to phpbb_users then something is wrong with the usercp_register.php file.  (not x7 chat related).  X7 Chat will work fine even if the user data is not inserted into x7chat_users when they register.

Something must have been changed when you updated it.  Did you replace all the files or just frames/update.php?

[Linda]

Hi,

I just replaced the frames/update.php.

What should I do now?

And, what about the other issues?  

Thank you very much.

Best Regards,

Linda

 

[E-Oreo]

Well I do not know what happened, something changed but the script didn't do it by itself.  Did you install any mods to phpBB?  or did you change the config.php file? Does changing the update.php file back to the old one fix it?

[Linda]

Hi,

I did not install any mods to phpBB.
I did not make any further changes in config.php.
It was the same way before updating the update.php file.

It started acting this way as soon as I started using it as phpBB mod.

Any ideas?

Best Regards,

Linda