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Need a simple chat system for small website prefer to host internally no frills

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questorfla:
I am very sure it will work.  I am trying to figure out how to incorporate it into the Shell.html for that part of the site.  The way it was designed (and there is too much that would have to be redone) I have a LOT of space on either side of a totally filled center area.  If I can get the chat into either or even both of the two side panels it would have more than enough room.  The width of the center panel is about 700 as best as I can figure on every page.  The headers and footers cover 650px in width which means I should have approx. 300px split half left half right.
I could also center the chat in the same format 650x??  whatever height.  but there is so much wasted space on the left and right it would be far better if I could some how use that  either one or both sides.  maybe starting halfway down the page so as to not be too cluttered.
I don't think I can attach a link or jpg of the design  not sure if it is allowed. 
 
I would hate to split the chat with half running on left ad then transferring to the  if it got too long but I guess I have actually set it up to see what it looks like.
The people who are on the site just asked for a way to make comments to each other.  Not write a novel :)  So.. ..I just need to get it working and see what happens.  I have the module uploaded to the site and I am trying to figure out how to merge the two.  The login part is not really necessary as the users are already logged in.  I wish  I wish I was better at programming PHP but I can barely maintain much less modify.

If you are knowledgeable with PHP, I would gladly issue even more credits or ..I don't know what the procedure is for asking for help to get this incorporated.  I don't want to break any rules.  This has been a GREAT site for all the knowledge I have gained from it.   Thanks again so much for just the referral to the site
I agree with the other poster.  I need to look at all the tools they offer here as there is a wealth of useful information

questorfla:
It works great.  To well to want to modify it, actually.  This leaves me with only one problem left.  I can use a link written into the shell.html which appears on every webpage as a "click here" to get into the chat which lives in its own folder inside the website.  But I cannot figure out how to return to the point from which I left when I went there.  Need to use something other than <a href I guess.  or find a way to store the point where they left so they can <a href to a variable and end up where they started from,  Either that or I have to merge the two index.php files into a single page.  I have plenty of room for it and that was my first thought but leaving it intact inside its own folder worked so well I hated to change it.

app103:
I can use a link written into the shell.html which appears on every webpage as a "click here" to get into the chat which lives in its own folder inside the website.
-questorfla (September 25, 2013, 05:28 PM)
--- End quote ---

try target="_blank" to open that in a new window/tab so they can continue to browse around the site and chat at the same time.

Or alternatively, add a button on the chat page to go back, like this: http://www.w3schools.com/jsref/met_his_back.asp

Both of these are probably better in the long run, than loading the chat whether someone wants to chat or not, on every page of the site.

Also keep in mind that if the site is on shared hosting, that most hosting company's TOS forbid the hosting of live chat on their servers (some dedicated and VPS, too). Make sure the TOS doesn't say this before you go live with this, or you'll be giving them a reason to suspend the site's account. If it does, you'll need a chat hosted by a 3rd party, which are usually not as simple in design and usually come with some sort of advertising, if they are free.

questorfla:
Thanks again app.  I tried to give you credits already and found I gave them all to the board.  Have to load some more :-\

The suggestions you gave this time may be over my head.  The site is hosted on MY server.  So no problem with breaking any rules :).  But using "target=blank" seems odd although I believe you 100%. I just have to figure out how to use it.  As is, when they click the "click here to chat" it completely closes the page they were on and moves into the microchat folder.  If it instead MINIMIZED the page they were on, that Would Be extremely helpful.  Maybe that is what you are pointing me toward?  That would be a terrific solution as long as I can guard against anyone "backing into" the site as it is password protected to start with

but they cannot see the items they will be discussing without leaving the MicroChat page and returning to whence they came in.  there is an icon.gif image that seems to be unused in microchat and I figured I would just make that a "return" button but so far .. "return to where" seems to be the problem.
The whole thing is a little more complicated than a simple website.  I cannot allow the users to simply exit and then come back,.  that was where your Microchat was a lifesaver.  It let me keep everyone inside the site .  once they log into the MAIN site they stay until completed which until now I had no way to allow them a means of discussion.  I just need to be able to drop out of the microchat folder and back to the shell.html they were in. the "click here to chat" is easy to access, the chat itself is beautiful, I just need to get them home afterward.  And very likely they will be back and forth as there are multiple items they have to give an opinion on and probably discuss.  I wonder if I can force a 2 way split vertical screen with the chat as a separate window as you suggest?
I will give it a try and see what happens .  Thanks for the help.  As soon as I get this done I will reload my account and pass along some credits:)

app103:
target="_blank" would be added to the link leading to the chat page, like so:

<a href="path-to-chat-script-folder/index.php" target="_blank">Click here to chat </a>

And the link I gave you gives an example of how to use some really simple javascript to create a button that sends the visitor one page back in their browsing history, back to the page they were on when they clicked the chat link.

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