We need some infos about one of your future acticty, "Full grade management", to see if we can partecipate to the development.
More, we are thinking about a chat module. Can it be interesting for you? We was thinking about an external chat integration.
Thanks.
Some of my ideas about the grade management are here: http://bugs.moodle.com/bug.php?op=show&bugid=65
If you have further ideas let me know.
Now the chat module is another story - you could really help me out there!
I used to have a chat module but it was all Java and had too many problems. I won't have time to work on a new one for many months.
Some of the features I'd like to see in the chat module are:
I currently think the best way forward here is to start with http://www.ortelius.de/phpopenchat/ and remove the 90% of stuff that Moodle doesn't need.
There's a bug for this one too: http://bugs.moodle.com/bug.php?op=show&bugid=16
What do you think?
Cheers,
Martin
If you have further ideas let me know.
Now the chat module is another story - you could really help me out there!
Some of the features I'd like to see in the chat module are:
- Simple, fast, interface
- Arbitrary amount of private rooms
- Complete logging
- User pictures are shown next to each comment
- Requires nothing above existing Moodle requirements (ie PHP 4 and database).
I currently think the best way forward here is to start with http://www.ortelius.de/phpopenchat/ and remove the 90% of stuff that Moodle doesn't need.
There's a bug for this one too: http://bugs.moodle.com/bug.php?op=show&bugid=16
What do you think?
Cheers,
Martin
Any interest in this chat module? 
Yes, I think it is a good idea to have a chat module.
I have recently been looking for a way to incoporate this into a topic.
dave
I have recently been looking for a way to incoporate this into a topic.
dave
To be more specific, is there any interest in creating a chat module?
Yes, I'm interested, but... there allways a "but", I'm not a programmer.
If you, or another programmer, help me with main directions, I think I can do the hard work.
Meanwile, I've checked openphpchat. We need a german translator to. Don't you think?
Or you have another chat program in mind?
Cheers
Where should I start! 
They seem to be heavily revising their code right now (it's all in English BTW), so it might pay to wait a little so that you have a higher quality base to work from. It's up to you.
Either way, you would need to get it running first, and then start stripping away all the authentication stuff (so we can use Moodle authentication instead), then get rid of all banning and other fancy chat features that are only really needed in big public chat rooms (ie not educational settings).
Then you'd have to look at my empty Moodle module (see the zip file in the mod directory) and make it into a new chat module that does nothing (very easy, instructions included).
Then you'd have to fit the phpopenchat code into the empty module and add cool stuff like using Moodle user pictures etc
I reckon it would take me a full week to do but it's time I don't have right now.
Cheers,
Martin
They seem to be heavily revising their code right now (it's all in English BTW), so it might pay to wait a little so that you have a higher quality base to work from. It's up to you.
Either way, you would need to get it running first, and then start stripping away all the authentication stuff (so we can use Moodle authentication instead), then get rid of all banning and other fancy chat features that are only really needed in big public chat rooms (ie not educational settings).
Then you'd have to look at my empty Moodle module (see the zip file in the mod directory) and make it into a new chat module that does nothing (very easy, instructions included).
Then you'd have to fit the phpopenchat code into the empty module and add cool stuff like using Moodle user pictures etc
I reckon it would take me a full week to do but it's time I don't have right now.
Cheers,
Martin
Ok I'll be checking for new release to start.
are you talking about a chat module or instant messaging?
i work for the company that manages the academic network in the UK and i have been trying to sell the idea of setting up an educational IM system based on Jabber...
BTW - I am new to Moodle - but love what i am seeing hearing so far - makes me want to set up a course.... watch this space ;)
paul
Wellcome Paul
You are right at this point.
We were looking at chat modules (phpOpenchat and Voodoochat), and searching for private rooms and one to one chat, in fact: a IM module, simple like that.
That's because I think the strong fourms of moodle cover all the other needs.
I don't know Jabber, is it possible end user acces to jabber module without install any software?
Anyway Martin is the decision maker here.
What do you tink Martin?
Best regards
Claudio
You are right at this point.
We were looking at chat modules (phpOpenchat and Voodoochat), and searching for private rooms and one to one chat, in fact: a IM module, simple like that.
That's because I think the strong fourms of moodle cover all the other needs.
I don't know Jabber, is it possible end user acces to jabber module without install any software?
Anyway Martin is the decision maker here.
What do you tink Martin?
Best regards
Claudio
Hello Claudio
Thanks for the welcome - this is my first taste of Moodle... I am hoping to set a server up as soon as possible!
There are a few Java clients around for Jabber.. there is even a Flash one!
The Jabber website is: www.jabber.org
Here is a sample from the website:
Simple Clients
One of the design criteria for the Jabber system was that it must be capable of supporting simple clients (e.g., even something as simple as a telnet connection on the correct port). Indeed, the Jabber architecture imposes very few restrictions on clients. The only things a Jabber client must do are:
The preference in Jabber is to move complexity from clients to the server. This makes it relatively easy to write clients (as witness the wide variety of Jabber clients available today) as well as to update the functionality of the system (i.e., without forcing users to download new clients). In practice, many of the low-level functions of the client (e.g., parsing XML and understanding the core Jabber data types) are handled by Jabber client libraries, enabling client developers to focus on the user interface.
Within Jabber there are many different entities that need to communicate with each other. These entities can represent transports, groupchat rooms, or a single Jabber user. Jabber IDs are used both externally and internally to express ownership or routing information. Key characteristics of Jabber IDs include:
-
They uniquely identify individual objects or entities for communicating instant messages and presence information.
-
They are easy for users to remember and express in the real world.
-
They are flexible enough to enable the inclusion of other IM and presence schemes.
Each Jabber ID (or "JID") contains a set of ordered elements. The JIDs are formed of a domain, node, and resource in the following format:
[node@]domain[/resource]
The Jabber ID elements are defined as follows:
-
The Domain Name is the primary identifier. It represents the Jabber server to which the entity connects. Every usable Jabber domain should resolve to a Fully Qualified Domain Name.
-
The Node is the secondary identifier. It represents the "user". All Nodes live within a specific Domain. However, the Node is optional, and a specific Domain (e.g., conference.jabber.org) is a valid Jabber ID.
-
The Resource is an optional third identifier. All Resources belong to a Node. Within Jabber the Resource is used to identify specific objects that belong to a user, such as devices or locations. Resources enable a single user to maintain several simultaneous connections to the same Jabber Server; examples might be juliet@capulet.com/balcony vs. juliet@capulet.com/chamber.
A Jabber user always connects to a server by means of a particular resource and therefore has an address of the form node@domain/resource while connected (e.g., juliet@capulet.com/balcony). However, since the resource is session-specific, the user's address can be communicated as node@domain (e.g., juliet@capulet.com), which is familiar to people since it is of the same form as email addresses.
Best regards
Paul Sergeant
I have experimented setting up a jabber server before and it is fairly easy to do. I like Jabber because it is completely open source, is really pushing for open standards in the IM world and passes messages around in XML.
There are a couple of projects out there that utilizing PHP to create jabber clients. One that looks interesting (haven't tried it yet) is: WebMessenger, which uses Class.Jabber.PHP.
Using Jabber also has the advantage of allowing people with subscriptions/accounts on MSN Messenger, ICQ, AIM, and Yahoo! Messenger to be able to chat. Currently WebMessenger only supports a MySQL backend, but I'd imagine that this isn't too difficult to port to Postgresql or any other database.
There are a couple of projects out there that utilizing PHP to create jabber clients. One that looks interesting (haven't tried it yet) is: WebMessenger, which uses Class.Jabber.PHP.
Using Jabber also has the advantage of allowing people with subscriptions/accounts on MSN Messenger, ICQ, AIM, and Yahoo! Messenger to be able to chat. Currently WebMessenger only supports a MySQL backend, but I'd imagine that this isn't too difficult to port to Postgresql or any other database.
My criteria are:
I actually had a chat module in Moodle at one point but removed it because it didn't fit these criteria (eg see http://dougiamas.com/chat)
- No setup required by end users
- Works on any platform
- Doesn't use funny ports that will cause firewall problems
- Uses PHP only (No Java or C backend)
- Front-end should be light: web, flash or small java applet
- Able to display Moodle's user pictures next to each line of chat
- Allows any number of "rooms" to be going on at once, eg private, small group, whole class, whole server
I actually had a chat module in Moodle at one point but removed it because it didn't fit these criteria (eg see http://dougiamas.com/chat)
Hiya martin,
Yes - I noticed your criteria - that's why I was clearing up whether it was chat or IM functionality you was after in the end... things like 'presence' awareness and file sharing could be useful in the MLE space... but this is not my area - I just have an interest in education, communication & open source standards etc and think JANET (Joint Academic NETwork) should offer a Jabber service.
My role at UKERNA is Content Delivery Architect - my main interest in Moodle (apart from wanting to build a course in collaboration with www.VJs.net) is that I am working on Content Delivery Infrastructure (CDI) projects, that are making available moving image and sound content aquired for the education and research community by the JISC (some £10million worth) and also to enable institutions to 'publish' their own locally produced content into the CDI for distribution around JANET. So my interest in MLE/LMS is mostly around ensuring that the work i am doing in the streaming area enables VLE managers to easily integrate learning resources that reside on the CDI. I will start a thread of on this topic - because I could go on!
Regards
Paul Sergeant
Heh, I knew I'd written a list of criteria before, but forgotten it was earlier in this thread. 
IM and chat aren't really separate categories... For example, if you leave a chat window open then it works as an instant message. Similarly, most IM tools have a log window so it looks just like chat.
I just need a reliable asynchronous web-based text space.
And yes, post about your other work in a new thead ... it sounds interesting.
IM and chat aren't really separate categories... For example, if you leave a chat window open then it works as an instant message. Similarly, most IM tools have a log window so it looks just like chat.
I just need a reliable asynchronous web-based text space.
And yes, post about your other work in a new thead ... it sounds interesting.
Hi Martin
[It might be a good first version of the chat module to get something working ... then maybe use phpopenchat or something later on ...]
I can see that simplechat it's not that good.
I was impressed with it's very little size, but I'm not a programmer like you.
Isn't better wait a little more for openchat?
Meanwile I'll make voodoochat works (I had the same ftp problem I told you).
Or, I can start cleaning the code (you said is very messy) of schat and start to correct Netscape bug...
Let me know.
Cheers
Claudio
[It might be a good first version of the chat module to get something working ... then maybe use phpopenchat or something later on ...]
I can see that simplechat it's not that good.
I was impressed with it's very little size, but I'm not a programmer like you.
Isn't better wait a little more for openchat?
Meanwile I'll make voodoochat works (I had the same ftp problem I told you).
Or, I can start cleaning the code (you said is very messy) of schat and start to correct Netscape bug...
Let me know.
Cheers
Claudio
I had a look at phpMyChat (http://www.phpheaven.net) at a year or so. It integrated into a Moodle-like system I had written quite nicely. I think it could be made to fit Martin's criteria with a bit of persuasion. Certainly it's strong on multilingual support and it's a java free zone I used version 0.10.0, it's mow up to 0.14.5, that's a lot more spported languages and databases
Happy to revisit the mods I applied to phpMyChat with someone who's into Moodle modules.
Thanks Ray.
I had a chance to download, install and try it tonight. It's not a bad contender with a clean GUI and code. Certainly hackable, and the existing translations etc are nice. The down side is the refresh-based display, which makes it feel laggy (and the flickering can be a bit annoying).
What's the best thing being used in the popular CMSs these days?
I had a chance to download, install and try it tonight. It's not a bad contender with a clean GUI and code. Certainly hackable, and the existing translations etc are nice. The down side is the refresh-based display, which makes it feel laggy (and the flickering can be a bit annoying).
What's the best thing being used in the popular CMSs these days?
I made some modifications to one of the modules based on phpMyChat 0.14.5 that
I found in this forum and It seems to fit some of the things Martin ask for.
look at it and make it better ...
thanks
Good improvements - looks like it could be a good alternative now.
Which reminds me to get an "download modules" page set up so people can find things like this and download them - I'll do it tonight.
Which reminds me to get an "download modules" page set up so people can find things like this and download them - I'll do it tonight.
I do not see the file "chatarea.php." where should I be looking?
Hi,
I have re-downloaded the ZIP file and still cannot find the file "chatarea.php." I went ahead and tried to install without it, but of course am now getting an error message when I try to create a chat resource.
This is not an emergency, I would just like to play with this over the summer so that I can use it with my German students next fall.
Could someone else please post the file somewhere that I could grab it? To this forum, maybe? Or, better still, tell me what I am doing wrong? I'll bet that sneaky file is hiding somewhere!
Thanks!
I have re-downloaded the ZIP file and still cannot find the file "chatarea.php." I went ahead and tried to install without it, but of course am now getting an error message when I try to create a chat resource.
This is not an emergency, I would just like to play with this over the summer so that I can use it with my German students next fall.
Could someone else please post the file somewhere that I could grab it? To this forum, maybe? Or, better still, tell me what I am doing wrong? I'll bet that sneaky file is hiding somewhere!
Thanks!
Thanks, I snatched it right up.
A little issue has come up, though. when I try to log into the chat room, it tells me the my username is "Mr. Art Lader," and that I cannot enter the chat because usernames cannot contain spaces (or periods, I think). My username is actually "artlader," though. Just thought you'd want to know about that.
A small suggestion: A lot of parents where I live and teach do not allow their children to chat. (And I do not condemn this admittedly emotional parental decision by the way. My own [adult] sister left her family and ran away to live with some moron that she met in a chat room!) So I am going to add a little disclaimer where students indicate that have or do not have their parents' permission to chat. If students are NOT allowed to chat, they will be sent to a forum where they can psuedo-chat. Of course, they can get into trouble in a forum, too, but parents do not seem to worry about forums, just chat rooms. Other K-12 teachers might consider doing the same.
A little issue has come up, though. when I try to log into the chat room, it tells me the my username is "Mr. Art Lader," and that I cannot enter the chat because usernames cannot contain spaces (or periods, I think). My username is actually "artlader," though. Just thought you'd want to know about that.
A small suggestion: A lot of parents where I live and teach do not allow their children to chat. (And I do not condemn this admittedly emotional parental decision by the way. My own [adult] sister left her family and ran away to live with some moron that she met in a chat room!) So I am going to add a little disclaimer where students indicate that have or do not have their parents' permission to chat. If students are NOT allowed to chat, they will be sent to a forum where they can psuedo-chat. Of course, they can get into trouble in a forum, too, but parents do not seem to worry about forums, just chat rooms. Other K-12 teachers might consider doing the same.
Okay, I edited my profile. Changed my first name from "Mr. Art" to "Mr." and all is well. No more login problem.
And the JS idea was overkill. I just added a disclaimer and a link to the pseudo chat form in view.php (see attachment). That should be fine, I think.
And the JS idea was overkill. I just added a disclaimer and a link to the pseudo chat form in view.php (see attachment). That should be fine, I think.
My first post...
An excellent work... Trying in the next days to "produce" an italian version...
After unziping the chatarea.zip into the mod folder, i foudn no chatarea.php (lang file)
so i just snaged it from the cvs. however after logging into my moodle admina account and went to the manage modules, i did not magically find chatarea listed anywhere.
what could be wrong?
ok after a few hours i fixed the problem.
my apache was not configured to treat html files as php, so all i had to do is add the
addtype application/x-httpd-php .html
to the httpd config file.
i recommend including the chatarea.php (lang) with the zip
Hi Doug,
At the school I work we have start testing a Jabber server and client from Ignite Realtime (http://www.igniterealtime.org/) it is very stable. They even provide a web based client with source code included. We use their server because it integrates nicely with our Active Directory (same thing with Moodle
). Take a look to it, why reinvent the wheel if those guys are providing such a nice product.
Just my two cents.
Keep up the great work and have a nice day,
Eduardo
At the school I work we have start testing a Jabber server and client from Ignite Realtime (http://www.igniterealtime.org/) it is very stable. They even provide a web based client with source code included. We use their server because it integrates nicely with our Active Directory (same thing with Moodle
Just my two cents.
Keep up the great work and have a nice day,
Eduardo