PMs only in tab

[Trekkan]

It would be nice if the PMs didn't show in the main chat window, but only when you had a PM tab open. Or at least the option to have it this way. So if you have a long conversation with someone in a PM tab, then switch back to the main tab, it's pretty nasty looking. =) Another user option with a default option in the AdminCP would rock.

 

[Fillip H.]

But what about if that user hasn't posted any shouts, and you accidentally refresh?
I think this feature might need to be coupled with some form of persistent PM tab feature, wouldn't you say?

 

[Trekkan]

But what about if that user hasn't posted any shouts, and you accidentally refresh?
I think this feature might need to be coupled with some form of persistent PM tab feature, wouldn't you say?

Good point. I didn't think of that as generally speaking, you aren't using the shoutbox for an "offline" PM system and the users are usually there. But my idea still has issues.

Maybe it could be done in such a way as the current "Active Users" tab could be "Users" instead. Meaning everyone currently on the website. You could order those actually chatting in the shoutbox at the top with maybe an icon next to their name so people know who's recently been chatting. Clicking a name, would function just like it does today.

I'm not sure how it works on the backend, but you can reopen a tab with someone today and see your chats with them. What is the history of this? Just things recently in the shoutbox? I'd redisplay say the last 20 PMs between you and the person you clicked on reloaded into the PM chat tab.

I could then see a new feature for the archives that would allow you to search by PMs to/from a specific user as well.

 

[Fillip H.]

The PM tab lists the same amount of PMs as the main shoutbox lists shouts.

Listing forum active users could be counter-productive since people who view threads can't also see the Shoutbox, and whatever PM you send them might get lost to the sands of time before they see it.
Which leads me to think, maybe auto-open a PM tab if you receive a PM from someone and you don't have a PM tab from them open?

If a PM tab was auto-opened, that would justify not having PMs shown in normal chat - if you closed it, it means you didn't want to see the PMs anymore anyway, right?
Maybe I could even make an extension to the Archive, a PM Chat Log feature, where people could review all their PM chats.

Sound good?

 

[Trekkan]

I think that would work. You'd still need a criteria for determining whether or not the PM tab should auto-open. For instance, if I PM someone now, and 10 minutes later or 1 day later they revisit the website. Should it auto open a PM tab for them?

What about a week later, when I'm not even on the website? Depending on design, you'd need to also know whether or not I closed the PM window. let's say we're chatting, chat is over and I close the PM window. Then I go to another page that has the shoutbox on it (or refresh or whatever), how do you determine that it should NOT be shown now?

It sounds good, but I think there's a hole somewhere in the logic that I can't quite see yet.

 

[Fillip H.]

It would be simple; If you sent me a PM and I didn't have your PM tab open, it'd open it.

Or maybe I'm blinder to the logic flaw