HTML Chat

Setting up to Serve HTML Chat while in DWS mode - server issues
Setting up to Serve HTML Chat while in CGI mode - server issues
Setting up to Receive HTML Chat - user issues
HTML Chat Interface
Customizing the Interface
Troubleshooting
Resources

Setting up to Serve HTML Chat while in DWS mode

You can serve HTML chat without any special configuration if your Web Crossing server is running in Direct Web Service mode.

In order to serve HTML chat while in DWS mode, take the following steps:

  1. Go to the Control Panel > Chat Services > Web Crossing Usage
  2. Check the box to serve chat.
  3. Fill in your Web Crossing server's IP address.
  4. Select a port for browsers to connect to chat. This must be the same port number as you Web Crossing Direct Service Mode port.
  5. If you're using Java chat at all, double-check that the path to your WBChat directory is correct. That's where the Java applet is stored.
  6. Below, check the box to allow HTML chat (and Java, if you wish), in the row of checkboxes.
  7. Submit the form.

Setting up to Serve HTML Chat while in CGI mode

If your Web Crossing server is running in CGI mode, you'll need to turn on Direct Web Service mode to serve your HTML chat. You don't have to switch from CGI mode to DWS mode for your whole server, but you do need to turn it on to serve HTML chat. It's more complicated to set up this way, but it's possible to run in both modes at the same time.

In order to serve HTML chat while in CGI mode, take the following steps:

  1. Go to the Control Panel > Chat Services > Web Crossing Usage
  2. Check the box to serve chat.
  3. Fill in your Web Crossing server's IP address.
  4. Select an unused port on the server (cannot be port 80) for browsers to connect to chat. This will be the same port number as you will use for Web Crossing Direct Service Mode.
  5. If you're using Java chat at all, double-check that the path to your WBChat directory is correct. That's where the Java applet is stored.
  6. Below, check the box to allow HTML chat (and Java, if you wish), in the row of checkboxes.
  7. Submit the form.
  8. Create a test chat room and make sure you can get in with Java, if you've enabled it.

Next, go to your webx system directory and make the following changes:

  1. If there isn't an HTML directory at the root of your Web Crossing server, create one.
  2. Put an alias to your Web Crossing script itself into the HTML directory.
  3. Put an alias to your Images directory into the HTML directory.
  4. If your WBChat directory isn't inside the Images directory, it needs an alias in the HTML directory too.

Then go to the Control Panel > Direct Web Service.

  1. Check "enable direct Web (HTTP) service."
  2. Fill in the same port number you used for chat.
  3. Leave the other things as they are, and submit the form.
  4. Turn your Web Crossing server off, and then back on.

Try accessing your conference just to see if everything works on the new port:

If we were to do this on webxharbor.com, chose port 8080 on which to serve HTML chat, and had an HTML script name of "webx.cgi" we would point to:

http://www.webxharbor.com:8080/webx.cgi?

If all is well, this should get you into your conference. Now you'll create the HTML chat door to your chat room, which will use the new port. You'll continue to serve the rest of your content from your old URL.

  1. Log in as sysop.
  2. Take note of the uniqueID of your test chat room.
  3. On the same page as your existing test chat room, click "Add Link."
  4. Create a link to the test chat room using the URL formula you just used to enter the conference.
  5. If our test chat room was .ee6b3a6 the URL to the HTML door would be:
    http://www.webxharbor.com:8080/webx.cgi?196@@.ee6b396
  6. Label the link "HTML Entrance to Test Chat Room." Then click OK.
  7. Try entering the room. You should be shown the HTML interface no matter what your chat preferences are.

Setting up to Receive HTML Chat

If HTML chat is enabled, and the user doesn't have a chat preference specified, most users will be served the Java applet. However, users arriving with AOL and WebTV browsers will see the HTML chat unless they specify otherwise in their preferences. Any individual user who wants to use HTML chat rather than the Java applet (for instance, someone using Windows 3.1, which don't support Java), they can set a preference for HTML chat at the bottom of their Preferences page.

Guests will be served HTML chat if they are allowed in the chat room at all.

Figure 1 - Chat preferences

Chat Preferences area

HTML Chat Interface

Figure 2 - Screenshot from HTML chat room

HTML chat interface

The HTML chat interface is similar to the Java page. Messages appear at the top left, and scroll from bottom to top. A popup list of chat tables appears at top right. The current list of chatters is below that.

To change tables: choose a table from the popup list and click Change Table below.

To change your chat name: type your new name into the Message blank and click Change Name just below.

To send a private message: type the message into the Message blank, highlight the recipient at right in the list of members, and click Private Message.

To send a message to the room: type your message into the Message blank and click Send/Refresh, or press the Enter key if your browser will allow you to submit forms that way. The maximum message size is 250 characters.

To leave: use the Leave button.

To refresh the page to see new messages from others: click the Send/Refresh button.

There are no host tools or commands available in this interface. In order to host, you'll need to use the Java interface.

As the chat progresses, the window will stretch vertically to a degree, and then begin scrolling old messages off the top of the field.

Although users in HTML chat will not be able to change their text color like Java users can, the colors chosen by Java users will show up in the HTML chat window. Java users can invite HTML users to a private room, but the reverse isn't true: HTML users can't make the invitation.

Customizing the Interface

You can customize the HTML chat interface as you can other Web Crossing pages.

The "chatroom_html" macro is the basic default HTML chat room macro. You can make changes to this macro, put it in your webx.tpl file and the changes will be reflected in all of your HTML chat rooms.

If you have an individual room which needs a special configuration, you can set it up differently than your other rooms. Say your Java chat template for that room is called specialChatRoom. You can create an HTML chat template for the same room by altering the chatroom_html macro and then saving it with the other template's name followed by _html. In this instance, it would be called specialChatRoom_html.

For more information about editing or creating your own macros and templates, see the WCTL section.

There are a number of individual WCTL parameters you can set using this macro. See the sysop docs for more complete information.

Troubleshooting

If you have trouble connecting:

If Web Crossing keeps loading Java chat despite your preferences being set for HTML chat:

Resources

Sysop Documentation

Sysop Control Panel

Web Crossing FAQ