does anyone know of a small chat application? On all the sites i visit, they have a thousand chat systems but they're all huge. I just want a small one to go on the side of my page.

Does anyone remember ever using one like that?

Thanks!

    mmm.... that link you posted takes me to the php manual. I looked but it doesnt have any small chat apps....

      Yeah....that's the all so subtle way of saying "Write your own".

      If all your finding are apps too big for your tastes, that's the only alternative.

        Originally posted by LordShryku
        that's the only alternative.

        Or pay someone to write you one...

          I'll rephrase. The only alternative for a programmer :p

            LOL ok. I don't think I can do it with PHP though... I'll have to learn javascript. Damn.

            Looks like I'm going to the dark side.

              You'd need PHP and JavaScript. What's so bad about JavaScript anyway? It's not scary like ActiveX...

              Besides, how else do you think the chat apps work?

                Why would he have to use javascript?

                An iFRAME, form with target to iFrame, and a meta-refresh are all that is needed. Form submits new chat text to iframe, iframe with src pointing to chat.php contains a header that tells the browser "never cache me" and the meta-refresh keeps it up to date.

                All HTML/PHP and small on the ol' screen.

                  Yes, but I think that it would be easier would JavaScript (just my personal opinion)

                    Mixing php, javascript, html and relying on browser version compatability rather than just using php and html is overcomplicating things in my opinion.

                    What would you use javascript for? Just the refresh? Why bother, the one liner meta refresh does the task. As far as scrolling down, I use anchor tags and have it refresh to the newest one. This scrolls the page in the iFRAME, and again, is simpler than trying to get some javascript scrolling pos to work.

                    If you wanted to get real fancy, you could have an invisible iframe inside the chatbox iframe, for some live updating for user info, etc.

                      Originally posted by Merve
                      Yes, but I think that it would be easier would JavaScript (just my personal opinion)

                      but this breaks a cardinal rule of web development - NEVER use client side scripting for basic functionality of the site because if the client turns it off they can't use, and may be able to break, your site.

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