Quick question for PHP/JavaScript developers...

[Tiberius]

If anyone has epic skills in coding PHP & JavaScript (AJAX) and would be willing to create an AJAX powered shoutbox for the forums, it would be most appreciated. I'm fed up with all the bugs and lack of customization of the previous shoutboxes we've had, and whilst I have said PHP & AJAX skills, I haven't the time to make a really good effort at it.

For more information, send me a PM.

[Darwinian]

What sort of features, that the current shoutbox doesn't have, were you thinking of?

[Tiberius]

I want the ability for users to delete/edit their own shouts, and I want to be able to easily customize the shout layout. Staff should also be able to edit/delete the shouts of anyone.

The main reason I want something new is that the current shoutbox is poorly designed, and doesn't let me customize it properly.

I don't necessarily need someone to code the PHP end, as I am capable of quickly writing something that will plug-in to the MyBB system, but I really want some help with all the JavaScript. So at least, I'd like some kind of shoutbox API of sorts, which I can use to build a custom shoutbox.

Of course, if someone understands the MyBB plugin system better than I, and wants to code a fully fledged plugin, that would be cool too (and they could release it for MyBB officially).

[theVOID]

Syn is an uber JS programmer, get him to do it.

[Autumnlicious]

I find your request of a javascript api somewhat puzzling...

Normally for a shoutbox, I'd expect the most javascript to be involved would be for doing some form of auto-update (or a push?) in response to an asynchronous http request that updates the shoutbox instance...

If we want resizable boxes, fancy animations, we'd probably have to use the usual magic JS solutions like jquery...

The last time I home-rolled javascript animations, I learned I could've done 90% of what I wanted in 10% of the time if I had avoided not-invented-here syndrome...

[Tiberius]

The previous shoutbox did everything via AJAX calls. You can see that code here: http://atheistforums.org/jscripts/shoutbox.js

When the page is first loaded, the Shoutbox should make an AJAX call to some php script which returns the HTML code for the last x shouts. Then, every 30 seconds, an AJAX call is made to the php script which returns all new shouts that have been made since the last call. If no new shouts have been made, nothing happens. If new shouts have been made, then the script adds them to the top of the HTML.

When someone types a new shout, and presses "Shout" or "Submit", then the shout is sent to the php script via an AJAX call, and the php script returns all new shouts (including the one just made) since the last update.

When someone deletes a shout, an AJAX call is made to the php script, and the script removes the shout from the html.

When someone edits a shout, an AJAX call is made to the php script, which returns the raw data of that specific shout. The script then shows the user a query box, where they can edit their shout, and once the changes are made, a new AJAX call is made which updates the shout (and the PHP script returns the new updated HTML).

Or something like that. That's what the current shoutbox does (except for the deleting / editing). I just want a simpler version which is coded well, and which I can customize easily.