By default, your Invision Power Board (IPB) is equipped to enable our hosted chat service. The information required by the hosted chat room to communicate with the chat server is hard-coded in IPB. Therefore, to integrate a chat room that is served by your ParaChat Server Software installation, some minor IPB file edits are required.

The required file edits will update the chat applet codebase URL so that it points to your ParaChat Server Software installation. Once the edits are successfully completed, the ability to enable and customize an integrated ParaChat service from your IPB's Administrator Control Panel will exist.

1. Open your IPB "chatservice.php" file in a text editor (file path: .../retail/chatservice.php). A screenshot of the contents of this file is provided below:



2. Edit the default codebase URL ($CHAT_SERVER)

By default, the codebase URLs included in the chatservice.php file are:

$CHAT_SERVER = array(

advanced' => 'chat3.invisionsitetools.com',
premium' => 'chat4.invisionsitetools.com',

If you have installed ParaChat Server Software on a host machined called "javachatserver.com", and have retained the default HTTP port 7877, make the following edits:

$CHAT_SERVER = array(

advanced' => 'javachatserver.com:7877',
premium' => 'javachatserver.com:7877',

3. Edit the default file path ($CHAT_FOLDER)

By default, the file path included in the chatservice.php file includes:

$CHAT_FOLDER = array(

advanced' => 'pca'
premium' => 'pcp'

So that the file path in the codebase URL points to the "classes" directory of your ParaChat Server installation, make the following edits:

$CHAT_FOLDER = array(

advanced' => 'pchat/classes'
premium' => 'pchat/classes'

Once the edits have been completed, the complete sample codebase URL that would be used in the "Live Chat" web page in your IPB would be: http://javachatserver.com:7877/pchat/classes

4. Edit the User Counter CGI location

The default User Counter CGI locations included in the chatservice.php file are:

$CHAT_ONLINELIST = array(

advanced' => 'cgi-bin/userlist/advanced/group.cgi?group='
premium' => 'cgi-bin/userlist/premium/group.cgi?group='

ParaChat Server Software includes the option to display a list of user names that are currently connected to the chat server within your IPB "Who's Chatting" list (please see http://parachat.com/documentation/550/counter/index.php). If the CGI program that returns the user name list is located at http://javachatserver.com/cgi-bin/counter/users.cgi, make the following edits:

$CHAT_ONLINELIST = array(

advanced' => 'cgi-bin/counter/users.cgi?group='
premium' => 'cgi-bin/counter/users.cgi?group='

5. Add the two required parameters that instruct the chat client as to which ports to use to communicate with the chat server. The two parameters are:

<param name="ServerPort" value="7777">
<param name="HTTPPort" value="7877">

Use one of the following two options for implementing these parameters for use within the Invision Power Board environment:

Option 1. Enable the parameters in the chat server's "chat.conf" file:

In the ParaChat Server local file system, open the "chat.conf" file in a text editor. The file path is:

.../ParaChat/ParaChat550/httpd/pchat/classes/conf/chat.conf

Scroll to the base of the file to the following section:

### PORT changes
#ServerPort=7777
#HTTPPort=7877


Uncomment the 2 parameters for "ServerPort" and "HTTPPort", so the parameters appear as:

### PORT changes
ServerPort=7777
HTTPPort=7877


Save your edit. Refresh the web page where the chat room is located. Once this edit has been made, the chat client will utilize TCP port 7777 and HTTP port 7877 to communicate with the chat server.

Option 2. Add the parameters using your Invision Power Board Admin Control Panel

Log into your Invision Power Board as an admin user, and open your Admin CP:

Admin CP -> Systems Settings -> IP Chat

In the "Additional PARAM information" field, insert the 2 HTML parameters:

<param name="ServerPort" value="7777">
<param name="HTTPPort" value="7877">


Save your edit.

6. Implement Live Chat in Invision Power Board

a. Log into your IPB using an admin name and password, and open the Admin CP.

b. Under "Systems Settings", select "IP Chat".

c. At the base of page, in the field labeled "Ordered IP Chat?", input a valid "Group" name from your ParaChat Server installation, and click "Continue".

d. The "Group" name that you entered will appear as the "Chat Room Account Number (Group Name). From the "Chat Room Type" menu, select "Advanced" or "Premium" (the selection does not matter since they have been configured identically).

e. In the "Default Chat Room" field, input a valid ParaChat room name that you have created as part of your ParaChat Group. This will be the "landing" room where each user initially enters the chat system.

f. Select any of the optional customization settings that are listed. When you are finished, click the "Update Settings" button to activate your chat service.

g. When you visit your forum pages, click the "Live Chat" link at the top of the page to access the chat room.