Integrating FlashChat with e107 v. 0.616

Welcome! This tutorial describes how to integrate FlashChat with your e107 system. After the integration is completed, FlashChat will draw information from your e107 user's database, so that only registered users of your site will be able to access FlashChat. In addition, e107 administrators will automatically become moderators of the chat.

Step 1: Edit /inc/common.php to use the e107 integration class

Before uploading to your server, you should locate the "common.php" file, which is located in the "inc" folder of FlashChat. There is one small edit that you must make to this file. In the block of statements which relate to CMS systems, only the line relating to e107 should be uncommented. In other words, all of the other CMS-related lines should have "//" before them, as shown below (red arrow):

Step 2: Upload Files & Set File Permissions

Your FlashChat download comes with a folder called "chat". You should rename this folder to "FlashChat" and upload it to your web server, in the e107 root folder. Please note that Unix and Linux server are case-sensitive with regard to file and folder names.

Within the "FlashChat" folder, there is a sub-folder called "inc", and within that there is a file called "config.srv.php". This file must be writable. On Unix and Linux servers, that means CHMODing the file to a writable format, like 755 or 777. You must also ensure that the "appTime.txt" file, within the "appdata" folder, is also writable.

NOTE: In this version of the FlashChat / e107 integration instructions, FlashChat is uploaded to the e107 root folder, NOT to the "e107_plugins" folder, as it was in prior versions of FlashChat.

Step 3: Install FlashChat

Now, open your web browser to FlashChat's install2.php file. This file is located in FlashChat's root folder. If you did Steps #1 and #2 correctly, the values for Host, Login, Password, Database Name, and Table Prefix, should be automatically inputted for you. Thus, you only need to accept the default values. Your screen will probably look something like this (but with different values). Click on "Go!" with these values (of course, you may change the names of the rooms).

Step 4: Link FlashChat to the e107 menu

Login to the e107 administration area, and then choose the "Custom Menus" option, as shown below.

Input the following information for the new menu. Of course, you would replace www.yoursite.com with the URL of the system on which FlashChat is to be installed.

Click "Upate Custom Menu".

Step 5: Start Chatting!

Now, on the e107 homepage, a new menu block will appear with the text "Start FlashChat". This will open FlashChat into an external window.

This should link to the "flashchat.php" file of FlashChat. When FlashChat loads, you should be automatically logged into the chatroom using your e107 username. If you are an administrator of e107, then you will be logged into FlashChat as a moderator, which means that you can ban and boot other users.