Web Based Chat

Sorry I might have posted originally in the wrong forum if this is true please could one of the mods be so kind as to delete my other post from the VBScript forum.
 
 
Hello,
 
I am looking at a web solution for a support function so there would need to be like a Private Chat funtion or a public function or a room based chat. I am looking for something free and if that means me developing it then thats fine. I just need some form of starting point... I have googled around and everything is in ASP and I have no idea what it means nor so I have any form of server to set it up on. I am looking at something possibly to do with HTA as it is going to be bolted on to our current help system which has been built in house.
 
Does anyone know of or whee I can find a good example or a good starting point?
 
Many Thanks
 
James

A server with ASP is suggested for the easiest solution. Developing one wouldn't be as hard as you think.

Starting point and topics to read about:
Learn how XMLHTTPRequest works so you can POST messages to a server without refreshing the page
On the server use the FileSystemObject or a database to save messages (nothing crazy, hell a csv would work) maintain a date, a user, a message, maybe a room, maybe an obfuscated IP address in the "columns"

Every time the server receives a message from the Ajax function, search the chat for the last few messages (either by date, or maybe by number of entries.)
Delete old entries
response.write the result.

in the client update your html

Hello,
 
Firstly thank you for your response I will start having a look into XMLHTTPRequest and the POST method etc. I do however have a small problem we are just looking at using like a PC or an SMS server to use this service on so we dont want lots of things on there... is there any other way of doing this? Or is running an ASP Server easy to do and a small load on the server its self?
 
I will also have a look into thew Ajax function but I will have a go and I can see me coming back and asking some more questions as I plod along.
 
Many Thanks for your help
 
James

Maybe this will help:

http://www.google.com/search?q=install+IIS

Will this chat be for the Internet or an Intranet?

Hello,
 
It will be used internally so only on the intranet  but it will be part of an in house hta...
 
And thanks for the link above I am currently installing IIS now for testing..
 
Many Thanks
 
James

Hello,
 
I have found a free chat based upon your knowledge and its free to re design etc which is good so I have a good starting point however it uses PHP and requires an SQLServer...
 
Does anyone know if there is a simple way I could change this around so that I can use the ASP route? as I cant seem to get the SQL Side of things to work I jsut keep getting errors? and then I can have a go from there...
 
The errors which are displayed on the page when its up are:
 
 is being used to separete the fields in the output } echo "end";}?>:
undefined
".$name." :
".$text." 
 is being used to separete the fields in the output } echo "end";}?>:
undefined
".$name." :
".$text."
 
This will repeat until I close the window...
 
Anyone have any idea's why?
 
Many Thanks
 
James