ConferenceRoom's Java Cient is an IRC compatible web interface. It allows real time chat on web pages, using either ConferenceRoom's buit-in web server, or ConferenceRoom in conjunction with another web server. The Java Client is designed to "spice" up your web page by introducing true interactivity. It also has workgroup features included. Following are some of the key features of the Java Client:

• Supported by any Web browser that supports Java -- including Macintosh Java-enabled browsers. Offers a full-featured client interface without requiring the user to go through any download/install step, as is usually required for such interfaces.

 

• Supports private messaging as well as 'channel' messaging. To send a private message, highlight the name(s) of the people you wish to send a private message to, and type. Click the name(s) again to un-highlight and cause messages to be sent into the channel again.

   

• Supports most IRC commands. In order to keep the size of the client to a minimum (to facilitate fast loading), some of the features found in typical IRC clients have not been implemented.

 

• Rich set of parameters to customize its behavior, as well as look and feel.

 

• Can be operated in "Simple" mode, which presents the user with a very clean, uncluttered, uncomplicated view of one channel only. This mode, in conjunction with the restricted command set can be used to allow people with virtually no IRC knowledge to chat, while at the same time, restricting their commands and "locking" them into the channel that you place them in. This mode also has the advantage of providing users with default nicknames, then logging them on immediately -- without pausing and prompting them for their nickname. When you use a simple client on your Web page, you can chat with your Web page visitors the moment they browse the page!

 

• The Java client comes with a 'float' option, allowing users to continue browsing your web site while communicating over the channel.

The look and function of the ConferenceRoom Java Client is controlled by the parameters on the APPLET tag. If the Client is being served by the ConferenceRoom Web Server as part of a Theme, then the values passed to these parameters may be ConferenceRoom substitution variables, where appropriate.

The following section details all the parameters that the ConferenceRoom Java Client supports and the exact format of the param tag that must be used. The value fields shown represent the default value for each param.

• <APPLET archive="/java/cr.zip" codebase="/java/" code="ConferenceRoom.class" name=cr width=500 height=300>

  
  This tag identifies the class file to be invoked, and its location. The width and height of the java window in your browser can be changed, but the settings in the above example have been optimized. The settings above are correct for use in a ConferenceRoom theme.

  If you are embedding the Java Client into a web page served by a server other than ConferenceRoom, there are some other considerations that you should take into account. (Please see "Embedding the Java Client")

   

• <param name=cabbase value="/java/cr.cab">

  
  Establishes base directory for .cab files. The form listed above is correct for using ConferenceRoom's built-in web server to serve the Java Client. You may have to adjust this field in certain configurations if you have copied the Java class files to other locations to accomodate running in a configuration where another web server is being used to serve the Java Client.

 

• <param name=server value="<server hostname>">

  
  The server value must be the tcp/ip hostname of the computer where ConferenceRoom is running. You can locate the hostname of the machine by checking your DNS information in the Network Control Panel. You must specify this value if you are not using ConferenceRoom's Web Server to serve the Java Client.

   

  IP Addresses in this field do not always work in some circumstances -- especially with Internet Explorer.

   

• <param name=port value="6667">

  
  The standard port for running IRC is 6667. Default for this parameter is 6667. This must match the value specified on the configuration tool, General tab's Port field.

   

• <param name=simple value="FALSE">

  
  If TRUE, then the "simple" form of the client is used.. No room list is presented and the interface is less "IRCish".

   

• <param name=connect value="FALSE">

  
  If a nickname is specified, a "TRUE" connect signs on a user automatically. If this value is "FALSE", the user is not signed on immediately, so that other values in the nick, Email, room and password fields can be entered.
  

   

• <param name=restricted value="FALSE">

  
  If TRUE, it allows the client to issue only commands that lead to signon and sending messages into a room. The user may not change rooms.
  If TRUE then the Simple option is also TRUE.

   

• <param name=nickPrompt value="Nick">

  
  Specifies the value of the nickname prompt on the signon panel.

   

• <param name=namePrompt value="Email">

  
  Specifies the value of the full name prompt on the signon panel. This is set to "Email" by default, because in most environments, collecting users' full names at signon time is not feasible.

   

• <param name=roomPrompt value="Room">

  
  Specifies the value of the room or channel name prompt on the signon panel.

   

• <param name=passPrompt value="">

  
  Specifies the value value of the password prompt on the signon panel. If no value is provided, the password prompt will not be shown. This password may be used to match against the password on the client class definitions in the configuration tool.

   

• <param name=join value="#lobby">

  
  This parameter sets the initial channel (room) that the user will join. The user can change this before he signs on if the Java Client presents him with a prompt for the channel name.

   

• <param name=nick value="">

  
  Sets the nick that the user will sign on with. The user can change this before he signs on if the Java Client presents him with a prompt for the nick.

   

• <param name=user value="java">

  Sets the username that the user will sign on with. The user can change this before he signs on if the Java Client presents him with a prompt for the username.

   

• <param name=pass value="">

  This value provides a password used to validate a client's access to the server. If enforced, this value must match a password on a client class definition in the configuration tool. If passwords are not required by the server, then this field is irrelevant.

   

• <param name=info value="">

  Sets the info for the full name that the user will sign on with. The user can change this before he signs on if the Java Client presents him with a prompt for the full name. The tag used to identify the full name field in the signon screen of the themes is "email". This is because few users provide their actual full name when signing on. The client appends the URL of the current page to this info for identifying where the client was loaded from.

   

• <param name=history value="500">

  
  This parameter specifies the number of chat messages that the ConferenceRoom Java Client keeps before rolling off the oldest messages.

   

• <param name=listTime value="60">

  
  Controls how often the room list are refreshed on the client.

   

• <param name=listCount value="60">

  
  Specifies the maximum number of rooms in the auto-refreshing list. If the number of rooms on the server exceeds this limit then the list can be refreshed using the /list command, or by pressing the "Rooms" button.

   

• <param name=userWidth value="20">

  
  Specifies the width (in relative percent) of the user names list section of the Java Client. If this parameter is coded as 0, the user list will be hidden, but can be dragged to any width by clicking on the right edge of the window, then dragging the 'sash' to the desired with. The width can be adjusted by using the mouse.

   

• <param name=roomsWidth value="20">

  
  Specifies the width (in relative percent) of the room list section of the Java Client. If this parameter is coded as 0, the list will be hidden, but can be dragged to any width by clicking on the left edge of the window, then dragging the 'sash' to the desired with. The width can be adjusted by using the mouse.

   

• <param name=buttons value="button.jpg">

  
  Specifies the name of the file to use to represent buttons.

   

• <param name=sounds value="">

  
  If this parameter is specified, it adds a drop down list of sounds to the bottom of the applet which can be used to initiate /sound requests. The string provided to the parameter is of a very specific format:
  Label;sound.au message
  If more than one of these label/sound pairs is provided, they should be separated by semicolons. Please note that if the sound file is not present on your server and on the server of the other members of the room, no sound will be played.

   

• <param name=joinSound value="join.au">

  
  The name of the sound file to play when another user joins the room. To turn off the sound specify an empty string. By default, the sound is not played unless the users check the sound box on the session console panel.

   

• <param name=noticeSound value="notice.au">

  
  The name of the sound file to play when a notice message arrives for the user. To turn off the sound specify an empty string.

   

• <param name=showJoins value="TRUE">

  
  If TRUE, show user a message when other users join the room he's in.

   

• <param name=color value="TRUE">

  
  If this value is true, then color is used to differentiate messages of different types.

   

• <param name=sound value="TRUE">

  
  If this value is true, then sounds can be heard when other users play them.

   

• <param name=bg value="FFFFFF">

  
  Specifies the background color.

   

• <param name=fg value="000000">

  
  Specifies the foreground color.

   

• <param name=font value="helvetica">

  
  Specifies the name of the font.

   

• <param name=size value="12">

  
  Specifies the size of the font.

   

• <param name=style value="">

  
  Specifies the style of the font (bold, italic)

   

• </APPLET>

   

  Customizing the Java Client

  Certain users may prefer to customize either the "look and feel" or the functionality of the Java Client to a greater extent than can be accomplished using the provided themes, substitiution variables and parameters. For these users, it is possible to obtain a source license for the ConferenceRoom Java Client. Please contact WebMaster Incorporated for further information.

   

  Note on Java Security Java applets are not allowed to open network connections to any computer except for the host that provided the .class files. This is one of the security features of the Java programming language. Attempting to create such a connection will result in an error that displays the 'IRC connection closed' or 'Press enter to connect' statement on the applet. If you have problems getting the java client to work with your server configuration, come to irc.webmaster.com #support, we can usually help. In addition, part of the security features of Java is a requirement that to create a network connection, a registered domain name must be used.