Warning: This plugin has't been updated in over 6 years. It may no longer be maintained.
What you can do to help:
This is an updated, bug-fixed and slightly improved version of the Elggchat plugin originally by Coldtrick IT Solutions (https://community.elgg.org/plugins/384910). There are separate versions available for Elgg 1.8 and later versions of Elgg.
The Elggchat plugin provides a chat/instant messaging feature based completely on the Elgg platform. Start chatting from the profile icon of community site member, or by selecting a friend from the friendpicker on the chat toolbar. Sessions will be shown on the chat toolbar.
Features:
What "Only my friends can contact me" means within the Elggchat plugin
By default the friend relationship of Elgg is one-directional, i.e. if you add another member as friend the other members does not make you automatically a friends, too. Now you might not want to chat with everyone who made you a friend without you being able to intervene. For privacy reasons the option "Only my friends can contact me" of the user setting "Allow the following to contact me by chat" means that only these members who you made a friend can contact you. From the other way round you might not be able to invite a member for chatting you made a friends because this member did not make you a friend, too.
To avoid the confusion due to the Elgg default one-directional friending (better called "following") I would suggest using the Friend request plugin (https://community.elgg.org/plugins/384965). Using the Friend request plugin will make friending a two-way relationship (a site member can be sure that another member he is a friend with made him a friend, too, and can be invited for chatting). As friending with the Friend request plugin is by permission only the privacy of the members is considered - if you don't want to be friend with someone simply decline the request and the other member.
Server load caused by the Elggchat plugin
The Elggchat plugin can be downloaded for free but offering a chat feature on your site is not for free regarding the server load. The exact load caused by the chatting is difficult to predict as it depends on the number of chat sessions going on in parallel. Still, a few general hints:
Installation and configuration:
Additional configuration: for the chat session cleanup to work Elgg's hourly cronjob must be set up on the server.
View iionly's plugins
info@elgg.org
Security issues should be reported to security@elgg.org!
©2014 the Elgg Foundation
Elgg is a registered trademark of Thematic Networks.
Cover image by Raül Utrera is used under Creative Commons license.
Icons by Flaticon and FontAwesome.