Symposium beta 3

Symposium is a simple yet elegant conversation-based interface which replaces MyBB's email-based private messaging system.

Symposium is currently running on MyBBoost. Click on the mail icon in the header to access conversations and test it.

Minimum requirements

PHP 7.1
MyBB 1.8.0
PluginLibrary
664 chmod permissions on inc/functions_user.php and global.php

Features

Modern chat feeling

Messages are displayed in a modern fashion, inspired by WhatsApp's design. Own messages are displayed on the right side while others' messages are placed on the left in a different color. Folders are hidden and give way to a single page with all active conversations, all in one place.

Easy read status

Messages sent have a little double check icon which turns blue when the recipient reads the message. This allows for quick visualization of a message read status, and replaces de facto the old tracking page.

Smooth integration

Symposium is compatible with most of other plugins as long as they use the native MyBB pm class, which is often if not always the case. This is possible because Symposium does not run separately from the native PM system, but integrates within it and enhances it while keeping its structure and functions intact. Some examples? MyAlerts, PM on registration, Newpoints, Flyover 2.4, BankPipe beta 11... they are all working out of the box.

Converter with backwards compatibility

Symposium automatically sorts and converts existing private messages into conversations upon install. When you uninstall the plugin, your messages will still be there, except if you have deleted them when Symposium was installed.

If you did not have copies of sent messages in your "Sent" folder before Symposium was installed, conversations will just include the other user's messages and will look like a monologue. Messages sent from when Symposium has been installed onwards will have hard copies in the "Sent" folder by default.

Mass deleting

Deleting PMs has always been painful and limited, due to many PMs belonging to the same person. Symposium boosts messages deletion by allowing users to delete multiple, entire conversations and/or messages at once.

If you enable the "Move to trash" setting, PMs will be moved to the Trash bin folder instead of being deleted permanently. However, they will not be displayed, as Symposium does not (yet) feature a Trash folder.

since messages sent are hard copied into the sender's "Sent" folder, in future releases you will be able to set a timespan during which an user can delete messages for him and the recipient(s), after which he can only delete his own messages.

Editor support

Symposium replicates the default editor settings by using the codebuttons template, exactly like in posts. Plugins which hook into or use this template are also supported (eg.: Rin Editor). The editor is loaded both in the new conversation page and in quick replies.

Group chat support

Symposium allows group chats. Users can send the same message to several recipients at once, whom will see the message within the same conversation.

Installation

Upload the files maintaining the same folder structure as they come in the package and click the button Install & activate within your board's plugin list.

Convert existing private messages

Symposium can convert existing private messages to conversations. The process does not alter existing private messages but it adds columns and tables in the database, so you will be able to go back anytime by uninstalling Symposium.

Before starting the conversion, ensure your /cache folder has 777 chmod permissions.

In the plugins list under Symposium's row you will notice a text saying you have a certain number of PMs to convert. Start the conversion by clicking on the homonym button. The process will be performed incrementally and progress will be displayed in real time.

Do not close the page before the conversion is over.

Templates and stylesheets

Symposium adds a CSS file named symposium.css to every theme of your board, and several templates with the symposium_ prefix. You can customize the plugin's appearance by editing the stylesheet's CSS rules and templates.

Reporting issues

If you encounter an issue, feel free to open a new thread in this forum with detailed instructions on how to reproduce your issue. Suggestions and feature requests are appreciated as well.

Availability

Symposium is available for free. Support is discontinued due to my departure from programming. Read more why here.

This project is licensed under

MIT

A simple license with little to no use restrictions, except for author's crediting. Read the provided LICENSE file for more informations.

Permissions

Commercial use
Modification
Distribution
Private use

Limitations

Warranty
Liability

Conditions

License notice
Copyright notice

Previews

Symposium beta 2 is out

The second beta of Symposium is now available. This version fixes some reported bugs which may prevent the plugin from installing properly and adds support for header notifications about new conversations.

Notable changes and fixes

fixed Plugin List Disappears. Reported by @RocketFoot
fixed avatar for users without one set. Reported by @ProX in Current bugs - beta 1
fixed conversation name with the proper username for email notifications. In beta 1, the notification would contain the user's own name instead of the actual recipient
added header notifications. Requested by @ProX in Current bugs - beta 1

beta 2 adds core edits. These are applied automatically upon install, and can be managed with an handy button under Symposium's row in your plugins list.

Upgrading to beta 2

Make a backup of your database before upgrading. The upgrade process is straightforward:
upload the new version maintaining the same folder structure as in the release package
apply the core edits by clicking on the button "Apply core edits" within Symposium's row in your plugins list
create a template in your theme called symposium_pm_notice and populate it with inc/plugins/Symposium/templates/pm_notice.html file content.

If you have a small board (eg.: less than 10.000 PMs in total), it's probably more convenient to skip steps and and simply uninstall, reinstall the plugin and convert PMs again.

Symposium beta 3 is out

The third beta of Symposium is now available. This version steps up the game by adding a search functionality for conversation titles, the ability to delete messages, and support for group chats. It also fixes some reported issues and improves the general stability of the plugin.

Notable changes and fixes

fixed "Send PM" button on post / profile not working. Reported by @Aristide Chypre
fixed MyBB Engine Messaging. Reported by @Omnipotent
fixed issue with the header notice not displaying the correct sender
fixed Username style not shown on PM list?. Reported by @Dr.Jeet
fixed Missing text when delay between PMs is set. Reported by @ProX
improved PM converter, with a more precise handling of existing messages and faster processing
slight improvements to the UI
search conversation titles ( this DOES NOT allow to search for individual messages)
delete messages in conversations
group chats support

Upgrading to beta 3

Symposium does not feature an automatic upgrader (yet). If you are coming from beta 2, make a backup of your database and your theme before upgrading, as you will need to uninstall and reinstall the plugin, losing all customizations on your templates.

As the process involves reinstalling the plugin, you will need to convert all PMs again. This might be cumbersome for large boards (20k+ PMs), but it is a necessary procedure.

delete the inc/plugins/Symposium folder
upload the new version maintaining the same folder structure as in the release package
uninstall the plugin. This is done as third step because beta 2 does not revert core edits automatically upon uninstalling
install the plugin
convert all PMs by clicking on the converter button