Chat Room Admin

What is it used for? | How do I use it? | Definitions | Related links

What is it used for?
Chat Administration allows you to add one or more chat rooms to your site and control access to your rooms. You can add public, restricted and protected chat rooms. You can also set up a list of protected users and grant them permission to enter certain protected room(s). Examples would be to offer memberships in an online club or to sell access to special online chat events.

Instructions and a URL (Web address) are provided for each room that your create, so that you can link to the room from any page of your Web site.

Existing rooms of each type, if any, are listed on the main Chat Administration page for your convenience. In the following example, there are several rooms of each type already created:


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How do I use it?
You use the links on the main Chat Administration page to access room management and other chat settings for your Web site. From the main administration page, you can: To view information about, edit or delete a room, first select the type of room that you wish to manage. All existing rooms of that type will be listed along with instructions and a URL (Web address) that you can use on your Web site pages to link to it. Links are provided to the right of each room to edit or delete it. Here is an example of the information that is displayed when you click the "Public Rooms" on the main Chat Administration page:


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Add Public (Direct Access) Chat Room:
To add a new public chat room, you assign it two names. In the "Direct Access Room Details" section, use the "Room Name" text box to enter the name that will appear while the visitor is in the room. In the "Public User Chat Room Details" section, use the "Room Name" text box to enter the name that will appear in the list of your Web site's chat rooms. Click the "Create" button to create the room, or click the "Cancel" button to abort the creation of the room.

Add Restricted Direct Access Chat Room:
To add a new restricted chat room, you assign it two names plus a password that all visitors must use to enter the room. In the "Direct Access Room Details" section, use the "Room Name" text box to enter the name that will appear while the visitor is in the room. Enter a password for the restricted room in the "Restricted Password" box, and enter it again in the "Confirm Restricted Password" box. In the "Public User Chat Room Details" section, use the "Room Name text box to enter the name that will appear in the list of your Web site's chat rooms. Click the "Create" button to create the room, or click the "Cancel" button to abort the creation of the room.

Add Protected Direct Access Chat Room:
To add a new protected chat room, you assign it two names. (After it has been created, you will need to edit the protected room to set its list of users permitted to enter it.) In the "Direct Access Room Details" section, use the "Room Name" text box to enter the name that will appear while the visitor is in the room. In the "Public User Chat Room Details" section, use the "Room Name text box to enter the name that will appear in the list of your Web site's chat rooms. Click the "Create" button to create the room, or click the "Cancel" button to abort the creation of the room.

Edit, View or Delete a Public (Direct Access) Chat Room:
To manage one of your existing public chat rooms, first click the "Public Rooms" link on the Chat Administration main page. A page such as the following will appear:

To set up a link to a room in the list, highlight the URL that is displayed for it, copy to clipboard, go to Site Administration, go to Site Modifier, select the page containing the text or image element that will serve as the link, edit that element, and paste the chat room's URL into the element's link option box. Optionally, set the link's Target to "_blank" if you wish to have the chat page open in a new window. Remember to click the button to submit or apply the changes and then update your site.

You may also add a new public chat room from the Public Rooms main page, by scrolling to the bottom of the page and clicking the "Click here to create new public direct access room" link.

To delete the room, simply click the "Delete" link to its right, then click the button to confirm the deletion.

To edit the room, click the "Edit" link to the right of its name. The following edit page will appear:

In the "Public User Chat Room Details" area, use the "Room Name" text box to enter the new name that will appear in the list of your Web site's chat rooms. Click the "Confirm Changes" button to update the room with the new information that you entered, or click the "Cancel" button to exit the edit page without saving your changes. (You may also delete the room from this page, by clicking the "Delete DA Room" button and then clicking the button to confirm the deletion.)

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Edit, View or Delete a Restricted Direct Access Chat Room:
To manage one of your existing restricted chat rooms, first click the "Restricted Rooms" link on the Chat Administration main page. A page such as the following will appear:

To set up a link to a room in the list, highlight the URL that is displayed for it, copy to clipboard, go to Site Administration, go to Site Modifier, select the page containing the text or image element that will serve as the link, edit that element, and paste the chat room's URL into the element's link option box. Optionally, set the link's Target to "_blank" if you wish to have the chat page open in a new window. Remember to click the button to submit or apply the changes and then update your site.

You may also add a new restricted chat room from the "Restricted Rooms" main page, by scrolling to the bottom of the page and clicking the "Click here to create new restricted direct access room" link.

To delete the room, simply click the "Delete" link to its right, then click the button to confirm the deletion.

To edit the room, click the "Edit" link to the right of its name. The following edit page will appear:

In the "Direct Access Room Details" section, use the "Room Name" text box to enter the new name that will appear while the visitor is in the room. To change the room's password, click the checkbox labeled "Change Password", enter the new password in the "New Restricted Password" box, and enter it again in the "Confirm New Password" box.

Click the "Confirm Changes" button to update the room with the new information that you entered, or click the "Cancel" button to exit the edit page without saving your changes. (You may also delete the room from this page, by clicking the "Delete DA Room" button and then clicking the button to confirm the deletion.)

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Edit, View or Delete a Protected Direct Access Chat Room:
To manage one of your existing protected chat rooms or to change its list of permitted users, first click the "Protected Rooms" link on the Chat Administration main page. A page such as the following will appear:

To set up a link to a room in the list, highlight the URL that is displayed for it, copy to clipboard, go to Site Administration, go to Site Modifier, select the page containing the text or image element that will serve as the link, edit that element, and paste the chat room's URL into the element's link option box. Optionally, set the link's Target to "_blank" if you wish to have the chat page open in a new window. Remember to click the button to submit or apply the changes and then update your site.

You may also add a new protected chat room from the "Protected Rooms" main page, by scrolling to the bottom of the page and clicking the "Click here to create new protected direct access room" link.

To delete the room, simply click the "Delete" link to its right, then click the button to confirm the deletion.

To edit the room's list of permitted users, click the "Permissions" link to its right. How to edit permissions

To edit the room, click the "Edit" link to the right of its name. The following edit page will appear:

In the "Direct Access Room Details" section, use the "Room Name" text box to enter the new name that will appear while the visitor is in the room. Click the "Confirm Changes" button to update the room with the new information that you entered, or click the "Cancel" button to exit the edit page without saving your changes. To delete the room, click the "Delete DA Room" button and then click the button to confirm the deletion. You can edit the room's permission list from this page, by clicking the "Click here to edit user permissions for this room" link.

You use the Edit Permissions page to control who is permitted to enter the protected chat room. All of your protected users are listed according to their current status for that room, "permitted" or "not permitted":

To change a user from "not permitted" to "permitted", highlight the user's name in the box on the left and click the arrow that points to the box on the right. To change a user from "permitted" to "not permitted", highlight the user's name in the box on the right and click the arrow that points to the box on the left. You may set an ending date for the permissions, by clicking the checkbox labeled "Set expiration date". Adjust the date as needed by using the Month, Day and Year dropdown menus to select the desired values.

Click the "Update" button to confirm your changes, or click "Cancel" to exit the Edit Permissions page without saving your changes. (You may also assign room permissions to a particular user while adding or editing that user.)

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Add or Edit Protected Chat Users:
To manage site's list of "protected chat users", first click the "Protected User Management" link on the Chat Administration main page. The following page will appear:

To add a new protected user, click "Create New Protected User". The following page will appear:

Enter the new user's name, age and password. You must enter the password twice to confirm that you have typed it as intended. If you wish, change the new user's status from "Active" to "Inactive". Click the checkbox to the left of each protected room which the new user will have permission to enter. If you wish, specify an end date for the permission.

To edit, deactivate or remove a protected user from your site list, click "Edit Existing Protected User". The following page will appear:

Enter all or part of the username or email address, indicate if you want to search by username or email address, and then click "Search". A page such as the following page will appear:

Find the user you wish to modify in the search result's dropdown menu, then click "Select". The following page will appear:

Change the user's name, age and password as necessary. Note that you must click the checkbox to indicate that you are changing the password. Enter the new password twice to confirm that you have typed it as intended. You may change the new user's status via the "Status" dropdown menu. To change the user's protected room permissions, click the checkbox to the left of each protected room so that it is checked or unchecked, to permit or not permit the user to enter that room. If you wish, specify an end date for each permission via the Month, Day and Year dropdown menus; click the "Set expiration" checkbox.

Click the "Confirm Changes" button to update the user with the new information that you entered, or click the "Cancel" button to exit the edit page without saving your changes.

To delete the user, click the "Delete User" button and click as required to confirm the deletion.

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Set Chat Preferences:
To set your site's chat preferences, click the "Edit Preferences" link on the Chat Administration main page. The following page will appear:

If the checkbox labeled "Use Strong Restriction" is unchecked, protected users will be allowed to enter restricted chat rooms by using their own login information. To require them to use the restricted room's password like normal (non-protected) chat users, click the checkbox so that it is checked. To save your new preference, click the "Update" button; to exit the preferences page without saving your changes, click the "Cancel" button.

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Definitions
Public chat rooms do not require use of a password to enter the room. As for all types of rooms, the visitor's chat name and age are required to enter. Your Web site's chat rooms are automatically restricted to visitors 18 years of age or older. The chat name can by anything the visitor chooses, as long as it is not in use currently. You can change the name of the room at any time by editing the public chat room.

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Restricted chat rooms require use of a password to enter, as well as chat name and age. You assign a password to each of your restricted chat rooms, change the name of the room, and change the room's password at any time, by editing the restricted chat room.

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Unlike restricted rooms which have their own passwords, protected chat rooms are accessible only to certain "protected users" whom you have given permission to enter. You can change a protected room's permission list of users, rename the name of the room, etc. by editing the protected room.

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Protected chat users are those individuals whom you have identified as authorized to enter the protected room(s) to which you assign them. You assign each user in your protected user list a username and a password which that user will use to enter. You can add and delete protected users from your Web site's protected user list or change a user's username and password via Protected User Management.


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Related links

Chat Administration Overview
Chat Administration Definitions
How to use Chat Administration


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