Hi everybody,

This is my first post here. I've been using Plus! since the day it existed. I love it.
Yesterday the new 3.20 was released and I still love it. Especially floating contacts is great.

I have one great suggestion for future releases. Here goes:

Normally when you get a message a popup comes up, you hear a sound and a window is created in the taskbar. What would be great is if you would just here a sound and maybe a popup, but no window is created in the taskbar. Instead of the window there would be a 'message icon' in front of the user who sent you a message, either in your contact list, floating contacts, or both.
I've created a small screenshot of what I mean. Makes a lot more sense that way I think. I've included it as an attachment.

Let me know what you guys think..
Patchou, you rock!

i think that's a great idea

And where would the message itself (or for that matter: messages, icons, handwriting messages, etc. in short the whole convo.) be stored if you don't let a convowindow to be opened?

(and you would only have the icon in front of the contactname to know if someone has messaged you, which is very easly overlooked...)

i think it would mostly be used for when you're away, when you come back to your computer you can see who has left a message for you. it would be easily over looked while chatting with other people, but you could have the option turned off when your status is "online"

the message would still open a convo window, i dont think you can turn that off (only with the ignore feature on the stuff plug plugin, but that's another story) but the convo window would be minimized as it always is, and you could make it so the task bar entry of that convo window would be hidden (which i know is possible) so it would seem as if there is no convo window, but there really would be, if you know what i mean. so then when you double click on the contact that has left you a message (which you see with a flashing icon) it shows the convo window that already would have been made with the message they left and also shows the task bar entry

ask me any questions of course if you dont understand what i mean

(just incase you dont know, a task bar entry is the rectangle that appears in the task bar (the bar usually at the bottom with the system tray etc) of a program or window, i dunno how to explain, hehe, but im sure you know what it is)

[edit] here's a lil thingy i made showing what it could look like:

Great image, Jaguar. Exactly what I mean.

Patchou, do you think it is possible?

well its possible but i dont think it will be used in the next version coz patchou has some idea's to that he want to be created to msgplus but just keep it in mind it is usefull but not now at his moment

quote:

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Originally posted by Jaguar
ask me any questions of course if you dont understand what i mean

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ok, cool about the issue of it being overlooked, if you know that this happens when you have it turned on, since you know when it's turned on you'll know that the messages will be stored like that, then therefore i dont think it would be overlooked at all since you would check your whole contact list for any messages left for you, like if you were coming back from being away.

one problem i can think of is that if someone leaves you a message, but they go offline before you get back to see that they've left you a message you would have to look through the whole list of offline contacts to see if anyone has left you a message like that. i thought of a solution to this which would be putting those people in a seperate group (like the mobile group). if you know what i mean.

i dont know how easy it is to implement or anything, i dont know much about that sorta stuff, hehe. but i think this would be a great option to have and i know lots of people would use it. if patchou doesnt want to put it in any later version of plus! then i think you, Energizer, should give this idea (or let me if you like) to a very good plugin maker

[edit] im up very late, it's 5am, lol, i dunno why im up so late, but i have nothing to do and no-where to go tomorrow so why not?

here's my list of what this feature should have: (am i getting too serious about this? i just think it's an awesome idea, hehe )

• when on "away" (or any status that you choose) the messages that ppl leave you should not show in a convo window, but the convo window should be hidden
  
• when a message is left you see a flashing icon next to the contact's name (where the standard icon is)
  
• their name should also be in bold to be seen more easily
  
• the convo window will still be opened, and the message will be stored there as usual and the convo window will be minimized as usual, so you cant see it
  
• but the task bar entry will be hidden so it seems like there is no convo window
  
• the convo window and task bar entry only appear when you double click on the contact's name that has left you a message
  
• if a contact has left you a message, but they've gone offline before you read the message, then they get put into a seperate group, called something like "Messages" just like the "Mobile" group, when you open their convo window you get to read their message and then they get put into the normal "Offline" group
  
• there should be an option where you can choose when the messages will be left like this in the contact list, for example: only when "Away", or on every status, or on every status besides "Online", etc..

quote:

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Originally posted by Jaguar

• if a contact has left you a message, but they've gone offline before you read the message, then they get put into a seperate group, called something like "Messages" just like the "Mobile" group, when you open their convo window you get to read their message and then they get put into the normal "Offline" group

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i though since the offline contact list is very long, but yeah, you're right

Instead of contacts moving to a special group when they've send you a message and then gone offline, I think it would be easier to have the MSN Messenger icon in the system tray change to a different icon (one with a message image of some kind). So that way you always know when someone has left you a message, either if he's online or offline.

And just double clicking on the MSN icon in systray would open the message. If you have multiple people who send you a message, the icon in systray would stay special, until you've read all of your messages, then it would return to the normal MSN icon.

And to be clear, this feature should be able to be turned on and off. Preferably off by default to not confuse ' newbie's '.

Just my 2 cents..

mm yeah or you could right-click on the msn icon on the taskbar and have an option there (or else where) where you can see people that have left you a message, maybe in a simple list, then u just click there name and it appears.... ?
Chestah
this could solve the not finding that you have a message problem

i dont think all that is really necessary and i think it's all too much actually, if you have an icon infront of the contact's name and also have their name in bold it's not hard to see at all and i dont think it's easily overlooked at all:

This kind of thing is going to be overlooked in the main window, because the idea of floating contacts is not to have to open the main window as often. This would be good for floating contacts only, providing the background of the contact on the desktop flashed blue to orange and the sound was still made, and it was also brought to your attention by the name jumping to the front of your screen.  When the  convo window is minimised it could go back to the contact on desktop instead of task bar. The message recieved icon on the contacts on desktop could be good for some kind of PM system within MSN...

This is a great idea Jaguar, i would love that to be in msgplus, but patchou hasnt post anything here yet. I was going to post that in a week or so.  Did you get the idea from ICQ right? because it is the same idea that you are posting here. It is really annoying that the messages go into the taskbar. Again great idea i hope patchou makes that possible.

i didnt come up with the idea well ive thought about it lots of times, and ive seen it in trillian. but Energizer started this thread and thought of the idea here, ive just worked it all out, cause i think this feature really should be added to Messenger Plus! i dont know why patchou hasnt said anything here maybe he just hasnt noticed the thread, hehe

tom - you have the wrong idea of floating contacts, cause what you're saying is just like intergrating the whole contact list to your desktop, and that's not what the feature was made for, it's just to be able to see a few "special" contacts that are more important to you than others, without having to open the contact list to check all the time. so this message feature shouldnt only be in the flaoting contacts but also in the normal contact list, if you think that you'll miss a flashing icon plus the contact name in bold, then you must not be able to see well

i think Patchou should have a look at ICQ and check out the "messages left in contact list" feature, and then hopefully intergrate the same or something similar into msn plus! (and read this whole thread to see what options there could be for it)

Yeah Jaguar, having Patchou look at ICQ to see exactly what we mean would be good

Too bad he hasn't noticed this thread yet.. I really would like to know what his opinion is on all of this..

i dont have my contact list open half the tiime why not do what tom said and have the floating contacts blink just like the taskbar ones do
and if the contact has a floating window thing then rremove them from the taskbar but not anyone else unless they have a floating window too.