Shoutbox

Hi Everybody,
I´m new on this Forum, and i´ll start to read and post today.

I´m using MSGPlus for a long time, and i really enjoy the features!

So, let´s talk about my idea:

I´ve been logging my conversations since 2002, and i have a lot of text files, in different layouts.

To complicate, i´ve been using 3 different computers: one in my house, one in my workplace, and one in my parent´s house. So, I have 3 different text files for each contact, for each month.

To complicate a bit more, i have a brother, and he uses my computer and my parent´s computer. And he have in his contact list some of contacts that i have too. So, i have some text files with chats from him and from me.

For me, this is a Problem.
So, i got an idea: To save this conversation in a commom place, in the Internet, and have - in any part of the World - an organized chat log.

First i thinked in a FTP Server... but now i think is better a DATABASE server, like Microsoft SQL Server or MySQL.

Most web hosts offer this service, and I have a SQL Server Account in one service provider... Shoud be good if i can, in MSGplus setup, configure a connection to an ODBC-like database, and save my conversation in a easy way.

It´s just a suggestion! Think about it!

PS. Sorry my english... if i commited some mistakes. I´m Brazilian and my primary language is Portuguese.

Thanks for your atention,
Regards
- Daniel

quote:

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Originally posted by Shadow Brujah
To complicate a bit more, i have a brother, and he uses my computer and my parent´s computer. And he have in his contact list some of contacts that i have too. So, i have some text files with chats from him and from me.

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each one of you should save your logs in diferent folders.

quote:

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Originally posted by Shadow Brujah
but now i think is better a DATABASE server, like Microsoft SQL Server or MySQL.

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that would make that plus would be very much bigger in size, because it'd need to include code to access the DB. I disagree with that option.

quote:

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Originally posted by Shadow Brujah
First i thinked in a FTP Server...

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that may be a better idea. Plus can save log in any place that you can access with the explorer, so you can enter a shared folder (\\something_like\this) or connect to a remote drive and assign a letter (Z

While all this is being done, u could save it in ur web inbozx as a template as a quick fix, copy and paste style. u know, jus while ur waiting.....

I can very much relate to original poster's concern and I think that this idea is great. FTP would be good and database sounds even better because then we wouldn't have to worry about overwriting files (as with sending logfiles over slow connection and internet connection dies or computer crashes).

Would the database logging be doable as a plugin?

No, it´s impossible to make as a plug-in for MSGPlus. We need to interact directly with MSN Messenger.

I already searched the Internet for some documentation, but i was unsucessful to do it...

Patchou shoud think about do it in next release... a lot of people can use this!

Regards
- Daniel

And even more people wont use it....

I agree with Choli that this is something not for Plus!. If you want your chatlogs organized, use a 3rd party application to organize them (or even put them in a DB)

quote:

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Originally posted by CookieRevised
And even more people wont use it....

I agree with Choli that this is something not for Plus!. If you want your chatlogs organized, use a 3rd party application to organize them (or even put them in a DB)

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Tell me the name of this program, and I´ll never disturb anymore.

I know the big part of people will not use this feature, but not because it´s a useless feature... Because the people do not know that a Database server exists! Do not know who to use, to configure, etc.

But some advanced users do, and i´m sure they´ll enjoy this feature. I guess it´s not hard to add in the MSGPlus, the program already can handle the conversation! Just add a way to execute INSERT commands in the configured ODBC database and it´s done!

Regards
- Daniel

It's not because they don't know it exists or how to use it (well, they there will be people that don't know it of course). Most people wont simply have the need/use for it.

Personaly I don't see why a DB is handier then just old plain Windows Explorer to read and organize the logs. I have also multiple accounts on multiple PC's and I have no problem with them, as I keep everything nice and organized within Windows Explorer... ("Making things more complicated then needed" comes into my mind tbh)

And as Choli also said, you can use shared drivers, this is just a common Windows "thing". In that way, you can make a nice directory for each account, for each PC on a shared drive. No need for a DB at all...

Also, there are many programs which can import files to databases. Search the net.... This is actualy not a specific problem, so this means you can use whatever you like to create a database. (even common MS Access if you like). It's like "tell me a program which can read a textfile", there are hundreds of possebilities....

Ok, I understand. And I can handle my files in a single computer... no problem. But if I use a second computer, this one will create a file with same name, and if i simply drag´n´drop this files in the same folder, one file will be overwritten, and i´ll lost it. If I want to preserve all conversation, I´ll need to open, copy manually and past in another file, and taking carrefull to sort correctly the conversations.

I can see a lot of good point to save chats in a database server:
1 - No problem with backups, virus, accidental file deletion, etc: all conversation are stored in a different place and (in theory) safe.
2 - I can query the Conversation in any form I need: By Date, By User, By User and Date, By text, etc.
3 - Using a Business Inteligence Tool, like Cognos, I can generate some reports for conversations relating the chats for a lot of users (useful for big companys that users MSN Messenger as default messager).
4 - I can use any computer, in any part of the world, with any configuration, to save and consult my logs. (Lanhouses, cyber cafes, home, office, museum, library, etc)
5 - A Database connection like SQLServer is much times faster than a FTP Connection, and we do not need to download and upload files... Just run a query! It´s is faster than Windows Explorer network over Internet... it´s very very slow using a Dial-up or 256k DSL Connection. With a SQLServer, I use without problems with my 33.6Kbps modem.
6 - We can export this data in any format we want: Text files, Access MDB, Foxpro DBF, XML, etc.

Regards
- Daniel

just as a thaught, maybe Plus! could connect to ftp servers,

in the logs directory field, you enter a ftp location

(like ftp://yourname@ftp.yourserver.com)

then there is some place to enter the password (maybe as a pop-up dialogue with the option to save password when you open a conversation for the first time)

therefore people who want to use the feature can when they want, yet it wont clog up the messenger plus interface with an extra feature.