Shoutbox

Hi Patchou:

                    I'd like first to send you my respect for the nice work you have done with Messenger Plus!: It is a very useful addon for MSN Messenger. Also I'd like to make some suggestions about features that you could include in future versions:

        - I'd like to backup my preferences to a default folder (set by me)
          when I exit MSN Messenger, when I start MSN Messenger or with
          a timer (once each n minutes). Sometimes when I have to format my
          HDD I found I forgot to backup my preferences, so I'd like this
          automated for my convenience.

        - I'd like to have the e-mail checker configured to check Yahoo!,
          Hotmail, G-mail and Webmail services once each n minutes. I know
          there is an e-mail checker, but most users (like me) don't know how
          to configure it, so it's a matter of information and a friendly interface.

        - I'd like MNS Plus! to have some scripting capabilities, so users may
          write their own rutines and bots to run in the background once MSN
          Plus! and MSN Messenger are started.

        - I'd like Messenger Plus! to send log files and conversations through the
          Hotmail account the user is logged in once the window is closed or
          with a timer set to n minutes. This feature may be useful for many
          network admins because they would have the ability to monitor
          what employees are doing with MSN Messenger. Also I'd like to
          decide conversation txt files attributes (Read Only, Hidden, etc.).

                    O.K. So that's all for the moment. I'd like other forum users to suggest features here and help you with ideas to make Messenger Plus better and better each day.

                    Best regards ,

                    Rdrk.               

Okay:

• The backup wouldn't really work, because if you are always reformatting your computer and forgetting to back up the preferences, then chances are, you'll forget to backup the folder too. It would be a useless feature.
  
  
• There is already a checker to check gmail accounts, not sure whether Yahoo! works though. Only services that allow Pop3 will ever work I'm afraid. There are some threads around the forum to get POP3 to work with Gmail, I'll find them in a second. - http://www.msgplus.net/help_tutorials.php?tut=pop3-email-clients.
  
  
• I'm pretty sure that Messenger Plus! has the scripting cababilities to do this already, as there are many plugins and things out (if I understand what you're saying correctly).
  
  
• Last but not least, I doubt that this feature would actually be useful to a lot of people, it would just use a lot of bandwith on accounts, as some people simply close the window after they've had short conversations, it would just make the loads on things annoying.

Hi:

           When I suggested the auto-backup feature I did it thinking in saving preferences in another folder on another HDD or partition, so it would be very useful and time saving for me as well as for other users too.

           I think that the e-mail checker still needs more development and a user friendly interface and options ton check Yahoo!, Gmail and other mail services. I know there are a lot of plugins, but sometimes plugins may not be compatible with some versions or cause conflicts. So why not have this feature from the core?

           In the scripting thing, I'd like to know if some users may know resources or tutorials I can read to have the better advantages on this, for example, running vbs, batch files and wmi scripts.

           And with the conversation txts or logs, the feature may be activated optionally, so users who don't need it, don't use it, and others that may use it, can turn it on.

About the backup there is a plugin that does this. But I can't remember the name right now .

I'll try to find out. It back's up the preferences of plus! and optionally those of msn to a ftp server. I don't know what kind of functions more it has, because I havn't used it in some time because I don't have plus! anymore.

But if you don't have an ftp server, maybe you could mail the creator to ask if he can make it backup to another partition instead of an ftp server.

When I find out who made it and what the name was I'll post here

EDIT: found it by digging trough old threads

Settings Sync/Transferer/Backup

Seems he hasn't updated since I stopped using plus!

quote:

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Originally posted by Rdrk
I think that the e-mail checker still needs more development and a user friendly interface and options ton check Yahoo!, Gmail and other mail services. I know there are a lot of plugins, but sometimes plugins may not be compatible with some versions or cause conflicts. So why not have this feature from the core?

---

As traxor said the email checker only checks POP3 enabled accounts, and i doubt patchou will develop methods to interface with non POP3 accounts as it would be time consuming, as the logon method would be different for every servace. Your only option would be to get a plugin/program that converts your account into a POP3 account.

quote:

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Originally posted by Rdrk
In the scripting thing, I'd like to know if some users may know resources or tutorials I can read to have the better advantages on this, for example, running vbs, batch files and wmi scripts.

---

There is a plugin that lets you use vbs and js, i think it was called the scripting host plugin but can't be certain, search around a bit and you should find it.
Also Msgplus Live will include a scripting feature to allow users to write there own small scripts.

quote:

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Originally posted by Plik
There is a plugin that lets you use vbs and js, i think it was called the scripting host plugin

---

Yep

i thought of a minor adjustment to the Sounds feature in messenger plus....maybe the ability to make your own custom folders for sounds e.g.  Stargate or Charmed, instead of all of them piled into TV/Movies, Cartoons etc. cause it gets confusing when you have loads of sounds in one category. what you think?

Oh, sorry if this has already been suggested.

Hi:

       I was searching for the plugin to auto-save Messenger Plus preferences and couldn't find it, even when mess.be list it among other Messenger Plus plugins... So I decided to look for something that may solve the problem and I found a very useful macro and scripting app called  "AutoHotkey".

      For those interested, please look for it at google or another freeware download page. I'd ask moderators: can I post the link to the autor's page ?

quote:

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Originally posted by Rdrk
I'd ask moderators: can I post the link to the autor's page ?

---

Sure, as long as it's not linking to illegal content, feel free to

quote:

---

Originally posted by Rdrk
        - I'd like to backup my preferences to a default folder (set by me)
          when I exit MSN Messenger, when I start MSN Messenger or with
          a timer (once each n minutes). Sometimes when I have to format my
          HDD I found I forgot to backup my preferences, so I'd like this
          automated for my convenience.

---

To add to what is already said about this:

Plus! is not the place this should be added to. The reason for this being that preferences and settings are saved in either files or the registry or both.

Backing up such things is not in the scope of MSN Messenger and not in the scope of Messenger Plus! as backing something up on your computer is a specific task actually not related to the programs  which use those settings.

In other words, there are thousands of programs which already backup stuff on your computer (search google). Use those instead for such a specific task. Set them up so they backup only the files and registry settings for MSN Messenger and/or Messenger Plus!...

The question asked is almost the same as asking to include a "format my disk" feature in Messenger Plus! or a "painting program" in Messenger Plus!. For all such functions on a computer there are specific programs... Backing up stuff (even if it is only Messenger stuff) is also such a specific function, actually not related to Messenger.

eg: People don't ask for a backup feature in Word and Excel either, as backing stuff up is done by backup programs (even if you only backup stuff from a specific program).

quote:

---

Originally posted by Rdrk
        - I'd like to have the e-mail checker configured to check Yahoo!,
          Hotmail, G-mail and Webmail services once each n minutes. I know
          there is an e-mail checker, but most users (like me) don't know how
          to configure it, so it's a matter of information and a friendly interface.

---

As said before (though a bit vaguely), Webmail services like Yahoo and other webmail services work totally different than normal pop3 mail services.

POP3 mail services are the only thing supported in Messenger Plus! because those services have a fixed and documented protocol.

Webmail services don't work like that and each and every webmail service has its own kind of protocol and it would be impossible to add thousands of such different protocols, that is, if you even knew how they worked as some are very closed sources and almost impossible to find out how they work.

Also, extremely many webmail services do not allow 3rd party clients to contact them and the only way you could contact them is by visiting their website and their portal (defeating the whole purpose of an integrated mail checker).

quote:

---

Originally posted by Rdrk
        - I'd like MNS Plus! to have some scripting capabilities, so users may
          write their own rutines and bots to run in the background once MSN
          Plus! and MSN Messenger are started.

---

Since a very long time, you already can write plugins for Plus!. For more information see the plugins section of this forum and also the official Plugin API tutorial.

Furthermore, as said (and linked to) before there are plugins which allow you to make your own plugins (thus: plugins for plugins) in scripting languages like VBScript and Javascript. Though they are, of course, more limited.

In the new upcomming version of Messenger Plus! (Messenger Plus! Live, only compatible with Windows Live Messenger), there will also be an integrated JavaScripting feature.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Rdrk
        - I'd like Messenger Plus! to send log files and conversations through the
          Hotmail account the user is logged in once the window is closed or
          with a timer set to n minutes. This feature may be useful for many
          network admins because they would have the ability to monitor
          what employees are doing with MSN Messenger.

---

To add what has been said before:

Such a feature would not only cause an huge amount of bandwidth, it would also, in extremely many causes, breach privacy and thus would be very illegal.

And any method to fix the privacy issues will render such a feature useless for what its originally intended purpose would have been.

Nevertheless, if you really want something like this, I suggest that you again look for programs which do this already as this is, again (just as the backup question), a specific function which many programs already do: sending files to remote addresses.

In other words, search (google) for an FTP program which will periodically send certain files (the messenger log files) to a remote address.

quote:

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Originally posted by Rdrk
Also I'd like to decide conversation txt files attributes (Read Only, Hidden, etc.).

---

Setting file attributes is very useless as they can be changed just like that with any program. They do not provide "security" in any way.

Settings attributes to hidden is also rather useless, but nevertheless can easly be done by yourself. Set the file attributes of the log files, just as you would set the attributes of any other file in Windows. If you want the log directory to be hidden (for whatever reason), then set it like you would set any other attribute for any other directory.

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All in all, the things you ask for (except the mail question) are normal, everyday tasks which you do when you work with a computer. Because those tasks are so general, there are already thousands of specific programs which can do those things; those tasks do not need a specific and limited integration into MSN Messenger or Messenger Plus!...

Use programs for what they are designed to. eg: use a drawing program to draw pictures, use a format program to format your computer, use a backup program to backup files and registry settings, use a file manager to handle file attributes... etc...