[For 1.8] MyConversations: a conversation plugin for MyBB

[Laird]

MyConversations is a conversation plugin for MyBB 1.8.x that replaces the default private message (PM) system. But why replace that system? Because in it, messages are displayed individually and in isolation, so that if participants in a private exchange want to reconstruct the full conversation, they have to laboriously switch between their Inbox and Sent Items folders, tracking down each message in the exchange one at a time, sometimes pages apart.

MyConversations instead displays exchanges of private messages in the same way in which public forum threads are displayed: as a continuous, time-ordered sequence of messages split over consecutive pages.

Pricing

• AUD 30 for a single-site licence. (Roughly USD 20.55 at current exchange rates).
  
• AUD 45 for a two-to-three-site licence. (Roughly USD 30.82 at current exchange rates).
  
• AUD 60 for an unlimited site licence. (Roughly USD 41.10 at current exchange rates).
  

Purchases entitle the buyer to ongoing access to new releases via emailed download links.

Payment methods:

PayPal (automated purchase via the MyConversations home page) or bank transfer (by private arrangement).

Licence:

The standard EULA.

Copyright:

All code copyright me and non-distributable, with all rights reserved, except for files under inc/plugins/converse/lgpl which are licensed under the LGPL.

Technical requirements / compatibility:

• MyBB 1.8.x (untested for smaller values of x).
  
• PHP 7 or 8 (potentially untested on very early versions of PHP 7; might work with PHP 5).
  
• MySQL/MariaDB (PostgreSQL and SQLite not supported).
  

Will refund if MyConversations unexpectedly does not work on your setup and we are unable to resolve the problem together.

Additional functionality:

Ask if you want me to add functionality for a fee (I can provide a detailed, free, no-obligation quote for more extensive work).

Try it before you buy it

MyConversations can be tested on the creativeandcritical.net forums.

Key features

• Conversations, supporting from one to any number of participants.
  
• Conversation messages, stored once each in the DB versus once for each participant in the default PM system.
  
• Integration with the User CP.
  
• Folders, as for the default PM system.
  
• Attachments, with the same interface as for post attachments.
  
• Quoting of messages, including link-back arrows.
  
• Likes.
  
• MyAlerts integration.
  
• Email notifications.
  
• Conversation groups.
  
• A system of rights, with support for five basic rights.
  
• Conversation and group listing pages.
  
• Searchability by subject, message, author, participants, group, and folder.
  
• Additional options in the User CP.
  
• [For admins] A migration tool to convert private messages to conversations.
  
• [For admins] A reverse-migration (anti-lock-in) tool to convert conversations to private messages.
  
• [For admins] Several other miscellaneous features.
  

Screenshots

Starting a conversation:

s

A conversation view:



A view of unread conversations:



More on the plugin's homepage.

---

Following up on a couple of posts in the thread [Services Request] MyBB Conversations Plugin, which Omar G. asked to be moved to a dedicated thread:

This is spectacular, it seems to be a very well done job. I didn't notice on the screens, but it would be interesting to add multipage in conversations from a certain number of messages that can be configured in AdminCP. Thank you for developing this plugin for MyBB.

Yes, multipage is supported, just as for public forum threads. It just isn't visible in any of the screenshots because none of those conversations had more than ten messages, the hard-coded value of messages per page the number of messages per page stipulated by the core MyBB setting "Posts Per Page", which MyConversations currently treats as its "Messages Per Page" setting. You are right that it would be best if this were separately configurable in the ACP - I've added that to my TODO list for major release #2.

And you're welcome.

Awesome
Do you have live demo?

Thanks, and yes, as per my above post, MyConversations can be tested on the creativeandcritical.net forums.

[Supryk]

I looked at it and it is awesome Veryyyy good job
I have a few questions.
1. what are you going to add? What is your plan?
2. Do you have plan to make "Quick Reply" ajax like in thread?

[Laird]

I looked at it and it is awesome Veryyyy good job

Thanks!

I have a few questions.
1. what are you going to add? What is your plan?

There's a roadmap on the homepage which details features planned for the second, third, and fourth major releases.

2. Do you have plan to make "Quick Reply" ajax like in thread?

I hadn't thought of that. Good idea. I've added it - to the fourth major release, because the next two are pretty full already.

[Eldenroot]

Have been testing for over 6 weeks and it is awesome

[Laird]

I appreciate your positivity and unceasing support and assistance, @Eldenroot. Thanks, man.

[Laird]

MyConversations version 1.1.0 has just been released, and along with this release, its website (at that link) has been majorly revamped too, for a more modern web look.

This is a between-major-versions release. It fixes bugs, implements features requested as a priority by users, and fills in necessary functionality that wasn't quite present in the first major release.

New features and fixes:

• Major new user-facing features:
  
  • A tool to export conversation messages. Attachments can optionally be exported along with conversation messages. Otherwise mimics the core export-of-private-messages feature.
    
• Major new administrative features:
  
  • A new per-usergroup setting for maximum permissible number of participants in any conversation started by members of the usergroup.
    
    
  • A flood interval setting to prevent any given member from sending conversation messages too rapidly.
    
    
  • The default PM settings have been replaced with the corresponding MyConversations settings in the "Messaging and Notification" box of the "Account Settings" tab of the ACP's "Edit User" page, i.e., at admin/index.php?module=user-users&action=edit&uid=[uid]#tab_settings
    
• Major new features applicable to both end-users and administrators:
  
  • MyConversations now intercepts and replaces the core PM sending functionality, in particular the core PMDataHandler class and (simply because it relies on that class) the core send_pm() function. Core code and other plugins that rely on that core functionality now don't need to be changed for compatibility with MyConversations: rather than core PMs being sent by those core tools, MyConversations messages are now sent instead. Some points to note are:
    
    • This relies on a small, two-line change to the core file inc/datahandlers.pm.php; a change which MyConversations automates and automatically reverts when appropriate.
      
      
    • System-generated PMs are supported, and their sender shows up as "MyBB Engine", as for the core PM system.
      
      
    • System-generated PMs notifying members of new replies in forum threads to which they are subscribed are supported. New notifications for the same thread are sent as replies to any existing notification conversation for that thread rather than generating a new conversation.
      
      
    • The previous MyConversations override of the buddy-request-notification-by-PM feature with an email notification has been reverted, since that default core notification-by-PM feature is now intercepted and translated into a notification-by-MyConversations-message.
      
• Minor new user-facing improvements:
  
  • When a conversation/group edit form is viewed by a participant without the "add" right, the "Add Participant:" prompt is now shown as usual, except that a message next to it indicates that the member lacks the right to add participants.
    
    
  • The unread-conversation-messages header is now shown on every page: prior to this, it wasn't shown for the converse.php script.
    
    
  • The "Start conversation" button at the bottom of a post is now only shown if the viewing member can actually start a conversation with the poster. This is the case when all of the following hold:
    
    • The viewing member is logged in, i.e., is not a guest, i.e., has a positive user ID.
      
      
    • The viewing member has the cnv_canstart per-usergroup right (i.e., "Can start conversations and conversation groups?" is checked).
      
      
    • The poster has not disabled receipt of conversation messages.
      
• Minor new administrative features:
  
  • usercp.css is now associated with converse.php on plugin activation rather than on installation.
    
• Bug fixes:
  
  • The pop-up display of IP addresses for conversation messages, which treated message IDs as post IDs, has been fixed.
    
    
  • The mistakenly hard-coded database table prefix in inc/plugins/converse/converse-functions.php has been replaced by the TABLE_PREFIX define.
    
    
  • The define for the administrative root directory is used where appropriate, rather than a hard-coded string, as this location can be customised.
    
    
  • The PREG_BACKTRACK_LIMIT_ERROR that sometimes occurred when detecting a [quote] tag with an mid parameter has been fixed.
    

[Laird]

MyConversations version 1.1.1 has just been released.

This is a minor bugfix release.

New fixes:

• Bugfix: Email notifications of new replies weren't being sent.
  

[Nicolas Flamel]

Download link doesn't work?
https://prnt.sc/yy23a8

[Laird]

Nicolas, thank you so much for purchasing MyConversations, and I am so sorry for that download failure. Worst case scenario, I can simply email the file to you, so, don't worry: no matter what, you will get what you paid for. I can confirm that my records show that you have purchased the plugin, so there is no question of, and I do not dispute, your entitlement to it.

I would very much like to debug what's gone wrong though. My records show that you have attempted to download the file 4 times. I have just attempted to download it myself using your credentials via the Firefox browser and was successful. If you are willing to try to work through a debugging process with me, either here in this thread or privately, please let me know. Otherwise, I will simply email you the file and we will have to hope for the best for find a similar way to get to you the future MyConversations upgrades to which you are entitled without further cost.

I have sent this message to you via email too so you can choose which medium you prefer to respond by.

Once again, thank you for your purchase.

Best wishes,
Laird

[Nicolas Flamel]

Hello I have sent an email reply, I think it may have been the adblock, but I ended up reaching my DL limit.