YALC - Yet Another Live Chat
Tuesday, February 10, 2009 8:50:09 AM MSK
Not so long ago I met a great module for Magento - MagentoLiveChat. This module is designed for online user support, so-called live support. With all the positive qualities of this module, it has some drawbacks:
All this ran me to the idea to offer an alternative solution for Live Support - module Luxe_YALC. In fact, this module provides an interface to Google Talk, and allows the guest chat. That is to take advantage of this system, the user does not need a Google Account. He simply acquire the button opens a window and guest chat. The fact that I did not write your own IM client and server and took advantage of the Google service has a number of obvious advantages:
Module installation guide:
1. Install module Luxe_YALC via MagentoConnect.
2. Clearing Magento cache (System->Cache Managment page in admin area)
3. Logout from admin area
4. Go to the module Luxe_YALC configuration page and configure it to fit your needs as described in the screenshot below
Good luck!
- 1. Additional load on the web server
- 2. You must use specialized chat client.
- 3. Inconvenient to use for customers.
All this ran me to the idea to offer an alternative solution for Live Support - module Luxe_YALC. In fact, this module provides an interface to Google Talk, and allows the guest chat. That is to take advantage of this system, the user does not need a Google Account. He simply acquire the button opens a window and guest chat. The fact that I did not write your own IM client and server and took advantage of the Google service has a number of obvious advantages:
- 1. Reliability. Server, even at the most reliable hosting services less reliable than Google.
- 2. Speed. Since the entire load on the transmission of messages rests with the Google Talk service is the work of IM does not affect the speed and load on your server.
- 3. Privacy. Communication takes place completely anonymously, ie, your client can not even your Google Account.
- 4. You can chat simultaneously with an unlimited number of users.
- 5. Increased number of users does not affect the speed of chat.
- 6. Free of charge. All you need - register Google Account for your support service.
- 7. You do not have to constantly keep running a third-party chat client. You can use for chat your favorite IM
- 8. All chat history is stored in Google Account, so you can always revert to it if you have forgotten. Google search helps you quickly find the needle message.
Module installation guide:
1. Install module Luxe_YALC via MagentoConnect.
2. Clearing Magento cache (System->Cache Managment page in admin area)
3. Logout from admin area
4. Go to the module Luxe_YALC configuration page and configure it to fit your needs as described in the screenshot below
Good luck!
Posted in Magento
By Yuriy Vasiyarov
Can you get the hyperlink to have a class that we can theme? (e.g. class="offline" or class="online") This would allow us to theme and replace with our own image like "Live Chat is Offline" or "Live Chat is Online")
Also can you have it rotate the username that is displayed to the end user from a list? LOL! Making it look like the support staff is bigger than one person...
Comment By Mike - Wednesday, February 11, 2009 10:04:41 AM MSK
Unfortunatelly badge theming not possible because Google API does not provide such feature.
If you use "Standard", "One line" or "Two line" badge style then all badge HTML content will be generated by Google API and located inside the iframe, so you can not theme it.
If you use "Hyperlink and status icon" or "Hyperlink" badge style then you can fully customize view of badge by editing badge template file.
Comment By Yuriy Vasiyarov - Wednesday, February 11, 2009 10:37:06 AM MSK
I installed the mod, impossible to see it in Frontend (1.8) I've reset cache, the file are in my design folder 777 atribut maybe it's the problem ...
Comment By crxman - Wednesday, February 11, 2009 6:31:47 PM MSK
Module can be not displayed in frontend if you use non default theme.
The YALC module located in right column, so if this zone is not displayed in your theme, module will be not displayed at the frontend.
In this case you can change layout updates file (design/frontend/default/default/layout/luxe_yalc.xml) and move YALC module to left column or to some other location.
Comment By Yuriy Vasiyarov - Thursday, February 12, 2009 11:03:51 AM MSK
Hello Yuriy,
thanks for your replay, I used the default theme since the begiging because I know the theme problem with you module.
Impossible to see the mod in front end with default theme, Fabrice's live chat mod work on the same theme for exemple.
Look at the review on magentoconnect you'll see I'm not the only one to have this problem.
Comment By crxman - Thursday, February 12, 2009 8:41:26 PM MSK
Im try to reproduce this bug on the default version of Magento (1.2.1) but all works correctly. You can see YALC module in action on the http://demo.luxe-soft.com
Comment By Yuriy Vasiyarov - Thursday, February 12, 2009 9:24:35 PM MSK
Yes I can see it !!! Damn :)
what esle can I tell you ? I'm using 1.8 hosted by Simple Helix, I saw something, all my folders have 755 or 644.
Can you tell me where all directories are for me to check?
Other info the back end admin is working I can configure the script. I also tried the xml left or right same do not show up ...
Comment By crxman - Friday, February 13, 2009 8:46:14 AM MSK
This is a great module! Thanks! Can you tell me if there is a way to relocate the link on the page? It currently shows up beneath the side boxes.
Thanks again!
Comment By Casey - Wednesday, February 18, 2009 11:52:36 PM MSK
You can relocate the link on the page by editing "/app/design/frontend/default/default/layout/luxe_yalc.xml" layout file.
Comment By Yuriy Vasiyarov - Thursday, February 19, 2009 6:45:05 PM MSK
good
Comment By khuyennd - Saturday, February 21, 2009 11:14:50 AM MSK
i have one small question, how does this extension function on the user's end ?
what i mean by that, is that , the user will be obliged to sign in to his personal IM (like his google account) to be able to talk to the store ? or how does it function ?
Comment By geo - Tuesday, February 24, 2009 2:32:44 PM MSK
no, user dont need to sign at all. User just click on the Google Talk badge and after that, new chat window will be opened.
Google guest chat dont use Java, Flash or something like this - only Java Script.
Comment By Yuriy Vasiyarov - Tuesday, February 24, 2009 2:40:07 PM MSK
thank you for this nice module :)
i have two more small questions :
1 - is it always guest-store talk ? i mean it can't take the username of the logged-in user so the store can know with whom he's talking ?
2 - how can we put it not on right-down position, let us say for example right up ?
Thanks again
Regards
Comment By geo - Wednesday, February 25, 2009 1:53:48 AM MSK
Thank you for such kind words.
1. - yes, it always anonymous chat. Even if your customers has Google account and he is logged in, you will not see its name.
2. just add before="-" attribute to badge block in "/app/design/frontend/default/default/layout/luxe_yalc.xml" layout file.
Comment By Yuriy Vasiyarov - Wednesday, February 25, 2009 9:33:11 AM MSK
For those who can't get the script working:
most probably it's because of open_basedir or safe_mode affecting CURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION (http://lt.php.net/manual/en/curl.constants.php).
So what I did to solve it, was go to app/code/local/Luxe/Yalc/Model/Yalc.php and comment out the line
curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION, true);
Hope this saves somebody some time :)
Comment By pishkus - Friday, March 13, 2009 3:59:00 PM MSK
Thanks for the module.
2 questions..
- I'm installing the extension in a custom interface/custom template. which is the xml file that calls the module on the page?
- the module calls images from http://google..... would this mean that in a https environment like teh checkout page this would cause notifications?
Thank you
Comment By Filippo - Saturday, April 4, 2009 7:53:08 PM MSD
Yuriy , is it possible for you to explain little more on : moving the link from right column to left. I understand that you need to edit some layout file, which one? Also what codes line I should use for that.
I have a custom theme with left column and obviously I can not get it to work. Thank you.
Comment By Paul - Friday, April 10, 2009 9:25:19 PM MSD
Hi,
Do you know if the module is compatible with magento 1.3.1?
It looks great!
Keep up the good job!
Comment By Bertrand Jubault - Thursday, May 14, 2009 10:09:01 AM MSD
Yes, sure.
Comment By Yuriy Vasiyarov - Thursday, May 14, 2009 10:12:10 AM MSD
Yura, horoshi module. u menia vopros na schet chto Paul skazal vishe. Kak perevesti tvoi module from right side to the left. Ia v programirovanii ploho ponimau, mozhesh skazat chto za kod iz dolzhen postavit v layout file i gde ego naiti.
Sposibo bolshoe.
Comment By Vlad - Wednesday, June 3, 2009 2:55:09 AM MSD
Dear Yuriy, Looks like a great plugin-however we also have a custom made theme; i tried adding the block but so far no luck (when i added it to my own catalog.xml and renamed the type "yalc/badge" to "core/template" it appeared but with a wrong google URL (all the request params where empty ot i got an ERROR BAD REQUEST). Some tips on installing on a custom template would be great! Thanks in advance Yuriy!
Comment By Raphael - Tuesday, June 30, 2009 9:30:42 AM MSD
thanx for such a wonderful module
it goes well with default themes but when i tried to use it with magento classic theme it doesn't appear in front page. can u help me please
i m very new to php
kindly elaborate in a more efficient way
Comment By karun bansal - Wednesday, July 8, 2009 10:58:15 AM MSD
hi , it is possible or how to change or edit this great module to log with Google Apps users should go to http://www.google.com/talk/service/a/DOMAIN/badge/New (where DOMAIN is the name of the Apps domain).
Comment By webservice - Tuesday, August 11, 2009 10:39:51 AM MSD
Hi, smooth installation, showing up un the front-page, everything ok. However:
1) i am using google apps, and it seems that my google chat account does not work?
29 which files need to be translated for german users?
Tx,
FrankW
Comment By Frank - Saturday, September 19, 2009 5:55:35 PM MSD
Hi Yuriy, pls ignore the question re language. Its working fine now.
Still, the connectivity with google apps accounts is not working. A 'normal' Google account work fine, though.
However, even when i use a 'normal' Google account together with my iChat client, the status is working fine, the first request to start a conversation is also coming through but the reply does not get passed back.
Thanks,
FrankW
Comment By Frank - Saturday, September 19, 2009 6:49:59 PM MSD
Hi,
I recently tried to install YALC on multiple magneto on different servers. YALC doesn't seem to show up on the default home page.
I have previously done it before and worked without any problem. Not sure what caused it not working at the moment via Magento Connect.
Any thoughts?
Kelvin
Comment By Kelvin - Wednesday, October 14, 2009 5:42:13 PM MSD
Got the same problem as Kelvin.
I've installed YALC by MC on clear 1.3.4 Magento, and can find it on default theme frontpage.
Any solution ?
Tomasz
Comment By TomaszC - Wednesday, November 11, 2009 4:07:39 AM MSK
Hi, may i know is this module still work? And can it run in magento 1.3.4?
Comment By hoop - Sunday, December 20, 2009 5:55:04 PM MSK
I tried the YALC and is working on my Magento 1.4.0. You can see it at http://www.fotogears.com/estore, it is a very good module to at least let customers chat with me before they place any order. Excellent job by Yuriy.
Comment By Ryan - Tuesday, March 2, 2010 6:03:05 PM MSK
thanx for the great MOD.
For the people who had hard time getting this to work on a custom template what i had to do to make it work was actuality easy . here is what i did
modify "/app/design/frontend/default/default/layout/luxe_yalc.xml" layout file
just move the last /luxe_yalc.xml
to your new template
example "/app/design/frontend/default/foo2/layout/luxe_yalc.xml"
hope that helps someone . I was confused for a minute myself . but if I can do it anyone can
Comment By Tim - Saturday, March 13, 2010 4:13:19 PM MSK
Hi there. I am trying to move the badge to the top of the right column of my template. I saw your post to add the following to the badge block before="-" but this didn't result in it moving anywhere. What I have is this:
<layout version="0.1.0">
<default>
<reference name="right">
<block type="yalc/badge" before="-" name="yalc_badge" template="luxe/yalc/badge.phtml" />
</reference>
</default>
</layout>
Comment By wisc75 - Thursday, May 6, 2010 7:41:10 PM MSD
Can someone help me figure out how to get this to show at the TOP of the right hand column?
Thanks.
Comment By wisc75 - Thursday, May 6, 2010 7:48:46 PM MSD
Hi there. I am trying to move the badge to the top of the right column of my template. I saw your post to add the following to the badge block before="-" but this didn't result in it moving anywhere. What I have is this:
<layout version="0.1.0">
<default>
<reference name="right">
<block type="yalc/badge" before="-" name="yalc_badge" template="luxe/yalc/badge.phtml" />
</reference>
</default>
</layout>
Comment By wisc75 - Thursday, May 6, 2010 8:23:42 PM MSD
I have installed the extension and everything shows up perfectly on the home page, however when I click on the link, it opens up a new window and I get a 404 Error. Not sure why but any assistance would be so greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Rick
Comment By Rick - Wednesday, May 19, 2010 8:18:18 PM MSD
Same issue as Rick. All looks great until I click the chat link, then I get a 404. I'll be tinkering and will update if & when I find a fix.
Comment By Ken - Friday, May 21, 2010 3:05:38 PM MSD
After much digging, poking & prodding, it's come to my attention that these 404 errors are nothing new for Google Talk. It looks like their chatback badges go through this 404 issue fairly frequently. You can verify this at
http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Talk/thread?tid=25ede57b6cdedd1b&hl=en
It seems there's nothing to do about it except find another program or just wait for Google to fix the issue from their end, which historically could take a couple of weeks.
For my part, I'm hoping it's soon. Good luck everyone!! :)
Comment By Ken - Friday, May 21, 2010 11:54:07 PM MSD
I've installed this extension in Magento 1.4.0. Unfortunately, I was not able to configure this module. The problem I encountered is that when I select System->Configuration, I an getting an empty page. I uninstalled the extension, and the configuration page works fine. Have anybody had similar problem? Any ideas what could be wrong?
Thank you, Natalie.
Comment By Natalie Pyatetsky - Wednesday, July 28, 2010 1:29:18 PM MSD
