This guide covers our old ProBoards v4 software. Click here for the ProBoards v5 Help Guide.
ProBoards live chat system allows for the integration of a traditional chat-room environment within the forum where members can interact with each other in real time. When Live-Chat is implemented, participating forum members will see responses instantly without having to refresh the page.
ProBoards chat service is provided by AddonInteractive and requires an account be registered with them before the feature can be used. For more information or to setup an account for your discussion forum, click the admin button in the top navigation bar and scroll to the the Live Chat section of the admin panel.
About Live Chat
The About Live Chat link provides an overview of Live Chat such as how to create a new account or, how to integrate an existing Live Chat account into your online forum. Moreover, two support links are provided should you require assistance troubleshooting technical difficulties.
Live Chat Settings
This is where you'll actually set up your Live Chat account. After clicking the Live Chat Settings link, you'll see the page is separated into two parts; the top for creating a new account; the bottom for integrating an existing AddonInteractive Live Chat account.
Create a Live Chat Account: Provide your personal information here to create a new account with AddonInteractive. While the Live Chat system is free, you do have the option to upgrade for additional functionality. To create a new Live Chat account, you'll be requested to provide the following info:
Email Address: Enter a valid email address in the space provided. Once your Live Chat account is created, you'll receive a confirmation email providing your login, password, and AddonChat Account ID which can be used later to recover your Live Chat account if needed.
Desired Account Password: Provide a password for your Live Chat account here.
Verify Password: Re-enter your password.
First Name: Enter your first name. (Optional)
Last Name: Enter your last name. (Optional)
Website: Enter the URL of your ProBoards forum (ie: http://your-forum.proboards.com)
Terms of Service: The Terms of Service for using AddonInteractive Live Chat differs from ProBoards Terms of Service so you'll need to review and agree to the information provided in the link to the right of the check box. Once you've reviewed their T.O.S., check the box if you agree. If you do not agree, the Live Chat system cannot be activated in your discussion forum.
Age Verification: Registration for the AddonInteractive Live Chat service is restricted to individuals 13 years of age or older. Please check the box to confirm your age.
Newsletter: Check the box if you'd like to subscribe to AddonInteractive's email newsletter. Remember, the newsletter is sent by AddonInteractive, not ProBoards. If you wish to opt-out in the future, you'll need to contact AddonInteractive.
Chat Title: Enter the desired chat room heading here.
When you've completed the form, click the Save Settings button to create your new Live Chat account. You'll then be returned to the Live Chat Settings page to review additional options that will appear now that a new account has been created.
Live Chat Preferences: Here you can customize the Live Chat experience on your forum:
Enable Live Chat: This feature allows you to enable or disable the Live Chat system on your discussion forum. Set to Yes to enable Live Chat or, No to disable. While disabling Live Chat will not remove the chat icon from the discussion forums top navigation bar, users will not have access to the system while in the disabled state.
Allow Guests: If you'd like forum Guests to have access to Live Chat, set this option to Yes. Conversely, if you'd like to restrict access to registered forum members, set to No.
Display in Menu: Here, you can choose whether or not to display the Chat icon in the forum menu bar. When set to Yes, a Chat icon will appear on the far right side of the top menu bar allowing one-click access to the Live Chat system. Set to No if you don't wish to display the icon.
Headers and Footers: With coding knowledge, the Live Chat page can be customized using HTML, CSS, or Javascript. To do this, click the Headers and Footers link at the bottom of the Live Chat Settings page and you'll be taken to the Modify Live Chat Headers and Footers page. Simply enter code in the top box for the page header, and / or the bottom box for the footer. Once you've added your code, click the Save Changes button. You can then visit the Live Chat page to verify changes.
Existing Live Chat Account: If you already have an account with AddonInteractive, this area enables you to link your existing chat account to your discussion forum:
AddonChat Account ID: The Account ID can be found in the email you received from AddonInteractive when you created your Live Chat account with them. Enter just the numeric portion of the Account ID in the box provided.
AddonChat Account Password: The password asked for here is the password you selected for your Live Chat account. Refer to the email you received from AddonInteractive after creating the Live Chat account for the password.
Once you've entered the Account ID and Password for your Live Chat account, click the Save Settings button to link the account to your discussion forum.
After you create a new Live Chat account, or have linked an existing Live Chat account to your online forum, two additional links will be found in the Live Chat section of the admin panel:
Chat Headers and Footers: With coding knowledge, the Live Chat page can be customized using HTML, CSS, or Javascript. To do this, click the Headers and Footers link at the bottom of the Live Chat Settings page and you'll be taken to the Modify Live Chat Headers and Footers page. Simply enter code in the top box for the page header, and / or the bottom box for the footer. Once you've added your code, click the Save Changes button. You can then visit the Live Chat page to verify changes.
AddonChat Administration Panel: Clicking this link will generate a pop-up window displaying the AddonChat Control Panel. The admin panel provided here allows you to make further modifications to the Live Chat system provided on the discussion forum. Read the pop-up welcome page for more information on features and what to expect, as well as instructions how to contact AddonInteractive should you need further assistance with your Live Chat account.