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New Post 7/28/2008 1:34 PM
  Randy Pierce
6 posts
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Adding SwirlChat forces pane to 156 pixles in width 

Hello,

I just purchased SwirlChat and look forward to using it on my web site.  I downloaded and installed version 2.01.03.  I believe I carefully followed the installation instructions, including the appropriate 'host settings' on the module.

However, whenever a page with SwirlChat displays, it initiallys shows all content the correct width and then the pane (in this case the center content pane) with the chat room shrinks horizontally to 156 pixels.  So all previously working models are forced to shrink to fit into this very narrow content pane.  This behavior does not happen when I add the SwirlChatUsers module.  If I delete the SwirlChat model, all other modules (and the pane itself) returns to normal size.

Oh, the SwirlChat model also renders just 136 pixels tall, so I don't actually see any of the chat room what-so-ever.  I just see the module's container toolbar and the very bottom, pale blue rectangle, of what I suspect is a small portion of the chat room content.

Has anyone observed this behavior?  How does SwirlChat decide on its width and height?  Could there be something in my style sheet, or perhaps my site skin that is interfering?

Many thanks,

Randy Pierce

 
New Post 7/28/2008 2:46 PM
  Randy Pierce
6 posts
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Re: Adding SwirlChat forces pane to 156 pixles in width 

Quick update.  I opted to revert back to the default 'DNN Blue' skin, table based.  Chat rendered properly using that skin.  So I think I have a skin problem.

But my skin was based on the free/example 'red leaf skin' from DNN Creative (http://www.dnncreative.com/Tutorials/SkinningTutorials/FreeRedLeafCSSSkin/tabid/238/Default.aspx).  So I tried to runder it under that simple example, CSS, non-table skin.  Same issue.

So while not a problem with SwirlChat itself, I do wonder how many people might also be using skins that are in some way incompatible with SwirlChat and whether or not changes could be made to SwirlChat such that is is less likely to have adverse reactions with these kinds of skins.

I'll see if I can track down the underlying issue, but might not have time.  And I'm not looking forward to having to reskin my site to use SwirlChat.  So, I guess I'm asking if anyone there would see benefit in downloading and installing this simple example skin and determine why SwirlChat behaves badly when placed on a page using that skin.

Thanks,
Randy Pierce

 
New Post 7/28/2008 7:51 PM
  Randy Pierce
6 posts
No Ranking




Re: Adding SwirlChat forces pane to 156 pixles in width 

Sorry for the multiple posts, but I'm still trying to resolve this on my own and not having much luck.

I was able to determine that the Swirlchat control defines a div with the ID "content".  Of course, the CSS skin I based off of 'Red Leaf' also has a div named "content".  I suspect that some part of Swirlchat attempts to set a style on DIVs that have an ID of "content".  At any rate, I changed the name of the div on the skin, and at least now the pane remains 'wide' and does not shrink to 156 px.  However, the control continues to render with some minimum height.  I've put colored borders around the various DIVs that contain the module, and even around the container itself.  They all indicate there is enough vertical room for the control to grow 'tall', but it remains stubornly short.  I have not located another ID collision.

Has this control been used successfully with 'pure CSS' based skins?  Am I missing the obvious here?  Any help greatly apprecaited.

Thanks,
Randy

 
New Post 7/29/2008 9:07 AM
  Will Gillen
32 posts
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Re: Adding SwirlChat forces pane to 156 pixles in width 

Randy,

Thanks for the info about the ID collision.  We'll investigate that problem and make sure it gets corrected in a future release.

Please note that some customers have had problems with using the Swirlchat module in a pure XHTML environment (pure CSS).  We are currently working on version 3.0 which we are ensuring will work in a pure CSS skin and pure XHTML page.

 


-- Will Gillen, Swirlhost Inc.
 
New Post 8/1/2008 4:24 PM
  Randy Pierce
6 posts
No Ranking




Re: Adding SwirlChat forces pane to 156 pixles in width 

Will,

That's great news about a version that will work with a pure CSS skin.  Although it is early, I'm quite pleased with this chat room implementation and have already reccommended it to another DNN based website (and they've also adopted it for their chat rooms!).

If you are working on the theme/skin issue, may I mention a few other minor things we have found?

  1. I used the 'Aero' theme, which works well but the font was too small (we have some visually impaired site visitors).  I edited the UI-aero and x-aero CSS files and the font was changed easilly.  The other DNN site wanted to use the gray theme and also have the larger font size.  I made the equivalent edits to the UI-gray and x-gray CSS files (even used WinMerge to make sure I was making only the same changes I had made to Aero).  But the font stayed stubbornly small.  As though selecting 'gray' didn't really use the gray CSS files at all.  In the end, I copied the content of the 'gray' files to the 'aero' files and changed that second site to use 'aero'.  Voila!  Gray colors and big fonts.  So it isn't clear to me that selecting 'gray' is actually using the gray named files.
  2. After putting 'gray' content into the 'aero' files the main chat window was gray with big fonts as desired.  However, when we 'float' the chat window, it reverts to blue colors and a tiny font.  I would have expected the chat client to honor the color choice (and thus use the right CSS files) regardless of whether the window were floating or not.

I have one other issue which I'll mention here and probably also open a bug report.  I don't know for certain it is a bug, but I don't see a general 'support' or 'discussion' forum and I don't beleive it is an installation related question.

We would like to filter words, and I've entered them on the filtered words area of the host settings window.  So far, that has not had any effect.  I've refreshed my window.  I've restarted the DNN application.  I even typed in your exact sample string "dang,darn,bad,words,etc" and those are not filtered.  Any guideance on enabling filtered words would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Randy

 
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