Laffer Project URL: http://laffer.sourceforge.net
Laffer Web Client Mini Manual
Author: Slavei Karadjov
Date: 27-06-2005
URL: http://laffer.sourceforge.net/cgi-bin/index.pl?page=article&id=docs&key=373204563

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Working with Laffer Web Client
  3. Not so known options
  4. Meta

Introduction

Laffer Web Client(LWC) is pure HTML web application. It uses JavaScript and DOM. Also LWC is Instant Messenger client. Think of it as ICQ program that can be started directly from your web browser. LWC is not Java applet or Flash page. LWC can be used as web ICQ messenger, MSN, AOL or Yahoo. With LWC you can see and modify your contact list, chat with your friends, see if they are online, offline or away.

LWC has a lot of advantages and some of them are:

  • you can start it directly from your browser without the need to download additional plug-in for you browser, like Java or Flash for example
  • it is secure(as much as your web browser is secure). Also your messages to the Laffer server will be encrypted if you use SSL
  • it can work almost on every modern browser and OS
  • uses port 80 and can be used from places where using IM clients is forbidden, like offices or Internet cafes for example

You can test Laffer directly from the LiveDemo. You will need modern browser that supports JavaScript and DOM Level 2. Internet Explorer version 5 or bigger, Mozilla Suite version 1.4 or bigger and Firefox 0.8 or bigger are ok. Current versions of Opera, Safari and Konqueror still need improvement but work to some extent. Also you have to allow pop-up windows to open from the server where LWC is hosted.

Working with Laffer Web Client

Starting Laffer

If you have installed Laffer successfully you can start Laffer Web Client(LWC) from the start.html page which is located in the web(htdocs) directory of your installation. All you need is to allow pop-up to open from this page and to have JavaScript enabled. Clicking on the link Start LAFFER(EN) will new pop-up window and the text information will be in English. If you want to use LWC with Bulgarian or Russian language you can click on Стартирай LAFFER(BG) or Запусти LAFFER(RU) respectively.

Logging to Laffer

When you start Laffer Web Client(LWC) new pop-up window will open which will as you to add your username and password in order to log to the Laffer Server.

Notice: Don't enter here your username and password that you use to log to ICQ, MSN, AOL or Yahoo instant messenger servers.
If you have started Laffer after you have installed it type USERNAME for username and PASSWORD for password. If have started LWC from the LiveDemo page enter MANUSER for username and MANPASS for password.

Connecting to IM networks, like ICQ

After you log in successfully to the Laffer Web Client(LWC) you will see screen that looks like the one in Picture 1.

Picture 1
If you want to log to ICQ you have to do the steps below. The same steps apply for the connecting with other instant messenger networks like MSN, AOL and Yahoo.
Point the mouse pointer over the green box with the text "ICQ" and click the left mouse button. This box is sub menu option of the "-- IM networks --" menu. A new menu below the ICQ box should appear with one active option - ONLINE. Look at figure 2.

Picture 2
Click with the left mouse over the ONLINE item and new pop-up will appear that will ask you for your username/id and password that you use to log to ICQ servers. There is one checkbox "save username and password" in the login form.
Notice: If you check it the information about your ICQ username and password will be stored in encrypted form as a cookie on your browser. This information is NOT stored on the Laffer Server.
Another useful option in the login window is "Messages character set". If you set this option to utf-8, for example, all your messages will be converted to utf8. This is useful if all the buddies in your contact list use utf8 capable ICQ clients.

If your username and password for logging to ICQ servers are entered and correct press the "Connect me!" button. After seconds this window will disappear, if there is no problem with the connection to ICQ servers, or error text will appear on the top of the login form. Also notice that the small red box in the ICQ sub menu will turn to green when the connection is established.

If everything with the connection to the ICQ servers is ready you will start to see your buddies and groups in the contact list. Notice that some have red boxes in from of their names and others have green boxes. Those with the red boxes are buddies which are offline at the moment and those with green boxes are online.

Sending message to user

Move the mouse pointer over the name of the user you want to send message. Click with the left mouse button and a new pop-up window will appear. This is the message window. At the bottom you will see text field for entering your message. Write your message and press ENTER to send it.

Notice: Some Instant Message(IM) networks like MSN allow message to be send only to online users.
When you send your message it will disappear from the text field and will appear in the are above it. If the other side replies, the reply message will appear on this area.
Notice: There is no need to refresh this window. It is done automatically. In fact there is no need to refresh any window. Changes are made dynamically with the help of JavaScript.
Picture 3 illustrates short chat dialog.

Picture 3

Add Group to Contact List

Move the mouse pointer over the ICQ sub menu. Right click over it and you will see list of options to modify your contact list.


Picture 4
Press "Add group" if you want to add new Group to your ICQ contact list. New pop-up window will appear which will ask you for the name of the group. When you are ready press the "Add group" button. After some seconds the new group will appear in your contact list

If you want to add group to MSN, for example, choose MSN sub menu and follow the same steps that were described in the above text.

Hide Users in Group from Contact List

If you want to hide all users in a group move the mouse pointer over the group and click left mouse button. To show the users in this group click again the left mouse button.

Add User (to Group)

There are two ways to add user to group.

The first one is to move the mouse pointer over the desired group and to click the right mouse button. A new sub menu will appear. Click on "Add user" and in the new pop-up window enter the username/id of the user and his/her nickname, or real name. See Picture 5.


Picture 5

The second one is to move the mouse pointer over IM networks sub menu options. If you want to add new ICQ user to your contact list, for example, move the mouse pointer over ICQ sub menu and click the right mouse button. The new menu contains option "Add user"(see picture 4). Click the left mouse button when over it and new window for adding user to group will appear
The same steps apply for all IM networks.

Move User from Group to Group

If you want to move user from one group to another move the mouse pointer over his/her name and click the right mouse button. New menu will appear with options to edit user's information. Choose "Move to group" and in the new window choose the name of the new group.

Notice: ICQ users can be moved only between ICQ groups. The same applies to all users in your contact list, which means that MSN user can be moved again only between MSN groups.
See Picture 6

Picture 6

Delete user from Group

Move the mouse pointer over the name of the desired user in the desired group. Click the right mouse button and new user context menu will appear(see picture 6). Left click with the mouse over the "Delete User" option. If you really want to delete the selected user confirm this in the alert dialog that will appear.

Rename Group in Contact List

Move the mouse pointer over the name of the group you want to rename. Click the right mouse button and new group context menu will appear(see picture 5). Left click with the mouse over the "Rename" option. Enter the new group name in the pop-up window and press the "Rename" button.

Deleting Group from Contact List

Move the mouse pointer over the name of the group you want to delete from your contact list. Click the right mouse button and new group context menu will appear(see picture 5). Left click with the mouse over the "Delete" option. If you really want to delete the selected group confirm this in the alert dialog that will appear.

Talking to user who is not in the contact list

If you don't want to add user to your contact list, or if you know the username of your buddy and don't want to search for him/her in the contact list, and want to send message to him/her you can do this following the steps below.
Move the mouse pointer over ICQ sub menu and press right mouse button to activate ICQ context menu. After the menu options there is text field. See picture 7. Enter your buddy username/id and press the button next to the field.


Picture 7
New message window will appear and you can send messages to the user.
The same steps apply for all protocols.
Notice: Some Instant Message(IM) networks like MSN allow message to be send only to online users.

Changing presence status

You can change you presence status for all active user or choose different statuses for user from different IM networks.

If you want to change your "global" status to "AWAY" you can do it from the select box which is locate on the bottom of the main window. All you need to do if is to select AWAY option. All online users in your contact list will receive your "AWAY" presence status.

If you want to change your presence status, only in ICQ, to BUSY move your mouse over the ICQ sub menu and press left mouse button. New menu with the available statuses will appear. Choose "AWAY" and left click it.
See also picture 8.


Picture 8

Disconnecting

You can disconnect from all IM networks or only from one. Read Changing presence status and choose OFFLINE from the options.

There is another way to disconnect from all IM networks. Move the mouse pointer over '-- IM networks --' and press the right mouse button. IM networks context menu will appear. Left click over the "Disconnect all" option.

Take a look at the other option in this context menu "Connect all". If you press on this option Laffer Web Client(LWC) will try to log you to all IM networks for which you have stored your password. See Connecting to IM networks, like ICQ for details.

Cleaning users and groups from visible contact list

If you disconnect from IM network the users and groups for this network continue to appear in your contact list. There is a way to "clean" those users and groups from the contact list. Move the mouse over the disconnected IM network and press the right mouse button. The IM network context menu will appear and the last option in this menu is "Clean groups".

Notice: Pressing "Clean groups" option will clean groups and users only from the current contact list. This will not affect in any way your contact list stored on the remote IM server.

Not so known options

On the top of the main window there are some strange symbols. See picture 9


Picture 9
By clicking with the left mouse button over one of these links you can change some settings of the Laffer Web Client.

Show/Hide users' ids

If you click on "ID[+/-]" you will start to see your buddies ids next to their names. Clicking second time over the same option will return the old setting.

Show/Hide online users only

If you click on "O[+/-]" you will start to see your online buddies only. Those groups that contain only offline users will stop to be displayed. Clicking second time over the same option will return the old setting.

Don't/Open new pop-up window on new message

If you click on "W[+/-]" a new window will open automatically when new message arrives. Clicking second time over the same option will return the old setting.

Conference/Chat Room

Clicking over "RoomFrame" will open new window where you can talk with all users that are online and that are logged to this Laffer server. This is ideal for talking with more than one user at a time.

Last users that you have talked with

Right below these special links and above the contact list you will see the recent buddies that you have talked with. Useful for quick reply.

Finding users in the visible contact list

It is difficult to find out a user if you have long contact list. Focus your browser over the contact list. Press CTRL+F. Find dialog will appear. Enter the name of the buddy you want to find and hit enter.
Notice: In Mozilla based browsers, like Firefox, you can press "/" and activate "Search As You Type" dialog of your browser.

Meta

This manual is written by Slavej Karadjov for Laffer Web Client(LWC) version 0.3.2.6 or bigger.
LWC is part of the Laffer Project.
LWC is free software under GPL license.


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