EQInterface Forums - An option to turn off chat bars..

02-18-2007, 04:52 PM	#1
Savok On tour since '99 Join Date: Sep 2002 Server: Innoruuk forever! Posts: 473	An option to turn off chat bars.. I don't know if a dev will ever see this, but is there any chance of adding an option in the main chat window to be able to turn off the chat bars in all chat boxes (but the main one obviously). Sometimes I click on a link in one chat window and then my text then goes there instead of the main - its annoying! Its probably doable, you managed to turn off the scroll bars as an option, why not the chat box? __________________ Gold: 03/16/99 - 03/15/12 Silver: 03/16/12 - 03/15/18 Done:03/16/18 And with a heavy heart I bid adieu to Everquest Live.

02-18-2007, 04:57 PM	#2
Savok On tour since '99 Join Date: Sep 2002 Server: Innoruuk forever! Posts: 473	Ok, so Drakah PM'd me to rell me about the 'Always Chat Here' option in the main chat window - I feel really stupid now!

02-18-2007, 04:57 PM	#3
kudilukudzu Premium Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Server: povar Posts: 207	may not be what you want exactly, but you have an option in the right-click menu of the chat boxes that says 'always chat here' - i use it myself. i have a chat box that actually has NO display of chat, it's just the chat input portion. no matter how often i click in one of the other chat boxes, whatever i type does not show up there - it shows up in the 'chat input' box. __________________ Sanity's Edge, Povar Kudilu Kudzu, 80 Human Monk Darenla, 75 Drakin Cleric Ruritha Queenclaw, 72 Vah Shir Beastlord Kamendae Namorlane, current trader mule Universal Brotherhood, Povar Lythra Amaranthus, 49 Wood Elf Druid Kasya Earthspeaker, 35 Erudite Magician Urasei, 14 Barbarian Shaman Ukis, 14 Barbarian Berserker

02-18-2007, 05:03 PM	#4
Savok On tour since '99 Join Date: Sep 2002 Server: Innoruuk forever! Posts: 473	Yeah, I logged in and set it up. Even so, it would still be nice to lose the chat boxes on any chat windows you are using for game input (chat channels, /gu raid say, Shout ooc etc).

03-21-2007, 11:44 AM	#5
myxiplx A Weathered Clockwork Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 313	Been looking for this myself, and while I've not tested it I've just realised that one of the UI pieces I was looking at can do this. Check out: http://www.eqinterface.com/download...nfo.php?id=4497 It's a chat window where the text box overlaps the bottom. Doesn't sound anything special until you realise what you can do: 1. Create your chat windows as normal (no input area visible on any of them) 2. Create another chat window, but make it tiny. 3. Configure that chat window so no content filters into it. 4. Set "Always chat here" on that new tiny window. And voila! You've now got no text input areas visible on any chat window, and have a separate text input box which you can place anywhere you like. It's taken me two days to realise what this mod should be capable of (haven't tested it yet but certainly will tonight). It's almost too clever for it's own good, but if it works it's an inspired idea! Myx

05-01-2007, 07:49 AM	#6
Halelen Lord Doljonijiarnimorinar Join Date: Jan 2003 Server: Povar Posts: 1,047	No chat bars This is awesome just implemented this in all my UI's so nice not having chat bars wasting space any more. Hal

05-01-2007, 08:02 AM	#7
myxiplx A Weathered Clockwork Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 313	lol, stop stealing all my ideas :-p

05-01-2007, 08:41 AM	#8
Halelen Lord Doljonijiarnimorinar Join Date: Jan 2003 Server: Povar Posts: 1,047	Well stop having such great ideas and i wont

11-16-2008, 12:41 PM

Rundle

Premium Member

Join Date: Apr 2003

Posts: 8

My take on this problem

I have been wanting to find a way to solve this problem for a while now. Decided the other day to do some research and try out a few approaches. I came across this topic and decided to give it a try but didn't like how I couldn't edit my input text.

So I decided I would try to use a similar approach but with different pieces. I settled on trying the Vertical Layout box.

Here is what I came up with. It's not perfect yet but figured I would share early rather than later.

At this point it's 100% functional but only 90% visually finished. I can size the window to any size I want and by playing with the vertical bar I can hide the input text box. The part that is not working is that the output text scroll bar as well as one of the input borders isn't taking on the fade values so it screws with how it looks. For my UI I like to use highly transparent windows over a black background (via viewscreen).

I would love to hear any comments on how this works for you guys as well as any help on the visual issues.

Attached Files

Rundle_ChatWindow.zip (1.1 KB, 9 views)

11-16-2008, 01:54 PM	#10
myxiplx A Weathered Clockwork Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 313	Nice idea, certainly worth a try. I think I know the answer to your problem though. Whenever I've used child windows I've found that they don't inherit the transparency settings. You might be able to work around it though if you set the transparency within the child windows in advance, and accepting the limited flexibility. Setting the child pieces to 50% transparent (you'll need to edit the original graphics for this though), should still leave them easily visible, and they will at least fade out a bit. Incidentally, it is possible to edit your text with the other style of chat window. With my default windows, you can press Enter to get into the input bar, and then use shift with the arrow keys to move through the text. The other option is to edit the XML and place the input window over the top of the output one. This has two side effects though, firstly, clicking on any chat window except the input one will have you entering text over the top of the window, and secondly, you won't be able to click any linked items on the bottom line If you wanted, you could minimise the effect of that by having the output window on top, and making it overlap about half of the input window. That way, clicking in the lower half of the input area allows you to move the cursor around for editing, clicking in the upper half works for clicking on linked items. Myx

11-17-2008, 04:08 PM	#11
Verdurous A Fire Beetle Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 2	I've been wanting to do something like this for a while. I've figured out how to have the displayed text fill the window, but I can't figure out how to get rid of the line in the window. What do I need to change. (Newb to XML, but this seems like it should be relatively easy. Here's the code I am using: <?xml version="1.0" encoding="us-ascii"?> <XML ID="EQInterfaceDefinitionLanguage"> <Schema xmlns="EverQuestData" xmlns:dt="EverQuestDataTypes" /> <Editbox item="CW_ChatInput"> <ScreenID>CWChatInput</ScreenID> <DrawTemplate>WDT_Inner</DrawTemplate> <RelativePosition>true</RelativePosition> <AutoStretch>true</AutoStretch> <LeftAnchorOffset>2</LeftAnchorOffset> <TopAnchorOffset>21</TopAnchorOffset> <RightAnchorOffset>2</RightAnchorOffset> <BottomAnchorOffset>1</BottomAnchorOffset> <TopAnchorToTop>false</TopAnchorToTop> <RightAnchorToLeft>false</RightAnchorToLeft> <BottomAnchorToTop>false</BottomAnchorToTop> <Style_Transparent>true</Style_Transparent> </Editbox> <STMLbox item="CW_ChatOutput"> <ScreenID>CWChatOutput</ScreenID> <DrawTemplate>WDT_Inner</DrawTemplate> <RelativePosition>true</RelativePosition> <Style_VScroll>true</Style_VScroll> <AutoStretch>true</AutoStretch> <LeftAnchorOffset>2</LeftAnchorOffset> <TopAnchorOffset>3</TopAnchorOffset> <RightAnchorOffset>2</RightAnchorOffset> <!--BottomAnchorOffset was 22, experimenting to see if this will remove the chat input box.--> <BottomAnchorOffset>0</BottomAnchorOffset> <RightAnchorToLeft>false</RightAnchorToLeft> <BottomAnchorToTop>false</BottomAnchorToTop> <Style_Border>true</Style_Border> <Style_Transparent>true</Style_Transparent> </STMLbox> <Screen item="ChatWindow"> <RelativePosition>false</RelativePosition> <Location> <X>95</X> <Y>280</Y> </Location> <Size> <CX>421</CX> <CY>200</CY> </Size> <Style_VScroll>false</Style_VScroll> <Style_HScroll>false</Style_HScroll> <Style_Transparent>false</Style_Transparent> <DrawTemplate>WDT_Def2</DrawTemplate> <Style_Titlebar>false</Style_Titlebar> <Style_Closebox>true</Style_Closebox> <Style_Minimizebox>true</Style_Minimizebox> <Style_Border>true</Style_Border> <Style_Sizable>true</Style_Sizable> <Pieces>CW_ChatOutput</Pieces> <Pieces>CW_ChatInput</Pieces> </Screen> </XML>