New +txt/+email/etc code for TinyMUX

skew · Sep 4, 2018, 1:24 AM

COMING SOON... THE UNNECESSARY MESSENGER SYSTEM

I'm posting this up now before it's done because there's numerous people developing new games on TinyMUX, and I wanted to let everyone know it's coming.

The brief version:
This system will come standard with +txt and +email commands which will allow sending/receiving messages, reviewing old messages, storing messages long-term (in SQL), as well as alerts for unread messages.

This system will also be configured to allow +reminders (as in, you set a reminder for yourself and it pings later), +reallywantRP (a system to send a note to a person/faction/etc that you want to RP with me or handle business or whatever), staff messages, and more!

The design has been to allow many types of systems to be stuffed into the same box. Once I'm done with +txt, I'll basically be copy+pasting different bits of functionality to create +email, +reminder, and more.

My intention will be to use this as an IC tool to progress story as much as an organizational tool. And with that in mind, a quick screenshot!

Currently finished:

+txt sending
+txt storage
+txt display/review

+txt auto-reminders
+email

And now to be an asshole: I'm not looking for your feedback from a theoretical, metaphysical, "game design" standpoint. If you hate the idea of IC +txting, please keep it to yourself. I named the system unnecessary for a reason.

But, if anyone has any additional functionality they think would line up with what I've said above, please let me know! Likewise, if you want to use this system in your game, just hit me up! I'll be distributing the copy+paste install soon as I get a stable version.

ETA on a beta version: Mid September.

Taika · Sep 3, 2018, 12:02 AM

This is amazing. Thank you.

Kay · Sep 3, 2018, 1:38 AM

Is it ascii and ansi compatible? I can already visualize the horrible things characters will send each other.

Wretched · Sep 3, 2018, 1:44 AM

@skew That is cool as fuck. WANT

surreality · Sep 3, 2018, 2:51 AM

This looks highly kickass, definitely looking forward to it!

skew · Sep 3, 2018, 4:53 AM

@kay said in New +txt/+email/etc code for TinyMUX:

Is it ascii and ansi compatible? I can already visualize the horrible things characters will send each other.

Looks like! Everything is evaluated with the permissions of the person sending it, so if you send ¯_(ツ)_/¯ in red highlight, it ends up looking just like that on the data side! Which does mean it'll get lost when it goes to SQL but that's ok.

Got +txt/new finished tonight, which will pull the oldest unread message automatically (so you won't have to look at your list and see which are unread).

ixokai · Sep 3, 2018, 5:10 AM

Gotta say, I'd never use it, but kudos where kudos belongs. That's a very nice work. Does it do searching?

Lisse24 · Sep 3, 2018, 1:44 PM

Love this! All parts of this! I always get dismayed when someone sends a text that I'm not quite in the mind space to deal with right then, being able to save for later is great!

Plus the idea of a really want RP tag is similarly awesome!

skew · Sep 3, 2018, 4:26 PM

@ixokai said in New +txt/+email/etc code for TinyMUX:

Gotta say, I'd never use it, but kudos where kudos belongs. That's a very nice work. Does it do searching?

Yep! All the searching is handled via SQL. You'll do /search or /name, the former search message text by a word (or group of words) using LIKE. I don't think I need to get fancier than that. /name will search both sender and receiver using LIKE.

@Lisse24 I think that means I should add a /markunread option? As is, txts will display on screen if you're logged in and be automatically marked as read. You could then mark it unread and it'll bug you later to look at it.

Thenomain · Sep 4, 2018, 1:24 AM

@skew

Who do I stab in the ear with an icepick over this color scheme? Who? WHO?

skew · Sep 4, 2018, 1:25 AM

@thenomain said in New +txt/+email/etc code for TinyMUX:

@skew

Who do I stab in the ear with an icepick over this color scheme? Who? WHO?

The 80s.

Warma Sheen · Sep 4, 2018, 2:29 AM

I think this is awesome and and you're awesome and I don't think it is at all unnecessary.

I want his for my game! I don't actually have a game, but I want to make one just so I can have this in it!

skew · Sep 4, 2018, 4:06 PM

Okay I need some design help... I'm outputting a list of the last 30 messages you've sent/received.

Should the newest message be #1, on top of the screen?
OR
Should the newest message be #30, on the bottom of the screen?

Roz · Sep 4, 2018, 4:12 PM

@skew TOP.

Coin · Sep 4, 2018, 5:32 PM

BOTTOM.

I don't actually care which but bottom makes more sense to me because the screen scrolls with down automatically.

This looks like it does most if not all the things I complained and harried you and @Thenomain for like two years ago.

Roz · Sep 4, 2018, 5:33 PM

@coin said in New +txt/+email/etc code for TinyMUX:

BOTTOM.

I don't actually care which but bottom makes more sense to me because the screen scrolls with down automatically.

Hm, this is actually a good point. I think I was instinctively thinking from a web perspective where you hit the info at the top first. But on a MU*, bottom might make more sense.

skew · Sep 4, 2018, 6:03 PM

@Roz and @Coin arguing if top or bottom is better.

I'm not mature enough for this kind of thing.

Coin · Sep 4, 2018, 6:07 PM

@skew said in New +txt/+email/etc code for TinyMUX:

@Roz and @Coin arguing if top or bottom is better.

I'm not mature enough for this kind of thing.

We're not arguing. We're consensually exchanging opinions.

Roz · Sep 4, 2018, 6:14 PM

If you're talking about listing an index of messages, I'd say newest on the bottom. If you're displaying the contents of multiple messages, I'd say newest at the top.

skew · Sep 4, 2018, 6:17 PM

I think I have decided the list will start at 30 and work down to 1, which will be at the bottom of the screen. Thanks for the help!