XMPP Chat for live helper chat

This is repository for full XMPP chat support in Live Helper Chat. Standalone and Automated hosting enviroments are supported. Folders structure

• ejabberd_mod - contains two ejabberd mods required for chat integration
• ejabberd_xmlrpc - optional if rpc as handler is used. Recommended way.
• node - node server used by LHC PHP extension
• xmppservice - LHC extenstion which have to be installed in lhc itself.

Requirements

• https://www.ejabberd.im/ with mod_admin_extra enabled 15.04v
• https://livehelperchat.com/
• [Optional] https://nodejs.org
• [Optional, but recommended] Advanced linux skills. This stuff is not for amateurs!!!

Workflow how everything is related

LHC extension requirements

• Option to create an XMPP users and assign operators to them.
• It should be able to handle three types of accounts, [chat]/[online visitor]/[operator]
• Online visitors/chats account should be expirable
• Admin can select should selected operator receives new chat request's or not.
• If operator sends a message to chat but chat has already another owner, operator is informed that chat was already accepted
• If operator writes a message to chat and chat is still pending chat owner becames XMPP sender and his message is send to user.
• It supports automated hosting also.

Username constructing patterns in standalone enviroment

• visitors.[visitor_id]@xmpp.example.com
• visitors.[chat_id].chat@xmpp.example.com
• Shared roasters should be constructed like
  • visitors
  • operators

Visitor comes to site (node server takes care of this API)

• LHC extension checks does passed online user has assigned XMPP user.
• If user does not exists create xmpp account

Optional if node as handler is used

• Visitor status should be appeneded with online information. It should come from request to NodeJS server.
• Visitor status should be online for 5 minutes since last page view
• To nodejs server is provided request to register XMPP account and set it as active

Operator sends a message to online visitor. [mod_lhc]

• Operator writes message to user using XMPP client.
• Intercept message at ejabberd lhc extension and there execute callback to lhc module.
• Mod should send messages only if sender is an operator.
• If we find active chat [based on assigned chat_id to online visitor] we append message to chat if not we write this as invitation to chat to online visitor.

Visitor starts a chat [nodejs]

• First we check does chat has assigned online visitor id and if online visitor has a xmpp account record under it.
• We send message to all online operator who have permission to handle user department and have associated XMPP account.
• If chat does not have associated online visitor XMPP account we create a new account based on chat itself.
• We issue request to NodeJS to register this account and then we send message to all operators.

Send a message to operator from visitor (during the chat)

• Connect as user and send message to assigned operator if it exists.
• If we cannot find active XMPP account associated with chat we send request to register XMPP account.
• Once we do this, we just send http request to nodejs api or directly from PHP and send a message to ejabberd. Basically we login as visitor and send message to assigned operator xmpp user.

Send a message from operator to visitor (during the chat)[mod_lhc]

• We intercept a message and send post request to lhc module, which based on online visitor id, determines a chat and publishes a message to chat.
• Messages from visitors to operators should be ignored and not send to LHC callbacks

Operators status monitoring [mod_lhcping.erl,mod_lhc.erl]

• This ejabberd module monitors statuses and sends pings to provided URL in JSON content
• Callback is send also then operator logins
• Callback is also send then operator logouts
• Pings to online visitors should be ignored and pings only for operators should be send
• mod_lhc also handles offline messages and forwards them to HTTP

Autoamated hosting workflow

• Each operator in instrance will get username contructed in [username].[instance_name]@xmpp.example.com
• Each visitor instance will get username constructed like visitor.[visitor_id].[instance_name]@xmpp.example.com
  • [instance_name] cannot be "chat"
• Each direct chat xmpp username should be constructed like visitor.[chat_id].chat.[instance_name]@xmpp.example.com
• Each instance will have two shared roasters, they should be constructed following this pattern
  • visitors.[instance_name]
  • operators.[instance_name]
• Then instance is created extension should precreate these two shared roasters
• Once instance is destroyed shared roasters and users should be unregistered from ejabberd