Chat room type textarea

[Ady]

I'm developing a kind of chat facility whereby a user can
type text in a box at the top and submit it to a central
database. At the bottom there is a textarea which
contains a running history of both the users comments and
comments intended for the user.

I've had to use two frames here because whenever there is
a refresh on the page (or a postback), I can lose text if
I am typing in the top box. Is there a way around this?

Secondly, in the history textarea (white textarea with a
blue background) when the screen refreshes it flashes
annoyingly. Any way around this?

Can I update the textarea without the need for a refresh
or postback? I've dabbled with a Web Service but this
still posts back.

What is the most professional way of doing this?

Many Thanks

Ady

 

[Nicole Calinoiu]

I'm developing a kind of chat facility whereby a user can
type text in a box at the top and submit it to a central
database. At the bottom there is a textarea which
contains a running history of both the users comments and
comments intended for the user.

I've had to use two frames here because whenever there is
a refresh on the page (or a postback), I can lose text if
I am typing in the top box. Is there a way around this?

Not really. The submission form and the history display should definitely
be in separate frames or iframes. Besides the problems you've already
described, consider the traffic consequences of having the entire history
content round-tripped between client and server with every submission.

Secondly, in the history textarea (white textarea with a
blue background) when the screen refreshes it flashes
annoyingly. Any way around this?

Can I update the textarea without the need for a refresh
or postback? I've dabbled with a Web Service but this
still posts back.

Have a look at the thread at
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=...7&seekm=#[email protected]
for a better approach to updating the history display. It'll avoid both
heavy round-tripping and the display anomalies.

 

[Ady]

Many Thanks that great. Ady