Implemented Alert Extension - Desktop Notifications

James

Well-known member
With the rise of HTML5 comes the rise of website-desktop interactivity. Browser drag-and-drop, localstorage, blahblah you know about it.

Anyway, desktop notifications were introduced in HTML5 that show a pop-up alert in the bottom right corner of your screen, so that you can be alerted even when you're not browsing that particular site (see: http://www.beakkon.com/tutorial/html5/desktop-notification).

While it's not really feasible (it'd require auto-updating alerts instead of the AJAX call on browser refresh/alert tab hover), I suppose if you ran it as a cron job (assuming the person isn't browsing XF anyway, so whether it's instant or not doesn't matter), something like this could be a good alternative for people who wish to be alerted.

So, the suggestion: Could something like this be implemented as an alternative/addition to the current alerts functionality?

P.S: This is only available in webkit browsers ATM AFAIK.
 
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I know it is not quite the same as your suggestion, although it's related:

XenForo already offers us instant live updated timestamps on postings: http://xenforo.com/community/threads/relative-timestamps.228/. I love this 'in your face' live/update functionality, so why not extend this all a bit more throughout the product? The already great notification-functionality could become even more instant when it would be supported by an 'in your face' fading in/out popup in the bottom right corner of the screen. Just like Facebook does it with 'immediate notifications', as explained overhere: http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=83313097130

Then, wherever you are on a page, an immediate notification in the bottom right corner is always visible. You are not depended anymore on the upper menu bar, where you need to scroll to (of you are not on the top of the page, which is mostly the case anyway when browsing threads, isn't it?) to be able to see the alerts. No, you just get them served 'in your face', which will get your attention even better and thus stimulate interactivity/action/community feel even more.


I am under the impression that Facebook now doesn't show these immediate notifications anymore (do they?). Not sure what the reason is, but I always love those instant in-yer-face fade-in-fade-out notifications in the bottom right corner of my system. Being it from MSN, Skype, Outlook, whatever. It graps your immediate attention. Remarkably... no forum platform on the market offers this to it's customers/users. I find it remarkably interesting, because... what must the the most interactive/lively environment to be in? Exactly... forum/community software! So do those immediate notifications not have a perfect place on such platforms?
 
@Grover, I believe Facebook has their own custom notifications in the bottom-left corner that fade in/out.

I think the only reason people wouldn't want them is because they don't want their online experience to be interrupted with constant alerts from sites you're not paying attention to. But, of course, it'd have to be a user-selectable option because you have to explicitly allow your browser to give you these notifications.
 
This could be nice if given the right options and the ability for users to turn it off if they don't want it.
 
This could be nice if given the right options and the ability for users to turn it off if they don't want it.
As I stated above, you have to allow your browser to give you these notifications anyway, so the on/off ability is a case of you clicking Allow on the browser notification.
 
very nice idea and one which I know my community would love when I plan to move to XenForo.

if it could be selectable on user registration it would be nice. Also, if it was to be implemented, a quick turn on / off button in your user name dropdown in navbar would be excelent.

These are all wishes, and I hope kier/mike or a modder implements this :D
 
This would be great. Kinda like gmail's desktop alert
I've not actually seen that in action yet, but I did enable them. I'd assume (going off the fact I had to explicitly allow them) that they use the same functionality as the one suggested here.
 
if it could be selectable on user registration it would be nice. Also, if it was to be implemented, a quick turn on / off button in your user name dropdown in navbar would be excelent.
As I stated, you have to allow it yourself at first instance, which then places the website in your trusted list to receive these notifications. Software on/off options will only be useful after it's been explicitly allowed.
 
As I stated, you have to allow it yourself at first instance, which then places the website in your trusted list to receive these notifications. Software on/off options will only be useful after it's been explicitly allowed.
Yeah, I tried it out in my chrome browser, it does require it, I did realise :p As you said, its useful after its been allowed. I think that is paramount.
 
Anyway, desktop notifications were introduced in HTML5 that show a pop-up alert in the bottom right corner of your screen, so that you can be alerted even when you're not browsing that particular site (see: http://www.beakkon.com/tutorial/html5/desktop-notification).

Very interesting to read that HTML5 gives us these notifications. It will stimulate traffic/(inter)-activity on our forum platforms and anything that is beneficial in this area I will support. *Liked*.
 
Bumping and liking this, as it definitely would be nice to have in core.

On another note, there are already a nice handful of add-ons that have implemented desktop notifications in some shape or form:

https://xenforo.com/community/resources/live-update.274/
https://xenforo.com/community/resources/chat-by-siropu.4309/
https://xenforo.com/community/resources/google-chrome-notifications.2500/

I think this one is just restyling and not true desktop notifications:
https://xenforo.com/community/resources/goodfornothing-notification.3707/
 

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