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View Full Version : MSN Messenger as a Web Container


Jason Dunn
07-03-2003, 09:00 AM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.fudged.org/index.php?page=story&post=578' target='_blank'>http://www.fudged.org/index.php?pag...=story&post=578</a><br /><br /></div>"MSN turns out to be a handy dandy container. It’s as good as any browser has ever been for simple page loading. I am tying it into my PHP engine with no effort made beyond 5 lines of XML tags in a file already on my system. You can load any web internet address but mobile friendly sites look best of all, the application to point to and load is your call. This only works with the new MSN 6 Preview Release, notedly. Which is free and up for download right now after 2 million “pirated” a earlier version made the rounds. It is good. But I doubt it will stay free, joining MSN 8, but it may be worth it. This is application is going somewhere right now. .Net is an interesting thing really, a MS technology open to interpertation in implemtation."<br /><br />This is cool! If you're looking for a way to access certain Web pages on your desktop PC without loading up your browser, check this out.

Kevin Remhof
07-03-2003, 02:08 PM
That is pretty cool! If I didn't have so much to do at work today, I'd be playing with that... but... I don't have that luxury.

More than anything, I like that you can add tabs to Messenger. That would be a great feature to have when the release moves out of beta. Plus, it would make it easier to surf while looking busy. (Hmmm... do you see a reoccurring theme here? I guess it's because I'm stuck at work the day before a long weekend)

rlobrecht
07-03-2003, 02:14 PM
This is cool. I added a tab for http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/mobile/index.php but I'm having trouble with the tab image. I just keep getting the question mark. I'll have to keep messing with it.

msprague
07-03-2003, 02:30 PM
Just remember that the tab image must be .png and it should work with any fully qualified url. It is too bad the user agent string is the same as your browser not in MSN, or I would have recommended to add the MSN string into the mobile format sniffer code. It doesn't look like there is any way to get the the mobile forums in MSN, but not in regular IE, the way they are set up now. :cry:

fudged
07-04-2003, 05:48 AM
I have done a little update to the article. I have created a webbased script to generate the XML for you. This just makes it a little easier to manage the editing, particulary if you are unsure what is going on here.

http://www.fudged.org/index.php?page=_create%20MSN6%20tabs

I have also tried to explain the process a little better.

Thanks all, glad to help.
Harold

ctmagnus
07-04-2003, 06:29 AM
:way to go:

Can you provide the code for some of the tabs in the screenies, particularly the urls for the tab images?

ctmagnus
07-04-2003, 06:37 AM
http://www.magnusson.ca/Images/Messenger6.gif

We need a PPCT icon!

sweetpete
07-04-2003, 07:58 AM
Jason,

It would be great if you could get a tab page similar to the one Neowin created. It shouldn't be too difficult to change the mobile page and create a new one that display a little better. The biggest thing that would help is to remove the images from the articles, create a .png logo and maybe put the article description as a title parameter to the url so that when I hover over the title link I get a brief excerpt.

If you'd like to take a look at a great implementation check out http://www.neowin.net/tab/

AFAIK, they were the first to expose this functionality on their site. One thing to keep in mind is that the file that contains the tab information can get updated and your settings overwritten so either keep a backup or change the setting to not have it updated. The only drawback of not updating is you might miss out on new tabs that MS might put out.

ctmagnus
07-07-2003, 03:53 AM
Ok, my ConfigCache.xml reset itself to the defaults today. :confused totally:

Time to twiddle some attributes! (or bone up on my XML :) )

sweetpete
07-07-2003, 05:05 AM
Ok, my ConfigCache.xml reset itself to the defaults today. :confused totally:

Time to twiddle some attributes! (or bone up on my XML :) )
you need to change the value of &lt;expiresindays> to either a higher number than the default (2) if you want to occasionally have the client check the msn servers for new tabs, or change it to 0 if you don't want it changed.
I have mine set to 30 days. Neowin.net put out a little custom script that adds or removes their tab so I just run it again.

Cheers

ctmagnus
07-07-2003, 06:15 AM
Ok, my ConfigCache.xml reset itself to the defaults today. :confused totally:

Time to twiddle some attributes! (or bone up on my XML :) )
you need to change the value of &lt;expiresindays> to either a higher number than the default (2) if you want to occasionally have the client check the msn servers for new tabs, or change it to 0 if you don't want it changed.
I have mine set to 30 days. Neowin.net put out a little custom script that adds or removes their tab so I just run it again.

Cheers

I figured it was that one but since I've only played with XML since this discussion started* I wasn't too sure.

*I had checked it out previously, but damn near everything I had read about it made it look scary! even though I've been tinkering with HTML on and off for a rather long time.