I have checked out several dozens of chats. Most have integration with many competing forum softwares
As far as I am concerned, for me integration means only the use of the user database for authentication. Also a link to see the user profile from the chat (became more difficult since the profile is not accessible by name but only by a number)
Often the Chat producing company offers integration scripts. This is easy for freeware boards. For paid boards they need cooperation by the management of the forum software (you guys at ubbcentral) to get access to the software or even better advice on how it works
Now notably among all boards ubb integration is basically always missing.
My wishes and suggestion:
provide standard integration scripts as standard
external_authentication.php
called from the chat software, receives as parameters username and userpass, either clear text or md5 encoded.
returns a number from 0 to 5 or so
0 refused, wrong password or username
1 regular member
2 moderator
3 admin
-1 banned
b) show_profile_by_name.php,
input is the username, translates it into usernumber and provides this number as output or shows the user's profile
c) some routines to use the existent ubb cookie for automatic login to a chat. For security reason, there still should be a database check for session number and/or password
d) give short clear concise instructions where username, password, moderatorstatus, admin_status, username, userid are in the database. maybe also BAN status. So the software can make direct calls to the database
e) provide cooperation with chat companies, providing sample software or access to installations for testing
