acts_as_messenger

= acts_as_messenger

Standard facebook-style messaging system. Not bound to any friendship structure. Integrates directly into your User model. Allows for users to comment on a thread, leave a thread, and be updated when a thread is commented on.

== Installation

Install the gem

gem install acts_as_messenger

Generate the necessary classes and migrations

script/generate acts_as_messenger

Migrate the DB

rake db:migrate

Add acts_as_messenger to your user model

class User < ActiveRecord::Base ... acts_as_messenger ... end

== Usage

With acts_as_messenger now incorporated into your User model, you have access to helper methods for creating messages and recipients. It's as simple as calling the send_message(title, body, recipients) method:

mike = User.find 4 john = User.find 3 sky = User.find 2

thread = mike.send_message('Message Title', 'Message Body', [john, sky])

OR

thread = mike.send_message('Message Title', 'Message Body', [3, 2])

The recipients of the message can be an array of AR objects or can be Fixnum's (or any combination). In the case of a Fixnum, the class type is assumed to be the same as the sending class.

From the thread object you can access the participants of the message directly. Participants are considered as the author of the message and anyone who's commented on the thread.

thread.participants => [mike]

john.comment_on(thread, 'Some comment')

thread.participants => [mike, john]

=== Privacy

All threads have a private_thread field. This allows the can_be_viewed_by? method to be utilized. The can_be_viewed_by? method checks to see if the object is either the author or one of the recipient objects:

random_user = User.find 490 thread.can_be_viewed_by?(random_user) => false

thread.can_be_viewed_by?(john) => true

== Copyright

Copyright (c) 2010 Mike Nelson. See LICENSE for details.