Vanilla 3.2 - how to create link to send group message?

TheWall

I want to implement button for user to start a private conversation with discussion starter and moderator.

Just to start conversation with user I use: /messages/add/authorname/subject. How I can make it to add one more user to conversation?

Next part would be to display this only if type=discussion or categoryid=2, 3, 4, I mean not to be shown in questions (I put questions in separate categories), and this button should work as something like Help function with group conversation. I edited Reply plugin to show only in discussions, not comments, but i need a little help to finish it.

R_J

You would need to create your own plugin for that that mimics the MessagesController->add() method. This is why it doesn't work with pure Vanilla:

   public function add($recipient = '', $subject = '') {
...
           // Check if valid user name has been passed.
           if ($recipient != '') {

             if  (!Gdn::userModel()->getByUsername($recipient)) {

As you can see, what is passed as "authorname" is treated as one user name.

You must create a plugin that fetches the recipient passed to the add function and transforms it to valid recipients. That would be possible with something like that:

   public function messagesController_render_before($sender, $args) {
       if ($sender->RequestMethod !== 'add') {
           return;
       }

       $recipientString = $sender->RequestArgs[0] ?? '';
       // explode by "+"
       // loop through array
       //  getByUsername
       //  add unknown usernamens to form errors
       //  add known users to "To"

       // Example for add ing to "To"
       $recipient = implode(['Groucho', 'Chico', 'Harpo'], ',');

       $sender->Form->setValue('To', $recipient);
   }

But there is one problem: the add() method still receives the wrong user1+user2+user3 which yields an error. Not sure right now how to solve that. I'm sure there is a solution. If you can't figure it out, just drop a note and I see if I can find a way...

rbrahmson

One could create a plugin with their own form that receives conversation message /subject (and possibly preset recipients) and then send the message internally.

Just some code snippet:

$conversationModel = new ConversationModel();
$conversation = [ 'Format' => 'Text',  
                  'Body' => $formmsg,
                  'Subject' => "some subject ",
                  'InsertUserID' => $User->UserID,
                  'RecipientUserID' => [$recipientID1,$recipientID2] ];
$conversationID = $conversationModel->save($conversation);

As @R_J noted, to get recipientIDs use Gdn::userModel()->getByUsername() to cycle through user names you get (or prime) on the plugin form.