Chatbox

Comprehensive chat system management with message routing and formatting for the Lilia framework.

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Overview

The chatbox library provides comprehensive functionality for managing chat systems in the Lilia framework. It handles registration of different chat types (IC, OOC, whisper, etc.), message parsing and routing, distance-based hearing mechanics, and chat formatting. The library operates on both server and client sides, with the server managing message distribution and validation, while the client handles parsing and display formatting. It includes support for anonymous messaging, custom prefixes, radius-based communication, and integration with the command system for chat-based commands.

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lia.chat.timestamp(ooc)

Purpose

Prepend a timestamp to chat messages based on option settings.

When Called

During chat display formatting (client) to show the time.

Parameters

boolean ooc Whether the chat is OOC (affects spacing).

Returns

string Timestamp text or empty string.

Example Usage

  chat.AddText(lia.chat.timestamp(false), Color(255,255,255), message)

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lia.chat.register(chatType, data)

Purpose

Register a chat class (IC/OOC/whisper/custom) with prefixes and rules.

When Called

On initialization to add new chat types and bind aliases/commands.

Parameters

string chatType

table data Fields: prefix, radius/onCanHear, onCanSay, format, color, arguments, etc.

Example Usage

  lia.chat.register("yell", {
      prefix = {"/y", "/yell"},
      radius = 600,
      format = "chatYellFormat",
      arguments = {{name = "message", type = "string"}},
      onChatAdd = function(speaker, text) chat.AddText(Color(255,200,120), "[Y] ", speaker:Name(), ": ", text) end
  })

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lia.chat.parse(client, message, noSend)

Purpose

Parse a raw chat message to determine chat type, strip prefixes, and send.

When Called

On client (local send) and server (routing) before dispatching chat.

Parameters

Player client

string message

boolean noSend optional If true, do not forward to recipients (client-side parsing only).

Returns

string, string, boolean chatType, message, anonymous

Example Usage

  -- client
  lia.chat.parse(LocalPlayer(), "/y Hello there!")
  -- server hook
  hook.Add("PlayerSay", "LiliaChatParse", function(ply, txt)
      if lia.chat.parse(ply, txt) then return "" end
  end)

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lia.chat.send(speaker, chatType, text, anonymous, receivers)

Purpose

Send a chat message to eligible listeners, honoring canHear/canSay rules.

When Called

Server-side after parsing chat or programmatic chat generation.

Parameters

Player speaker

string chatType

string text

boolean anonymous

table receivers optional Optional explicit receiver list.

Example Usage

  lia.chat.send(ply, "ic", "Hello world", false)

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