Files
HellionChat/README.md
T
JonKazama-Hellion cb90c6ab93 Make the ChatTwo→HellionChat migration loud about locked files
A tester migrating from upstream Chat 2 ended up with a zero-row
database in the new layout: Chat 2 was still loaded when Hellion
Chat first started, the SQLite handle kept chat-sqlite.db locked,
and File.Move silently fell into the catch-all without telling
the user anything. Anyone hitting this would think Hellion Chat
lost their history when it just hadn't been allowed to take it.

Wrap each move on its own so a single locked file no longer
abandons the rest of the migration: the JSON config, font cache
and EmoteCacheV1 directory still travel even if the database
itself is held open. When any IOException fires during the moves,
flag a sticky 30-second warning notification on plugin start that
tells the user exactly what's going on — disable Chat 2, fully
close the game, restart — and points at the README troubleshooting
section.

The README now spells out the migration order step by step in two
sections (fresh install vs. coming from Chat 2) and includes the
manual mv/Move-Item one-liner for both Linux and Windows so users
can recover without waiting for the next plugin update.
2026-05-01 23:22:02 +02:00

159 lines
6.3 KiB
Markdown

# Hellion Chat
A GDPR-compliant, Linux-aware fork of [Chat 2](https://github.com/Infiziert90/ChatTwo)
for FINAL FANTASY XIV / Dalamud.
Same chat replacement you know from upstream, with extra controls for what
actually gets stored:
- **Channel whitelist** for database persistence (GDPR Art. 25 — privacy by
default). Out-of-the-box only your own conversations are kept: Tells, Party,
Free Company, Linkshells, Cross-World Linkshells, Alliance, ExtraChat. Public
chat from strangers (Say/Shout/Yell), Novice Network, NPC dialogue, system
spam and battle messages stay outside the database unless you opt them in.
- **Per-channel retention** with a 24-hour idempotent background sweep. Tells
default to 365 days, own-conversation channels to 90, the global default to
30. Off until you switch it on — the plugin never deletes history without
your explicit consent.
- **Retroactive cleanup** with a Ctrl+Shift confirm. Apply the current
whitelist to an existing 800-MB+ database, watch it shrink to MBs, all on a
background thread.
- **Export** to Markdown, JSON or CSV (GDPR Art. 15 right of access). Filter
by channel, date range or sender substring; written via Dalamud's file
dialog without blocking the UI.
- **First-run wizard** with three profiles (Privacy-First / Casual / Full
History) that maps to concrete configuration sets. Reopenable from the
Privacy tab any time.
- **Independent plugin state.** Config and database live under
`pluginConfigs/HellionChat/`, completely separate from upstream Chat 2 — you
can run both side by side, or migrate from Chat 2 once and keep going.
- **Migration recovery.** Heals databases left in a half-applied Migrate3
state (columns added, `user_version` never bumped) without needing the
backup file upstream creates.
- **Localized UI (EN + DE).** All Hellion-specific surfaces follow Dalamud's
language override and switch live. Translations live in
`Resources/HellionStrings.<lang>.resx`.
## Status
Bootstrap (v0.1.x). Used in production on a single user's setup. Not (yet)
submitted to the official Dalamud plugin repository — distributed as a
custom-repo / dev-plugin while the architecture stabilises.
## Install (testers)
Hellion Chat is shipped via a Dalamud **custom repository** during the
bootstrap phase.
### If you have never used Chat 2
1. Open Dalamud settings (`/xlsettings`) → **Experimental**.
2. Add a new entry under **Custom Plugin Repositories**:
```
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/JonKazama-Hellion/HellionChat/main/repo.json
```
3. Click **Save**, then back in `/xlplugins` hit **All Plugins** and refresh.
4. **Hellion Chat** now appears in the list — install it.
### If you are migrating from Chat 2 (and want to keep your history)
The two plugins share `pluginConfigs/ChatTwo/` (database) and
`pluginConfigs/ChatTwo.json` (settings). Hellion Chat moves both into
`pluginConfigs/HellionChat/` on first start, but only if the upstream
plugin isn't holding the database file open. Order matters:
1. **Disable Chat 2** in `/xlplugins` (don't uninstall, just disable).
2. **Close FFXIV completely** so SQLite releases its file lock — a plain
plugin reload is not enough.
3. Re-launch the game.
4. Add the custom repo URL as in the previous section.
5. Install Hellion Chat. On its first start it migrates the Chat 2 config
file and the entire database directory into the HellionChat layout
without losing data.
6. Verify in **Settings → Privacy → Apply filter to existing database →
Refresh preview** that the message count is what you expect (millions
of rows if you used Chat 2 for a while).
If the message count comes back as zero, the migration was blocked
(usually because Chat 2 was still active or the previous game session
hadn't fully closed). See the troubleshooting section below.
### Troubleshooting
**Hellion Chat shows zero messages but I had Chat 2 history:**
The migration either didn't run or hit a locked file. Close the game,
then move the data manually:
Linux / XIVLauncher Core:
```bash
mv ~/.xlcore/pluginConfigs/ChatTwo/chat-sqlite.db \
~/.xlcore/pluginConfigs/HellionChat/chat-sqlite.db
[ -d ~/.xlcore/pluginConfigs/ChatTwo/EmoteCacheV1 ] && \
mv ~/.xlcore/pluginConfigs/ChatTwo/EmoteCacheV1 \
~/.xlcore/pluginConfigs/HellionChat/
```
Windows / standard XIVLauncher:
```powershell
Move-Item "$env:AppData\XIVLauncher\pluginConfigs\ChatTwo\chat-sqlite.db" `
"$env:AppData\XIVLauncher\pluginConfigs\HellionChat\chat-sqlite.db" -Force
```
Then start the game and Hellion Chat — your full history is back.
### Updates
Updates land in the same plugin list once the maintainer pushes a new
`v0.1.x` tag and re-publishes the GitHub release. No re-installation
needed.
## Why a fork
The upstream maintainer has left filtering-related issues open since 2024
([#84](https://github.com/Infiziert90/ChatTwo/issues/84),
[#173](https://github.com/Infiziert90/ChatTwo/issues/173),
[#174](https://github.com/Infiziert90/ChatTwo/issues/174)). The original
design treats the database as an unlimited searchable archive of *everything*
the chat window sees, which is fine in the US-/JP-shaped privacy mindset but
hard to reconcile with EU GDPR data minimization rules when the archive
contains messages from third parties.
Forking under EUPL-1.2 is explicitly permitted, the upstream stays
authoritative for the chat-replacement engine, and we cherry-pick relevant
upstream bugfixes from `Infiziert90/ChatTwo` periodically.
## Build
```bash
# Linux with XIVLauncher Core
cp .env.example .env
# adjust DALAMUD_HOME if your hooks live somewhere else
set -a; source .env; set +a
dotnet build ChatTwo/ChatTwo.csproj
```
The output assembly is `ChatTwo/bin/Debug/HellionChat.dll`. Add the parent
directory as a Dev Plugin Location in Dalamud's experimental settings.
## Branding assets
`ChatTwo/images/icon.png` is the upstream Chat 2 icon and stays in place
until a hand-drawn Hellion logo replaces it. **No AI-generated artwork —
ever.**
## License
EUPL-1.2 (same as upstream Chat 2). See `LICENCE`.
## Acknowledgments
- **Infi & Anna (ascclemens)** — original Chat 2 engine, filtering, IPC, all
the heavy lifting before this fork existed.
- **Dalamud team** — the plugin framework underneath everything.
- **JonKazama-Hellion** — fork maintenance, privacy/retention/export
features, German localization.
## AI assistance disclosure
See `AI_DISCLOSURE.md`.