acts_as_messageable plugin released!

Problem:

Private messaging in Rails.

Solution:

acts_as_messageable

What it do?

acts_as_messageable is a plugin for enabling private messaging between users. Conversations, multiple recipients, trash, sentbox... its all in there.

to install:

> script/plugin install http://actsasmessageable.googlecode.com/svn/tags/acts_as_messageable-1.0.1 
> script/generate messageable 
> rake db:migrate

to use:

class User < ActiveRecord::Base 
  acts_as_messageable 
end

sending:

phil = User.find(3123) 
todd = User.find(4141) 
phil.send_message(todd, "whats up for tonight?", "hey guy")

sends a mail to todd's inbox and puts the sent message in phil's sentbox.

retrieving:

todd.mailbox[:inbox].unread_mail

returns an array of all unread mail messages in todd's inbox.

replying:

mail = todd.mailbox[:inbox].unread_mail[0] 
todd.reply_to_sender(mail, "not sure, probably having a few dozen cocktails.")

replys to the sender of the mail message. (Messages can be sent to multiple users, and are conversation based. See the RDoc.)

moving / deleting:

convo = mail.conversation
todd.mailbox.move_to(:trash, :conversation => convo)

moves all mail messages to the 'trash' that are part of the given conversation. There are 3 default mailboxes for each user (:inbox, :sentbox, :trash), although any name can be passed to this method if you wanted to implement folders.

bonus:

todd.mailbox[:inbox].latest_mail

returns the last message received for each conversation you are involved in. Pretty sweet for an inbox view.

Check the RDoc.