Create API function to return URL to 'Send user a privatemsg'

Is this to be different from "messages/new/%"?

I normally loathe "subscribe" posts but since this issue is directed at me, it would be good to have it in my tracker. ;)

Michelle

so something like

function privatemsg_sent_to($username) {
  $uid = db_query(db_result("SELECT uid FROM {users} WHERE name = '%s'", $username));
  drupal_goto('messages/new/' . $uid);
}

???

(not sure that is actually valid code...)

"pm_send_to_user"?

I had actually whipped this up last night:

/**
 * API function
 *
 * Return a URL to send a message to a specific user.
 */
function privatemsg_send_message_url($uid = NULL) {
  global $user;
  if ($uid && $uid != $user->uid) {
    return 'messages/new/'. $uid;
  }
}

but I had some questions about access control, etc.:

Should we assume Michelle and other module writers won't use a UID for the for the currently logged-n user? Do we return a link in that case? Do we return a link if the current user doesn't have "write" permission? Do we return a link if the recipient doesn't have "read" privileges?

Interesting. Hadn't thought about putting the access check in this function. FWIW, here is the .inc for making privatemsg 5 work with advforum 5. You can see all the checking it goes through.

/**
 * @file
 *   This file provides advanced forum preprocess functions for the private message module.
 */

/**
 * Implementation of hook_preprocess_forum_user().
 */
function privatemsg_preprocess_forum_user(&$variables) {
  // We don't want to do this for anonymous users.
  if ($variables['account']->uid == 0) {
    return;
  }
  
  global $user;
  $account = $variables['account'];

  // Send private message
  if (($account->uid != $user->uid) &&
     user_access('access private messages') && 
     (isset($account->privatemsg_allow) ? $account->privatemsg_allow : 1)) {
    $variables['privatemsg_icon'] = theme('image', advanced_forum_path_to_images() . '/user_comment.png', 'Private Message', 'Private Message', NULL, TRUE);
    $variables['privatemsg_text'] = t('Send PM');
    $variables['privatemsg_link'] = 'privatemsg/new/' . $variables['account']->uid;
    $variables['privatemsg'] = '<div class="privatemsg">' .
      l($variables['privatemsg_icon'] . ' ' .
      $variables['privatemsg_text'], $variables['privatemsg_link'], NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, TRUE) .
      '</div>';
  }
}

Michelle

That may not be enough - if we go ahead with a scheme such as "user/%/messages/new/%", we would also need to know the current user's UID.

I do't see the need to get the full user object as we will be loading the user data again anyway. (unless there is an acceptable way to carry all the data across).

We don't need to have the current user's UID passed to the function -- that's already available in $user.

Why would you do #12? The only reason I can think of is to allow someone to send a private message as another user. I can see some convenience for an admin that has a personal account, maybe, but I don't know if it's worth that. I certianly wouldn't put that ability in any integration I do and the sending user would always be the logged in user.

I think this is in danger of getting into bikeshed territory here... It really doesn't need to be that complicated. Just pick a URL that has the currently logged in user sending a PM to a given UID and there ya go.

Michelle

Call that lack-of-sleep-stupidity! Forget what I wrote, the code proposed by litwol is enough.

I'm closing this as a duplicate of #288183: Provide api function for other modules to send messages.. The patch does have a privatemsg_get_link($recipient, $account) function and privatemsg.author-pane.inc is now part of our module.