S4J - Skype Chat for Jazz/Rational TeamConcert

What is S4J? *

Rational TeamConcert (RTC) includes a generic instant messaging client. It supports Jabber (XMPP), GoogleTalk and SameTime. S4J is a chat provider for the Skype protocol. With S4J you can initiate IM and VoIP calls from RTC.

S4J Screenshot showing online presence and context menu for starting a chat

S4J povides presence status for team members in the RTC client. S4J does not use the build-in chat client because we found the RTC chat view rather awkward to use and Skype has already a powerful client. By using the native client, you can also IM users not related to any Jazz repository.

Note: There is a work item at jazz.net to add Skype as a chat provider, 60151.

Prerequisites

• Windows operating system
• Rational TeamConcert 1.0.0 or higher, including the latest 2.0.0 milestones
• A native Skype client must be installed, configured and running

Setup steps

• Install S4J from the update site at http://www.gerhardtinformatics.com/updates/s4j/.
• No configuration is necessary in Preferences. S4J will create a default IM account if none exists. You can also create an IM account in RTC manually in Preferences > Instant Messaging.
• The Skype client must be running and a Skype user must be logged in before starting RTC.
• RTC will use the Skype user that is configured in the native client.
• The plugin maps Jazz users to Skype contacts using the full name set in Jazz and the display name / full name / Skype id (in this order) in Skype. Jazz users with no corresponding Skype users will be displayed as offline. In case you don't see somebody online in RTC but in Skype, rename this contact in Skype to match the display name in RTC.
• In Preferences > Instant Messaging you can enable the presence button for the status bar. This button allows you to change your presence status as in the native Skype client.

Limitations

Sending files and clipboard is not implemented yet.

S4J is only available on 32-bit Windows. The protocol implementation also works on 32/64-bit Linux. We have not tested that and we provide no build.

There are some bugs related to the ordering of logins to a Jazz repositories and to Skype. You might see an invalid, usually offline, status for other users if you connect and disconnected in sequences that we haven't tested well enough. After a restart everything should be fine again. To be safe, start Skype first, then RTC.

Versions

All versions are available from the update site, see above.

1.0.0.beta00 is the first beta release. It is stable enough for general usage. We welcome feedback!

(*) The "Skype" name, logo and the "S" symbol are trademarks of Skype Limited. IBM, Jazz, and Rational are trademarks of IBM Corporation.