Hack89.Send Skype Chat Directly from Your Browser

Hack 89. Send Skype Chat Directly from Your Browser

Send Skype chat messages from a web page, or just by entering a simple URL in a web browser.

Works with: all versions of Skype.

You're running late and you're in a rush, and all you have access to is a hotel, airport, or Internet cafe computer that isn't running Skype and runs little more than a lowly web browser. Not to worry: with this free add-on service, you can send Skype chat messages in a snap. Sadly, the service only sends messages; it doesn't receive them. But, hey, it is free!

To use this service, you will need to remember two things: a URL and the Skype name(s) of the people to whom you want to send a message.

The URL you must remember is http://www.skyperunners.com/instant/.

Entering this URL as the address for any web browser will bring up a simple chat page which, at the time of this writing, was available only in German, but is very, very straightforward (see Figure 11-12).

Figure 11-12. To send a Skype chat message directly from a webbrowser, enter the Skype name of the intended recipient in the Empfänger box, type in your text message in the Text box, and click on Abschicken

There is, however, a small gotcha. Your message is relayed to the Skype recipient through the SkypeRunners web server, so it will arrive at your recipient's computer as a message from an anonymous Skype user (see Figure 11-13). For that reason, you may want to start your chat message by telling the recipient who you are, so he won't be clueless as to your identity. Not knowing whom a message is from can be very confusing, especially if the message is short and cryptic.

Figure 11-13. Chat message received

11.5.1. Hacking the Hack

If you're really in a hurry, or if your message is very short, you can send a Skype chat message from any web browser by entering just a URL alone (no web form is needed):

 http://www.skyperunners.com/instant/ ?user=skypehackswindows&S1="Hi again! This is Andrew and I'll be home late for dinner - about 7 p.m." 

Pay special attention to the fact that the message (Hi again! This is Andrew and I'll be home late for dinner - about 7 p.m.) is between double quotes, and the recipient's Skype name (skypehackswindows) is unquoted.

The general format for the URL for this method of sending Skype chat messages is:

 http://www.skyperunners.com/instant/ ?user=SkypeNameOfRecipient&sndr=SkypeNameOfSender&S1= "MessageText" 

Note that whereas the form method does not allow you to enter a sender's Skype name, this URL method does. This method is particularly suited to PDAs, mobile phones, and other small-form-factor devices for which the web form version might not display properly or, even if it does, might not be easy to navigate.