Quick Start

This article is the fastest honest path from a working ArrowChat install to chat on your Joomla frontend. If ArrowChat is not under your site root yet, stop here and finish that first, because the RCA package cannot invent ArrowChat on disk.

What you need before you upload the ZIP

Confirm ArrowChat sits in a folder next to Joomla’s index.php in the same site root and that ArrowChat’s own administrator URL opens in the browser. Confirm the site runs Joomla 4, 5, or 6 with PHP 8.1 or newer. Log in as a Super User, or with equivalent rights to install packages and manage plugins and modules. Download the current pkg_rca_arrowchat ZIP from https://recreatinganew.com. On production, take a backup copy of ArrowChat’s integration.php before you use Write bridge for the first time.

Install the package and configure Options

Open System, then Install Extensions, and upload pkg_rca_arrowchat. Confirm Joomla installed System - RCA ArrowChat, the RCA ArrowChat component, and the RCA ArrowChat Staff module. If install banners or language strings look broken, update to package 1.0.21 or newer, because install helper language packaging was fixed in that release.

Open Components, RCA ArrowChat, and use the toolbar Options button. Set ArrowChat folder to the folder name only, for example chat, messenger, or livechat, not a full URL. Save your changes. Choose Friend list mode on the same screen, and on the Avatars tab turn on Joomla profile avatars if you want real photos instead of Gravatar. Optionally set Profile URL pattern with {id} where the user id belongs in your site’s profile URL format. Save again.

Write bridge, enable the plugin, and smoke test

Return to the RCA ArrowChat dashboard. Confirm the status list shows folder found and autoload.php found. Click Write bridge and confirm integration.php reports OK. If you enabled avatars, confirm the avatar resolver shows Yes after Write bridge.

Open System, then Plugins, and enable System - RCA ArrowChat. Clear Joomla’s cache. Log in on the frontend as a normal user and confirm the ArrowChat UI loads. If you want a staff dock, publish RCA ArrowChat Staff from Content, Site Modules, assign a position or turn on viewport dock, and set module access if only staff should see it.

How you know it worked

Two logged-in browsers should see each other when friend mode allows it and should be able to open a private chat. The RCA dashboard should show folder, autoload, and integration as OK. If avatars are on, chat faces should be real Joomla photos and the dashboard should show avatar resolver equals Yes. If the staff module is published and staff are online in ArrowChat, the dock should show avatars with the correct ring colors and a click should open chat.