A common problem when you are developing a web site with non white background color and you want to display your skype status in it, is that skype default images are not transparent .

The solution to this problem is to embed the following php code to your web site and you will be able to use your custom status images.

<?php

function getSkypeStatus($username) {
    $remote_status = fopen ('http://mystatus.skype.com/'.$username.'.num', 'r');
    if (!$remote_status) {
        return '0';
        exit;
    }
    while (!feof ($remote_status)) {
        $value = fgets ($remote_status, 1024);
        return trim($value);
    }
    fclose($remote_status);
}

function getSkypeStatusIcon($username) {
    $status = getSkypeStatus($username);
    // change the path of the icons folder to match your site default will be /images/ and image file type which is .png as default
    echo '<a href="skype:'.$username.'?chat"><img src="/(images-path)'.$status.'.png" alt="chat '.$username.'" style="border: none;" />';
}

getSkypeStatusIcon('(skype-name)');
?>

You will have to follow these steps to make the code work properly:

1. Upload to your custom status images on your website server. You should name the images as “status-code.png” . The status codes skype returns are:

• 0 - unknown
• 1 - offline
• 2 - online
• 3 - away
• 4 - not available
• 5 - do not disturb
• 6 - invisible
• 7 - skype me

2. So for example you will have to name the image for online status “2.png”.

3. Change in code line 19 “(images-path)” with the path you have uploaded your custom images.

4. Change in code line 22 “(skype-name)” with your skype name.

You can download the code and images template from here.

Talk with the author via twitter @hpsaltis