b. Chats and Messaging - Teamwire Knowledge Base

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Starting Teamwire, the [[image:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.WebHome@icon-tabmessages.png||height="20"]] **Messages** tab is shown by default. It shows all chats you are involved in.

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As you receive new messages, you will find a badge counter on the Messages tab indicating the amount of unread texts.

= Inbox =

When receiving new messages, the chat concerned is also provided with a badge on the number of unread texts. This badge will disappear after you have visited the chat. Inside the chat, new messages are visually indicated from already read content by a separator.

== Search ==

Atop your messages you will find a search bar. The search will look up for chat titles, contacts, groups, and message content. Results are separated into said categories.

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* Clicking on a search result will take you to the original message or chat.

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* Clicking on a contact in the search results opens the chat with this contact or, if no chat exists with the contact yet, creates one.

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= Create a chat =

To create a new chat, click [[image:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.WebHome@icon-newchat.png||height="20"]] atop your messages. You can choose from the following options.

* 1:1 Chat

* Group Chat

* Broadcast

* Federated Chat

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== 1:1 chat ==

Select a [[participant>>doc:||anchor="02-selectparticipants"]]. You will enter the new chat automatically and will be able to compose your first message. For 1:1 Chats Teamwire will show the name of the user you are talking to as title. Read here to find out which [[chat content and actions>>doc:||anchor="02-chatcontentsandactions"]] can be used.

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If you want to have topic-based 1:1 chats, use the option [[Group Chat>>doc:||anchor="02-groupchat"]] when creating the chat. It is possible to create a group chat with only one other user (see [[Group Chat>>doc:||anchor="02-groupchat"]]).

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1:1 chats cannot be subsequently extended with additional users to form a group chat.

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== Group chat ==

Select one or more [[participants>>doc:||anchor="02-selectparticipants"]], set a [[chat title>>doc:||anchor="02-definechattitle"]] and define [[further settings>>doc:||anchor="02-definefurthersettings"]]. You will enter the new chat automatically and will be able to compose your first message.

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More information about chat content and actions are available [[here>>doc:||anchor="02-chatcontentsandactions"]].

== Broadcast chat ==

A broadcast chat is a group chat with the [[broadcast mode>>doc:||anchor="02-chatmode"]] enabled. This mode is very useful for sharing announcements or briefings in your organisation.

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Select one or more [[participants>>doc:||anchor="02-selectparticipants"]], set a [[chat title>>doc:||anchor="02-definechattitle"]] and define [[further settings>>doc:||anchor="02-definefurthersettings"]]. You will enter the new chat automatically and will be able to compose your first message.

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More information about the broadcast chat mode are available [[here>>doc:||anchor="02-chatmode"]].

== Federated chat ==

Federated chats allow communicating with users from other Teamwire Servers.

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Select one or more [[participants>>doc:||anchor="02-selectparticipants"]], set a [[chat title>>doc:||anchor="02-definechattitle"]] and define [[further settings>>doc:||anchor="02-definefurthersettings"]]. You will enter the new chat automatically and will be able to compose your first message.

=== Available contacts ===

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The availability of chat participants is limited to contacts and circles that have been enabled for federated usage. Therefore, you cannot create a chat from your organisation's federated and non-federated contacts. In case an important user is not available in your contacts when creating a federated chat, please approach your Teamwire admin.

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Currently it is currently not possible to add more chat members to the chat later.

=== Available chat content ===

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The range of [[chat content>>doc:||anchor="02-chatcontentsandactions"]] is limited.

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Currently, the following attachment types are supported: photos, (gallery), videos (gallery), files, attention messages and locations.

=== Removed federations ===

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If the federation with one or more Teamwire Servers is ended, federated chats are automatically closed. The participants cannot send new content. Unlike [[closed chats>>doc:||anchor="02-closechat"]], the chat history remains available for all members and can still be read.

== Define chat title ==

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Set a title for your conversation. This title is not final and can be changed at any time via [[Chat Settings>>doc:||anchor="02-chatsettings"]]. **For group chats,** setting a title is mandatory.

== Select participants ==

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Select one or more users from your list of contacts by selecting the checkbox next to the user's name.

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Already selected contacts are indicated with an [[image:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.WebHome@icon-checked.png||height="20"]] and can be deselected by clicking again.

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You can combine contacts, lists, circles and bots as recipients for a chat. On the right-hand side you can see an overview of all selected recipients and also remove them there.

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Please note the **maximum of members** that can be added to a chat, which will be shown above the overview (Members X / 500) during the creation. The default maximum for a chat is 500 members, but it may have been adjusted by your Teamwire administrator.

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[[image:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.WebHome@EN__CreateChat.png||height="442" width="600"]]

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Your contacts are split into four types and are listed per section.

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* [[Contacts>>doc:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.Contacts.WebHome||anchor="03-contacts"]]

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* [[Lists>>doc:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.Contacts.WebHome||anchor="03-lists"]]

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* [[Circles>>doc:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.Contacts.WebHome||anchor="03-circles"]]

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* [[Bots>>doc:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.Contacts.WebHome||anchor="03-bots"]]

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Although all contacts are arranged in alphabetical order (by their last name), in a large organisation it can become challenging to find the right user quickly. Therefore, make use of the **search bar,** to find your contacts, lists, circles and bots per section. The search bar is located above the left-side list of contacts.

== Define further settings ==

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* **Allow to mute notifications**

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Decide whether chat members are allowed to mute this conversation so they will no longer receive push notifications.

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* **Alert Chat**

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This feature is meant for emergencies. An alert chat will always stay on top of its members inbox until its messages has been read. Beside alert chats, you can also create alert messages. More information about alert messages are available at the [[Attention messages>>doc:||anchor="02-attentionmessages"]] chapter.

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After defining all further settings, click **OK** to enter the new chat automatically and you will be able to compose your first message.

= Voice and video calls =

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You can contact one or multiple users in your existing chats via voice or video call.

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This feature is available for 1:1 chats and group chats.

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There can only be one call in progress per chat. In case other participants are already having a call in the same chat, you will receive a notice.

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If voice and video calls are not available to you, the feature may have been disabled by your Teamwire administrator.

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== Start a call ==

Open an existing chat or [[create a new chat>>doc:||anchor="02-createnewchat"]] with your favoured participants.

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Start the call by tapping the respective button in the upper right corner of the screen.

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Use ## ##[[image:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.WebHome@icon-voipvoice11.png||height="20"]]## ## to start a voice call and ## ##[[image:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.WebHome@icon-voipvideo11.png||height="20"]]## ## to start a video call. You may enable your camera at any time during the voice call and turn it into a video call. You may disable your camera at any time of the video call, too.

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The other call participants will be notified, even if they are currently not actively using the Teamwire app.

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**The number of participants for group calls is limited** and given by your Teamwire server admin.

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If your group chat has more participants than the number of members allowed in a group call, the icons will change a bit into ## ##[[image:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.WebHome@icon-voipvoicegroup.png||height="20"]]## ## for voice and ## ##[[image:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.WebHome@icon-voipvideogroup.png||height="20"]]## ## for video calls. Before the call can begin, you will be shown the list of all chat members from which you have to select one or more users (up to the max. number of call members) for the call.

== Join a call ==

If you have missed a call, you can also join it later.

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Open the chat you were invited into to participate in the voice or video call. If the call is still ongoing, tap **Join** to access the call.

== Features during a call ==

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The following primary features are available during the call.

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* Enable / disable microphone

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* Enable / disable camera

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* Select sound device

* Screen sharing

* Raise hand

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= Chat content and actions =

== Attachments and functions ==

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In addition to texts and emojis, you can send various attachments via Teamwire.

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If you want to attach a photo, video, audio file, appointment, presentation, PDF or the like to your current conversation, click [[image:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.WebHome@icon-attachments-desktop.png||height="20"]] to select your file, or just drag and drop it onto the Teamwire app to share it with the chat. For most photo files, a preview is displayed directly in the chat.

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Via the [[image:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.WebHome@icon-attachments.png||height="20"]] button next to the text input field, Teamwire also provides additional features like [[attention messages>>doc:||anchor="02-attentionmessages"]] and [[polls>>doc:||anchor="02-polls"]].

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With the button [[image:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.WebHome@icon-microphone.png||height="20"]] , you can record voice messages, provided you have connected a microphone. Define your input and output devices in the [[General settings>>doc:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.Profile-and-Settings.WebHome||anchor="04-generalsettings"]].

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Your Teamwire admin is able to prohibit sending certain attachment types. If one or more options are not available to you, they may have been disabled by your Teamwire administrator.

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== Attention messages ==

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Via [[image:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.WebHome@icon-attachments.png||height="20"]] next to the text input field, various types of attention message are available in Teamwire.

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Chat members can respond to your status messages with a predefined selection of reactions without disrupting the flow of an active conversation. Reactions can also be sent by members of a broadcast chat.

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* [[image:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.WebHome@icon-alert.png||height="20"]] **Alert**

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Label your message as an alert (text input turns red). Alerts cause a special ringtone and will create a different icon on the notification screen for its participants. A chat containing an alert message will be visually highlighted in its participants inbox, and will always stay on top until all new content has been read.

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The alert notification sound can be configured via [[Settings > Notifications>>doc:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.Profile-and-Settings.WebHome||anchor="04-notifications"]].

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* [[image:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.WebHome@icon-annoucement.png||height="20"]] **Announcement**

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Label your message as an announcement (text input turns green). Chat members can react to your message via [[image:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.WebHome@icon-emptyActivities.png||height="20"]] with a range of reactions.

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* [[image:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.WebHome@icon-note.png||height="20"]] **Note**

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Label your message as an note (text input turns yellow). Chat members can react to your message via [[image:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.WebHome@icon-emptyActivities.png||height="20"]] with a range of reactions.

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All message types above can be removed before sending by clicking the [[image:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.WebHome@icon-messagetype.png||height="20"]] icon. Your message will be sent as normal text then.

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If attention messages are not available to you, the feature may have been disabled by your Teamwire administrator.

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=== Activity / Reactions ===

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You can view the **reactions** to one of your attention messages via the [[image:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.WebHome@icon-report.png||height="20"]] **report.**

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You can find a chronological list of all reactions to your attention messages via the icon [[image:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.WebHome@icon-bell.png||height="20"]] in the upper right corner of the chat.

== Live location ==

Sharing your own location is not possible in the desktop app. However, you can track the location of other users live on the map. Open the live map and check user's positions by clicking on the map preview in the chat.

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In one chat, multiple users can share their live location at the same time. Their locations will be shown in a single map.

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A list of all chat members currently sharing their location is available in the bottom of the screen (expand).

=== Additional features ===

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* **Focus user**

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Click on one of the users to focus on them. This way, the user will always remain in the center of the map view.

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You can also select the user from the list of all chat members currently sharing their location.

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Define further view options via the [[image:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.WebHome@icon-menu.png||height="4"]] icon above the live map view.

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* **Show user names**

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If enabled, in addition to the user photos, their names will be displayed on the map, too.

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* **Show user role**

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If enabled, in addition to the user photos, their role will be displayed on the map, too (the information is taken from the user's profile).

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== Draw on map ==

In the desktop app, it is not possible to manually draw areas on the maps of shared locations and label them. However, you can view the areas and its labels drawn by other users. Open the map / live map by clicking on the map preview in the chat to see the areas.

== Polls ==

Via [[image:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.WebHome@icon-attachments.png||height="20"]] next to the text input field, you can create polls in Teamwire.

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Click [[image:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.WebHome@icon-poll.png||height="20"]] to create a poll and let your chat members vote to make decisions more quickly.

== Read receipts ==

The [[image:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.WebHome@icon-readeye.png||height="15"]] read receipts of chat members are represented by their user avatars and can be found at the bottom of the conversation. Please note, that these read receipts **only apply to the latest message** of the chat and cannot be viewed for previous messages.

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If you are looking for a detailed view of the current read receipts, tap the line of user avatars to receive a complete list of members.

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Your Teamwire administrator may disable read receipts for all users.

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== Reply to a message ==

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Move your cursor at the respective message or attachment and click on the [[image:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.WebHome@icon-menu.png||height="4"]] icon to open the context menu. Select **Reply** to add a quote of the original message when sending your answer. This is especially useful in conversations with a lot of users so you won't lose context.

== Copy a message ==

Move your cursor at the respective message or attachment and click on the [[image:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.WebHome@icon-menu.png||height="4"]] icon to open the context menu. Select **Copy** to copy the entire message content to your clipboard.

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You can also mark a part of the message with your cursor and perform a right click to open the context menu. Select **Copy** (or use the shortcut //Ctrl+C// resp. //Cmd+C//) to copy the content to your clipboard.

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You can paste the text to another chat or an external app.

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If you cannot copy a message, the feature may have been disabled by your Teamwire administrator.

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== Forward a message ==

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Move your cursor at the respective message or attachment and click on the [[image:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.WebHome@icon-menu.png||height="4"]] icon to open the context menu and select **Forward.** A list of all existing chats to which you can forward the content to will be displayed. If you want to use a new chat to forward the content to, click on **New Chat** atop the listed chats and continue selecting your participants.

== Delete a message ==

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You can delete your own messages and attachments in Teamwire, even if they have already been read. Move your cursor at the respective message or attachment and click on the [[image:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.WebHome@icon-menu.png||height="4"]] icon to open the context menu and select **Delete** to remove it.

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If you cannot delete a message, the feature may have been disabled by your Teamwire administrator.

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= Chat menu =

In your current chat view, click on the [[image:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.WebHome@icon-menu.png||height="4"]] icon in the right upper corner to open the chat menu.

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Here you can make different adjustments to the chat like adding further users, view attachments and attention messages, or leave the conversation.

== Chat settings ==

Select **Chat Settings** from the chat menu. Among other things, here you can edit the title.

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Only [[chat administrators>>doc:||anchor="02-chatadministrators"]] are authorised to make changes to chat settings.

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[[image:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.WebHome@EN__ChatMenu.png||height="450" width="600"]]

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=== Chat avatar ===

Click on the current chat avatar to search your file explorer for an image or photo and select it. The new avatar will be shown to all members of the conversation.

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Click the avatar again to **change** or **remove** the image.

=== Chat title ===

Click the text below the chat avatar to edit the chat title. Confirm your changes via Enter.

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If you want to reset a chat title, remove the current text and confirm via Enter. The title will adopt the automatically generated name. But remember that defining a title is mandatory for group chats.

=== Chat mode ===

Teamwire supports two chat modes. Change the current mode by enabling or disabling the **Allow to send messages** feature.

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* **Normal**

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//Allow to send messages// enabled

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By default, the Chat Settings suggest to create a conversation with the //Normal// chat mode enabled. This mode allows all members to compose and send messages / attachments to the chat.

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* **Broadcast**

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The //Broadcast// mode will only allow [[chat administrators>>doc:||anchor="02-chatadministrators"]] to compose and send messages / attachments to the chat. This mode is very useful for sharing announcements or briefings in your organisation.

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== Media overview ==

Select **Media overview **from the chat menu. It allows you to look up for all attachments that have been shared in the current chat. The media is filtered by its file type, but can also be viewed unfiltered via //All.//

== Alerts, announcements and notes ==

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Select **Alerts, Announcements** or **Notes **from the chat menu. You will find a summary of all attention messages that have been shared in the current chat.

== Chat administrators ==

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Select **Admins **from the chat menu. This section lists all administrators of the current chat.

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Chat administrators are able to make changes in the Chat Settings, e.g. editing the chat title and chat mode, allowing to mute the chat, or promote other members to become chat administrator.

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In a 1:1 chat, both members become chat administrator by default.

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**In a group chat, the creator of the chat is automatically promoted to chat administrator.** This applies to all ways of group chats; whether the chat was created by selecting several individual users, by adding [[circles>>doc:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.Contacts.WebHome||anchor="03-circles"]] or [[lists>>doc:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.Contacts.WebHome||anchor="03-lists"]], or by a mix of all options mentioned.

=== Promote to admin ===

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Select **Members** from the chat menu to see a complete list of the current chat's participants. If the chat was created via circle, click on its name to view the list of members. Move your cursor at the user of concern and click on the [[image:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.WebHome@icon-menu.png||height="4"]] icon to open the context menu. Select **Make chat admin.**

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The admin promotion cannot be revoked.

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=== Demote admin ===

The admin promotion cannot be revoked.

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You may use the following workaround: Remove the user from the current chat and add them again afterwards. Thus, the user is being removed from both the list of members and administrators, and will become a regular chat member after adding them again.

== Members ==

Select **Members **from the chat menu. This section lists all members of the current chat incl. chat administrators.

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If the chat was created by adding a circle, its name will be shown. The members of the circle can be viewed by clicking the circle name.

=== Add more members ===

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In order to add further members to the chat, select **Add colleagues to chat** in the list of chat members. You will be forwarded to your directory from which you can add further users and/or circles and lists. Confirm your selection by clicking **OK.**

=== Remove members ===

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Move your cursor at the user of concern and click on the [[image:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.WebHome@icon-menu.png||height="4"]] icon to open the context menu. Select **Remove from chat.** You cannot remove individual users which have been added via circle. You have to remove the complete circle from the chat instead.

== Chat administration ==

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In the chat menu, you will find multiple options to manage the current conversation, like muting, archiving, leaving or closing the chat.

=== Archive chat ===

This is a personal setting and will only affect your own user account.

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Archive a chat when the conversation is no longer active or when a topic-based discussion is completed. Archived chats are not displayed in your message inbox by default.

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There are two options to archive a chat

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* Open the respective chat and select the **Archive** option from the menu [[image:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.WebHome@icon-menu.png||height="4"]] in the right upper corner of the screen.

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* In your **inbox,** perform a right click on the respective chat to open the context menu and select **Archive.**

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To display archived chats in your inbox, make use of the app's menu bar (or use the menu [[image:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.WebHome@icon-menu.png||height="4"]] next to your name and avatar) and select **Teamwire > Chat > Show archived chats.** The archived chats now become visible in your inbox. You are able to **unarchive** a conversation again in the same way as you have archived them.

=== Mute chat ===

This is a personal setting and will only affect your own user account.

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Mute a chat to stop receiving notifications. When muted, the notification sound, vibration and push notifications will not be triggered **for this chat.** The app icon on your home screen will keep showing the number of unread messages.

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There are two options to mute a chat

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* Open the respective chat and select the **Mute** option from the menu [[image:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.WebHome@icon-menu.png||height="4"]] in the right upper corner of the screen.

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* In your **inbox,** perform a right click on the respective chat to open the context menu and select **Mute.**

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You can re-enable notifications for a chat in the same way.

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If you cannot mute a chat, the feature may have been disabled by your Teamwire administrator or by a chat admin.

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=== Close chat ===

This is an administrative setting and will affect all members of the chat. Only chat administrators can close a chat.

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Close a chat when the conversation is over and no longer needed.

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After it has been closed, the chat will show an according info message and the chat history can no longer be read by its members.

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There are two options to close a chat

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* Open the respective chat and select the **Close chat** option from the menu [[image:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.WebHome@icon-menu.png||height="4"]] in the right upper corner of the screen.

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* In your **inbox,** perform a right click on the respective chat to open the context menu and select **Close Chat.**

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If you are a chat admin, you can right-click the chat in your inbox to **Reopen** it. This option is also available in the chat view.

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If the "Close chat" option is not available to you, the feature may have been disabled by your Teamwire administrator.

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=== Leave chat ===

Leave a chat when you no longer want to be part of the conversation or your participation is no longer needed.

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There are two options to leave a chat

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* Open the respective chat and select the **Leave chat **option from the menu [[image:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.WebHome@icon-menu.png||height="4"]] in the right upper corner of the screen.

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* In your **inbox,** perform a right click on the respective chat to open the context menu and select **Leave Chat.**

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If the "Leave chat" option is not available to you, the feature may have been disabled by your Teamwire administrator.

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Please note that you cannot leave chats in which you have been added as part of a [[circle>>doc:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.WebHome||anchor="03-circles"]].

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=== Save chat history ===

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To save the content of a chat in a PDF file, make use of the app's menu bar (or use the menu [[image:Public.Applications.Desktop.User-Manual.WebHome@icon-menu.png||height="4"]] next to your name and avatar) and select **Teamwire > Chat > Save as PDF.** In the following mask, define the period to be saved. Click again on **Save as PDF** and select a destination using your file explorer.

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Please note that some attachments may not be listed in PDF format.

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Wiki source code of b. Chats and Messaging

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