Sun Java System Instant Messaging 6 2004Q2 Online Help |

Contents Index

> # Sending Instant Messages (Using Chat and Conference Rooms)

> This section contains the following information:

> - Chat Window Overview
> - Cut, Copy, and Paste in the Chat Window
> - To Send an Instant Message (To Invite Someone to Chat)
> - To Respond to a Chat Invitation
> - To Send a File to a Contact
> - To Start a Side Chat
> - To Save a Chat or an Alert
> - Emoticons and Shortcut Characters

> ## Chat Window Overview

> The Chat window is displayed when you:

> - Initiate a chat
> - Are invited to participate in a chat session
> - Enter a conference room

> The Chat window title bar indicates either the conference room name or the first name of the contact you are chatting with. Depending on the settings, multiple chat or conference room sessions can take place in multiple tabs or in multiple windows. When you start a chat session with multiple individual participants, the tab displays the names of the first few participants and then a number in parenthesis that indicates the total number of participants. When multiple tabs are displayed, a tab that is currently not selected blinks to indicate that a chat participant has sent a message.

> The Chat window contains the following items:

> - Upper Message pane - Displays all messages sent by all the participants in the session in chronological order.
> - Lower Message pane - Displays text that you type prior to being sent to the upper message pane. You can add text formatting to your message before sending it.
> - Session Member list pane - The pane at the right of the window displays a list of the current participants in the room. If this is a chat session, users that you invite to the room are listed. If this is a conference room, users you invite, as well as users who enter on their own are displayed. The current status of the members is indicated by one of these icons:

> - The user is currently typing a message or response.

> - The user is in the chat room.

> - Tool bar - The tool bar contains the following:
> - Text Size list box - Displays a drop-down of sizes from which you can select the text size to display in the message panes.
> - Text Color list box - Displays a menu of colors from which you can select the text color to display in the message panes.
> - Bold, Italic, and Underline buttons - Provide the standard Windows character formatting functions.
> - Emoticons menu - Displays a menu of emoticons to insert into your chat message. For a list of emoticons and corresponding shortcut characters, see Emoticons and Shortcut Characters.
> - Attach File button - Attaches a file to your message. When the attachment is sent, a pop-up message appears on the user’s screen, with options to save or launch the attachment.
> - Remove File button - Removes the file that is being sent. When a file is attached to a message, the Attach File button changes to the Remove File button.
> - Archive button - Saves the message on the server.
> - Send button - Type your message in the lower message pane and click the Send button to send the message to the room. Your message is displayed in the upper message pane of all the participants in the session.
> - Invite Others button - Displays the Invite Other Users window where you can select users you want to invite to the chat or conference room session. See Search for a User Window Overview for more information.
> - Options button - Displays a pop-up menu with the following:
> - Side chat with selected users - Starts a new chat session in the Chat window with the users you have selected to invite to the chat or conference room session. A new tab appears in the Chat window.
> - Send alert to selected users - Displays the Alert window, where you can type and send an alert message to users you have selected in the Session Member list.
> - Leave button - Exits the current chat session but not all sessions. If you have only one chat session open, then this dismisses the entire Chat window. Click this button to leave a conference room.
> - Close button - Closes the entire Chat window, regardless of how many chat sessions are current.
> - Help button - Displays this Help topic.
> - Moderate button - Enables you to moderate a conference. This button is displayed when you are in a conference room. You need Moderate privileges to able to moderate a conference.

> ## Cut, Copy, and Paste in the Chat Window

> You can copy or cut text from other applications and paste it in the input area (Lower Message pane) of the Chat window to then send the text as part of an instant message. Likewise, you can copy from the Upper Message pane and paste into the Lower Message pane, or into another application.

> Use the standard Windows key strokes listed in Table 1 to cut, copy, and paste or select the Cut, Paste or Copy options from the Edit pop-up menu.

> Table 1 Standard Keyboard Shortcuts

> Activity | Keyboard Shortcuts
> --- | ---
> Cut | Ctrl +x
> Copy | Ctrl +c
> Paste | Ctrl +v

> ## To Send an Instant Message (To Invite Someone to Chat)

> 1. With the Contact List tab selected, click the contacts with whom you want to chat.

> You can start an instant message session with one or multiple contacts. Use the Shift or Control keys for multiple selection. See Selecting Contacts and Contact Groups for more information.

> 2. Select Chat from the Tools menu option or click the Chat icon:

> The Chat window appears.

> Tip | You can double-click a user or users to launch the Chat window.

> Note | Double-clicking a contact group does not launch the Chat window.

> 3. Type your message in the input area and click Send.

> The message is sent to the users displayed and appears in your upper display area. The message includes the user ID and the time the message was sent. As users respond, their messages also appear in upper display area.

> Tip | Use the toolbar to change text size or color, or to emphasize with bold, italic, or underline.

> 4. To invite other users to participate, click Invite Others.

> Use the Invite Others window to search for other contacts that you want to add to this chat session. See Edit Recipients/Invite Other Users Window Overview for more information.

> ## To Respond to a Chat Invitation

> When you are invited to chat, the Chat window is displayed on your desktop with the name of the person who invited you in the title bar.

> 1. To respond to this invitation, type your response in the lower message pane and click Send.

> Everything you type, and everything other participants type is displayed in the upper message pane.

> 2. To decline this invitation, click Leave in the Chat window, if you are participating in multiple chat sessions. Alternatively, click Close to close the entire Chat window.

> If desired, you can expand the size of the window so that more of the message content may be seen at one time.

> Tip | Once you have been invited to a chat room, click Invite Others to invite other users to chat.

> ## To Send a File to a Contact

> Sun™ ONE Instant Messenger lets you send files to other online contacts. When you send the file, the recipient receives a notice to launch or save the file.

> Follow these steps to send a file:

> 1. With the Contact List tab selected, select the contacts to whom you want to send a file.

> You can start an instant message session with one or more contacts. See Selecting Contacts and Contact Groups for more information.

> 2. Select Chat from the Tools menu option or click the Chat icon:

> The Chat window appears.

> 3. Select Attach File from the Tools menu option or click Attach File:

> A Find File window appears. Find the file you want to send and click OK.

> 4. The name of the file to be sent appears in the tool bar, and the Attach File button changes to Remove File button.
> 5. Type your message in the input area and click send.
> 6. Sun ONE Instant Messenger sends both the message and the file.

> When the file arrives, the Instant Messenger program notifies the recipient in the Chat window, and also gives the recipient the choice to either open or save the file.

> ## To Start a Side Chat

> When you are participating in a chat with multiple contacts, you can start a separate chat session—a side chat—with selected contacts.

> Follow these steps to start a side chat:

> 1. In the Chat window, select the contacts with whom you want to start a separate chat session, in the Session Member list pane.
> 2. Select Side Chat from the Tools menu. You can also right-click on the selected contact and select Side Chat from the pop-up menu that appears.

> You can start chatting with the selected contacts from the new chat tab that appears.

> ## To Save a Chat or an Alert

> To save the chat sessions or alert messages on the desktop:

> Select Save from the File menu in the Chat window or select “Save as” from the File menu option in the “Alert received” window.

> ## Emoticons and Shortcut Characters

> Emoticons can be inserted into your messages in two ways:

> - By selecting them from the emoticon menu on the toolbar
> - By typing the shortcut characters that correspond to one of the emoticon characters directly into your message.

> Selecting one of the emoticons inserts the emoticon’s shortcut character into your message in the lower message pane. When you send the message, the shortcut characters are converted into the graphic representation of the emoticon, which you see displayed in the upper message pane.

> You can also type the emoticon shortcut character directly into your message. This is converted to the graphic emoticons when you send the message.

> The following emoticons and their corresponding shortcut characters can be used in the chat message (lower message pane):

> Emoticons | Name | Shortcut Characters
> --- | --- | ---
> | Angry | X-(
> | Devil | >:)
> | Laugh | :))
> | Angel | 0:)
> | Smiley | :-)
> | Love | :-x
> | Grin | :-D
> | Wink | ;-)
> | Sad | :-(
> | Surprise | :O

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