Sun Java System Instant Messaging 6 2004Q2 Online Help |

Contents Index

> # Viewing News Channels

> This section contains the following information:

> - About News Channels
> - News Channels Window Overview
> - To View News Channel Messages
> - To Modify News Channel Messages

> ## About News Channels

> News channels are forums for posting and sharing information. You subscribe to news channels of interest in order to see updates. The information in a news channel can be published automatically through a URL. A user with the Administrator’s privilege can control channel access by assigning users to the channels they need, and determining who can see or post information to the channels.

> If you have subscribed to the Alerts channel, the alert messages that you receive appear in the News Channels window under the Alerts tab.

> News channels are available for viewing on a subscription basis. There are two ways in which you can be subscribed to a news channel:

> - Your administrator can assign you to news channels.
> - Individual users can subscribe to and unsubscribe from selected news channels if they have been assigned Read privilege by the news channel creator.

> See Subscribing and Unsubscribing to News Channels for more information about the subscription process.

> Once you are subscribed, a tab for each news channel appears in your News Channels window.

> ## News Channels Window Overview

> The News Channels window shows you the news channels you are subscribed to. One news channel is displayed at a time. You can loop through the news channels or automatically scroll through the news channels depending upon your preference settings. You can configure the News Channels window to open automatically when you start the Instant Messenger user interface.

> When you subscribe to the Alerts channel, alerts are automatically configured to show up in the Alerts tab, in the News Channels window. Alert messages remain in the Alerts tab for the duration of your current session only. When you exit the user interface, all messages in your Alerts tab are removed.

> The title bar of the News Channels window displays the news channel name, the subject of the news channel message, and the name of the sender.

> The News Channels window contains the following items:

> - Alerts tab - The alerts received are displayed in the message pane on this tab.
> - News Channels tab(s) - There is a separate tab for each news channel you are subscribed to. News channel messages are displayed one at a time in the message pane.
> - Message pane - Displays the messages, one by one, for that news channel.
> - View previous message button - Click to manually loop backwards through the previously received news channel messages.
> - Play/Pause button - When the configuration is set to loop through the news channel messages, click Pause to stop the scrolling. The button changes from Pause to Play, and the title of the news channel now contains the word “PAUSED.” Click Play to resume scrolling.

> Note | The button changes to Pause, and the word “PAUSED” is removed from the news channel title.

> - View next message button - Click to manually loop forward through the previously received news channel messages.
> - IM Window button - Returns to the Main window. This is useful if you have configured not to show the Main window on startup but have configured the News Channels window to appear on startup.
> - Delete button - Deletes the currently selected message.
> - Subscribe button - Click to subscribe and unsubscribe to news channels. See Subscribing and Unsubscribing to News Channels for more information.
> - Manage button - Click to manage news channels through the News Channels Management window. See Managing News Channels for more information.
> - Post button - Click the post button to send a news message to a selected news channel.
> - Close button - Closes the window.

> Note | If the Main window is not open, closing the News Channels window exits the Instant Messenger user interface.

> - Help Button - Displays this Help topic.

> ### News Channels Window Right-Click Pop-Up Menu

> Right-click anywhere in a news channel message pane to display a pop-up menu that contains the following items:

> - Place tabs to top - Aligns the tabs at the top of the window.
> - Place tabs to bottom - Aligns the tabs at the bottom of the window.
> - Place tabs to right - Aligns the tabs to the right of the window.
> - Place tabs to left - Aligns the tabs to the left of the window.
> - Hide Tabs - Select not to have any tabs displayed.
> - Chat with message creator- Displays the Chat window, in which you chat with the user who sent this message.
> - Mark as seen- Marks the message as seen.
> - Toggle scrolling - Select this item to toggle between manually looping through the messages and automatic scrolling.
> - Post New message - Select this option to post the message to the news channel. Type the message to be posted in the “Post news message” pop-up window and click Send.
> - Show/hide tools - Select this item to toggle the message control buttons and the Options button off and on. If the buttons are hidden, the messages will automatically scroll through all the subscribed news channels.
> - Properties - Displays a Properties pane where the properties of the message are displayed.
> - Forward message - Displays the Edit Recipients window where you can select a contact to whom you want to forward the current news channel or alert message. See Edit Recipients/Invite Other Users Window Overview for more information.
> - View message source - Displays a Source pane where the HTML code of the message is displayed.
> - Modify message - Displays the “Post news message” window where you can modify the message.
> - Save message to disk - Displays the Save pop-up window where you can select a drive, directory, and file name in which to save the message.
> - Print - Prints the message. A Print pop-up window appears where you can choose print options.

> Tip | The items listed above can also be viewed from the Tools menu.

> ### See Also:

> Administering Rooms and News Channels

> ## To View News Channel Messages

> 1. In the Main window, select News from Tools menu or click the News icon:

> The News Channels window appears.

> 2. Select the tab for the desired news channel.

> The first message for that channel appears in the message pane. See To Subscribe to and Unsubscribe from News Channels, to customize your News Channels window.

> 3. Click the View Next Message and View Previous Message buttons to see the other messages on this channel.

> The News Channels window can also be configured to scroll through all messages and news channels. See News Tab for information about configuring the scrolling properties.

> ## To Modify News Channel Messages

> Use this procedure to modify previously posted news channel messages. You need the Manage privilege to be able to modify a message.

> 1. In the Main window, select News from the Tools menu or click the News icon:

> The News Channels window appears.

> 2. Click the News Channel tab that contains the message to be modified.
> 3. Scroll messages, if necessary, to the appropriate message.
> 4. Right-click in the message pane. Select Modify Message from the pop-up menu.

> The “Post news message” window appears with the news channel message.

> 5. Modify the content of the message and click Send.

> The revised message is reposted to the news channel and is available for viewing.

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