Text Chat

The CollabraSuite, BEA Edition Text Chat component enables users to collaborate using a variety of text based methods, including public chats, directed chats, sidebar chats, and pages. Public chats take place inside rooms, and are usually displayed automatically when a user enters a room. Any user in the room may view and participate in the text chat. Directed chats occur within the public text chat and allow users to direct their comments to other users while remaining visible to the entire chat session. Paging and Sidebar Sessions are mechanisms used to send instant messages to other users outside the context of a room chat. Sidebar chats may occur with both users inside and outside of the user's current room, and are visible only to users included in the sidebar session. Pages are used to send a light-weight email in real-time to users in or outside of a room which will pop-up on the recipient's screen.

All chat sessions and pages are recorded and archived so they can later be searched to provide a context for discussion history. Chat sessions are enriched by features such as priority tags, recalling chat sessions, locking rooms, and marking users as idle.

Access the Public Chat window

Usually, the Public Chat window is configured to display upon entry to a room, including the Chat Messages, Chat Input, and Room Occupant component. If the Chat window does not display upon entry in the room, a separate Chat window may be opened in order to display the public chat for that room.

To access the Public Chat window if it does not display upon entry:

Initiate a Public Chat Session

Public chat sessions enable users to send instant chat messages to everyone in a room simultaneously. When users enter a room, the chat session is usually displayed with the current chat displayed in the Chat Messages field. Every message sent during the session may be viewed by any user in the room no matter when that user enters the room.

To initiate a public chat session:

Click the Chat icon in the toolbar if the Public Chat window is not displayed.
Enter a text message in the Chat Input field, located under the Chat Messages field.
Press the enter key.

Your message will display in the chat messages field with a time/name stamp displayed before the message. As other room occupants respond, all messages will display in the chat window.

Chat Priorities

If enabled, messages in the public room chat may be marked for priority. This enables users to mark, view, and filter messages by importance. Each user may assign a priority to each message. When in a room on a remote campus, the priorities available in the chat input window will be the priorities of the remote campus. Messages marked for priority will be displayed in the Chat Messages field with priority text. If no priority has been selected for the message, no priority text will display.

To assign a priority to a message:

Select a priority level from the priority drop-down list in the Chat Input section of the window.
Type the priority message in the Chat Input field.
Press the enter key.

Chat Session Information

Each session automatically saves once all users have exited the room. Chat sessions are saved using the default information available including the room, start date and time, and end date and time. More detailed information, including a session name and description, may be added by a user to aid in recalling or searching chat sessions.

To assign detailed session information:

Right-click on the Chat Message field to access the context menu and select Session Information.
Enter name and description information in the appropriate fields.
Click Apply.

Recall Chat Session Information

Each session is automatically saved once all users have exited the room and may be recalled. This also includes sidebar sessions. Users with remote campus access may recall chat sessions across multiple campuses. Chat sessions are saved using the default information including the campus, room, start date and time, and end date and time. More detailed information, including a session name and description, may have been added.

To recall a closed chat session:

Open the Chat window.
Right-click in the Chat Messages field.
Select Recall Session. The Recall Session window will appear.

Figure 4-4 Recall Session

Recall Session

Select your search criteria from the following options: Current Room Only, My Sessions Only, Start Date, and End Date.

Click Search. A list of sessions based on your criteria will display.

Figure 4-5 Recall Session

Recall Session

Double-click on the field with the desired session to open that session in a new chat window.

Locking and Unlocking Rooms

Locking a room blocks new users from entering a room so a discussion may be limited to the current occupants. However, the room lock feature does not keep locked session details private. Once a room is unlocked the chat messages are available and can be viewed by anyone with access to the room. A room can be locked by one user and unlocked by another. All room occupants have the ability to lock or unlock at any time. Some rooms may have had the lock/unlock feature disabled by a campus administrator.

To lock a room:

A Room Locked message will display with your time/name stamp in the Chat Messages field.

To unlock a room:

A Room Unlocked message will display with your time/name stamp in the Chat Messages field.

Idle

To step away from a room without having to exit the room, users can set an idle message to notify other room occupants that they are inactive or not currently available. Idle messages can be personalized to identify idle status more specifically by using the Preferences Editor. If users take certain actions in CollabraSuite, BEA Edition, such as changing rooms or posting a chat message, they will be changed from idle to active status automatically.

To change status to idle:

Your idle message will display with your time/name stamp in the Chat Messages field.

To change status to active:

An active message will display with your time/name stamp in the Chat Messages field.

Directed Chat

If enabled, CollabraSuite, BEA Edition directed chat capabilities provide a way for users to direct their chat messages to specific users during a public chat session.

To send a directed chat:

Select the intended recipient from the "Direct Chat to" pull down menu located above the Chat Input field.
Type the message you wish to send and press the enter key.

The message will display in the chat window with the time/sender, user name/recipient stamp. Directed chat is seen by all users in the session.

Sidebar Session

Sidebar chats provide the capability to send instant messages to a set of selected users in real-time using the CollabraSuite, BEA Edition text chat component separately from the public room chat. Sidebar sessions may include users within a current room or users in other locations in the CollabraSuite, BEA Edition environment. Idle users may not be included in a sidebar. Additionally, the sidebar can include a whiteboard session viewable only to those in the session. The sidebar session can be later recalled just like room sessions. Any other features of a room chat session are available in sidebar sessions as well.

To initiate a Sidebar Chat:

Select one or more users from lists provided by components such as the Online Users component, Room Occupants component or the Skill Search component.
Right-click to display the context menu and select Sidebar or select the Sidebar icon located on the right-hand side of the toolbar. The Sidebar Chat window will display, including the selected users.
Begin the text chat session by typing text in the Chat Input area of the window and pressing the enter key.

Figure 4-9 Sidebar

Sidebar

User Guide