DTA Version 2 Help
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  4. Chat to One or More Users

 

Chat to One or More Users

The DTA user-to-user messaging feature allows you to chat to users in your organisation.

Note: you can chat even when you are on a call. Your storm availability status does not change while chatting — you remain available to handle calls.

Chat to a Single User

Start a Group Chat

Reply to a Chat Message

Chat to a Single User

  1. Do one of the following depending on how you want to initiate the chat:

Chat Initiation Method

Method

Directly from your list of contacts

Ensure that the Comms Panel is displayed. If it is not, click the  button on the Toolbar.

On the Contacts Tab (Comms panel tab, contacts button), select the user with whom you want to chat, and then click the Chat to <user> command.

This displays the Chat Panel.

By searching for the user in the Chat Panel

Click the Toolbar Chat button button on the Toolbar. This displays the Chat Panel.

Select the panel's Chat with a single user button button and then, in the Search field on the right, begin typing the first few letters of the first name or last name of the user you want to chat to. This displays a list of users matching the search item.

The user symbol colour in the search result indicates the user's chat availability status and NOT their general availability status. (The symbol colour does not update while the search results are showing. You must re-enter the search term to see the latest update.)

Select the user from the displayed list.
  1. Type your message in the Enter a Message field at the bottom of the panel. Press the keyboard Enter key to start a new line in the message. (You can change the behaviour of the keypress to send a message rather than start a new line. See the User Chat setting in the Settings window.)
  2. Click the  button to send the message.

The chat is now in progress.

Use either the  or  button near the top of the panel if you want to contact the user via voice or another available mode of communication. 

  1. Send further messages to the user as desired.
  2. When you have finished chatting, close the Chat panel by clicking its  button in the top right.

Start a Group Chat

You can chat with up to 12 users at the same time by creating a chat group.

  1. Click the Toolbar Chat button button on the Toolbar. This displays the Chat Panel.
  2. Select the panel's Create chat room button button.

In the Search field on the right, begin typing the first few letters of the first name or last name of the first user you want to add to the chat group. This displays a list of users matching the search item along with their chat availability statuses. Select the user from the displayed list.

Continue adding users to the chat group in this manner. You can remove a user by clicking their  button.

Enter a subject for the group chat in the Group Chat Name field near the bottom of the panel.

  1. When you have added all chat group members, click the Create Chat button to initiate a chat with all of them.
  2. Type your message in the Enter a Message field at the bottom of the panel. Press the keyboard Enter key to start a new line in the message. (You can change the behaviour of the keypress to send a message rather than start a new line. See the User Chat setting in the Settings window.)
  3. Click the  button to send the message.

The group chat is now in progress.

  1. Send further messages to the group as desired.
  2. To view group members, add more users to the group, or to leave the group, click the  View Members button near the top of the panel and then select Add User or Leave Group as required.

Note: when you leave a group chat, you are no longer able to see the group's chat messages.

  1. When you have finished chatting, close the Chat panel by clicking its  button in the top right.

Reply to a Chat Message

The following two events indicate the arrival of a new chat message:

Note: the Toolbar button indicates the number of unread chat messages.

To reply to a chat message:

  1. Do one of the following.

Either, click the Toolbar Chat button button on the Toolbar to display the Chat Panel and then click the user you want to reply to (unread messages are indicated by a  symbol).

Or, click the popup in the Windows task bar. 

  1. Type your reply in the Enter a Message field of the Chat panel. Press the keyboard Enter key to start a new line in the message. (You can change the behaviour of the keypress to send a message rather than start a new line. See the User Chat setting in the Settings window.)
  2. Click the  button to send the message.

If you are chatting to a single user, use either the  or  button near the top of the panel if you want to contact the user via voice or another available mode of communication.

  1. When you have finished chatting, close the Chat panel by clicking its  button in the top right.

See Also

Chat Panel