Using
the Chat and News Windows
The Chat Window
The Chat window is used for public chat with others on the server with which
you are connected. It is in real-time and everyone can see what is being said;
nothing is private. It is very similar to IRC (Internet Relay Chat), except
there are not separate channels. However, anyone on the server will not necessarily
be able to see what is being said. You must have your Chat window open in
order to both see the chat and send chat yourself.
Using the chat window is very simple. First, open it by clicking the Chat
button on the toolbar or by choosing "Show Chat" from the Hotline
menu. It automatically displays any chat taking place. If you would like to
send chat and contribute to the conversation, ensure that the cursor is in
the bottom pane of the window and type your message. When you are ready to
send it, press Return. This will send it to all of the users on the server.
If you would like to announce something, type your message and press Option-Return. This is similar to IRC's /me command and will display the message in the form "*** YourNickname ActionMessage", and can be seen above.
The Private Chat Window
The Private Chat Window is exactly like public chat, except
it is only among several users on a server. You can initiate a Private Chat
with a user by selecting the user name in the Users Window, and clicking the
Private Chat button. You can bring in more users to the private chat by dragging
their names from the Users List to the list in the Private Chat window.
If you wish to hide the User List in the Private Chat window, click the zoom
box of the window, or hit command-/ (Mac only). You can set the subject of
any private chat window by clicking the Subject line.
The News Window
The News window is used to keep small messages from users for everyone to
read. Messages are kept in the news until the server administrator cleans
it out. News messages include the nickname of the poster and the server time
when it was posted.
Reading news very simple: Click the News button on the toolbar or select "Show
News" from the Hotline menu. This will display the news on the server.
Use the scroll bars to move through the messages (they are in order by date,
most recent on top).
Posting to the News
To post a message of your own to the news, first click the Post.. button on
the toolbar or select "Post..." from the Hotline menu. This will
bring up a dialog box with a text box in it. Enter the message you wish to
post and press the Post button. When news is posted, everyone on the server
will be able to see it immediately, accompanied by a sound (if enabled in
the Options window). Every post includes the nickname of the poster and the
server time at which it was posted.
Index | Getting Started | Connecting to a Server | Chat and News Windows | Users Window | Files and Tasks Windows | Trackers | Newbie Guide | HL Server FAQ | Navigation Tips
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Portions of the above are © 1997 Hotline Communications Ltd.