Chats (Direct and Group Conversations)

Purpose - Enables lighter-weight, conversation-style messaging between two people (direct chat) or a group. Chats support attachments, replies, message history, and read tracking. 

Who Can Use It 

Any authenticated user of the platform can start or join direct and group chats, subject to their role and organization's rules. 

Key Capabilities 

• Create a direct chat between two users or a group chat with a name and multiple participants. 
• Add and remove participants in a group chat. 
• Assign or change roles for chat participants (Admin or Member). 
• Send text messages, file messages, or system messages within a chat. 
• Reply to a specific earlier message in the chat. 
• Edit and delete your own chat messages. 
• Search for messages within a chat. 
• Mark messages as read, and see how many unread messages you have in a chat.
• Attach files to a chat message and view attachments later. 

How to Use It 

• Open the chats area and click New Chat. 
• Choose the chat type: 
• Direct Chat — pick one other participant. 
• Group Chat — provide a name and add at least one participant. 
• Open the chat and start typing messages. Attach files if needed. 
• Use the reply action to respond to a specific earlier message. 
• As a chat admin, you can add or remove participants and change roles. 
• Use the search field to find past messages within the chat.  

Rules & Restrictions

• Chat type must be either direct or group. 
• A direct chat must have exactly one other participant besides the creator. 
• A group chat must have at least one participant and must have a name. 
• Message types are limited to text, file, and system. 
• Participant roles are limited to admin and member. 
• The creator of a chat is automatically added as an admin participant.