Messaging

Chat provides a rich messaging experience with formatting options, file attachments, mentions, and more.

Sending a Message

To send a message:

1. Open the conversation (direct message or group channel)
2. Click into the compose area at the bottom of the message thread
3. Type your message
4. Press Enter or click the send button

Rich Text Formatting

The message composer supports rich text formatting. You can use the formatting toolbar to:

• Bold text
• Italic text
• Create bullet lists
• Create numbered lists
• Add code formatting
• Add links

Editing a Message

If message editing is enabled by your administrator, you can edit your own messages after sending them.

To edit a message:

1. Hover over the message you wish to edit
2. Click the Edit option from the message actions menu

1. Make your changes in the compose area
2. Press Enter or click the save button to confirm

Edited messages will display an "edited" indicator so other team members can see the message has been modified.

Deleting a Message

If message deletion is enabled by your administrator, you can delete messages.

To delete a message:

1. Hover over the message you wish to delete
2. Click the Delete option from the message actions menu

1. Confirm the deletion

Deleted messages will be removed from the conversation. If the deleted message was pinned, the pin will also be removed.

System Messages

System messages are automatic notifications that appear in a conversation when certain events occur. These are not sent by any user and are displayed differently from regular messages.

System messages are generated for the following events:

• A channel is created
• A channel name is updated
• A member is added to or removed from a group channel
• A User Group is linked to or unlinked from a channel
• A message is pinned or unpinned

Mentions

Mentions allow you to directly notify a team member or a group of team members within a conversation. When you mention someone, they will receive a notification drawing their attention to your message.

Mentioning a User

To mention a specific team member:

1. Type the @ symbol in the compose area
2. Start typing the team member's name
3. Select the team member from the suggestion dropdown that appears
4. Continue typing your message and send as normal

The mentioned team member will receive a notification alerting them to your message.

Mentioning a User Group

You can also mention an entire User Group. This will notify all members of that User Group who are also members of the current channel.

To mention a User Group:

1. Type the @ symbol in the compose area
2. Start typing the User Group name
3. Select the User Group from the suggestion dropdown
4. Continue typing your message and send as normal

Only members of both the mentioned User Group and the current channel will receive a notification.

Mention Notifications

When you are mentioned in a message, you will receive:

• An in-app notification within Astalty
• A push notification (if push notifications are enabled)

Channels where you have been mentioned will display a mention badge in the channel list, making it easy to find conversations that need your attention.

Reactions

Reactions let you respond to a message with an emoji without needing to type a reply. They are a quick way to acknowledge a message, show agreement, or express a response.

Adding a Reaction

To add an emoji reaction to a message:

1. Hover over the message you would like to react to
2. Click the Reaction icon (smiley face) from the message actions
3. Select an emoji from the picker

Your reaction will appear below the message. If other team members have already reacted with the same emoji, your reaction will be grouped with theirs, showing a count.

Removing a Reaction

To remove your reaction, simply click on the same emoji reaction again. Reactions work as a toggle.

Viewing Who Reacted

You can see which team members have reacted by hovering over the reaction emoji below the message. A tooltip will display the names of the users who reacted with that emoji.

Pinned Messages

Pinning a message allows you to highlight important information within a channel so that it is easy for all members to find.

Pinning a Message

To pin a message:

1. Hover over the message you would like to pin
2. Click the Pin option from the message actions menu

1. The message will be pinned to the channel

A system message will appear confirming that the message has been pinned.

Unpinning a Message

To unpin a message:

1. Hover over the pinned message
2. Click the Unpin option from the message actions menu
3. The message will be unpinned

A system message will appear confirming that the message has been unpinned.

Viewing Pinned Messages

There are two ways to view pinned messages:

Pinned Message Banner

The most recently pinned message is displayed as a yellow banner at the top of the message thread. You can click on this banner to jump to the pinned message in the conversation.

Pinned Messages Dialog

To view all pinned messages in a channel:

1. Open the channel
2. Click the Pinned Messages option in the channel header
3. A dialog will open displaying all currently pinned messages
4. Click on any pinned message to jump to it within the conversation

Attachments

You can share files with your team by attaching them to messages.

Uploading an Attachment

To attach a file to a message:

1. Click the Attachment icon (paperclip) in the compose area

1. Select the file(s) you would like to attach from your device
2. A preview of the attached file(s) will appear above the compose area
3. Type an optional message to accompany the attachment
4. Press Enter or click the send button to send

You can attach multiple files to a single message.

Downloading an Attachment

To download an attachment:

1. Find the message containing the attachment
2. Click on the attachment or the download icon
3. The file will be downloaded to your device

Search

Chat search allows you to find specific messages across all of your conversations.

Searching for Messages

To search for messages:

1. Navigate to Chat
2. Click the Search icon in the chat interface
3. Enter your search term

1. Results will appear showing matching messages across your conversations

Navigating to a Search Result

When you find the message you are looking for:

1. Click on the search result
2. The conversation will open and automatically scroll to the matching message, highlighted in context

This allows you to see the full conversation around the message.