# Messaging

Source: https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/chat/messaging

> Use formatting, attachments, mentions, and more in Chat messages.

> **Enabling Chat**
>
> Chat is an optional feature. The Account Owner can turn it on from the [Optional Features](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/settings/optional-features#chat) page.

Send text, formatted content, files, images, voice notes, mentions and polls from a Chat conversation.

## 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

![The compose area at the bottom of a message thread, highlighted, with a formatting toolbar for bold, italic, strikethrough, underline, bulleted list and numbered list, plus attachment, voice, poll, emoji, note template and send buttons.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/compose-area-1-1775108303.png)

> **Need a quick answer from the team?**
>
> You can also send a **poll** from the compose area to collect answers in one place instead of reading through replies. See [Polls](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/chat/polls).

> **Your unsent text is saved automatically**
>
> If you do not finish a message, the text is saved as a draft and restored when you return to the conversation. If a message fails to send, the text comes back so you can resend it. See [Message Drafts](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/chat/message-drafts).

> **Want to know who has read your message?**
>
> Once your message is sent, hover over the tick icon next to the message time to see exactly which members have and have not read it. See [Read Receipts](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/chat/read-receipts).

### Inserting a Note Template

Click the note template icon, the last icon in the toolbar, to insert a saved [Note Template](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/settings/tasks-notes-settings/note-templates) into your message instead of retyping or pasting it from elsewhere.

![A group Chat conversation with the note template picker open above the message box, highlighted. The picker has a Search box and lists the templates Running late, Shift reminder and Please check your roster, and an orange arrow points to it.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/chat-insert-note-template.png)

The template is inserted at your cursor if you have already clicked into the message box; otherwise it is added to the end, after any restored draft. Bold, italics, underline, strikethrough, lists and links carry over. Headings and highlighted text come through as plain text.

> **Who sees this icon**
>
> Only people who can view Note Templates see the icon, and Support Workers cannot by default. It is only in the browser version of Chat, not the Astalty app.

## Replying to a Message

You can reply directly to a specific message in a conversation. Your reply shows the original message quoted above it, so it is clear which message you are responding to. Replies work in both direct messages and group channels.

### Sending a Reply

To reply to a message:

1. Hover over the message you would like to reply to
2. Click the **Reply** icon from the message actions

![A message received from Sierra Runolfsson with its hover actions showing, and the Reply icon highlighted between the reaction and more actions icons.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/chat-reply-1.png)

3. A **Replying to** preview appears above the compose area, showing a snippet of the original message

![A message thread with a Replying to Sierra Runolfsson preview above the compose area, quoting a snippet of the original message with an X to cancel, and No worries, thanks! typed in the message field.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/chat-reply-2.png)

4. Type your reply and press **Enter** or click the send button

Your reply is posted with the original message quoted above it.

![A message thread with the sent reply at the bottom, showing Sierra Runolfsson's original message quoted above the reply text No worries, thanks!, and an empty compose area below.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/chat-reply-3.png)

To cancel a reply before sending, click the **X** on the **Replying to** preview.

### Jumping to the Original Message

Click the quoted message above a reply to jump to the original message in the conversation. The original message is briefly highlighted so you can find it easily.

If the original message is too far back in the conversation to load, you will see a notice letting you know the message could not be jumped to.

> **Quotes stay in sync**
>
> If the original message is edited, the quote updates to match. If the original message is deleted, the quote shows "**Message deleted**". When you reply to a message that only contains an attachment, the quote shows "**Attachment**".

## 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

![A group channel with one of the user's sent messages highlighted and its actions menu open, and an arrow pointing to Edit between Pin Message and Delete.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/edit-message-1b.png)

3. Make your changes in the compose area
4. 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.

> **Note**
>
> You can only edit your own messages, not messages sent by other team members.

## 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

![A group channel with one of the user's sent messages highlighted and its actions menu open, and an arrow pointing to Delete below Pin Message and Edit.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/delete-message-1a.png)

3. Confirm the deletion

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

> **Note**
>
> Depending on your permissions, you may only be able to delete your own messages, or you may be able to delete any message in the channel.

> **Want to hide a whole conversation?**
>
> If you'd like to clear an entire conversation from your chat list rather than delete individual messages, see [Archiving Conversations](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/chat/archiving-conversations).

## 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 group channel is created or renamed
- A member is added to or removed from a group channel
- A member is allowed to post in a read-only channel, or has that access removed
- A User Group is linked to or unlinked from a channel
- A message is pinned or unpinned
- Read-only mode is turned on or off
- Posts for approval are turned on or off

Your administrator can hide any of these notices for the whole organisation. See [Hiding System Messages](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/chat/chat-configuration#hiding-system-messages).

## 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.

![A message in a group channel with its emoji reactions highlighted, each showing a count of 1, beside a + button for adding another reaction.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/reactions-1.png)

### 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, select the same emoji 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.

![A group channel with an arrow pointing to the Pins tab, which lists a highlighted pinned message showing who pinned it, a Jump to message link and an unpin icon.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/pinned-messages-1.png)

### 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

![A group channel with one of the user's sent messages highlighted and its actions menu open, and an arrow pointing to Pin Message above Edit and Delete.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/pinned-message-1.png)

3. The message will be pinned to the channel

Unless your administrator has hidden **Message pinned**, a system message will appear confirming that the message has been pinned.

> **Note**
>
> Pinning a message requires the **Update Channels** permission.

### 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

Unless your administrator has hidden **Message unpinned**, a system message will appear confirming that the message has been unpinned.

### Viewing Pinned Messages

To view all pinned messages in a channel:

1. Open the channel
2. Click the **Pins** tab below the channel header
3. The tab lists all currently pinned messages
4. Click **Jump to message** on any pinned message to jump to it within the conversation

> **Pins Can Show Messages From Before You Joined**
>
> Pinned messages and their attachments remain visible to every current channel member, even when **Show Message History to New Members** is off. A pin from before you joined is labelled **Sent before you joined**. You can read it on the **Pins** tab, but you cannot jump to its position in the hidden conversation history.

## 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

![The compose area at the bottom of a message thread, highlighted, with an arrow pointing to the paperclip Attachment icon at the left of the toolbar.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/attachment-1.png)

2. Select the file(s) you would like to attach from your device
3. A preview of the attached file(s) will appear above the compose area
4. Type an optional message to accompany the attachment
5. 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. Search only covers conversations you are a member of - it does not return messages from other people's conversations. See [Chat Privacy and Visibility](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/chat/chat-privacy).

### Searching for Messages

To search for messages:

1. Navigate to [Chat](https://app.astalty.com.au/chat)
2. Click the **Search chats** field at the top of the chat list
3. Enter your search term

![The Chat page with handover typed in the Search chats field and the matching messages highlighted below, each showing the sender, the conversation name and a message snippet.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/chat-search-1.png)

4. 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.