Messages

Messages is Coline's real-time messaging system for direct conversations and group chats. It supports rich text formatting, file attachments, threads, reactions, mentions, and integrates with external messaging platforms like Discord and Matrix.

Conversations

Messages organizes communication into conversations:

• Direct messages: One-on-one private conversations with another workspace member
• Group chats: Multi-person conversations for teams or projects

Start a new conversation by clicking the compose button in the Messages sidebar and selecting recipients.

Sending messages

Type your message in the input field at the bottom of the conversation and press Enter to send.

Rich text formatting:

Format messages using markdown syntax:

• **bold** for bold text
• *italic* for italic text
• `code` for inline code
• ~~strikethrough~~ for strikethrough
• [link text](url) for links
• Bullet lists with - at the start of lines
• Numbered lists with 1. at the start of lines

The formatting toolbar above the input provides buttons for common formatting options.

Mentions:

Type @ followed by a name to mention someone. An autocomplete dropdown shows matching users. Mentioned users receive a notification.

Emoji:

Type : followed by an emoji name to insert emoji, or click the emoji button to open the picker. Custom emoji are supported with shortcode syntax.

Attachments

Attach files to messages by:

• Clicking the attachment button and selecting files
• Dragging and dropping files into the message input
• Pasting images from your clipboard

Supported file types include images, videos, PDFs, documents, and archives. Attachments display inline with preview thumbnails for images and videos.

Threads

Reply to a specific message to start a thread:

1. Hover over a message and click the reply button
2. A thread panel opens on the right side
3. Type your reply and send

Threads keep related discussions organized without cluttering the main conversation. The original message shows a reply count linking to the thread.

Reactions

Add emoji reactions to messages:

1. Hover over a message
2. Click the reaction button or right-click for the context menu
3. Select an emoji from the picker

Reactions appear below the message. Click an existing reaction to add your vote or remove it.

Message actions

Right-click a message or use the hover menu for additional actions:

• Reply: Start a thread from this message
• Edit: Modify your own messages (edited messages show an "edited" indicator)
• Delete: Remove your own messages
• Pin: Pin important messages to the conversation (pinned messages appear in the header dropdown)
• Copy: Copy message text to clipboard

Pinned messages

Pin important messages to keep them accessible:

1. Right-click a message and select "Pin"
2. Access pinned messages from the pin icon in the conversation header

Pinned messages remain visible regardless of how far back they are in the conversation history.

Files panel

View all files shared in a conversation:

1. Click the files icon in the conversation header
2. Browse images, documents, and other attachments
3. Click to preview or download

The files panel organizes attachments by type for easy discovery.

Search

Find messages across conversations:

• Click the search icon or press / to focus search
• Type keywords to search message content

Advanced search filters:

• from:username to filter by sender
• has:image, has:file, or has:link to filter by attachment type
• before:2025-01-01 or after:2025-01-01 for date ranges
• mentions:@username to find messages mentioning someone

Search results show message snippets with context. Click a result to jump to that message in the conversation.

Typing indicators

When someone is typing in the current conversation, a "typing..." indicator appears below the message list. Indicators disappear after a few seconds of inactivity.

Presence

See who is online with presence indicators:

• Green dot: Online and active
• Yellow dot: Away or idle
• Gray dot: Offline
• Red dot: Do not disturb

Presence status appears next to user avatars in the conversation list and message headers.

Voice and video calls

Start a call from any direct message conversation:

1. Click the call button in the conversation header
2. Choose voice or video
3. The recipient receives a call notification

Call controls include mute, camera toggle, and screen sharing.

Platform integrations

Connect external messaging platforms to view and send messages from Coline:

• Discord: Link your Discord account to access servers and DMs
• Matrix: Connect to Matrix homeservers for federated messaging

Configure integrations from Settings > Integrations.

Notifications

Message notifications appear for:

• New messages in conversations you follow
• Messages that mention you
• Replies to your messages in threads
• Incoming calls

Manage notification preferences in Settings > Notifications.

Keyboard shortcuts

Tips

• Use threads for side discussions to keep the main conversation focused on primary topics.
• Pin messages containing important decisions, links, or reference information so they are easy to find later.
• Search with filters to quickly locate specific messages. Combining from: with keywords narrows results effectively.
• Mention people when you need their attention. They will receive a notification even if they have the conversation muted.
• Use the files panel to find shared documents without scrolling through message history.