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Instant Messaging
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You can find the instant messaging feature on the **Chat** tab. Libervia's chat
functionality supports a wide range of use cases, from professional collaboration to
personal communication.

Accessing the Chat Feature
--------------------------

1. Navigate to the main menu.
2. Select the **Chat** option.

Panels
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There are three main panels for managing chats (not all may be visible simultaneously):

- **Left panel**: Displays current group chats and direct conversations. You can also
  start a new chat from this panel.
- **Main panel**: Shows the active conversation.
- **Right panel**: Provides information about the current discussion, such as participants
  in a chat room.


Main Panel Header
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The main panel header displays information about the current conversation.

On the left side of the header, you'll find a button to toggle the visibility of the left
panel. Next to this button is the identifier (JID) of the conversation recipient. This
recipient can be a single user or a group chat room.

When available, a "Data Policy" badge may appear next to the JID. This badge indicates the
privacy and data practices of the service associated with the recipient. The badge is
scored on a scale of ten and uses the following color scheme:

- **Green:** Indicates good data practices and respect for privacy.
- **Yellow:** Indicates a moderate score – data practices are neither good nor bad.
- **Red:** Indicates poor data practices and potential privacy concerns.

Hovering or touching the Data Policy badge will open a report panel with more detailed
information about the service's data handling.


Threads and Replies
-------------------

In a message, you'll see a "Reply" button represented by a left-pointing arrow. Click
it to reply to a specific message. This action creates a thread, which functions as a
focused discussion within the main conversation or a series of replies on the same topic.

When a thread exists, a chat bubble icon with three dots will appear in the message
header, next to the timestamp. Hovering over this icon highlights all messages in the
thread. Clicking it opens a submessage panel containing all messages from that thread.
Messages written in this panel will be posted as replies to the thread.

Keywords
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Chat messages can have "keywords", which may help to categorize them. They can, for
instance, be added by an email gateway or a bot.

When present, these keywords will appear under the message. Clicking on one of these
keywords will show a submessage panel on the right side, where you'll see only messages
with this keyword. If you write a message in this panel, the keyword will be automatically
added to the message.

Origin
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If a message originates from a gateway to another protocol (e.g., email, SMS,
ActivityPub), a label will indicate its origin. Clicking this label displays a submessage
panel showing only messages from this source. If a message was generated by a bot (i.e.,
an automated program), a corresponding label will appear.