Referring to Other Messages

Previous  Next

---

In VMT Chat you can link your message to other postings or objects on the board with the help of blue arrows. You can use these links to let your teammates know which message you are responding to, or which white board object you are talking about.

If you want to link your message to a previous one:

1. Double click on the target message. You will see a blue arrow pointing from the text field to the message you selected.

2. Type your message in the text field.

3. When you are done press the "Enter" key or left-click on the envelope icon () right next to the text-box to submit your message.

    

           Figure 1: before step 3                                 Figure 2: after step 3

       Click here to watch an animated example.

Useful Tips:

* Press the ESC key to delete an arrow.

* You can make links to other messages in the lobby room as well

* If you link your posting to a message that also has a reference, the system will make them visible too.

* It does not matter when you set the reference arrow. You can do it either before, while or after you type your message in the text-field. However, you have to set the arrow before you post your message.

* If a message in the chat window refers to another message, then a small arrow icon will appear next to it. (e.g. ) Do a single left-click on that message to see what it links to.

* By default, the most recent message is selected and its references are visible. When a new message is posted, previous arrows will not be displayed.

Keyboard Shortcut:

You can also make a reference by only using the keyboard.

1. Press Crtl-Space. A scrollable pop-up window (figure 3) containing all messages will appear below the text-box (most recent contributions will be listed first).

2. Use up and down arrow buttons to move the blue selection area over the list of messages. When the target message is highlighted press Space to select it. You can select multiple messages in this way. Press Return when you are done with selecting messages. (Now you should see a blue line with an arrow pointing from the text field to the message(s) you selected.)

3. Enter your message in the text field.

4. Press Return to post your message.

                Figure 3