Team Chat Overview #

Team Chat is the heart of CommFlow's collaboration platform. It provides real-time messaging designed for modern teams, with instant message delivery via WebSocket connections.

Key Features #

Channels #

Organize conversations by topic, team, or project:

Public channels - Open to all workspace members
Private channels - Invite-only for sensitive discussions
Self channel - Your personal notes and reminders

Create channels with meaningful prefixes:

#team- for department channels
#project- for project-specific discussions
#announce- for announcements

Direct Messages #

One-on-one or group conversations:

Message any teammate privately
Create group DMs with multiple people
Messages stay between participants only
Full message history preserved

Threads #

Keep discussions organized and reduce channel noise:

Reply to any message in a thread
Thread messages grouped together for context
Get notified when someone replies to your threads
View all threads you're participating in

Rich Text Editor #

CommFlow uses TipTap, a modern rich text editor:

Formatting: Bold, italic, underline, strikethrough
Lists: Ordered and unordered lists
Code: Inline code and code blocks with syntax highlighting
Links: Auto-detected or manually added
Mentions: Type @ to mention team members
Text alignment: Left, center, right alignment

Message Features #

Reactions: Add emoji reactions to any message
Pin messages: Keep important messages visible
Forward: Forward messages to other channels
Reminders: Set reminders on messages for follow-up
Search: Full-text search across all messages
Draft auto-save: Your drafts are saved automatically

Share files seamlessly in conversations:

Drag and drop: Drop files directly into the message editor
File picker: Select files from DataFort (your file storage)
Image previews: Images display with thumbnails
Lightbox viewer: Click images to view full size
Attachments: Documents, PDFs, spreadsheets supported
Size limit: Up to 25MB per file

Real-Time Features #

Presence Indicators #

See who's available:

🟢 Online - Active in CommFlow
🟡 Away - Idle for 5+ minutes
⚫ Offline - Not currently active

Typing Indicators #

Know when someone is composing a message in the current channel or DM.

Instant Delivery #

Messages delivered in real-time via WebSocket:

No page refresh needed
Works across all your devices
Offline messages sync when you reconnect

Notifications #

Stay informed without being overwhelmed:

Browser notifications: When mentioned or messaged directly
Sound alerts: Configurable notification sounds
Unread indicators: See which channels have new messages
Badge counts: Number of unread messages per channel

Customize notifications in Profile > Notifications.

Keyboard Shortcuts #

Action	Shortcut
Send message	`Enter`
New line	`Shift + Enter`
Bold text	`Cmd/Ctrl + B`
Italic text	`Cmd/Ctrl + I`
Code	`Cmd/Ctrl + E`
Link	`Cmd/Ctrl + K`
Quick search	`Cmd/Ctrl + K`
Upload file	`Cmd/Ctrl + U`

Message Actions #

Right-click or hover over any message to:

Reply in thread - Start or continue a thread
React - Add an emoji reaction
Pin - Pin to channel for visibility
Forward - Send to another channel
Set reminder - Get reminded about this message
Copy link - Share a direct link to the message
Delete - Remove your own messages

Best Practices #

Use descriptive channel names - #marketing-campaigns is clearer than #marketing
Set channel descriptions - Help members understand the channel's purpose
Use threads liberally - Keep the main channel focused on key updates
Pin important messages - Make key information easy to find
Mention thoughtfully - Use @channel sparingly to avoid notification fatigue
React instead of replying - A 👍 is often enough acknowledgment
Use DMs for sensitive discussions - Keep personal matters private

Integration with Other Modules #

Team Chat integrates with other CommFlow modules:

Live Support: Discuss customer issues with your team
TaskFlow: Create tasks directly from messages
Inbox: Collaborate on email tickets
DataFort: Share files from your storage

Next Steps #

Channels - Deep dive into channel management
Direct Messages - Private messaging features
Mentions & Notifications - Stay informed without overwhelm

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