User guide for Desktop

This is the user guide for the Desktop version of KouChat. The Desktop version runs on Windows, Linux and Mac OS X.

• Main chat
  • Chat area
  • User list
  • Buttons
  • Input field
  • Menu bar
    • File menu
    • Tools menu
    • Help menu
• Keyboard shortcuts
• Private chat
  • Menu bar
    • File menu
    • Tools menu
• Away mode
• Topic
• Settings
  • Storage
• File transfers
  • Send file
  • Receive file
• System tray
  • Icons
  • Balloons
• Smileys
• Commands
• Startup arguments
  • Log location

Main chat

The main chat is a public chat containing all the users on the network. It looks like this:

Chat area

The big text area displays information messages and chat messages. Information messages are prefixed with ***. Chat messages are prefixed with the nick name of the user who sent the message.

Any links written are underlined and clickable.

User list

The text area on the right is the user list. It contains all the currently online users.

Icons and text style used on the user says something about the status of the user:

Style	Description
Bold font	This is you.
Normal font	Other users.
Gray text	User is away.
Star (*) after the nick name	User is currently writing.
	User has sent you a private message.

If you right click on a user in the user list, you will get the following menu items:

Note: only Information is available when right clicking on yourself.

Buttons

Hover the mouse over the buttons for tooltips.

Input field

Everyone can send a message to the main chat, as long as they are not away. Type a message in the lower input field, and press the Enter/Return key to send.

This input field receives key strokes even when it’s missing focus. As long as the main chat window has focus you can start typing and the text will be appended to the input field.

Use the up and down arrow keys to navigate through the history of messages and commands you have written. Use the Tab key to auto complete nick names and commands.

Menu bar

These are the menu items in the menu bar at the top. All the menu items have keyboard shortcuts.

File menu

Tools menu

Help menu

Keyboard shortcuts

This is a list of the single key shortcuts KouChat supports.

The function key shortcuts only work in the main chat, while the others also work in the private chat.

Private chat

You can start a private chat with a user if you do not want everyone to see the conversation.

There are 2 ways to start a private chat:

• Right click on the user in the user list and choose Private chat.
• Double click on the user in the user list.

You will get a dialog like this:

The chat area and input field works just like the main chat, except that the private chat does not support commands.

Note: if a user has sent an unread message, and logs off, a private chat window will open minimized to the taskbar, so you can see the message.

Menu bar

These are the menu items in the menu bar at the top of the private chat window. All the menu items have keyboard shortcuts.

File menu

Tools menu

Away mode

You can use away mode to say that you do not wish to be disturbed. When you go away:

• Sound is disabled.
• Balloons in the system tray are disabled.
• You can not send or receive files.
• You can not change the topic.
• You can not change Settings.
• You can not send any messages to the main chat.
• You can not send or receive private chat messages.
• You can not execute any commands.
• Your nick name in the user list turns gray.
• Your away status and away message is listed in the user information popup.

There are several ways to go away described in this guide. When you choose to go away, you will get a popup asking for an away message:

The away message can’t be empty. After you click OK you are in away mode.

To return from away mode you use any of the methods to go away, but instead of a popup asking for an away message, you get a popup asking if you want to come back from away:

After you click Yes you are back to normal mode.

Topic

You can set a topic in the main chat that all users, including users joining later, will see. The topic is shown in the titlebar of the main chat window.

There are several ways to set the topic described in this guide. When you choose to set a topic, you will get a popup like this:

The popup will initially show the current topic. Change it and click OK to set the new topic of the chat. Blank the field to remove the topic of the chat.

Settings

Use the Settings to tweak certain aspects of KouChat.

Hover the mouse over the options for tooltips. Here is a more detailed description:

Storage

KouChat uses a folder called .kouchat for storage, located in your home folder. Settings are stored in kouchat.ini, while logs are stored in its own logs folder, unless the log folder is overridden by a startup argument.

Example locations:

File transfers

Send file

There are three ways to send a file to a user:

• Right click on the user in the user list and choose Send file.
• Drag and drop a file on the user in the user list.
• Drag and drop a file in the chat area of a private chat window with the user.

In all cases, you get an open file dialog:

If you used the right click option you have to navigate to, and select the file to send. If you used the drag and drop options, then the file is preselected in the dialog, and you just have to confirm with the Open button. Press the Cancel button to abort the process.

If you choose to send the file, you will get a new file transfer dialog, to monitor the progress, and to cancel the file transfer.

The transfer will not start until the other user has accepted the file.

Receive file

When someone sends a file to you, you will get a popup like this:

You can choose to receive the file or not. If you click Yes then you will get a file save dialog where you can choose where to save the file. If you choose to receive the file, you will get a new file transfer dialog, to monitor the progress, and to cancel the file transfer.

The transfer should start immediately. When the file has been received successfully then the button for Open folder is enabled. Click this button if you want to open a file manager at the location where the file was saved.

System tray

Icons

There are 4 different icons used in the system tray to indicate chat status:

Icon	Description
	You are not away, and there is no activity in the chat.
	You are not away, and there is unseen activity in the chat.
	You are away, and there is no activity in the chat.
	You are away, and there is unseen activity in the chat.

The icons change based on both the main chat and private chat activity.

Left clicking on the icon in the system tray shows and hides the main chat window. You can right click to get a menu. The menu allows you to quit KouChat.

These icons are also used in the taskbar when KouChat is not minimized to the system tray.

Balloons

If you activate balloons in the Settings you will get these popup balloons in the system tray when a message is received in the main chat or a private chat.

Smileys

These smileys can be used in the main chat and the private chat.

Code	Smiley
:)
:(
:p
:D
;)
:O
:@
:S
;(
:$
8)

Commands

Write these commands in the main chat. Use the Tab key for auto completion of commands and nick names.

Note: <id> is the number after the # in the info messages shown in the main chat when sending or receiving files.

Startup arguments

These are arguments sent to KouChat on startup like this:

java -jar kouchat-x.x.x.jar <argument>

Replace <argument> with either the short or the full argument from the table below. Use from the command line or in shortcuts.

Log location

Remember to use quotes if the path contains spaces, and use double backslash at the end of Windows paths.

Example arguments: