| Table of Contents |
|---|
The XTRF Chat is a dedicated chat space where you can conveniently communicate with the project manager, project coordinator, and other vendors working on a specific project.
XTRF Chat comes as:
A standalone web application
A standalone mobile app.
Each version of the XTRF Chat has a similar chat window design that consists of:
Workspace name.
Tabs:
Ongoing (contains only jobs from open projects and quotes)
All (contains all jobs, including the ones from closed projects and quotes)
Settings.
List of linked jobs.
List of job-related chat rooms.
App section, where the active apps appear.
Join the XTRF Chat
Register for the XTRF Chat
To join a workspace, you need to go through a one-time XTRF Chat account registration.
| Info |
|---|
Registration is possible only after you are assigned to a job within a workspace. You cannot proactively join a workspace or set up your account. |
After being assigned to a job, you will receive an invitation via e-mail to join the workspace where the project is set up. An XTRF Chat user account will be set up for you automatically.
You can complete the registration on a computer or a mobile device.
On the computer
Open an invitation e-mail in your inbox.
Click the Join * Workspace button in the e-mail. You will be directed to the registration page of the standalone Chat app.
Set up your password.
Agree to the XTRF Chat's Terms and Conditions.
(Optional) Subscribe to the XTRF news.
Click the Register to XTRF Chat button.
In the following pop-up, click the Join Workspace button.
On the mobile device
Open an invitation e-mail in your inbox.
Tap the Join * Workspace button in the e-mail.
If you have already downloaded the XTRF Chat mobile app, it will open. If not, you will be redirected to a mobile app store to download and install the XTRF Chatapp.
Open the downloaded app.
Set up your password.
Agree to the XTRF Chat's Terms and Conditions.
Confirm you want to join the workspace.
Your user account in XTRF Chat becomes active, and you become a workspace member with a Vendor role.
A list of workspaces and chat rooms available to you will appear in the standalone Chat app in your browser and the XTRF Chat mobile app.
Access the XTRF Chat
| Info |
|---|
To access the XTRF Chat, you need to be invited to a specific workspace through an e-mail (see the Register for the XTRF Chat section above). |
In the standalone web application
| Expand | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
 |
In the standalone mobile application for Android and iOS
| Expand | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
|
XTRF Chat architecture
Workspaces
Depending on how many of your clients use the XTRF Chat app, you can belong to one or several workspaces.
You can switch between workspaces after signing into XTRF Chat.
In each workspace, you will see the list of jobs you are assigned to.
Chat rooms
Each of your jobs will have two chat rooms available:
All project members chat room
This chat room includes all members of the project:
Project manager
Project coordinator (if assigned to the project)
All vendors assigned to the jobs in the project
| Info |
|---|
Vendors' names in this chat room are anonymized: you can see the project manager's or coordinator's name as well as your own, but instead of other vendors' names, you will see pseudonyms automatically assigned by the Chat app. Your own pseudonym will be displayed in brackets next to your name. |
Project managers individual chat room
In this chat room, you can talk privately to the project manager and coordinator. Both your and the project manager's or coordinator's names are displayed in this room.
| Info |
|---|
You can't communicate with other vendors individually; however, you can talk to them in the All project members chat room. |
Chat room life cycle
When the project to which your job belongs is finished, the associated chat rooms are automatically removed from the Ongoing tab. However, in the All tab, they are still viewable and can be used for chatting. Chat rooms are never removed from the XTRF Chat.
Vendor anonymization
To protect your privacy and clients' sensitive information, vendors might be anonymized in the chat rooms. When anonymization is enabled, vendor names are replaced with a random pseudonym referring to a plant name (e.g., Loosestrife, Elephant Ears, etc.).
A pseudonym is assigned to you automatically.
You always have the same pseudonym assigned in all chat rooms within a workspace.
Managers can always see your avatar and real name.
You can only see the pseudonyms of other vendors and the pseudonym initials instead of avatars in the All project members chat room.
Manager names are never hidden.
Deleted users' messages will be displayed with question marks as avatars and the Deleted name.
Messaging
The messages sent in any variant of XTRF Chat (Home Portal-embedded, standalone web, and mobile app) are instantly viewable in all of them.
Message audiences
The messages sent in the All Project Members chat room are visible to every member, and every member can respond.
Messages sent in the individual chat rooms are only visible to the managers who joined this chat room.
You can only view the messages in your own individual chat rooms.
| Info |
|---|
You can't see if other chat room members have read a message. |
File sending
It is possible to send files up to 1GB through chat rooms. Files are never removed from the chat room, even after the chat room is archived or the related project is closed.
To send a file in XTRF Chat, click the 
icon in the chat room's bottom left-hand corner or drag and drop the file directly to the chat room window.
Uploading certain file formats may be blocked due to security restrictions.
Text formatting
The XTRF Chat supports common keyboard shortcuts and markdowns for formatting text.
Message text | Message displayed | Keyboard shortcut |
|---|---|---|
*bold text* | bold text | Mac: ⌘ + B |
_italics_ | italics | Mac: ⌘ + I |
~Strikethrough~ |
| Mac: ⌘ + Shift + X |
> Quote one or multiple sentences | ┃Quote one or multiple sentences | Mac: ⌘ + Shift + 9 |
or
|
| Mac: ⌘ + Shift + 8 |
|
| Mac: ⌘ + Shift + 7 |
Emoticons (emojis)
You can add emojis to your messages in any of these three ways:
Copy and paste an emoji into the message text.
Click the
icon in the chat room's bottom right-hand corner.Enter a special sequence of characters followed by a whitespace (or by the end of the message). The sequence will automatically convert into an emoji. Use the default keyboard emoji sequences for your operating system.
Reacting with emojis
You can also use emojis to react to individual posts.
On desktop:
Hover over the message.
Click the
icon.Click Add reaction.
Select the emoji of your choice.
On a mobile device:
Tap and hold the message. The emoji selection screen will pop up.
Tap on the emoji of your choice.
Message deleting
| Note |
|---|
You can delete your own messages up to three minutes after sending them. |
On desktop:
Hover over your own message.
Click the
icon.Click Delete message.
On a mobile device:
Tap and hold your own message. The pop-up menu will appear.
Tap the Delete message.
XTRF Chat notifications
The XTRF Chat notifies you about new messages directly in the chat interface. Whenever you have an unread message, the XTRF Chat informs you about it by displaying the number of unread messages next to the related workspace and specific chat room on the right.
E-mail notifications
If you have any unread messages for longer than two hours, you will automatically get an e-mail notification informing you about the number of unread messages in a specific workspace.
You can enable or disable e-mail notifications in Chat settings.
Go to the Settings tab on the right.
In the Workspace preferences > E-mail Notifications section, check or uncheck the Unread messages box.
Click the Save changes button at the bottom of the Settings tab.
Push notifications
If you're using the standalone XTRF Chat web app, you can configure push notifications by going to your browser settings.
In the XTRF Chat mobile app, push notifications are turned on by default. You can turn them off in your phone's settings.
Manage your XTRF Chat account
Set your avatar and username
| Info |
|---|
If vendor anonymization is enabled, your name and avatar will be visible to the project managers and coordinators but not to other vendors. |
To add a photo and rename your user account, perform the following steps:
Sign in to the XTRF Chat standalone web app.
Click the Account settings button on the Workspaces panel on the left.
In the Account Settings pop-up, go to the Profile section:
Type in the preferred name in the text field.
Click on the avatar placeholder.
Select the desired image on your local machine.
Adjust the image to fit the round frame.
Click the Save changes button.
To change your avatar, click the Remove photo button that appears in the Account Settings pop-up and repeat steps 3. b.-e.
| Info |
|---|
In the Account Settings pop-up, you can also subscribe to or unsubscribe from the XTRF newsletters and reread the Terms & Conditions of XTRF Chat. |
Sign out from the XTRF Chat
| Info |
|---|
Once you have signed into the XTRF Chat, you will stay signed in unless you deliberately sign out. |
To sign out from the Chat, perform the following steps:
Click the Account settings button on the Workspaces panel on the left.
Click the Sign out button.
Leave a workspace
If you need to leave a specific workspace without losing your XTRF Chat access, perform the following steps:
In the Workspaces menu on the left, click the
icon next to the workspace you want to leave.Click the Leave workspace button.
Confirm your decision by clicking the Leave button in the warning pop-up.
| Note |
|---|
After leaving a workspace, you will lose access to all conversations in this workspace, and your personal data will be anonymized to other workspace members. This operation cannot be undone. You will be able to join this workspace again, but only after accepting a new invitation from the workspace's manager. |
Delete your XTRF Chat account
If you want to leave the XTRF Chat and all its workspaces, perform the following steps:
Click the Account settings button on the Workspaces panel on the left.
Click the
icon in the top right-hand corner of the Account Settings pop-up.Click the Delete XTRF Chat Account button.
Confirm your decision by clicking the Delete button in the warning pop-up.
You will receive a confirmation e-mail that your XTRF Chat user account has been deleted.
| Note |
|---|
You will lose access to all your workspaces, and your personal data will be removed from the service. This operation cannot be undone; however, you can receive a new invitation to the Chat and create a new account. |
Deleting a Chat account won't affect your Vendor Portal account or your personal data in your client's database on the XTRF Platform.
| Easy heading | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|