The XTRF Chat is a dedicated chat space where you can conveniently communicate with the vendors working on a specific project or quote. This article describes the chat features available for users with the Manager role (Home Portal's project managers and project coordinators). To learn more about the chat, see the https://xtrf.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/XKB/pages/258867217 article.

To learn how to join the XTRF Chat, see the https://xtrf.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/~629dc186be336c006fe6f21e/pages/241238017 article.

XTRF Chat architecture

Workspaces

Workspaces are equivalents of Platforms for XTRF Chat. Within one workspace, project managers and coordinators can communicate with vendors in chat rooms created automatically and separately for each quote or project.

Open

Chat rooms

All chat rooms in XTRF Chat are linked to the XTRF Smart or Classic projects and quotes.

Chat rooms are created automatically upon creating a project or quote in the Home Portal or assigning a vendor to a job.

Chat room types

Each project or quote will have two chat room types:

All project members

Open

This chat room is set up automatically when a project or a quote is created in XTRF. It includes all members of the project:

• Project managers

• Project coordinator (if assigned to the project or task)

• All vendor contact persons assigned to the jobs in the project

Individual chat rooms

These chat rooms are set up automatically when a new vendor contact person joins the project. The managers and the specific vendor contact can chat here in private.

Individual chat Room members are:

• Project managers

• Project coordinator (if assigned to the project)

• One specific vendor contact person assigned to a job in the project.

Chat room member changes

• When a project manager or project coordinator is assigned to a project, they are automatically added to all chat rooms in the project.

• When a project manager or project coordinator assigned to a project is changed, the newly assigned persons are automatically added to all chat rooms in the project. Note: The previously assigned project manager and project coordinator will still be members of these chat rooms.

• When a vendor contact person is assigned to a job, they are automatically added to chat rooms in the project.

• When a vendor contact person assigned to a specific job is changed, the previously assigned contact person loses access to the chat rooms related to this job and cannot view any new content. The individual chat room with the unassigned contact person is marked as inactive in XTRF Chat.

• When the vendor contact person's personal data is erased from the XTRF User database, but the user account still exists, this contact person's name changes to Deleted with a random string of numbers.
  
  

Chat room life cycle

When a project status in XTRF changes to Closed or Canceled or a quote status is changed to Rejected, the associated chat rooms are automatically removed from the Ongoing tab. However, in the All tab, they are still viewable for every member and can be used for chatting.

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.

1. Go to the Settings tab on the right.

2. In the Workspace preferences > E-mail Notifications section, check or uncheck the Unread messages box.

3. 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.

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. There is no way to limit or block any member from messaging within this chat room other than excluding them from the whole project in XTRF.

• Messages sent in the individual chat rooms are only visible to the single vendor and managers who joined this chat room.

• Vendors can only view the messages in their own individual chat rooms.

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 removed from the Ongoing tab 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.

Text formatting

The XTRF Chat supports common keyboard shortcuts and markdowns for formatting text.

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:

1. Hover over the message.

2. Click the  icon.

3. Click Add reaction.

4. Select the emoji of your choice.

On a mobile device:

1. Tap and hold the message. The emoji selection screen will pop up.

2. Tap on the emoji of your choice.

Message deleting

On desktop:

1. Hover over your own message.

2. Click the icon.

3. Click Delete message.

On a mobile device:

1. Tap and hold your own message. The pop-up menu will appear.

2. Tap Delete message.

Manage your XTRF Chat account

Set your avatar and username

To add a photo and rename your user account, perform the following steps:

1. Sign in to the XTRF Chat standalone web app.

2. Click the Account settings button on the Workspaces panel on the left.

3. In the Account Settings pop-up, go to the Profile section:
   
   

    

   1. Type in the preferred name in the text field.

   2. Click on the avatar placeholder.

   3. Select the desired image on your local machine.

   4. Adjust the image to fit the round frame.
      
      

       

   5. Click the Save changes button.

Sign out from the XTRF Chat

To sign out from the Chat, perform the following steps:

1. Click the Account settings button on the Workspaces panel on the left.
   
   

    

2. 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:

1. In the Workspaces menu on the left, click the icon next to the workspace you want to leave.

2. Click the Leave workspace button.
   
   

    

3. Confirm your decision by clicking the Leave button in the warning pop-up.

Delete your XTRF Chat account

If you want to leave the XTRF Chat and all its workspaces, perform the following steps:

1. Click the Account settings button on the Workspaces panel on the left.

2. Click the icon in the top right-hand corner of the Account Settings pop-up.

3. Click the Delete XTRF Chat Account button.

    

4. 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.