Messaging within Zenchat is much like messaging within any chat app you know! Write a message, get replies, respond directly to them or forward them along to other chats. There are one or two small differences in Zenchat, which you'll find out below.



Writing a new message

To write a new message simply start typing in the text field at the bottom of the chat. If you choose to share any files or links,

a small preview of it will be shown above the message. Basic text formatting such as bolding or italicizing text can be achieved using keyboard shortcuts (e.g. Ctrl/Cmd+B or Ctrl/Cmd+I).

To send the message, tap or click the small paper plane icon on the right, or on the web or desktop version, you can also use the enter/return key.

Sending a file




To send a file from the web or desktop app, click or tap the "+" icon to the left of the text input field, then choose "Select File". 


Your device's file manager will be opened, where you can select multiple files to send. Alternatively, you can drag and drop an image onto the message field - hover over the message input field until the message "Drop files here" appears. You can also paste any files you have on your clipboard directly into the message field using the Ctrl/Cmd+V shortcut.


Alternatively, if you choose "Drawing", a canvas will open that allows you to draw anything you like and send that as an image file to the chat.


On the mobile app, you have a few more file-sharing options. You can choose to select a file from the device's file storage, share photos from your library, take a photo or record a video, as well as add a Zenkit item or create a drawing.



Adding a Zenkit Item

When you've connected Zenchat with other Zenkit products such as Base and To Do, you have the option to share an item or task from any other resource you've connected to Zenchat, directly into your chat. 


To add an item, tap or click the "+" icon to the left of the text input field, choose "Add Item", then search for the name of the item you want to share in the chat.



Click or tap the item to add it to the message, then hit send to send it. The item will appear like any task within the chat. Click to open it, view and edit data, or even chat about it directly!


Recording a voice message


To record a voice message tap or click the microphone icon to the right-hand side of the message field. The recording will begin immediately, and will only stop when you tap or click the x button.



Sent message options

Once a message has been sent, you can open a message options menu to access a variety of functions related to that message. To open it on the web or desktop app, click on the "..." icon that appears when you hover over the message. On the mobile app, press and hold on to the message to open the menu.


There are two different menus, one for messages sent by you, and one for messages sent by others.


Messages sent by you

For messages you send, you have the option to reply, forward, convert to task, edit the message, view message details, copy the message text to your clipboard, or delete the message entirely.



Messages sent by others

For messages sent by other people, you can react to the message with an emoji reaction, reply or forward it, convert it to a task, or copy the message task to your clipboard.



Converting a message to a task

To convert a message to a task, all you need to do is click or tap "Convert to task"! Learn more about working with tasks in Zenchat.


Replying to a message

To reply to a message directly, open the message options menu and choose "Reply", or on the mobile app, you can simply swipe right on the message to reply to it directly.


A short snippet of the message you're replying to will be shown above the message you send, and clicking on it will scroll up to the original message in the chat.


Forwarding a message

To forward a message, choose "Forward" from the message options menu. Forwarding a message to someone else will also forward all links or files that were attached to the original message, however, the recipient will not see the name of the person who originally 


Copying a message

To copy the text in a message, you can either use your mouse to highlight some of the text and right-click & copy or use the Ctrl/Cmd+C shortcut to copy your selection. Alternatively, you can use the "Copy" option on the message options menu. 


Reacting to messages

To react to messages, open the message options menu, then choose an emoji reaction. 



You can either choose from the visible emojis that are shown in a row or click the "+" icon on the right of the pop-up.



The reactions will be shown on the bottom left corner of the message you reacted to.

You can see who reacted to a message by clicking on the emoji. From this little menu, you can also remove your reaction by clicking or tapping the X that appears next to your name.



Viewing message details

To view specific details about a message you sent, such as whether it was received by all parties, who viewed it, and when, open the message options menu and click or tap on "Open message details". This will open a small pop-up showing the original message, and under the "Read by" section, a list of people who've seen the message and when they saw it. 



Deleting a message

To delete a message, open the message options menu. Then tap or click on "Delete". You'll be asked to confirm this deletion, so you just need to tap or click "Delete" again. 


The message will be deleted for yourself and anyone else in the chat. However, there will be an indication shown to all parties in the chat that a message was deleted:



 Please note that you can only delete messages that you sent, you can't delete messages sent by another person.