Overview: Microsoft Chat
Overview

Microsoft Chat is the only Internet chat program that gives you the option of conversing inside a comic strip. As with a standard chat program, you can enter a chat room on an Internet server and conduct real-time conversations with other people. But with Microsoft Chat, you can also pick a cartoon character to represent you, and your conversation appears as word balloons inside the frames of a comic strip. As a cartoon character, you can express a wide range of emotions, send "thoughts," whisper to a selected recipient, and save the chat session for offline viewing.

The Microsoft Chat window is composed of the following parts:

•	A viewing pane where the conversation is displayed

•	A member list pane that lists all the people in a chat room

•	A compose pane (a text box at the bottom of the window) where you type your messages

•	Buttons you use to send your messages

If you choose to converse inside a comic strip, you will also see:

•	A "starring" pane that displays the title of the chat and lists the participants

•	A self-view pane that shows what your character looks like

•	An emotion wheel that enables you to control all of your character’s emotions


Providing information about yourself
To provide information about yourself

1	On the View menu, click Options.

2	In the Nickname box, type a name you’d like to be known by.

3	In the Brief description of yourself box, type something that you’d like other people to know about you. This information appears when other people request your profile.

Tip

•	For Help on an item, click  [image]  at the top of the dialog box, and then click the item.

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Defining where sounds are located on your computer
To define where sounds are located on your computer

1	On the View menu, click Options, and then click the Settings tab.

2	In the Sound search path box, type the location on your computer where you want Microsoft Chat to look for sound files.

Notes

•	When you click the Play sound button, Microsoft Chat searches the location you typed and enables you to choose from the sound files it finds. See Related Topics below for more information.

•	When others click the Play sound button, Microsoft Chat searches the location you specified for the sound file they specified. Microsoft Chat can only play sounds it finds at this location.

 Related Topics


Entering a specific chat room
To enter a specific chat room

1	On the File menu, click New Connection.

2	In the Go to chat room box, type the name of the chat room you want to enter.

Notes

•	If you type the name of a chat room that does not exist, Microsoft Chat creates a new chat room with that name.

•	For Help on an item, click  [image]  at the top of the dialog box, and then click the item.

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Finding a specific chat room
To find a specific chat room

1	On the Room menu, click Room List.

2	In the Display chat rooms that contain box, type search words that match the room name you’re looking for.

If you also want to search chat room topics, select the Also search in room topics check box.

3	In the Room column, click the room you want to enter, and then click Go To.

Tip

•	For Help on an item, click  [image]  at the top of the dialog box, and then click the item.

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Entering a favorite chat room
To enter a favorite chat room

On the Favorites menu, click Open Favorites, and then click the room that you want to enter.

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Viewing a list of available chat rooms
To view a list of available chat rooms

1	On the Room menu, click Room List.

2	In the Room column, click the room you want to enter, and then click Go To.

Tips

•	To find a specific chat room, type search words in the Display chat rooms that contain box that match the room name you’re looking for.

•	For Help on an item, click  [image]  at the top of the dialog box, and then click the item.

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Entering a chat room on a different server
To enter a chat room on a different server

1	On the File menu, click New Connection.

2	In the Server box, type the name of the server that contains the chat room you want to enter. For example: comicsrv1.microsoft.com

3	In the Go to chat room box, type the name of the chat room you want to enter.

Notes

•	If you type the name of a chat room that does not exist, Microsoft Chat creates a new chat room with that name.

•	For Help on an item, click  [image]  at the top of the dialog box, and then click the item.

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Chatting using text only
To chat using text only

1	On the View menu, click Plain Text.

2	In the text box at the bottom of the window, type what you want to say, and then click one of the buttons to the right of the text box, or press ENTER.

When you click this		Your message does this
Say		Appears preceded by a message header containing your nickname followed by the word "says."
Think		Appears preceded by a message header containing your nickname followed by the word "thinks."
Whisper		Goes only to people you’ve selected in the list of members.
Action		Appears in italics. For example: Sarah walks across the room and  shakes John’s hand. Note: Action messages automatically begin with your nickname.
Play sound		Plays a sound.
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Chatting inside a comic strip
To chat inside a comic strip

1	On the View menu, click Comic Strip.

2	In the text box at the bottom of the window, type what you want to say, and then click one of the buttons to the right of the text box, or press ENTER.

When you click this		Your message does this
Say		Appears inside a word balloon.
Think		Appears inside a word balloon with "thought" lines leading to it.
Whisper		Goes only to characters you’ve selected in the list of members.
Action		Appears inside a box across the top of the most recent comic-strip pane. For example: Sarah is overcome with emotion. Note: Action messages automatically begin with your nickname.
Play sound		Plays a sound.
Tip

•	If you select someone in the list of members before clicking the Say button or pressing ENTER, Microsoft Chat makes it look like you’re talking directly to them.

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Whispering to other people
To whisper to other people

1	In the list of members, select the people you want to whisper to.

2	In the text box at the bottom of the window, type what you want to say, and then click the Whisper button.

Your message appears only to the people you selected.

Tip

•	You can also send whispered messages by using the Whisper Box. This enables you to keep track of several whispered conversations at the same time. For more information, see Related Topics below.

 Related Topics


Getting information about other people
To get information about other people

In the list of members, right-click the person you want to get information about, and then click Get Profile.

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Finding other people
To find other people

1	On the Member menu, click User List.

2	In the Search for area, define what you want to search for, and then click Update List.

Tips

•	You can whisper or send invitations to people displayed in the User List dialog box even if they are in a different chat room.

•	For Help on an item, click  [image]  at the top of the dialog box, and then click the item.

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Sending sounds to other people
To send sounds to other people

1	Click the Play Sound button.

2	In the Sound file to play list, click the sound file you want other people to hear.

3	In the Accompanying message box, type a message to send with the sound you selected.

Notes

•	To hear your sound before you send it, click Test.

•	Other people will be able hear only sound files that are already on their computer. For more information, see Related Topics below.

 Related Topics


Saving a conversation
To save a conversation

1	On the File menu, click Save.

2	Double-click the folder you want to save the conversation in.

3	In the File name box, type a name for the conversation, and then click Save.

Tips

•	By saving conversation files offline, you can view and print chat-room sessions, and share them with your friends.

•	For Help on an item, click  [image]  at the top of the dialog box, and then click the item.

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Choosing a character
To choose a character

1	On the View menu, click Options, and then click the Character tab.

2	In the Character list, click the character you want. Your character appears in the Preview area.

Tip

•	To see your character with different emotions, drag the black dot in the center of the emotion wheel to different positions.

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Choosing a comic background
To choose a comic background

1	On the View menu, click Options, and then click the Background tab.

2	In the Background list, click the background you want. The background you select appears in the Preview area.


Defining the size of the comic strip
To define the size of the comic strip

1	On the View menu, click Options, and then click the Comics View tab.

2	In the Page layout list, click the number of comic strip panels you want to display across the window.


Changing a character's emotion
To change a character’s emotion

Drag the black dot in the center of the emotion wheel around the wheel. The closer to the edge of the wheel you move the dot, the stronger the emotion.

You can choose eight different emotions for your character:

Shouting	Angry
Happy	Laughing
Bored	Scared
Sad	Coy
The pane above the emotion wheel displays your character's current emotion.

Tips

•	You can "freeze" your character’s emotion by right-clicking your character in the self-view pane and then clicking Frozen. The expression will not change until you click Frozen again.

•	Not all characters can display the full range of emotions.

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Using character gestures
To use character gestures

When you begin a sentence with these words	Your character does this
I	Points to his or her self
You	Points to the other person
Hello or Hi	Waves
Bye	Waves
Welcome	Waves
Howdy	Waves
When your sentence contains these words	Your character does this
are you	Points to the other person
will you	Points to the other person
did you	Points to the other person
aren't you	Points to the other person
don't you	Points to the other person
I'm	Points to his or her self
I will	Points to his or her self
I’ll	Points to his or her self
I am	Points to his or her self
When you type this	Your character displays this emotion
All capitals	Shouting
!!!	Shouting
ROTFL ("roll on the floor laughing")	Laughing
LOL ("laugh out loud")	Laughing
:)  or  :-)	Happy
:(  or  :-(	Sad
;-)	Coy
 Related Topics


Creating a new chat room
To create a new chat room

1	On the Room menu, click New Room.

2	Type a name for the chat room.

Note

•	You automatically become the host of any room you create.

 Related Topics


Defining a chat room's topic
To define a chat room's topic

1	On the Room menu, click Room Properties.

2	In the Chat room topic box, type a description of the chat topic for your room.

Tip

•	For Help on an item, click  [image]  at the top of the dialog box, and then click the item.

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Removing someone from a chat room temporarily
To kick someone out of a chat room temporarily

1	In the list of members, select the person you want to "kick out" (remove temporarily).

2	On the Member menu, click Host, and then click Kick.

3	In the Why are you kicking (nickname) box, type the reason you are removing the person from the chat room. The reason you type will appear to other members of the room.

Notes

•	"Kicking someone out" does not prevent them from re-entering the chat room. If you want to permanently ban someone, see Related Topics below.

•	Only a chat room host can kick someone out of a room.

 Related Topics


Allowing others to administer your chat room
To allow others to host your chat room

1	In the list of members, select the person you want to make a host.

2	On the Member menu, click Host, and then click Host.

Note

•	Only a chat room host can select other people to become hosts.


Inviting others into a chat room
To invite others into a chat room

1	On the Member menu, click Invite.

2	Type the nicknames of people you want to invite into the chat room.

Tip

•	To invite more than one person, type a comma between nicknames.

 Related Topics


Customizing your chat room
To customize your chat room

On the Room menu, click Room Properties, and then select the room properties you want.

Tip

•	For Help on an item, click  [image]  at the top of the dialog box, and then click the item.

 Related Topics


Removing someone from a chat room permanently
To ban someone from a chat room permanently

1	In the list of members, select the person you want to ban.

2	On the Member menu, click Host, and then click Ban / Unban.

Notes

•	Banning someone prevents that person from re-entering the room until you "unban" them.

•	Because you will need to provide this information if you ever want to let that person back into the room, you might want to write down the information displayed in the Person to ban or unban box.

•	Only a chat room host can ban someone from a room.

 Related Topics


Sending a cartoon character expression without talking
To send a cartoon character expression without talking

1	In the emotion wheel, drag the black dot to an emotion.

2	Right-click the emotion, and then click Send Expression.

The expression appears in the most recent comic strip pane.

 Related Topics


Ignoring a person
To ignore a person

In the list of members, right-click the person you want to ignore, and then click Ignore.

You will no longer see messages from this person. Other members of the chat room will still continue to see them.

 Related Topics


Adding a chat room to your Favorites list
To add a chat room to your Favorites list

While you are in the chat room, click the Favorites menu, and then click Add to Favorites.

 Related Topics


Reading conversation files offline
To read conversation files offline

1	On the File menu, click Open.

2	Select the conversation file that you want to read offline.

Note

•	You can only read previously saved conversation files.

 Related Topics


Using keyboard shortcuts
To use keyboard shortcuts

To do this	Press this
Select all text in the compose pane.	CTRL+A
Play a sound.	CTRL+B
Copy selected text from the compose pane to the clipboard.	CTRL+C
Send text as a caption (action) from the compose pane to the comic strip pane.	CTRL+I
Close the current chat session and open a new connection.	CTRL+N
Open a file.	CTRL+O
Print a file.	CTRL+P
Display member options.	CTRL+Q
Save a file.	CTRL+S
Send the contents of the compose pane as a thought.	CTRL+T
Paste text you've copied into the compose pane.	CTRL+V
Send the contents of the compose pane as a whisper.	CTRL+W
Cut the selected text and place on the clipboard.	CTRL+X
Send the contents of the compose pane.	CTRL+Y
Undo the most recent action in the compose pane.	CTRL+Z
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Conducting multiple whispered conversations
To have multiple whispered conversations

1	In the list of members, for each person you want to whisper to, click his or her name, and then click Whisper Box.

2	To converse with each person, in the Whisper Box, click the person, type your message in the text box at the bottom of the window, and then press ENTER.

Tip

•	In the Whisper Box, you can easily switch between whispered conversations by clicking the people to whom you are whispering.

 Related Topics


Customizing fonts used in text-only conversations
To customize fonts used in text-only conversations

1	On the View menu, click Options.

2	On the Text View tab,  click Change font.

3	In the Choose a message type to change its font list, click a message type.

Examples of message types and their current font settings appear in the box below this option.

4	Click the font and other settings that you want.

Tip

•	For Help on an item, click  [image]  at the top of the dialog box, and then click the item.

 Related Topics


Customizing the comic strip font
To customize the comic strip font

1	On the View menu, click Options.

2	On the Comics View tab,  click Change font.

3	Click the font and other settings that you want.

Tip

•	For Help on an item, click  [image]  at the top of the dialog box, and then click the item.

 Related Topics


Sending automatic greetings
To send automatic greetings to new room members

1	On the View menu, click Options.

2	Click the Automation tab.

3	In the Automatic greeting area, select how you want to send the greeting.
To send the greeting only to the person entering the room, click Whispered.
To send the greeting to everyone in the room each time someone new enters, click Said.

4	In the Automatic greeting box, type the message you want to send.

Tips

•	You can use the special text %name! and %room to personalize your greeting. Microsoft Chat substitutes the person’s nickname wherever it finds %name!, and your room’s name wherever it finds %room.

•	For Help on an item, click  [image]  at the top of the dialog box, and then click the item.

 Related Topics


Creating message macros
To create a message macro

1	On the View menu, click Options.

2	Click the Automation tab.

3	In the Key combination list, select the key combination you want to use to run the macro.

4	In the Name box, type a name for the macro.

5	In the Macros box, type the message you want the macro to send.

Tip

•	You can use macros to send the same message over and over again without retyping it each time. For example, “Where are you from?”

 Related Topics


Provides a space for you to type your real name.


Provides a space for you to type your nickname.

Microsoft Chat uses your nickname to identify you to other people inside a chat room.


Provides a space for you to type information about yourself.

If other people ask Microsoft Chat for your personal profile, they will see this information.


Provides a space for you to describe the room’s topic.

The topic description appears in the Chat Room List dialog box next to the room’s name


Specifies whether auditorium features are turned on.

When this option is selected, messages from room members go only to the room host, and messages from the host go to everyone in the room. Only a room host can select this box.


Specifies whether the room is moderated.

In a moderated chat room, only a room host and speakers the host designates can send messages. All other room members are spectators. Only a room host can select this box.


Specifies whether anyone can set the room’s topic, or room hosts only. Only a room host can select this box.


Specifies whether an invitation is required to enter the room. An invitation is a special message sent by a room host asking someone to enter a chat room. Only a room host can select this box.


Specifies whether the room will appear in the Chat Room List dialog box. Only a room host can select this box.


Specifies whether information about who is inside the room will be available to people outside the room. Only a room host can select this box.


Specifies whether the number of people allowed into the room is limited. After selecting the Set maximum users check box,  type the highest number of people allowed. Only a room host can select this box.


Specifies whether whispers can be sent in the room. Whispers are messages that can be seen only by the person sending the message and the person receiving it. Only a room host can select this box.


Lists the available number of comic strip panels that can be displayed in one row across.


Specifies whether graphics (cartoon characters) will be sent to the people you’re talking to. This feature is useful when you are connected to a text-only chat server.


Specifies whether you want to be asked if you want to save a copy of your conversation whenever you quit Microsoft Chat.


Specifies whether you want to be able to receive whispers.

Whispers are messages that only you and the person that sent the message can see.


Lists the available cartoon characters. Click a character to see what he or she looks like.


Displays the cartoon character you selected from the character list, with the expression you created by using the emotion wheel.


Adjusts the cartoon character’s expression.

When you drag the large black dot around the emotion wheel, the character’s expressions change.


Lists the available fonts.


Lists the available styles for the selected font.


Lists the available point sizes for the selected font.


Displays what the text will look like after the font options you selected are applied.


Lists the available foreign language support installed on your computer.


Lists the available cartoon backgrounds.

Click a background to see what it looks like.


Displays the appearance of the background selected in the Background list.


Provides a space for you to type words to search for in the Room list.

Only room titles with words that match will appear in the Chat Room List dialog box.


Specifies whether you also want to search the Topic list for the words you typed in the Display chat rooms that contain box.

Only rooms that have titles or topics with words that match will appear in the Chat Room List dialog box.


Updates the Chat Room List dialog box by asking the chat server for a current list of rooms.


Takes you to the room that you selected in the Room column.


Creates a new chat room.

You automatically become the host for rooms you create.


Lists the available favorite chat rooms.


Provides a space for you to type the URL or address of a chat server you want to connect to.


Specifies that you want to enter a particular chat room and provides a space for you to type its name.


Specifies that you want to see a current list of every chat room that is available on the server.


Provides a space for you to type the nicknames of people you want to invite into the room. Only a room host can select this box.


Provides a space for you to type the reason you are "kicking someone out" of the room, removing them temporarily.

Microsoft Chat displays your reason to everyone in the room. Kicking someone out is only effective until the person rejoins the room. Only a room host can select this box.


Specifies whether you also want to ban the person you are kicking out of the room.

A banned person cannot re-enter the room until you remove the ban. Only a room host can select this box.


Provides a space for you to identify the person you want to ban from the room or unban (readmit to the room). Only a room host can select this box.


Specifies that you want to ban the person whose name appears in the Person to ban or unban box. Only a room host can select this box.


Specifies that you want to remove the ban from the person whose name appears in the Person to ban or unban box. Only a room host can select this box.


Provides a space for you to type the location of your sound files. Microsoft Chat can send or play only sounds it finds at this location.


Specifies whether to announce the arrival and departure of people from your room.


Specifies to place a blank line between each message in text-only mode.


Specifies to place a blank line between messages that are not of the same type in text-only mode.

Actions, thoughts, and whispers are examples of different message types.


Specifies to not place blank lines between messages in text-only mode.


Click this to change the fonts used to display messages.


Resets the fonts used to display messages to their default settings.


Specifies whether to display room host message headers with a bold font.


Specifies whether to display room host messages with a bold font.


Specifies to search for every person inside every chat room.


Lists the nickname and identity of every person that matches your Search for settings.


Specifies to search for every person having a nickname that contains the text you type in the Names containing box.


Specifies to search for every person with an identity that contains the text you type in the Names containing box.


Invites the person you selected from the Nickname list to enter the room you are in.


Opens a Whisper Box enabling you to whisper to the person you selected from the Nickname list.

Whispers are messages that can be seen only by the person sending the message and the person receiving it.


Provides a space for you to type a message that you want to send as part of a whispered conversation. Type your message, and then press ENTER to send it.

Whispers are messages that can be seen only by the person sending the message and the person receiving it.


Ignores the person you are whispering to. Microsoft Chat will no longer display messages from this person to you.


Ends the whispered conversation with the person you are currently speaking to.


Specifies whether a line is drawn through the selected font.


Specifies whether the selected font is underlined.


Lists the available colors for the selected font.


Shows how the different message and header types will look.


Lists the available message and header types.


Lists the available sound files.


Provides a space for you to type a message that will be sent with the sound you selected from the Sound file to play list.


Plays the sound you selected from the Sound file to play list.


Specifies whether you want to be able to receive invitations to join other chat rooms.


Specifies to not automatically send greetings to people as they enter the room.


Specifies to automatically send a whispered greeting to people as they enter the room. Type the message you want whispered in the text box.


Specifies to automatically send a greeting to people as they enter the room. Type the message you want sent in the text box. Everyone in the room will see the greeting.


Provides a space for you to type a message that will be automatically sent to people as they enter the room.


Lists the available key combinations you can use to run a macro. Select a key combination, and then type the message you want to associate with it in the text box.


Provides a space for you to type a message you want sent whenever you press the key combination associated with it.


Provides a space for you to type a name for a macro you create. A macro consists of a message you type plus the key combination associated with it.


Saves the macro identified in the Name box. You must save a macro before you can use it.


Deletes the macro identified in the Name box.