AbbottChat User Guide
Japanese users please check Masahide Yamada's AbbottChat User
Guide in Japanese
AbbottChat is a new Internet chat client that supports private
chat, instant messages and file transfer.
GETTING STARTED
After you have downloaded the AbbottChat installer,
stay online, and follow these 3 easy steps to get started...
STEP 1. Install
Locate the AbbottChat installer file, double click it and follow the instructions.
When installation is complete you will find the AbbottChat program icon
on your desktop.
STEP 2. Enter your ID
Double click the AbbottChat program icon to run the program. You will be
prompted to enter your AbbottChat ID (if you are not prompted, go to the
Edit menu, choose Preferences, and enter your ID.) NOTE:
Most people use their email address as their AbbottChat ID because it's
easy to remember, and your ID is the one piece of information you must give
to other people so they can chat with you.
STEP 3. Chat!
You can chat with almost anyone on the Internet provided they are online
and running AbbottChat. First enter their ID in
your list (in the toolbar, click on the 6th button from the left.)
Then, if they are online, their icon in your list will go green. Double
click it to chat. A red icon means that the person is not online, or you
do not have their correct ID.
Test chat now! Chat with Robbie, our customer service chatbot. Just add Robbie's
ID (beta@abbottsys.com) to your list and double click the icon when it turns
green. Robbie is always online and should always be green.
MORE DETAILS
Preferences
-Identity: This is the ID others will use to contact you. We recommend you
use something that is easy to remember, such as your email address. Also,
be aware that if you change your ID, others will not be able to contact
you until you tell them the new ID.
-Email Chat Requests: This allows AbbottChat to use regular email to make
connections if there is a problem with the Directory Server. If
Directory Services is ON, you do NOT need to
complete these Preferences.
-Chat: Controls the way chat text will appear in the AbbottChat windows.
You can set the font, size and tabbing of chat text. Also, you can set chat
logging ON/OFF. If chat logging is ON, all chats are automatically saved
to disk as text files.
-Directory Services: Allows AbbottChat to make fast connections and tell
you who's online. We recommend you keep Directory
Services ON.
Lists
The left side of the AbbottChat window is a list of people you chat with.
Lists can be saved to disk. You can have as many lists as you like and open
a new list anytime. You can add, delete or edit people in the list. The
name of the currently open list is shown in the Title Bar at the top of
the AbbottChat window.
If you have the Directory Services on, AbbottChat will indicate which of
your friends are online by turning their list icon green. A red icon means
the person is not online.
To add a person to the list, click the Add Person button in the toolbar
(6th from left).
To chat with a person in the list, double click their icon.
To stop chatting with a person in the list, click to select the person,
then click the Stop Chatting button in the toolbar (11th from left)
To send an Alert to a person in the list, first click to select the person,
then click the Alert button in the toolbar (9th from left). To broadcast
an Alert to everyone in your list, just click the Alert button in the toolbar.
To select a person in the list, click the person. To select several people
in the list, hold down the Shift key and click the people. To select a range
of people, hold down the Shift key and click the first and last people in
the range.
To create a new list, click the New button in the toolbar (far left),
or choose New from the File menu.
To open a list, click the Open button in the toolbar (2nd from left), or
choose Open from the File menu.
To save a list, click the Save button in the toolbar (3rd from left), or
choose Save from the File menu.
To save a list with a different name, or choose Save As.. from the File
menu.
To display the list in icon view, click the Icon View button in the toolbar
(4th from left)
To display the list in list view, click the List View button in the toolbar
(5th from left)
To delete a person from the list, click to select the person, then click
the Delete Person button in the toolbar (7th from left).
To edit a person from the list, click to select the person, then click the
Edit Person button in the toolbar (8th from left).
Chat
You can chat with almost anyone on the Internet (but remember, they must
be online and running AbbottChat.) First enter their ID in your list. Then,
if they are online and running AbbottChat, their icon will go green. Double
click it to send them a chat request. They can respond to your chat request
in several ways:
If they answer 'Yes-Privately', you will see a new window appear for
chat with that person only. This is 1-on-1 chat.
If they answer 'Yes', they will appear in your AbbottChat main window.
This is group chat. You can run a group chat
by sending out multiple chat requests and having everyone answer them 'Yes'.
With group chat, one person must always act as the host and send out all
the chat requests. As the host of a group chat you have FULL control. Only
the people you invite can chat, nobody can 'drop in.' You can even throw
someone off the chat (just click to select the person in the alist, then
choose 'Stop Chatting' from the Chat menu.)
If they answer 'No', your request will be rejected and you will receive
no notification.
If they answer 'No, Send Regrets', your request will be rejected and
you will receive a brief rejection message.
You can move a person from a group chat to private chat. First click
to select the person, then click the Move To Private Chat button in the
toolbar (12 th from left)
Chat Color
You can assign a different color to each person's chat. This can be helpful
in distinguishing your chat from others, or in making group chat easier
to read.
To assign a chat color to a person, click to select them in the list, then
click the Edit Person button in the toolbar (8th from left).
Saving chat
The Win95/98/NT version allows you to log chat sessions to disk. You can
switch this feature ON/OFF in the Chat section of Preferences. Chat sessions
are saved as text files in the Logs folder which is located at:
C:Program Files:Abbott Systems:AbbottChat:Logs
Alerts
Alerts are special instant messages. You can send them to selected people,
or broadcast to your entire list. Alerts are totally independent of chat,
so you do NOT need to be chatting with someone to send them an Alert. To
send an Alert to a person in the list, first click to select the person,
then click the Alert button in the toolbar (9th from left). To broadcast
an Alert to everyone in the list just click the Alert button in the toolbar.
Do Not Disturb
If you do not want to receive chat requests or Alerts, choose Do Not Disturb
from the Chat menu. All incoming chat requests and Alerts will then be refused
automatically with a brief message saying you are busy.
File Transfer
You can send a file to anyone in your list provided they are online. Click
to select the person in the list, then choose Send File from the Chat menu.
If you are chatting with the person in a private window, just click the
small button to the left of the message area and choose Send File. File
transfer occurs in the background and does NOT effect your chat, you can
chat and send files at the same time.
Sending Sounds
You can send a brief 'alert sound' to any person in your list provided they
are online. Click to select the person in the list, then choose Send Sound
from the Chat menu.
Intranets
You can use AbbottChat on an Intranet (behind a Firewall) if all users have
permanent IP addresses and use them as their Identity. Also, Directory services
must be turned OFF in Preferences. Icons in the list will NOT turn green,
but you can still double click them to chat. If you are running a LAN that
uses TCP/IP protocol, but does not use permanent IP addresses you can still
use AbbottChat but you will need a copy of the AbbottChat
Server.
Problems
If you have problems establishing a chat connection with someone check the
following:
-Check your Preferences to make sure you have your Identity set. Ask them
to check theirs. Also, make sure both of you have Directory Services ON.
-Check you have entered their ID correctly in your list.
-Make sure they are online and running AbbottChat.
-Check to see if you are trying to cross a Firewall. The Firewall could
be on your side or their side. AbbottChat cannot cross Firewalls, but can
be used on an Intranet that is behind a firewall.
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