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About Instant Messaging

Flare has an instant messaging system built into its user interface. This is especially useful for source control tasks when you are working with a team of writers. However, you do not need to be working with source control in order to take advantage of this feature. You can send an instant message on any subject to any individual on your network who also has Flare installed.

Following are some of the tasks you can perform when it comes to instant messaging:

Send an instant message You can send an instant message to another individual using Flare on your network. See Sending Instant Messages.
Reply to an instant message You can reply to an instant message that another individual on your network has sent to you. See Replying to Instant Messages.
Select an instant message status You can select your instant messaging status for others to see. For example, you can let other users know that you are out to lunch, and therefore unavailable for instant messaging. See Selecting an Instant Messaging Status.
View instant messages You can view instant messages as they are received from others. See Viewing Instant Messages.
View other instant message users You view the list of individuals using Flare on your network. This includes the ability to see the status of each user (e.g., available, away, out to lunch). See Viewing Instant Messaging Users.
Request a user to check in source control files If you discover that another user already has that file checked out, you can automatically send a request to that user to check in the file. This is a completely automated process involving instant messaging or email. Not only are the messages sent to the appropriate individuals automatically, but the mechanisms for checking in and checking out the necessary files are built in to those messages. This means that you and the other authors on your team do not need to hunt down the correct files manually. See Requesting a User to Check In Source Control Files.
Request a user to view source control files If you want another author to review a file and provide comments, this can be done by performing a request to view files. Similar to the process for requesting check-ins, this feature uses instant messaging to streamline the workflow. See Requesting a User to View Files.
Disable If necessary, your network administrator can disable Flare's instant messaging feature. This can be done for Flare, as well as any other MadCap products that use instant messaging. See Disabling Instant Messaging.

Many of the tasks listed above can be performed from the Instant Messages window pane, which can be opened by selecting View>Instant Messages. However, you do not need to have this window pane open or visible to know when you have received an instant message. You don't even need to have a Flare project open. When another user sends you an instant message, you will receive a popup on your screen.