Chat
This chapter explains how to manage the Chat feature.
Key Concepts of the Chat Feature
The Chat feature is a chatroom that was developed by Jenzabar and uses SignalR to handle cross-browser communication. Each instance of the feature is a single chat room that users can enter and chat with each other.
Managing a Chat Feature Instance
You manage an instance of the Chat feature using the links found under the Admin Options heading in the right sidebar.
Administrative options include the following:
Chat availability – Add and edit chat availability and customize an availability message for users.
View log files – View and download chat log files.
How To
The Chat feature allows you to schedule times at which Chat will be available for users. If users access the feature outside of the available times that you specify, they will view the availability message that you have written (refer to Customize the Availability Message).
Note
After you set up available chat times on the Chat Availability screen, the Chat feature instance will be available only at those times. If you do not set up chat availability, the Chat feature instance will always be available.
To add chat availability:
Navigate to the Chat feature instance for which you wish to set up availability.
Click the Chat availability link under the Admin Options heading on the top right.
The Chat Availability screen displays, showing chat availability for the current week.
Take one of the following actions:
Click and drag your cursor from a start time on the calendar to an end time on the calendar.
Click once on a start time on the calendar.
To make chat available all day for a specific day, click in the All day box for that day, e.g., Monday.
The Add availability pop-up window displays. The start time and end time are prepopulated based on where you clicked and dragged on the calendar as shown in the following screenshot. If you single-clicked on the calendar, the end time will be 30 minutes after the start time by default. If you clicked the All day box for a specific day, the Add availability pop-up window displays the name of the day.
If necessary, make changes to the start and end time of chat availability in the Add availability pop-up window.
Click Add availability.
The Add availability pop-up window closes, and the calendar redisplays with the new availability added.
To edit chat availability:
Click the specific time period that has chat availability.
The Edit availability pop-up window appears.
Either enter the time changes and click the Update availability button OR click the Delete button.
The Edit availability pop-up window closes, and the calendar redisplays with the applicable changes or deletion.
Note
There is no confirmation pop-up window that displays after clicking the Delete button.
On the Chat Availability screen, you can also customize the message that displays to users when chat is unavailable.
Navigate to the Chat feature instance for which you wish to set up availability.
Click the Chat availability link under the Admin Options heading on the top right.
The Chat Availability screen displays the current Chat unavailable message.
Click the Edit button to the right of the availability message.
A text editor displays with a variety of options for customizing the availability message.
Customize the message as you desire.
Click the Save button.
Navigate to the Chat feature instance for which you wish to view or download log files.
Click the View log files link under the Admin Options heading.
Select the Enable Session Logging checkbox.
A checkmark displays in that checkbox.
Click the Return to Chat link on the right.
When logging is enabled, the Chat feature keeps logs for each chat that takes place in the feature instance. Users with the Can Manage Logs permission can access these logs via the View log files link found under the administrative options in the upper-right corner of the Chat window.
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Log files are organized according to month and year. This screen provides options for downloading or deleting individual chat sessions, all logs for a particular month or all logs since the Chat feature instance was created.
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To manage log files:
Navigate to the Chat feature instance for which you wish to view or download log files.
Click the View log files link under the Admin Options heading.
A list of all log files displays.
Take any of the following actions:
To view a log file, click its title, e.g., the date link such as "10/7/2025" at the top of the session.
To download a log file, click the corresponding Download button.
To download all log files for a particular month, click the Download all button next to the month and year.
To download the complete chat history, click the Download all button at the top of the screen.
To delete a log file, click the corresponding Delete button.
To delete all log files for a particular month, click the Delete all button next to the month and year.
To delete the complete chat history, click the Delete all button at the top of the screen.