Using the Message Inbox

Whenever someone sends you a new private message, it goes into your message inbox. There are two common ways to view and act upon your inbox. One is through the Chatterbox nodelet, and the other is through the Message Inbox page.

(For testing purposes, you can send a private message to yourself by typing
    /msg your_username some text
in the Chatterbox.)

Private messages in the Chatterbox nodelet

The current contents of your inbox are displayed in the upper section of the Chatterbox nodelet. (The lower section is the public Chatterbox itself.) Next to each private message listed there, you will see a checkbox. If you'd like to delete one or more messages immediately, you can simply check their checkboxes and press the talk button of Chatterbox.

There is a limit to the number of private messages the Chatterbox nodelet will display. This parameter (and others) can be set in the Private Message Settings section of your User Settings.

See the Chatterbox FAQ for more info on how to use the Chatterbox.

Other actions (such as replying and archiving) are available on the Message Inbox page.

Accessing the Message Inbox

For your convenience, there are two links to the Message Inbox page just below your private messages in the Chatterbox nodelet — that is, at the bottom of the upper section of the Chatterbox nodelet. They will look something like this:

• And 21 more, 378 archived

The Message Inbox page

Whenever you visit your Message Inbox, you will see one line per message, with the following fields:

• Delete - a checkbox
• Reply to - a radiobutton
• Message - the text of the message itself
• Archive - a checkbox

Beneath these there is a line with the following fields:

• a Reply to radiobutton labeled 'Nobody'
• a Message textbox labeled 'Reply text:'
• a Submit button

Below this is a section for "archived messages". Archived messages are really no different from the normal messages in your inbox; this just gives you one simple level of organization. It's rather like having two inboxes — but all incoming private messages go into the one; the other is called "archived". Also note that archived messages will not be listed in your Chatterbox nodelet. In general, PerlMonks clients can and do distinguish between normal and archived message inboxes.

In the Archived Messages section, the field headings are slighly different:

• Delete
• Reply to
• Archived Message
• Unarchive

When you press the Submit button, the following actions happen:

1. Any messages whose Delete checkbox is checked are deleted from your inbox.
2. Any messages whose Archive checkbox is checked are moved into your archived messages section.
3. Any messages whose Unarchive checkbox is checked are moved into your (normal) messages section.
4. If any message has its Reply to radiobutton checked, the text in the 'Reply text:' textbox is sent to the author of that message as a private message.

(Note: There are actually two submit buttons on the page, but let that not confuse you. They do the same thing.)

Here are the actions you can perform:

• Send a reply:
  1. Check the radio button next to the message to which you'd like to reply.
  2. Type your reply in the text box.
  3. Press one of the Submit buttons.

  You won't get a real confirmation that a message actually got sent, but at the bottom of the Chatterbox nodelet you'll get a message confirming your attempt.

• Delete one or more messages without sending any reply:
  1. Check the relevant checkboxes in the first column (under Delete).
  2. Leave all of the "Reply to" radiobuttons unselected, or select the one under 'Nobody'.
  3. Press one of the Submit buttons.

• Archive a message:
  1. Check the checkbox in the Archive column of the relevant message(s).
  2. Leave all of the "Reply to" radiobuttons unselected, or select the one under 'Nobody'.
  3. Press one of the Submit buttons.

• Unarchive a message:
  1. Check the checkbox in the Unarchive column of the relevant message(s).
  2. Leave all of the "Reply to" radiobuttons unselected, or select the one under 'Nobody'.
  3. Press one of the Submit buttons.

The above actions can be combined in one operation, since the message delete/archive and reply are essentially independent actions. For example, you can reply to and delete a message in the same operation. You can even reply to one message while at the same time deleting and archiving other messages.

There is a limit to the number of private messages the Message Inbox page will display. You can set this parameter via the small form at the bottom of the Message Inbox page. In addition, this parameter (and others) can be set in the Private Message Settings section of your User Settings.

What's this 'Do not send at all' thing?

Selecting Do not send at all for the recipient of a reply message is the default. It means that no message will be sent. It allows you to Delete, Archive or Unarchive messages without sending a reply message at the same time. Selecting Do not send at all has the same effect as not selecting any radiobutton. It's there in case you select a particular recipient and then change your mind.

See related: Message Outbox