Chat Messaging Features

Everything you can do with messages in FanDesk Chat.

Sending Messages

Type in the message box and press Enter to send. Use Shift+Enter for a new line within a message.

Rich Text Formatting

FanDesk Chat supports Markdown-style formatting with keyboard shortcuts:

Code Blocks

Wrap multi-line code in triple backticks and specify a language for syntax highlighting:

```python
def hello():
    return "world"

### Link Formatting
URLs are automatically detected and made clickable. Paste any URL and FanDesk fetches a preview card with the page title, description, and image.

## Emoji and Reactions

### Emoji Picker
Click the smiley face icon in the message toolbar to open the full emoji picker:
- Search by name or keyword
- Recently used emojis at the top
- Categorized by type

### Emoji Shortcodes
Type shortcodes inline and they convert as you type:
- `:smile:` → 😊
- `:thumbsup:` → 👍
- `:fire:` → 🔥
- `:rocket:` → 🚀
- `:heart:` → ❤️

400+ shortcodes supported with autocomplete.

### Reactions
React to any message with an emoji:
1. Hover over a message
2. Click the **reaction** button (smiley face that appears on hover)
3. Select an emoji from the picker

Quick reactions shown by default: 👍 ❤️ 😂 😮 😢 🎉 🔥 👀

Multiple people can add the same reaction — click an existing reaction to add yours. See who reacted by hovering over the reaction count.

## File Sharing

### Uploading Files
Three ways to attach files:
- **Drag and drop** files directly onto the message area
- **Click the attachment icon** in the message toolbar and browse files
- **Paste from clipboard** — screenshots and copied images attach instantly

### Supported File Types
All file types are accepted. Common types get special treatment:
- **Images** (PNG, JPG, GIF, WebP) — displayed inline in the chat
- **GIFs** — animated and play inline
- **PDFs** — preview with download link
- **All other files** — shown as a named download link with file size

### GIF Picker
Send animated GIFs via the built-in Tenor integration:
1. Click the **GIF** button in the toolbar
2. Search by keyword (e.g., "celebration", "thumbs up")
3. Click any GIF to send it instantly

Trending GIFs shown when you open the picker without searching.

## Mentions

### Mentioning Teammates
Type `@` and start typing a name — autocomplete shows matching team members:
- `@sarah` — Sends Sarah a notification
- The mention highlights in the message and creates a notification for the mentioned person

### Broadcast Mentions
Mention everyone in a channel at once:
- `@channel` — Notifies all current members of the channel
- `@everyone` — Notifies every workspace member (use sparingly for urgent announcements)

Broadcast mentions trigger notifications even for members with channel notifications muted — use them intentionally.

## Message Scheduling

Send messages at a future time — useful for communicating across time zones or preparing announcements:

1. Type your message in the message box
2. Click the **dropdown arrow** next to the Send button
3. Select **Schedule Message**
4. Choose a date and time (or pick from presets like "Tomorrow morning")
5. Click **Schedule**

The message is queued and sent automatically at the specified time.

### Managing Scheduled Messages
- View all scheduled messages from the channel's **Scheduled** panel
- Edit the message content or reschedule before it sends
- Cancel a scheduled message to discard it

## Pinned Messages

Pin important messages so they're easy to find later — great for channel rules, key decisions, or important links.

### Pinning a Message
1. Hover over the message
2. Click the **...** (more actions) menu
3. Select **Pin Message**
4. The message is added to the channel's Pinned panel

### Viewing Pinned Messages
Click the **pin icon** in the channel header to open the Pinned panel. See all pinned messages in chronological order. Click any pinned item to jump to that message in the conversation.

### Unpinning
Open the Pinned panel, hover over any message, and click **Unpin**.

## Full Message Actions

Hover over any message to reveal the actions toolbar:

| Action | Description |
|--------|-------------|
| **React** | Add an emoji reaction |
| **Reply in thread** | Start or continue a focused thread |
| **Pin** | Pin to channel for easy access |
| **Save** | Bookmark the message for later |
| **Edit** | Edit your own message (shows edited indicator) |
| **Delete** | Permanently delete your own message |
| **Forward** | Share the message to another channel or DM |
| **Copy link** | Get a direct link to this specific message |

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Next: Learn about threads and search in [Threads & Search](/docs/features/chat-threads).