Messaging Features

Sable provides a rich messaging experience with support for text formatting, media attachments, reactions, threads, and more.

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Sending Messages

To send a message:

1. Navigate to a room
2. Type your message in the input box at the bottom
3. Press Enter to send (or Shift+Enter for new line)

Messages support Markdown formatting for rich text:

• **bold** for bold text
• *italic* or _italic_ for italic text
• ~~strikethrough~~ for strikethrough
• `code` for inline code
• Multi-line code blocks with triple backticks
• Lists with -, ---, -# markers

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Editing Messages

You can edit messages after sending them:

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Edit Your Last Message

• Press the Up Arrow key in an empty message input to edit your most recent message

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Edit Any Message

1. Hover over a message you sent
2. Click the Edit button (pencil icon)
3. Make your changes
4. Press Enter to save or Escape to cancel

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Edit Formatting

Edited messages show an “(edited)” indicator. The original message content is preserved in the message history.

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Replies and Threads

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Replying to Messages

To reply to a specific message:

1. Hover over the message (or swipe on mobile)
2. Click the Reply button
3. Type your reply - the original message will be quoted
4. Send your message

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Replies with Files

Sable supports responding to and rendering replies that include file attachments:

• Reply to messages containing images, videos, or documents
• File previews appear in the reply context
• Full file access from the original message

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Threading

Threaded conversations help keep discussions organized:

• Replies create visual thread indicators
• Navigate thread history to see conversation flow
• Collapse or expand thread views

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Message Reactions

React to messages with emoji:

1. Hover over a message
2. Click the Add Reaction button (emoji icon)
3. Select an emoji from the picker
4. Your reaction appears below the message

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Reaction Features

• Multiple users can use the same reaction
• Click a reaction to add yours or remove it
• View who reacted by hovering over reaction counts
• Supports custom emoji and standard Unicode emoji

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File Attachments

Share files, images, videos, and documents in messages:

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Sending Files

1. Click the Attach button (paperclip icon) in the message input
2. Select files from your device
3. Add an optional caption
4. Send the message

Or drag and drop files directly into the message input area.

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Supported File Types

• Images: PNG, JPG, GIF, WebP with inline previews
• Videos: MP4, WebM, and other common formats with inline players
• Documents: PDF with built-in viewer, and other document types
• Audio: MP3, OGG, and other audio files with playback controls

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Media Viewers

Sable includes enhanced image and PDF viewers:

• Touch pan and zoom on mobile
• Scroll wheel zoom on desktop
• Improved responsiveness
• Better gesture handling

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Pinned Messages

Pin important messages to make them easily accessible:

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Pinning Messages

1. Hover over a message
2. Click the More menu (three dots)
3. Select Pin message
4. The message is added to the room’s pinned messages

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Viewing Pinned Messages

• Click the Pins icon in the room header
• Browse all pinned messages in chronological order
• Jump to a pinned message in the timeline

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Pin Features

• Name colors in pinned messages for better readability
• Jump directly to pinned messages in the timeline (if previously seen)
• Unread indicators for new pins
• Pin management in room settings

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Message Actions

Hover over any message to reveal action buttons:

• Reply: Quote and respond to the message
• React: Add an emoji reaction
• Edit: Modify your own messages
• Delete: Remove your messages (moderators can delete any message)
• More: Access additional options like pin, copy link, view source

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Mobile Context Menu

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Message Formatting

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Jumbo Emoji

Send emoji-only messages to display them larger:

• Messages with only emoji (no text) appear jumbo-sized
• Supports up to a few emoji before reverting to normal size
• Works with custom emoji and Unicode emoji

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Name Colors

Sable supports global name colors for users:

• Automatically assigned based on user ID
• Helps distinguish different users in conversations
• Can be disabled in settings if preferred
• Works in messages, pinned messages, and member lists

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Timestamps

• Relative timestamps (“5 minutes ago”, “2 hours ago”)
• Show full timestamps on hover
• Jump to specific times in room history
• Time formatting improvements for better readability

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Message Search

Find specific messages in a room:

1. Click the Search icon in the room header
2. Enter your search query
3. Browse results with context
4. Click a result to jump to that message in the timeline

Search supports:

• Text content search
• Filter by sender
• Date range filtering

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Special Message Types

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Commands

Sable supports slash commands for special actions:

• /me <action> for emotes
• /shrug to append ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
• /tableflip and /unflip for table flip emoticons
• And many more room and user management commands

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Rich Content

• Link previews: Automatic previews for supported URLs
• Mentions: @username to mention users (sends notifications)
• Room pills: #roomname to create clickable room links
• Matrix.to links: Clickable links to rooms, users, and events

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Message Timeline

The message timeline shows your conversation history:

• Scroll up to load older messages
• Jump to unread messages
• Navigate to specific dates and times
• Follow live updates as new messages arrive

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Timeline Features

• Read receipts showing who’s seen messages
• Typing indicators when others are composing
• Message grouping by sender and time
• Member join/leave event filtering (can hide in announcement rooms)