Thanks! How can I see it is a wiki page now?
Use-cases, chat rules and configuration options
I can’t add the feature proposal category to the existing [wiki] threads (get’s lost after editing the top post).
Can maybe someone give it a try to fix this please.
testbird, I really like the idea of a wiki, but this interface doesn’t really look like a wiki I fill a bit disoriented when reading it 
is this a post you just want to treat as a wiki, or this is supposed to be a real wiki???
well, can we add a “lite mode” request to this wiki???, that is a common request from users on slow/paid networks
Yes, this “wiki mode” is strange here. When the admins enable the wiki mode, the top post should become editable not only by the original author. At least I see an “edit” button instead of a pencil.
The devs closed the old wiki saying this forum feature that allows to make some posts publicly editable is the new wiki.
Editing seems also to be available through the changelog view (button at the top right of the post).
1 Like
The “Chat Approval Modes” provide simplified switching between these basic preset modes (with their corresponding default settings),so users don’t need to go into the advanced settings. (Allowing to change the basic mode without having to fiddle with every customization option.)
(related: post)
Any other ideas for a simplified wording for the basic “Chat Approval Mode” selection?
Listen for chat-starting messages from?:
- Nobody (only manually started chats)
- Known contacts (address book and email-approved)
- Any contact
The default for new installations could be the second option, together with opening received chat messages automatically and to prompt when receiving short email messages.
If desired or needed, the 4 missing configuration options + 3 general features (from above, and used by these three presets) should still allow to further customize deltachat to (almost?) any use-case (advanced options).
I think we could solve the confusion problem around chat aproval with a better help site that explains everything and maybe a small wizard at the first start of the app. But actually such a wizard is a risk, because most people want to use it simply as a messenger and have already an email app connected to that, and might be scared away by such a wizard.
Not to mention that WhatsApp is not only through the network effect as successful as it is, but also because the simple 2 step setup:
- Put in your phonenumber
- recieve the sms and put - in the code (they even do that step automaticaly if you give them access to your sms messages)
When we do a wizzard it needs to be carefully planed so it doesn’t scare users away.
Yes, that’s why I proposed just needing one configuration option "Who should be allowed to contact you directly in Delta Chat? (nobody, known contacts, everybody), and for new installations simply defaulting to “known contacts” (to receive new chat messages and qualifying short emails).
And also having a “new emails” counter enabled for new users, which can be easily disabled, but allows new users to see (manually browse) the recent messages in the INBOX, to notice, react to and contact email contacts.
Thus overall not having to need any wizard, or maybe even necessarily a reachability FAQ, because the setting pretty much explains it.
1 Like
I like the idea to get a peek on the normal emails.
1 Like
Steps like introducing the “show emails” option and it’s default “no”
Believe it or not that was actually a community request. “I don’t want to get emails in deltachat, I have my mail program/app for that.”
Sure I believe you. I even think I saw such requests for this use-case myself somewhere, but concluded that just doing away with the emails (and by default, nothing less) and then only optionally showing emails doesn’t cut it just right.
It unfortunately cuts off a large part of the deltachat users from being reachable for a chat by classic email contacts.
The problem can be solved elegantly though, I think,
- with that metric for emails that qualify emails as chat attempts, together with
- changing the “show emails” option into a broader reachability option (for both chat messages and chat qualifying emails), and
- the option to hide that default “new emails” counter (which helps new users to get started with their empty chat list).
I agree with all of the above for all cases where it is used simultaneously with an MUA, but I will continue to defend a simple alternative for those who decide to use it as the only application to manage their mail.
That is, when the “ALL” option is selected, all messages must enter the chat list without so many obstacles.
If the new message is not in the contacts, then ask for confirmation as it is done in most messengers.
ACCEPT:
to start chatting.
BLOCK:
Remove messages as soon as they enter the server.
Maybe, a third option.
IGNORE:
It is not displayed in Delta.chat but it is not deleted from the server.
1 Like
The wiki post proposes having “tentative chats” as long as no reply was sent. It means the chats are immediately created and inspectable, but still show an “X” button, that allows to delete the entire chat right away if it isn’t wanted. And triggers selection checkboxes whether the message was an
[ ] email (moved back to INBOX), or just
[ ] junk/spam (moved to spam detection folder),
and action buttons to either welcome or block the contact (FROM address) for further messages.
A significant difference is that rather than “show emails: all”, above, the selection becomes “chat reachable by: everybody”.
So it is just what one needs to receive all emails in chats, e.g. if not using any separate classic MUA.
The “max. chat message metrics” setting would have to be set to unlimited manually though, I guess, to allow showing emails of any length.
With these settings, the “new emails” counter (that allows to peak at the emails for the other cases) might even be disabled automatically, because it would only be redundant.
So your use-case should be covered.
please note that the initial post may be outdated and does not reflect ongoing or past developments of Delta Chat nor is maintained by the Delta Chat staff.
also, we removed the wiki state (that was never used at all) to make the ownership more clear.