Chapter 7. Instant Messaging with Kopete¶
Contents
Kopete is an online messenger application allowing multiple partners connected to the Internet to chat with each other. Kopete currently supports all common messenger protocols, such as AOL* Instant Messenger (AIM), GroupWise® Messenger, ICQ, IRC, Jabber*, Lotus* Sametime, MSN, SMS, and Yahoo!*.
7.1. Configuring Kopete¶
Before you can chat with your friends, you need to configure an account:
Open Kopete by pressing Alt+F2 and entering kopete. If Kopete does not start, check if the package
kdenetwork3-InstantMessengeris installed.When starting Kopete for the first time, a configuration wizard appears that assists you in creating your user profile. Otherwise, select +.
Choose and either select an account from the list to the account, or click to create a new account.
Select your messaging service. Generally, this is mostly determined by what service your friends are using.
If the messaging services requires registration but you do not have an account for this service yet, click . In the browser window that opens, enter your user data to register.
Switch back to Kopete and enter the data received on registration with the messaging service. This usually consists of the nickname or e-mail address and a password. Complete the configuration of your account by clicking .
After you have configured your account you need to add contacts to chat with them. If you have already created an account on another PC this data is imported and automatically added to your contact list. To manually create a contact entry, click +. A new assistant appears to help with creation. However, you must be online and connect with Kopete to the selected messaging service to add a contact to your list.
7.2. Chatting with Friends¶
It is necessary to be connected to the Internet to be able to chat with other participants. When this is done, you should set your status by clicking ++. This establishes a connection between Kopete and the selected messaging service. After the successful login, you are visible to others.
The main application windows features a list of contacts. You must have contacts to chat with others. When you right-click a contact marked as online, a menu opens with various options. Send that person a message or start a chatting session. A chat allows invitation of additional participants for real-time discussion. Connection to all participants is closed when the creator of the chat session closes it.
If you want to see your previous chat session, select a contact and go to +. This menu item opens a dialog where you can search and view your chat sessions with this person.
You can view other options by right-clicking a username. A pop-up menu opens. An important option is to start a chatting session. With and , you can run the respective action. The pop-up menu also contains a submenu item with the username where you can block the user or get user information.
![[Tip]](admon/tip.png) | Scrolling Through Old Chat Sessions |
|---|---|
If you want to know what you wrote during one of the last chat sessions with a person, click a contact to open the chat window again and press Alt+← or Alt+→ to scroll through your sessions. Alternatively, use the arrow icons in the toolbar to scroll back and forth. | |
7.3. Customizing Kopete¶
Kopete offers numerous options to customize it according to your needs. Find some examples in the following sections.
7.3.1. Adding Groups¶
Grouping contacts in your list can give a better overview. Click +. Name the group and confirm this with . A new folder appears in the contact list that can be used to store the desired contacts. Drag and drop contacts into the desired folder.
Empty groups can be disabled by activating +.
7.3.2. Using a Global Identity¶
Kopete can manage several accounts which is helpful if you have friends using different messenger protocols. Instead of creating several identities for various protocols, you can also set up a “global identity”:
In Kopete, select +.
In the configuration window, select and activate .
Click and enter a name for your global identity.
Specify some details for your identity such as nickname or photo.
On the tab, decide if you want to use a nickname or a nickname already specified in another Kopete account.
If you want to add a photo, select one of the options on the tab.
In order to use data that you have already specified in KAddressbook, go to the tab first. Click , select your entry from the list and click . Now you can switch back to the or tab and activate the address book options there.
7.3.3. Changing the Appearance¶
Kopete lets you install new themes, change the style of the chat window or modify colors and fonts. To change the appearance, select + and click . Find two examples below:
- Installing a New Icon Theme
On the tab, click for a list of themes available from the Internet. To download one or several themes, select an entry in the list and click . The new theme is added to your list on the tab. From there, choose the desired theme and click .
- Changing the Style of the Chat Window
Choose one of several Kopete styles available from the tab or download new styles with .
7.3.4. Configuring Notifications¶
Kopete allows you to configure notifications for events such as contacts coming online or going offline or an incoming message for you.
If you want to be notified if a certain contact has come online, proceed as follows:
Make sure all your contacts are shown in the Kopete window (otherwise select +).
Right-click your preferred contact and select .
Go to the tab and select .
Decide which action should be executed for this event: , , or .
Click to confirm your settings.
To modify the default notification options, select +. Select which event is important for you and change the notification settings. For example, if you want to be informed by a sound when any of your contacts has come online, select and activate . Select the sound and click to close the configuration dialog.
7.3.5. Configuring Kopete Plug-ins¶
Kopete offers some nice extensions for you chat sessions which can be accessed from +. For example, you can auto replace text, encrypt outgoing messages, highlight text if the message contains some interesting words, render LaTeX formulas, or translate messages.
7.4. For More Information¶
More information about Kopete and chats can be found on the following Web sites:
- Kopete Home Page
- Common Abbreviations Used in Chat Sessions
http://www.webopedia.com/quick_ref/textmessageabbreviations.asp
- KDE “Internet & Network” Forum