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NCRA Online's chat platform has a number of features which you might want to become familiar with. This article deals with only the chat application, not the instant messenger.

Sending Messages

After entering a room, you can type a message in the input field near the bottom of the chat area. Press Enter or click Send to send the message. Your message then appears on the chat screen preceded by your username. The message will be reaching all the users online in the same room. Press Ctrl+Enter to start a new line within your current message.

Sending Messages to a Specific User

The messages are still public, but directed to a particular user. In a face-to-face conversation with several people, you sometimes look at a particular person when you're talking.

If you are chatting in a room and want to send messages to one of the other chatters, click on his/her name in the user list or select the user nickname from the dropdown menu at the bottom of the window.

Whisper to Other People

In the list of users, select the people you want to whisper to. In the message text box at the bottom of the window, type what you want to say, and then click the Whisper button. Your message appears only to the people you selected.

Private Chat Window

Private Chat Window is used for a longer, private conversation taking place in it’s own window along side the room chat. Chatters are able to open a private window to any other chatter in the same channel to talk one on one.

To initiate a private chat window, either right-click the user's nickname in the room user list, and select the "Private Chat" option or double-click the user's nickname directly to activate a private window with him or her.

If someone initiates a private chat window with you, an "Accept" button will be displayed. By clicking the "Accept" button, you will accept the private chat and get in the chat window.

Chat Intervals

When one chat user sends too many messages at one time, either in open chat or in private message, Flooding occurs. Cute Chat has a Flood Control feature that automatically ignores a user when flooding occurs. The Interval between utterances is defined by administrator and the default value is one second.

Sometimes, you may get carried away writing a long message and flood accidentally, but users who flood deliberately in an attempt to disrupt the chat or the chat server will be banned by the administrator.

Ignoring Users

In the list of users, right-click the person you want to ignore, and then click Ignore. You will no longer see messages from this person. Other users of the chat room will continue to see them.

Alerts & Sounds

To be notified of each new message the users are provided with the option to set "Play sound". The Play sound option provides an audio cue when a new message is received only when the window is not in focus.

Every user has the abillity to enable/disable the sound alerts, if he wants/does not want to hear them.

To configure your alerts and sounds:

1. Click the control panel button in the Cute Chat toolbar.
2. Enable or disable the alert and sound options by click "Play Sounds".

Saving a Conversation

1. Click the control panel button.
2. Click "Save the chat log" option in the control panel menu.
3. Double-click the folder you want to save the conversation in.
4. In the File name box, type a name for the conversation, and then click Save.

Inviting Others into a Private Room

You might want to invite others into a private chat room. To receive your invitation, the people you are inviting must be online. Please note that only the private room creator has the permission to invite.

To invite others into a chat room:

1. In the conversation window, click the  Invite button.
2. Select the people you want to add to this conversation, and click OK. (You can select more than one people).

Clearing Your Screen

To clear screen:

1. Click the control panel button in the Cute Chat toolbar.
2. Press the Clear Screen button (looks like an eraser) to clear all messages on your screen.

View Another User's Profile

When you are in a chat room, right-click the user's nickname in the room user list, and then click "View Profile". This user's profile will open in a new browser window.

Changing Your Avatar

Avatars are small icons or graphics that represent you. You can choose an avatar to appear next to your nickname in the room’s member list and next to every message you type into the room.

To change the avatar:

1. Click the control panel button.
2. Click "Pick an Avatar" option in the control panel menu.
3. The Avatar pop-up window lists the available Avatars. Select the Avatar you like.

Using Smilies

Smilies are small graphical symbols that help you express emotions or moods, which may be helpful in the textual environment of the chat room. Typing a colon followed by a right parentheses in your message entry field, for example, will produce a small happy faced smilie when the message is displayed on the screen. Smilies may be sent on their own, or mixed in with your text message. There are many smilies included with the Chat program that you can use in your chatting. They are pictured below, along with the characters required to produce them.

CuteChat Commands

CuteChat uses a lot of command lines to perform its functions. When you want to enter a command, the very first character in the editbox must be a slash '/' followed by the command word. There is no space between the '/' prefix and the command word.
 
This tutorial will cover the commands you may be likely to use at the command line.
 
Command Description 

/help
If you've forgotten how to do something, the /help command will show you a concise list of the most frequently used commands. 

/clear
If the discussion gets too long, you can clear the screen by typing /clear. 

/avatars
Avatars are small graphical images that are displayed by your username in the chat rooms. You can select the image that best describes yourself by typing /avatars.

/msg DisplayName
The /msg command will send a private message to the person named which no others in the room can see. Example: /msg Robert

/invite DisplayName
Invite another to join the private window; Only can be used in the private window. Example: /invite Jim

/admin
Open the administration windows. Only can be used by room adminstrators.

/admin kick DisplayName
Kicks a member out of the room! Only can be used by room adminstrators.
 
/admin setpassword passwordstring Set a password on the room. Only can be used by room adminstrators.
 
/admin setpassword
Remove a room password. Only can be used by room adminstrators.

Change Skin Appearance

The Skin feature enables you to change the appearance of Cute Chat.

To change the skin:

1. Click the "Select skin" button in the Cute Chat toobar.
2. The skin selector lists the available skins. Select the skin you like.

Auto Focus

To be notified of each new message the users are provided with the option to set "Auto focus". The Auto focus option sets individual message windows to automatically gain focus when a new message is received.

To configure "Auto focus" option:

1. Click the control panel button in the Cute Chat toolbar.
2. Click "Auto focus" to set focus option.

Auto Scroll

Auto scroll is the feature that ensures you are always looking at the most recent events in the chat room. Sometimes you may wish to look back upon previous messages entered into the chatroom. Without being annoyed by Auto scroll, you can optionally turn on/off this feature.

To configure "Auto Scroll" option:

1. Click the control panel button in the Cute Chat toolbar.
2. Click "Auto Scroll" to turn on/off this feature.

Chat Acronyms

Acronyms are used in daily conversations in chat rooms. Many newcomers to chat rooms do not know what these acronyms stand for. Even some of the chat veterans don't know what some of them stand for since new acronyms are being born every day.

So how do you use these acronyms in chat? The process is really simple. In the middle of your message, all you have to do is type in the acronym that you want.