Main Window

After the step-by-step druid is complete, Gabber's main window will appear as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2. Gabber

Roster

Most of the real estate on the main window is taken up by the list of contacts or roster. Roster items (contacts) are grouped within separate user-definable groups. If no group is specified for a user, they will fall within the All group. Server agents are listed in the special group, Agents/Transports. If users within a group are online, Gabber will display the number of users online within parenthesis following the group name. The next section, the section called Status explains user status information. A couple of options regarding display of offline users and agents is available from the Gabber menu.

NoteServer-Side Roster
 

Jabber clients keep a list of a user's contacts in a server-side roster or a "Buddy List." All roster information is kept on the server. This makes it easy to move between different clients and makes the pain much less after accidentally erasing the client information.

User Context Menu

By right clicking on a user in the roster, Gabber will load a user context menu to allow the user to manipulate functions directly related to the highlighted user. The following options are available:

  • Message... (Ctrl-M) Sends a regular message to the user.

  • One-on-One Chat... (Ctrl-O) Begins a one-on-one chat with the user.

  • View User Information... (Ctrl-I) Loads the Edit User dialog.

  • Edit Groups... Loads the Edit Groups dialog.

  • View History... Loads a log of messages in a web browser.

  • Re-request Subscription Sends a subscription request to the specified user.

  • Delete User (Ctrl-D) Removes the user from the roster.

Status

Status for Roster Items

Status information (Online, Chatty, Away, Not Available, Do Not Disturb) for users on the roster can be represented by icons to the left of the user and by the text color of the user's name. A lighted bulb and light blue text, for example, means the user is online and available; a NA sign and dark green text reflects that the user is Not Available.

The latest status information about a user on the roster will be shown on the status bar. Figure 2 in the section called Main Window gives an example of an active status bar and the status of various users.

Status information about a user will not appear until a subscription has been successfully approved and processed by the other user. See the section called Subscriptions for more information about subscriptions.

Status icons and colors can be configured (or disabled completely) from the Preferences dialog.

User Status

If the Gabber user is currently logged into Jabber, the user's online status information will be displayed in the Status button on the toolbar underneath the Roster. Figure 2 in the section called Main Window shows the user as Online.

To change the status information, simply click the drop down status box to load the User Status dialog. Simply type a custom message in the status text box and click Update Status to send the updated status to users on the roster.

The status toolbar can be disabled in the Preferences dialog.

Toolbar

The toolbar gives the user quick access to commonly used functions such as adding a new user, joining a group chat, and loading the manual. By hovering over each icon on the toolbar, a short description of the function of each icon will be displayed.

The toolbar can be disabled from the Preferences dialog.

Menu Bar

The menu bar located at the top of Gabber's main window, provides the following commands:

Gabber

  • Login... (Ctrl-L) If the user has not logged in yet, this menu item loads the Login dialog to allow the user to specify login information and to connect to the server.

  • Logout After being logged in, the Logout menu item allows the connection to be terminated. Activating Logout during a login proceedure will cancel the current login routine.

  • Hide Offline Users (Ctrl-H) Hides users who are offline on the roster. Note that this does not hide offline agents.

  • Hide Agents/Transports Hides the entire Agents/Transports group on the roster.

  • My User Information... Loads the User Information dialog for editing information stored in the Jabber User Directory.

  • Preferences... Loads the Preferences dialog to allow the user to customize Gabber.

  • Exit (Ctrl-Q) Exits Gabber.

Services

  • New Blank Message... Creates a new blank message to an unspecified user.

  • Add User... (Ctrl-U) Loads the Locate User druid.

  • Browse Agents/IM Systems... (Ctrl-B) Loads the Agents Browser to register with agents and other Instant Messaging systems.

  • Join Group Chat... (Ctrl-C) Loads the Group Chat login dialog to begin a group chat (conference).

  • Jabber Message Rules (Ctrl-R) Loads the Jabber Message Rules List dialog to allow the customization of how incoming messages are handled.

Help

  • Gabber Manual... Shows this manual.

  • About... Shows basic information about Gabber.