Knowledge base
1000 FAQs, 500 tutorials and explanatory videos. Here, there are only solutions!
Thank you for choosing Infomaniak and kChat as your discussion solution for yourself, your circle, or your company!
These guides will help you to organize your channels, users, conversations, and more!
Getting Started
kChat is the instant messaging of kSuite which allows you to exchange, share, and coordinate your teams securely from your web browser, mobile, tablet, or computer.
Download the kChat app on your devices!
What would you like to do?
- Manage users
- Manage a channel
- Manage a conversation
- React to messages
- Manage kChat notifications
- Format messages and insert images
Any questions or feedback?
- Infomaniak Support is available to you 7/7
- See all kChat FAQs
- Feel free to share your suggestions
This guide allows you to access the management of external applications for kChat.
Prerequisites
- not be an external user (this user won't see the Integrations menu)
Accessing the Interface
To configure a webhook, find applications and self-hosted or third-party integrations:
- open the kChat application (on your device or from a browser at URL kchat.infomaniak.com)
- click on the chevron to the right of your kChat organization name
- click on Integrations
- access categories:
Integration Example
Create a Simple Incoming Webhook
For this:
- click on the Incoming Webhooks category
- click on the blue button Add Incoming Webhooks
- add a name and a description (max 500 characters) for the webhook
- select the channel that will receive messages
- save to get the URL (do not disclose publicly) of type:
https://your-kchat-server.xyz/hooks/xxx-generated-key-xxx
Using the Webhook
On the application that needs to post on kChat:
- adjust the code below according to the obtained URL:
POST /hooks/xxx-generated-key-xxx HTTP/1.1
Host: your-kchat-server.xyz
Content-Type: application/json
Content-Length: 63
{
"text": "Hello, this is a text\nThis is another text."
} - optionally use the same request but in curl (to test from a Terminal on macOS for example):
curl -i -X POST -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d '{"text": "Hello, this is a text\nThis is another text."}' https://your-kchat-server.xyz/hooks/xxx-generated-key-xxx
If no Content-Type header is set, the request body must be preceded by payload= like this:
payload={"text": "Hello, this is a text\nThis is another text."}
A successful request will receive the following response:
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Content-Type: application/json
X-Version-Id: 4.7.1.dev.12799dvd77e172e8a2eba0f4041ec1471.false
Date: Sun, 01 Jun 2023 17:00:00 GMT
Content-Length: 58
{
"id":"x",
"create_at":1713198308869,
"update_at":1713198308869,
"delete_at":0,
"user_id":"x",
"channel_id":"x",
"root_id":"",
"original_id":"",
"participants":null,
"message":"test",
"type":"",
"props":{
"override_username":"webhook",
"override_icon_url":null,
"override_icon_emoji":null,
"webhook_display_name":"test",
"attachments":[
],
"card":null,
"from_webhook":"true"
},
"hashtags":null,
"metadata":{
"embeds":[
{
"type":"message_attachment"
}
],
"files":[
],
"reactions":[
]
},
"file_ids":null,
"has_reactions":false,
"edit_at":0,
"is_pinned":false,
"remote_id":null,
"reply_count":0,
"pending_post_id":null,
"is_following":false
}
If you want the same response format as Slack:
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Content-Type: text/plain
X-Request-Id: hoan69ws7rp5xj7wu9rmystry
X-Version-Id: 4.7.1.dev.12799dvd77e172e8a2eba0f4041ec1471.false
Date: Sun, 01 Jun 2023 17:00:00 GMT
Content-Length: 2
ok
you need to add ?slack_return_format=true
to the webhook URL.
Settings
In addition to the text
field, here is the complete list of supported parameters:
Parameter | Description | Required |
---|---|---|
text | Message in Markdown format to display in the post. To trigger notifications, use @<username> , @channel , and @here as you would in other kChat messages. | If attachments is not set, yes |
channel | Replaces the channel in which the message is posted. Use the channel name, not the display name, use for example town-square , not Place de la Ville .Use "@" followed by a username to send a direct message. By default, use the channel set when the webhook was created. The webhook can post in any public and private channel where the webhook creator is present. Posts in direct messages will appear in the direct message between the targeted user and the webhook creator. | No |
username | Replaces the username under which the message is posted. By default, use the username set when the webhook was created; if no username was set when created, use webhook .The Allow integrations to replace usernames configuration parameter must be enabled for the username replacement to take effect. | No |
icon_url | Replaces the profile picture with which the message is posted. By default, use the URL set when the webhook was created; if no icon was set when created, the standard webhook icon () is displayed. The Allow integrations to replace profile picture icons configuration parameter must be enabled for the icon replacement to take effect. | No |
icon_emoji | Replaces the profile picture and the icon_url parameter.By default, nothing is set when the webhook is created. The expected value is the name of an emoji as typed in a message, with or without colons ( : ).The Allow integrations to replace profile picture icons configuration parameter must be enabled for the replacement to take effect. | No |
attachments | Message attachments used for richer formatting options. | If text is not set, yes |
type | Sets the publication type , mainly for use by plugins.If not empty, must start with " custom_ ". | No |
Code Example with Parameters
Here's how to generate a more complete message with parameters, some of which can replace established parameters when the webhook was created (username, preferred channel, avatar...) as indicated in the table above:
POST /hooks/xxx-generated-key-xxx HTTP/1.1
Host: your-kchat-server.xyz
Content-Type: application/json
Content-Length: 630
{
"channel": "kchatemp",
"username": "test-automation",
"icon_url": "https://domain.xyz/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/icon.png",
"text": "#### Test Results for July 27, 2023\n@channel please check failed tests.\n\n| Component | Tests Conducted | Tests Failed |\n|:-----------|:-----------:|:-----------------------------------------------|\n| Server | 948 | 0 |\n| Web Client | 123 | 2 [(see details)](https://linktologs) |\n| iOS Client | 78 | 3 [(see details)](https://linktologs) |"
}
This will result in displaying this message in the kchatemp channel of the organization:
This guide explains how to get event reminders from Infomaniak Calendar on a chat system like kChat or Slack.
This feature will allow you to be notified in the chat thread of your choice when an event is approaching.
What is a webhook?
The webhook system is a method for one application or service to send information to another application or service in real-time in a secure and authenticated manner.
Setting up the webhook in Calendar
To add the webhook from your chat system to Calendar:
- Log in to Calendar (calendar.infomaniak.com), the calendar/agenda part of Infomaniak Mail, using a web browser like Brave or Firefox
- Click on the icon at the top right of the interface
- Click on the Add a webhook button (under Custom notifications)
- Configure:
- (A) A name for easy identification of the webhook when you add reminders
- (B) The URL of the webhook (obtained from your chat system - examples are provided below in the FAQ)
- (C) The elements (automatically taken from your event and/or added manually here) and their arrangement in the message that will be sent:
- Insert %subject% to include the event's subject
- Insert %date% to include the event's date
- Insert %description% to include the event's description
- Insert %location% to include the event's location
- Click Save
Create an event with chat reminders
Now that Calendar is linked to your chat system account, you can choose to be notified in a chat when you add a reminder to an event:
- Log in to Calendar (calendar.infomaniak.com) using a web browser like Brave or Firefox
- Create a new event
- Click at the bottom right to show the additional fields
- Add a reminder
- In the dropdown menu, select the configured webhook
- Save the changes
You will now receive a reminder in the chat associated with the webhook.
Examples of obtaining a webhook
kChat
- Open the kChat application
- Go to the Integrations section
- Click on Incoming Webhooks:
- Click on Add at the top right
- Complete the required information to create the "bot" that will post reminder messages in kChat in the channel of your choice:
- Save to obtain the webhook URL:
- Create the custom notification in Calendar (read above if necessary):
- Select your custom notification when adding a reminder to your event:
Slack
- Open this Slack page and authenticate with your Slack credentials
- Choose the channel where your reminders will appear (e.g., @slackbot or #general)
- Save to obtain the webhook URL
Create other webhooks to set reminders in other chat threads.
Customize Slack reminder messages
You can freely use Slack's formatting options in your notifications. For example:
Don't forget to `%subject%` for %date%.
Mark the date: %description%.
Event location: %location%
This guide details user management in kChat.
Viewing Members of a Channel
To see the users with access to the selected channel:
- Click on the character icon below the channel title
- The participants will be displayed in a column on the right side of kChat
Add or Remove a User
To add a user to kChat, they must be part of the same organization:
- Log in to the Infomaniak Manager (manager.infomaniak.com) from a web browser like Brave or Firefox
- Click on Users and Profile in the left sidebar
- Click on Users
- Click on Add a User in the top right corner
You can also invite an external user to chat with you on kChat.
In the same place, you can remove kChat rights from a user by removing them from the organization:
Invite or Remove a Member from a Private Channel
To manage users with access to a private channel:
- Click on the character icon below the channel title
- The current participants are displayed in a column on the right side of kChat
- The blue Add button invites a kChat user from the organization who does not yet have access to this private channel
- The blue Manage button allows you to remove a member from this channel or appoint them as a Administrator of the channel so that they can manage members in turn:
This guide explains the use of smileys and other emojis to react and interact in kChat discussions.
Add a Reaction to a Message
To react to any message at any time in kChat, simply hover over the message and select either the emoji from the selection or the smiley with a plus sign:
If there are already reactions, you can add one in the same place:
This will open the panel with hundreds of emojis available (and even custom emojis - read more below).
Expressing with an Emoji or GIF
Adding an emoji within the message you are composing is very simple. Just click on the smiling face icon in the formatting bar of your message:
You can then choose an emoji:
or insert short animated GIFs rather than an emoji using the tab at the top of the box that appears when you click on the smiling face icon:
If you know the name of the symbol to insert, you can also type: (2 colons) followed by the first 2 characters at a minimum:
Tip: if you add #, ##, or ### as the first character of a new line containing an emoji, you can use a larger emoji. To try, send a message like '# :smile:' (note that your custom settings may "disable" this display feature on your interface).
To set the default color, click on this symbol in the emoji panel:
Custom Emojis
To manage additional emojis, click on this button in the emoji panel:Specify a name up to 64 characters long. It can contain lowercase letters, numbers, and the characters "-", "+", and "_".
Specify a .gif, .png, or .jpg file for your emoji. The file can weigh up to 1 MB. The size is automatically resized to 128 by 128 pixels while maintaining the aspect ratio.
The emoji can then be used by all kChat users in your organization thanks to the name you assigned to it.
This guide details the concept of conversations on kChat, organized within private and public discussion channels, as well as direct discussions between users.
Starting a Conversation
To write to a user in your organization, click on the + to the right of Direct Messages to select them:
Send your message; if necessary, attach files up to 100 MB.
To mention one of the organization's members via a message, type the "@" symbol to display the people or channels to mention. Note that depending on the type of channel involved, mentioning a user displays a message allowing you to add them to the discussion; otherwise, they won't see the mention.
Requesting a Read Receipt
To allow users to acknowledge receipt of your message and thus indicate that they have read the message, enable a read receipt before sending the message on the channel by clicking on the ⦅!⦆ icon and then toggling the button :
Once the message is sent, the result will be as follows:
Editing or Deleting a Message
To edit a message (which will then include an edited message mention), click on the action menu to the right of the message to edit. In the same place, you can also delete your message, which will then disappear from the discussion for all users:
Organizing Conversations in kChat
The sorting type for the elements you manage on the left side of the screen is very important.
Imagine opening kChat after several days of absence, the unread conversations will be displayed one below the other. After reading them, you may want to find information read among one of them, so sorting by recent activity, for example (read below for other possibilities), allows you to find the last conversations that concerned you.
This choice of sorting type is available for all elements: discussion channels, categories, direct messages, etc.
Searching for a Conversation
The search for items (word, participant, file) is located at the top of the window:
Once results are found, they appear on the right side of the window.
Threaded Discussion
Regardless of the channel or private chat with another user, you can start a threaded discussion from another by simply choosing Reply on the desired message.
A threaded discussion will open on your right, allowing each user in the channel to contribute to this specific thread without disturbing any new topics in the ongoing channel:
These threaded discussions are then centralized to be read and reread in the Threaded Discussions section of the left sidebar.
Infomaniak is a Swiss company certified ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 which complies with the GDPR. Our main objective is to guarantee the security and confidentiality of the data entrusted to us. Many measures are in place to ensure the protection of your communications with kChat:
- the Infomaniak Manager allows you to check whether your organization's users have activated two-factor authentication
- data on hold and in transit are encrypted, as are the backups automatically performed by Infomaniak
- the data is hosted in Switzerland in data centers developed and managed exclusively by Infomaniak
kChat avoids spam and phishing which are responsible for the majority of security problems and data leaks in companies. Using kChat to communicate:
- you only receive messages from your collaborators or external users that you have approved
- you can create private channels to restrict sensitive information to specific people
- you permanently control the access rights of users who can access kChat
This guide pertains to kChat, Infomaniak's instant messaging platform that allows you to exchange, share, and coordinate with your teams securely from your web browser, mobile device, tablet, or computer.
Getting kChat
kChat is available with kSuite.
Once you have set up kSuite:
- Download the kChat application for Windows / macOS and Android / iOS
or
- Use kChat online in a recent browser by logging into your user account on kchat.infomaniak.com or https://your-organization.kchat.infomaniak.com/
Read the Getting Started Guide (click here).
This guide explains how to insert formatted text and images into your messages on kChat.
Formatting Message Text
Here are the symbols to add before and after your text to format it in the desired style:
Symbols | Result | Example |
---|---|---|
* | italic | *This will be italic* |
** | bold | **This will be bold** |
*** | italic+bold | ***This will be italic+bold*** |
~~ | ~~This will be strikethrough~~ | |
``` | code line | ```This is code``` |
You can also insert this:
Symbols | Result | Example |
---|---|---|
*** | (separator / horizontal line) | 1st part *** 2nd part |
Inserting an Image into the Message
from a URL
Insert the following code into your message replacing the alt text and the image address (URL) with the image link (it must be accessible and visible on the web):
![alt-text](https://www.domain.xyz/xyz/image.png)<br>
Example
Message with image insertion syntax:
Preview before sending:
Click on the image after sending:
from the hard drive or kDrive
Click on the paperclip icon to insert an existing image from your hard drive or kDrive:
The image will be inserted into the message which you can then send directly in the conversation without necessarily adding additional text.
This guide details the use and management of channels in kChat.
A kChat channel is a dedicated communication space for a project, theme, or team where members can exchange documents, chat in real-time, and organize video conferences.
General Channel
Every organization on kChat automatically has a General channel to which all users are automatically invited.
You can use this channel to share information that concerns your entire organization, such as company updates or motivational news.
You can, of course, start a new conversation thread within the General channel as well.
Additional Channel
To add a new discussion channel:
- Click on the + button located in the left sidebar of kChat
- Click on Create a new channel
Channel Information
When creating a new channel, you can choose:
1. its name
It will be editable later on.
2. its URL
By default, it takes the name of the channel, but you can modify it using lowercase letters, numbers, periods, hyphens, and underscores - also editable later on.
3. its status Private
or Public
It will be editable later on (read below).
4. its description
The description helps specify how this channel should be used. This text appears in the list of channels in the "More..." menu and provides users with an indication of whether they should join the channel or not.
Once the channel is created, you can still define:
5. a header
Differences between Private
and Public
channels
Public channels increase transparency. All users can see and join a public channel, ensuring that everyone involved in a project, theme, or team has access to the same information.
Private channels allow restricting sensitive content to users of your choice. Only an existing member can invite another user to a private channel. There are also differences in the management of archiving/deletion (read below).
Private channels are limited to 20 (50 with kSuite Pro and 1000 with the Enterprise offer).
Convert a Public Channel to a Private Channel
To turn a Public channel into a Private channel:
- Click on the Public channel in the left sidebar menu
- Then click on the channel title at the top of the discussion
- Choose Convert
Message history and member ownership are preserved; publicly shared files remain accessible to anyone with the link; the change is permanent and cannot be undone.
What about the reverse?
The reverse (changing a Private channel to a Public channel) is also possible, but only a kChat administrator user can do it; message history is preserved.
Leave a Channel
Aside from the main channel titled General, you can leave a channel at any time:
- Click on the action menu â‹® to the right of the relevant channel (in the left sidebar)
- Click on Leave the channel
If you leave a Private channel, you won't find it in the search anymore but only via its URL if you have it or by being re-invited by a channel member.
If you leave a Public channel, you leave it immediately but can rejoin it anytime by finding it with its name in the search, even if it has been archived.
Archive/Delete a Channel
Aside from the main channel titled General, you can archive a channel at any time, preventing any new messages and not counting it towards your available channel quota:
- Click on the channel in the left sidebar menu
- Then click on the channel title at the top of the discussion
- Click on Archive the channel
If you create a channel and then archive it, you can rejoin it anytime by finding it with its name in the search:
You can then unarchive it:
or close it to not see it on your interface anymore:
Bookmark a Channel
To bookmark any channel, simply:
- Click on the star located at the top of a channel
- A new Bookmarks menu will appear in the left sidebar, grouping all items you have bookmarked (valid for your user only)
Mute a Channel
You can hide notifications from a channel:
- Click on the action menu â‹® to the right of the relevant channel (in the left sidebar)
- Choose Mute
Organize by Categories
By clicking on the + button located in the left sidebar of kChat, you can add one or more categories allowing you to place items (channel, contact, etc.) within them. Then drag the desired channel onto the created category (valid for your user only):
User-to-User Chat Channel
Direct messages are direct conversations between two or more people that occur outside of channels.
Every user within an organization can freely create direct messages whose content will only be visible to the involved individuals.