Chat

Communicate with other users through chat rooms and private messages

Nicotine+ provides multiple ways to communicate with other users on the Soulseek network, including public chat rooms, private messages, and user interactions.

Chat Rooms

Chat rooms are public spaces where multiple users can communicate:

Joining Rooms

1. Find a Room

   Discover rooms through:

   • Server room list (refreshed automatically)
   • Auto-join list in preferences
   • Room search from other users
   • Direct room name entry
2. Join the Room

   Click a room name or enter it manually:

   • Room names are limited to 24 characters
   • Only ASCII characters allowed
   • Case-sensitive
   • Spaces are preserved
3. View Room Info

   After joining, you’ll see:

   • List of users currently in the room
   • User statistics (files, speed)
   • Room ticker messages
   • Whether it’s a private room

Room Types

Public Rooms

Anyone can join and participate:

Features:

• Listed in server room list
• No membership required
• Open to all users
• Moderated by community

Examples: music genres, languages, interests

Private Rooms

Membership-based rooms with restricted access:

Features:

• Owner-controlled membership
• Operator permissions
• Member list management
• Invitation system

Access: Requires invitation from owner/operator

Global Room

Special server-wide public chat:

Features:

• Always available
• Named “Public ” (with trailing space)
• Highest visibility
• General discussion

Sending Messages

1. Type Your Message

   Enter text in the message input field at the bottom of the room tab.

2. Use Commands (Optional)

   Special commands available:

   /me action          - Send action message (* username action)
   /join roomname      - Join another room  
   /leave              - Leave current room
   /clear              - Clear room messages
   
3. Send Message

   Press Enter to send. Your message:

   • Appears to all room users
   • Logged if logging enabled
   • Processed by word replacement (if configured)
   • Filtered through plugins

Messages cannot contain newline characters. Pressing Enter sends the message immediately.

Room Features

Room Tickers

Set a personal status message visible to all room users:

1. Right-click the room tab
2. Select “Set Ticker”
3. Enter your ticker message
4. Ticker appears in room’s ticker panel

Uses: Share status, announcements, interests

User List

View all users currently in the room:

• Username: Click to view user info
• Status: Online/Away indicator
• Speed: Upload speed
• Files: Number of shared files
• Country: Geographic location flag

Actions: Right-click for user menu

Private Room Management

If you own or operate a private room:

Owner Actions

Room owners have full control:

Add Members: Invite users to join room

Remove Members: Revoke room access

Add Operators: Grant moderation powers

Remove Operators: Revoke operator status

Ownership: Transfer or cancel room ownership

Settings: Configure room properties

Operator Actions

Operators can manage room membership:

Add Members: Invite new users

Remove Members: Remove disruptive users

Moderate: Enforce room rules

Note: Cannot add/remove other operators

Member Actions

Regular members can:

Participate: Send and read messages

Leave: Cancel membership anytime

View: See member and operator lists

Room Invitations

Control whether you receive private room invites:

1. Open Preferences

   Navigate to Settings > Server

2. Toggle Invitations

   Enable/disable “Accept Private Room Invitations”

3. Receive Invites

   When enabled:

   • Room owners can add you to private rooms
   • You receive membership notifications
   • Rooms appear in your room list

Private Messages

One-on-one communication with individual users:

Sending Private Messages

1. Open Chat

   Start a private conversation:

   • Click username in room/search
   • Use “Send Message” menu option
   • Type username in new chat tab
2. Compose Message

   Type your message in the input field

3. Send

   Press Enter to send. Message is:

   • Delivered via server
   • Queued if user is offline
   • Logged if logging enabled
   • Acknowledged by server

Private Message Features

Message Types

Different message formats:

Regular: Standard text messages

Action: /me style actions

/me is listening to music
Result: * username is listening to music

CTCP: Client-to-client protocol

Send: VERSION
Reply: Nicotine+ version info

Auto-Reply

Automatic responses when away:

Setup:

1. Set status to Away
2. Configure auto-reply message in preferences
3. Message sent once per user per away session

Example: “I’m away from keyboard, will respond later”

Message Queue

Handle offline messages:

• Messages queued while user offline
• Delivered when user comes online
• IP address verification before display
• Ignored users filtered out

Chat History

Manage your conversation history:

History Settings

Store Private Chats: Remember open conversations

Auto-Reopen: Restore chats on startup

Clear: Remove all history

Selective: Close individual chats

Privacy: Disable storage in preferences

Message Notifications

Stay informed of new messages:

Highlight Triggers

Messages are highlighted when containing:

1. Your Username

   Automatic highlight when someone mentions you

2. Keywords

   Configure custom keywords in preferences:

   • Whole word matching
   • Case-insensitive
   • Listed in Words section
3. Username Mentions

   Highlight messages from specific users

Notification Types:

• Self: Your username mentioned
• Keyword: Custom keyword found
• Username: Specific user spoke

Desktop Notifications

Receive OS-level notifications:

Room Messages

Notify on chat room activity:

• New messages in rooms
• Mentions of your username
• Keyword matches
• Configurable per-room

Private Messages

Notify on direct messages:

• New private message received
• Shows sender and preview
• Click to open chat
• Sound alerts (optional)

Text Formatting

Customize message appearance:

Word Replacement

Automatically replace text in messages:

1. Configure Replacements

   Preferences > Words > Auto-Replace

2. Add Patterns

   Enter find/replace pairs:

   lol -> laughing out loud
   brb -> be right back  
   
3. Enable Feature

   Toggle “Replace Words” checkbox

Word Censoring

Filter incoming messages:

1. Add Censored Words

   Preferences > Words > Censored

2. Set Patterns

   List words/phrases to censor

3. Enable Censoring

   Toggle “Censor Words” checkbox

Censoring only affects incoming messages, not your own.

Chat Logging

Record conversations to disk:

Enable Logging

All Rooms

Log all chat room messages:

1. Preferences > Logging
2. Enable “Log Chat Rooms”
3. Messages saved to room log folder

Specific Rooms

Log selected rooms only:

1. Preferences > Logging > Rooms
2. Add room names to list
3. Only listed rooms logged

Private Chats

Log private messages:

1. Preferences > Logging
2. Enable “Log Private Chats”
3. Choose specific users or all

Log Format

Logs are saved as text files:

[13:45:22] [username] message text
[13:46:10] * username action message  
[13:47:03] Public | [username] global room message

Log Locations:

• Rooms: ~/.local/share/nicotine/chatlogs/rooms/
• Private: ~/.local/share/nicotine/chatlogs/private/

Text Completion

Speed up typing with auto-completion:

Completion Sources

What Can Be Completed

Usernames: All known users

Room Names: Public and private rooms

Buddy Names: Users on buddy list

Commands: Available slash commands

Custom: Plugin-defined completions

Using Completion

1. Start Typing

   Enter first few characters of word

2. Trigger Completion

   Press Tab key

3. Cycle Options

   Press Tab repeatedly to cycle through matches

Message Filtering

Control which messages you see:

Ignore Users

Block messages from specific users:

1. Add to Ignore List

   Right-click username > Ignore User

2. Effect

   User’s messages hidden in:

   • Chat rooms
   • Private messages
   • Ticker updates
   • Search results
3. Manage List

   Preferences > Users > Ignored Users

IP-Based Ignoring

Block by IP address:

• More persistent than username ignore
• Survives username changes
• Configured in preferences
• Affects all network interactions

Server Messages

Special messages from the server user:

Messages from user “server” are official notifications:

• Room status updates
• Membership changes
• Server announcements
• Error messages

Some server messages auto-redirect to relevant room tabs.

Bulk Messaging

Send messages to multiple users:

1. Select Target Group

   Choose from:

   • Buddies: All users on buddy list
   • Downloading: Users downloading from you
2. Compose Message

   Type message in bulk message dialog

3. Send

   Message delivered to all users in group

Use bulk messaging sparingly to avoid being perceived as spamming.

Best Practices

Chat Etiquette:

• Be respectful and considerate
• Avoid spam and excessive messaging
• Use private messages for personal conversations
• Respect room rules and operators
• Don’t beg for files or privileges
• Use appropriate language for the room

Privacy Tips:

• Don’t share personal information publicly
• Be cautious with file sharing offers via PM
• Use ignore feature for troublesome users
• Report serious issues to room operators
• Review logs periodically if enabled

Troubleshooting

Messages Not Sending

1. Check server connection status
2. Verify user is not offline
3. Check message doesn’t contain newlines
4. Ensure you haven’t been banned from room
5. Confirm you’re still a room member

Not Receiving Messages

• User might have you ignored
• IP-based ignore active
• Messages queued (user offline)
• Room membership revoked
• Network connectivity issues

Auto-Completion Not Working

• Enable completion in preferences
• Verify completion sources enabled
• Check Tab key not remapped
• Ensure sufficient text typed