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Chat

What Chat is​

Chat is BarnManager's real-time messaging feature. Use it to send direct and group messages to other people in your barn, share files, and keep conversations going outside of Posts. Chat is powered by Sendbird.

The Chat screen has two parts: a list of your conversations (titled Messages) on the left, and the selected conversation on the right. On mobile, you see the conversation list first and tap a conversation to open it.

Starting a conversation​

  1. Open Chat.
  2. Select the + button near the Messages heading.
  3. Choose the type of conversation:
    • Start One-on-One Chat — a direct conversation with one person.
    • Create Group Chat — a conversation with multiple people.

One-on-one​

In Start One-on-One Chat, search for a person by name or email, then select them. The conversation opens immediately.

Group​

In Create Group Chat:

  1. Enter a group name (required).
  2. Search for people by name or email and select each person to add. Selected people appear as chips you can remove.
  3. Select Create Group Chat.

Finding conversations​

Use the Search conversations... box above the conversation list to filter your existing conversations. Each conversation shows its name and a preview of the last message, or "No messages yet" if none have been sent.

Sending messages and attachments​

Open a conversation and type in the message box at the bottom, then send.

To share a file, drag and drop it onto the conversation, or use the attachment control in the message box. Allowed file types are images, PDF, Word, and Excel files. Images and supported files display inline in the conversation and can be previewed.

You can delete a file you've sent using the actions menu on the message; it is removed from the conversation for everyone.

Managing a group conversation​

When you have a group conversation open, the header provides:

  • Add member — search for and add more people to the group.
  • Group options → Group details — view the group's members. From here you can remove a member.

Direct vs. group conversations​

Direct (one-on-one)Group
ParticipantsYou and one other personYou and multiple people
NameThe other person's nameA group name you set
Add members laterNoYes, via Add member
Group details / remove membersNoYes

If the Chat feature isn't configured for your barn, you'll see a setup message instead of the conversation list. Contact your administrator if that happens.