User Manual

Chapter 5

Communicating

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NetSupport PC-Duo offers several methods of communicating between Controls and Clients:

• Controls can engage in text conversations with one or more Clients using a dedicated Chat window.
• A Control can send messages to selected Clients, all Clients to which the Control is connected, to a Group of Clients, or broadcast a message to all Clients on a network.
• A Control can also use NetSupport PC-Duo's Audio Chat facilities to communicate with a Client. Additionally, the Announce facility allows you to send an Audio message to one or more connected Clients.
• Clients can request help from a Control by sending Help Request messages.

Sending Messages

NetSupport PC-Duo enables you to send messages to:

• All available Clients on the network, irrespective of whether or not they are connected.
• All currently connected Clients (the Clients displayed the Quick View bar, and those Clients with an arrow symbol displayed alongside their icons in the List View).
• The Clients currently selected in the Control window's List View.

Sending Messages to Clients

To Send a Message to a Client:

1. In the Control window's Tree View, select Clients.
2. In the List View, right-click the Client to which you want to send the message.
3. In the shortcut menu, choose the Message command to display the Send Message dialog.

4. Ensure the Currently selected Clients option is selected, then type your message in the text box.
5. Click the Send button to send your message to the Client.

Sending Messages to Groups

To Send a Message to a Group:

1. In the Control window's Tree View, select Groups.
2. Right-click the Group to which you want to send the message, then choose the Message command from the shortcut menu.
3. In the Send Message dialog, ensure the Members of Group Option is selected, then type your message in the text box.
4. Click the Send button to send your message to the Group.

Sending Messages to All Clients on the Network

You can broadcast message to all available Clients on the network, even if they are not currently connected.

To Send a Message to All Clients on the Network:

1. Choose the Tools, Broadcast Message menu command.
2. Choose the Client group you want to send the message to.
3. In the Send Message dialog, type your message in the text box.
4. Click the Send button to send your message to all available Clients.

Using the Chat Feature

Using NetSupport PC-Duo, you can engage in a text conversation between selected Clients and the Control. The conversation takes place in a dedicated window.

Windows 95 Clients must install WinSock2 before they can use the multiple-Client Chat feature. You can download the Winsock.dll from the Microsoft Web site.

Starting a Chat Session

You do not need to be connected to a Client before starting a Chat session with them.

To Start a Chat Session:

1. In the List View of the Control window, select the Clients that you want to communicate with.

   If you are already connected to the Client, you can also start a chat session by clicking the Chat button in the View window or the File Transfer window's Toolbar.

2. Click the Chat button in the Toolbar. The Create Discussion dialog is displayed.

3. If you want to give a name to the discussion, type the name in the Topic box.
4. Deselect any Clients that you want to exclude from the discussion, then click the OK button to display the Chat window.

Chatting to Clients

When you start a Chat session, a Chat window is displayed on all selected Clients, and the current participants are displayed in the Members list.

You can chat to all participating Clients using the large discussion box, and the Message box:

• Type your messages in the Message text box, and click the Send button to broadcast it to members of the discussion.
• Your messages and the messages of the Clients are displayed in the discussion box.

To add new Clients to the discussion, click the Invite button, select their entries in the Add Members dialog and click the Add button.

To remove Clients from the discussion, select their entries in the Members list, and click the Eject button.

To end the Chat session, click the Close button.

Audio Chat and Announcements

NetSupport PC-Duo enables a Control user to chat to a Client user in real-time using a microphone, soundcard and speaker.

Additionally, you can broadcast an audio message to one or more connected Clients using the Announce feature.

The Audio settings for the Control can be configured using the Settings for Configuration dialog-accessed via the Settings button in the Control window Toolbar. For more information about configuring Controls, see "Amending Control Profile Settings".

The Client's audio settings can be customized using the CLIENT32.INI dialog's Audio tab. This dialog is accessed using the Client Configurator. For more information, see "Configuring Clients".

Using Audio Chat

NetSupport PC-Duo's Audio Chat facility enables you to have two-way conversations between a Control and a Client. You can also use this feature when performing a Show (see "Showing the Control PC to Clients and Groups"), to provide a commentary to the demonstration.

Audio chats are initiated using the Audio button in the relevant View or Show window's Toolbar.

When you click the Audio button, a drop-down menu is displayed.

The commands in the Audio button's menu perform the following actions:

On

activates a Chat session. When a Chat session is activated, the window's status bar displays the volume levels being received.

Off

terminates a Chat session.

Talk Only

means the Audio is sent in one direction only, from the Control to the Client.

Listen Only

stops the Control user from being heard by the Client.

Additionally, you can use the Mute button in the Toolbar to turn the speaker and microphone off. (This button acts as a toggle; click it again to reactivate the speaker and microphone.)

An Audio Chat may automatically deactivate if another application on the Control PC or Client PC needs to use the soundcard. (A message box is displayed to inform you of this.)

Making Audio Announcements

To Make an Audio Announcement:

1. In the Control window, choose the Tools, Announce menu command.
2. In the Announce dialog, choose These Clients, and deselect any Clients you do not want to talk to.
3. Click the Announce button. A message box is displayed to say inform you that you can now make your announcement.
4. Make the announcement, and click the OK button when you have finished.

Receiving Help Requests

Help Requests can be sent by Client PC users to notify a connected Control that they require assistance.

If there is no Control connected to the Client when they send a Help Request, the Request will be received the next time a Control connects to the Client.

When a Help Request has been received by a Control, it is stored in that Control's Help Requests list. A Control stores only one Help Request per Client.

Working with Help Requests:

• The Help Requests icon in the Tree View changes to a green icon when a Help Request is received.
• To list the Clients who have sent Help Requests, select Help Requests in the Tree View to display the Help Requests list.
• To view the messages in the Help Requests list, choose the View, Details menu command to display the list in Details view. The Help Request messages are displayed in the Help Message column.

• You can also view a Help Request from a Client by right-clicking on the Client in the Help Requests list and choosing Properties from the shortcut menu. When the Client Properties dialog is displayed, click the Help Requested tab to display their Help message.
• To resize the Help Message column drag the right edge of the column title.
• To clear a Help Request after assisting a user, right-click the Client in the Help Requests list, then choose the Clear Help command from the shortcut menu.

  You can also click the Clear button in the Help Requested tab of the Client Properties dialog to clear a request for help.

Responding to Calls from Clients

When Clients use their Call Control facility to contact a Control, the Client Connect dialog is displayed at the Control PC.

The buttons in this dialog enable you to view the Client in a View window, Chat to the Client, or Disconnect the Client.

The check box at the bottom of the dialog enables you to delete the Client's latest Help Request. Click the Close button to close the dialog.

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