Send messages, share files and understand receipts¶
Use a conversation for discussion with its participants. Use a channel for updates to its selected audience. Messages can explain work and link people to it, but sending or reading a message does not approve a request, complete a task or sign a document.
Availability: The steps below follow the intended final design. The current app preview contains sample conversations, messages and receipt labels; its Send and Save draft controls do not establish working messaging. Confirm that messaging and file opening are connected in your workspace before relying on the results.
Choose the right conversation¶
- Open the correct workspace, then HiveComms and Collaboration.
- Choose Direct messages or Channels. The Direct messages list also includes group conversations.
- Select the intended conversation or channel. Check its title and people before sharing information.
- Use Details to review the audience when needed. See Start conversations and manage people for adding, removing and leaving.
You need active membership in the conversation and the relevant HiveComms access. Basic access supports ordinary one-to-one messaging; advanced access is needed for normal group and channel participation. A saved conversation or an old browser window does not guarantee that you still have permission to use it.
Do not treat joining or rejoining as a promise that earlier messages are hidden. The current history selection allows active participants to read earlier conversation messages without a join-date cutoff. Check the existing discussion before adding a new person if its contents are sensitive.
Write and send a message¶
- In a conversation, enter your text in Write a message. A channel uses Share an update.
- Review the text and the selected conversation. Text can contain up to 2,000 characters.
- If needed, attach one file using the steps below.
- Select Send message once.
- Confirm that the message appears in the intended conversation. Read its status separately from the content.
A message needs text, a file, or both. A blank message without a file is not a valid send. The inspected final screens do not establish a reply-to-message, edit, delete, recall or saved-draft journey. Do not rely on the sample preview's Save draft button to preserve your writing.
If sending times out, check the conversation before sending again. A missing response does not prove that nothing was saved, and a retry can create another message. Preserve unsent text while investigating; avoid repeatedly posting the same text to test the connection.
Attach one file¶
- Check that the file is intended for everyone in the conversation.
- Select Attach file and choose one supported file.
- Check the selected file before choosing Send message. You can include a message with the file or send the file on its own.
- Confirm the saved message and filename. A file being selected locally is not proof that it uploaded successfully.
The current per-file limit is 25 MiB: 26,214,400 bytes. Supported filename extensions are:
| Kind | Extensions |
|---|---|
| Documents and text | .pdf, .doc, .docx, .rtf, .odt, .txt |
| Presentations | .ppt, .pptx |
| Spreadsheets | .xls, .xlsx |
| Images | .png, .jpg, .jpeg, .gif, .webp |
The extension check does not establish that a file is safe, readable or appropriate to share. Follow your organization's rules for confidential material. Filenames may be normalized when saved, such as replacing spaces and extra dots in the name with underscores.
Sending another file with the same name in the same conversation from the same person can be rejected even when its contents changed. If you intentionally share a new version, use a clear versioned filename after checking whether the earlier send succeeded. Renaming is not a substitute for resolving an uncertain upload, and attaching a new file does not update a formal record's version.
Open a shared file¶
In the intended conversation or channel screen, find the attachment by filename and select Open. Check that it is the expected file before using it.
Chat attachments use a temporary file link. This path does not establish the interactive viewing, signing or review steps used by formal records and workflow documents. Depending on the connected app and file type, opening may lead to a download; do not expect every attachment to have an in-app preview.
If the link expires or opening fails, return to the message and try opening it again after refreshing. Ask support if it still fails. Do not repost sensitive files merely to test access, and do not share a temporary file link as a permanent reference. Leaving a conversation does not erase files already downloaded or prove that an issued link immediately stops working.
Understand message status¶
The final screens show three labels on your outgoing messages. They describe different stages and are separate from marking an inbox item read or resolved.
| Label | Meaning and limit |
|---|---|
| Sent | The message has a sent state. It is not proof that every recipient received or opened it. Check saved history when the result is uncertain. |
| Delivered to everyone | Delivery acknowledgements have been recorded for all active participants other than the sender when that result was calculated. It does not mean those people read or approved the contents. |
| Read by everyone | Read acknowledgements have been recorded for all active participants other than the sender when that result was calculated. It does not prove attention, agreement or completion of the underlying work. |
Conversation badges currently use shared read completion rather than your individual read receipt. Reading a message can therefore leave it counted while another participant has not read it. Some automatic work updates are counted differently in the badge and the list. Do not send another message or repeatedly mark items just to make those numbers match.
Membership can change after a receipt was calculated. These labels are not a permanent statement about everyone who has ever belonged to the conversation or a fresh check of everyone who belongs now. A read acknowledgement and a delivery acknowledgement are recorded separately, so do not infer one solely from the other.
Live updates can arrive late, be repeated or be missed during a connection interruption. Refresh the conversation to check saved history. An online or typing indication, when available, is not proof of delivery or an instruction to resend.
Read older messages and linked updates¶
Conversation history loads in portions. An initial view or a short list is not a complete archive, and an older-message control has not yet been verified in the inspected final screens. The current time-based paging can miss messages sharing a page-boundary timestamp. If expected history is absent, ask support to investigate rather than treating the page as evidence that the message never existed.
A channel can display a Linked update with Open linked work item. Use the owning work item to verify current details and carry out its approvals or other actions. The discussion itself does not grant access to that item, and a copied update may not show later changes. Complete linked-work behavior is still under verification.
For updates copied from business work into a channel, read Understand linked updates. A saved relationship, a stored update and a delivered message have separate meanings and verification limits.
Recover from problems¶
| What you see | What to do next |
|---|---|
| Send is unavailable or access is refused | Check the selected conversation, active membership and relevant access with your administrator. An organizational title does not replace conversation membership. |
| The send result is unclear | Refresh saved history and compare the text, file and approximate time before retrying. Avoid repeated sends while the outcome is unresolved. |
| The file is too large or unsupported | Choose an allowed file within the limit. Do not split or convert confidential material through an unapproved service. |
| A file already exists | Check the previous message first. Use a distinct versioned filename only for an intentional new version. |
| A file will not open | Reopen from the refreshed message. If it still fails, contact support with the filename and visible error, without copying the temporary link into a public channel. |
| Delivery or read status is slow to change | Check the connection and refresh. A delayed receipt is not proof of rejection; do not resend just to change a label. |
| The session can no longer access the account | Sign in again when prompted. If access still fails, ask your administrator; reconnecting does not restore revoked access. |
| An older message appears missing | Give support the conversation, approximate time and available message reference. A partial history page is not an audit or deletion receipt. |
Use your approved support channel. Provide the workspace, conversation, action, approximate time and visible error. Include message contents or files only when necessary and authorized.
For managers and business readers, these distinctions protect the meaning of work: discussion supports coordination, receipts describe application acknowledgements, and authoritative approvals or records remain in their owning feature. See the Messaging overview and inbox guide.