33 Posting and Managing Messages and Feedback

33.4.1.1 Viewing Messages

Once you and your connections have set up your own Message Boards, you can see your own and, potentially, each other's messages. This section provides information about how to view each other's messages post-set-up. It includes the following subsections:

• Section 33.4.1.1.1, "Viewing Messages Others Have Left for You"

• Section 33.4.1.1.2, "Viewing Messages Others Have Received"

• Section 33.4.1.1.3, "Viewing Messages Sent to a Selected Space"

33.4.1.1.1 Viewing Messages Others Have Left for You

To view Message Board messages other users have left for you, go to the personal page in the Home Space that you have set up to receive Message Board messages (Figure 33-7).

Figure 33-7 Message Board Task Flow

33.4.1.2 Posting Messages

This section describes the various ways you can post messages and attachments. It includes the following subsections:

• Section 33.4.1.2.1, "Posting a Message to all of Your Connections"

• Section 33.4.1.2.2, "Posting a Message Scoped to a Selected Space"

• Section 33.4.1.2.3, "Posting a Private Message"

• Section 33.4.1.2.4, "Sharing a Private Message"

• Section 33.4.1.2.5, "Attaching a File or URL to a Message Board Message"

33.4.1.3 Editing Message Board Messages

Your application administrator can configure the Message Board feature to enable users to revise the messages they leave. Provided this permission is in place, you can edit any message you post.

To edit a Message Board message:

1. Go to the message you want to edit.

2. Click the Edit link associated with the message (Figure 33-16).

   Figure 33-16 Edit Link on a Message

   
   

   The Edit Message dialog opens with a Rich Text Editor prepopulated with your message text (Figure 33-17).

   Figure 33-17 Edit Message Dialog

   
   

3. Revise your message, and click Save.

33.4.1.4 Sorting and Filtering Message Board Messages

Your full view of the Message Board task flow includes sorting and filtering features for managing your view of your messages. Use the sorting feature to sort your messages by date or by the person who left the message. Use the filtering feature to show messages posted on a particular date or within a given date range.

To sort and filter your Message Board messages:

1. Go to the Message Board task flow.

2. From the Sort By menu, select a sorting option (Figure 33-18):

   Figure 33-18 Options on Sort By Menu

   
   

   • Date—Sort your messages by the date they were posted, from most recent to oldest.

   • Person Name—Sort your messages by the user name of the person who posted them, from A to Z.

3. To show messages between a particular range of dates, enter the beginning and end of the range respectively in the fields after From and To (Figure 33-19).

   Figure 33-19 Sort By Date Range Options

   
   

   Tip:

   Instead of entering dates, you can click the Select Date icon next to a field to select a date from a calendar.

   Accessibility Note:

   In WebCenter Spaces, you cannot use the keyboard to select a date from the calendar that pops up when you click the Select Date icon. Instead, manually enter the date into the field.

4. Click the button to the right of the fields to apply the filter.

   The Message Board refreshes, showing only those messages that fit your sorting and filtering criteria.

Tip:

To remove the date filtering criteria from your Message Board view, click the Clear Date icon to the right of the date range fields.

33.4.1.5 Hiding Messages in Your View of Message Board

You can hide any message you have received on your Message Board. Hiding provides a means of removing messages from your own view without actually deleting them. It is a non-permanent way to reduce the visual clutter of your Message Board view.

Users to whom you have given access to your messages can still see the messages that you have hidden.

To hide Message Board messages:

1. Go to the message you want to hide in your view of the Message Board task flow.

2. Click the Hide link next to the message you want to hide (Figure 33-20).

   Figure 33-20 Hide Link on a Message

   
   

   The message is hidden in your view of the Message Board. Other users you have permitted to view your Message Board can see this message when they visit your view.

33.4.1.6 Showing Hidden Messages

Use the Hidden checkbox on the Message Board task flow to show all of the messages you have hidden. The Hidden checkbox provides a means of showing all hidden messages in one operation, making it available to be unhidden or deleted.

To show hidden Message Board messages:

1. In your view of the Message Board task flow, select the Hidden checkbox to show the messages you have hidden (Figure 33-21).

   Figure 33-21 Hidden Checkbox on a Message Board Task Flow

   
   

2. Click the Unhide link next to the message you want to show (Figure 33-22).

   Figure 33-22 Unhide Link on a Message Board Task Flow

   
   

3. Optionally, clear the Hidden checkbox to hide the messages that are still marked as hidden.

33.4.1.7 Deleting Message Board Messages

Your application administrator can configure the Message Board to allow users to delete the messages they send. Provided this permission is in place, you can delete any message you send.

To delete a message you sent:

1. Go to your view of the Message Board, and click the Delete icon next to the message you want to delete (Figure 33-23).

   Figure 33-23 Delete Icon on a Message

   
   

2. In the resulting confirmation dialog, click the Delete button.

33.4.2.1 Viewing Feedback

This section provides information about accessing the Feedback you have posted or received and hiding and unhiding posted Feedback. It includes the following sections:

• Section 33.4.2.1.1, "Viewing Feedback You Have Posted or Received"

• Section 33.4.2.1.2, "Sorting and Filtering Feedback Posts"

• Section 33.4.2.1.3, "Hiding Feedback in Your Own View"

• Section 33.4.2.1.4, "Showing Hidden Feedback"

• Section 33.4.2.1.5, "Marking Feedback Received as Private"

33.4.2.1.5 Marking Feedback Received as Private

When you view Feedback you have received, you typically have the option of clicking a Private link to shield the Feedback from other viewers (Figure 33-30).

Figure 33-30 Private Link on a Feedback Message

It is possible to set a property on the task flow that suppresses the Private link (for more information, see Section 33.5, "Setting Message Board and Feedback Task Flow Properties"). Also, unless Activity Stream is configured at the application level or the personal level (through Preferences) to omit Feedback activity, your connections and the poster's connections can see even private Feedback in their Activity Streams.

See Also:

For more information, see Section 6.4.3.2, "Configuring Activity Stream," and Section 32.2, "Setting Activity Stream Preferences."

33.4.2.2 Posting Feedback

Use Feedback to pass along remarks to your connections about their efforts and results. Keep in mind that a wider audience than just your connections may see your Feedback message.

To post a Feedback message:

1. Go to the page the user has set up to receive Feedback.

   See Also:

   For more information, see Section 33.3, "Enabling Other Users to Post Messages and Feedback for You."

2. Click Add Feedback (Figure 33-31).

   Figure 33-31 Add Feedback Button on a Feedback Task Flow

   
   

3. In the resulting Add Feedback dialog, enter your Feedback in the text area (Figure 33-32).

   Tip:

   The Add Feedback dialog provides an integrated Rich Text Editor that enables you to add styles, links, and other HTML encoding to your Feedback.

   Figure 33-32 Add Feedback Dialog with Rich Text Editor

   
   

4. When you finish entering text, click Add.

Once you click Add, your Feedback appears in the selected user's view of the Feedback task flow.

33.4.2.3 Deleting Feedback

You can delete Feedback you have posted to other users, provided your WebCenter Spaces administrator has enabled you to do so.

If Activity Stream is configured to show Feedback activity, deleted Feedback posts nonetheless continue to show in the Activity Stream of the recipient and all of your connections.

To delete Feedback you have posted:

1. Go to your view of the Feedback task flow.

2. From the View menu, select Given.

3. Click the Delete icon next to the post you want to delete (Figure 33-33).

   Figure 33-33 Delete Icon on a Feedback Message

   
   

4. Click Delete in the resulting confirmation dialog.

   The Feedback is deleted from your view and from the view of the user for whom you left it.

33.5.3.1 Hiding Action Links and Icons on a Task Flow Instance

Users with page edit privileges can set the Hide Actions parameter on a Message Board - Quick View or Feedback - Quick View task flow to hide the actions normally associated with each posted message. Such actions include the Edit, Hide, and Private links and the Delete icon (Figure 33-35).

Figure 33-35 Actions on a Feedback Message

To hide actions on a Message Board - Quick View or Feedback - Quick View task flow instance:

1. Edit the task flow instance's properties as described in Section 17.5.2, "Setting Properties on Page Components."

2. In the Component Properties dialog, click the Parameters tab to bring it forward.

3. Select the Hide Actions checkbox.

   Note:

   To show hidden actions, clear this checkbox.

4. When you finish revising component properties, click OK.

5. Save your changes, and exit page edit mode.

33.5.3.2 Limiting the Number of Messages and Feedback Posts Shown

Parameters on all Message Board and Feedback task flow types enable you to specify how many messages or Feedback posts to show in a given task flow instance. When the number of messages or posts exceeds the value that you provide:

• Previous and Next icons appear on the full task flow views, enabling users to page through all messages and posts.

• A More link appears on task flow quick views. Users click this to launch a dynamically-generated page that shows all messages or posts.

For Message Board and Message Board - Quick View task flows, use the No of Messages parameter. For Feedback and Feedback - Quick View task flows, use the No of Feedback Items parameter.

To limit the number of messages and Feedback posts shown in a given task flow instance:

1. Edit the task flow instance's properties as described in Section 17.5.2, "Setting Properties on Page Components."

2. In the Component Properties dialog, click the Parameters tab to bring it forward.

3. Enter the number of messages or Feedback posts you want to allow in the task flow instance:

   • For Message Board and Message Board - Quick View task flows, enter a number for the parameter No of Messages.

   • For Feedback and Feedback - Quick View task flows, enter a number for the parameter No of Feedback Items.

4. When you finish revising component properties, click OK.

5. Save your changes, and exit page edit mode.

33.5.3.3 Limiting the Length of Posts in a Feedback - Quick View Task Flow

Use the Display Message Size parameter on a Feedback - Quick View task flow instance to limit the number of characters that can be entered for a given post. Posts that exceed the limit are truncated.

To limit the number of characters allowed for a post to a Feedback - Quick View task flow:

1. Edit the task flow instance's properties as described in Section 17.5.2, "Setting Properties on Page Components."

2. In the Component Properties dialog, click the Parameters tab to bring it forward.

3. For the Display Message Size parameter, enter the number of characters to allow for a given post.

4. When you finish revising component properties, click OK.

5. Save your changes, and exit page edit mode.

33.5.3.4 Preventing Users from Adding Messages to a Message Board

You can use the Hide Publisher parameter to hide the message input field and its associated icons in a Message Board or Message Board - Quick View task flow instance. This is useful when you want a Message Board to be a window onto current messages without also being a point of input.

To prevent users from adding messages to a Message Board task flow instance:

1. Edit the task flow instance's properties as described in Section 17.5.2, "Setting Properties on Page Components."

2. In the Component Properties dialog, click the Parameters tab to bring it forward.

3. Select the Hide Publisher checkbox to hide the message input field and its associated Share document and Share link icons.

4. When you finish revising component properties, click OK.

5. Save your changes, and exit page edit mode.

33.5.3.5 Hiding the Feedback You Have Left for Others

You can use the Hide Given parameter to prevent the display of the Feedback you have left for others in both types of Feedback task flows. Selecting Hide Given hides the View menu, so that only Feedback received is shown.

To hide the Feedback you have left for others:

1. Edit the task flow instance's properties as described in Section 17.5.2, "Setting Properties on Page Components."

2. In the Component Properties dialog, click the Parameters tab to bring it forward.

3. Select the Hide Given checkbox to hide the Feedback you have left for others by hiding the View menu.

4. When you finish revising component properties, click OK.

5. Save your changes, and exit page edit mode.

33.5.3.6 Scoping the Display of Messages to a Named Space

Both types of Message Board task flows provide the Group Space parameter for specifying the Space for which to display messages. For example, imagine that, from the Home Space, you want to see the messages people are entering in the Standards Space. You can place either type of Message Board task flow on a page in the Home Space, and configure it to show the messages entered in the Standards Space.

To scope the display of messages to a named Space:

1. Edit the task flow instance's properties as described in Section 17.5.2, "Setting Properties on Page Components."

2. In the Component Properties dialog, click the Parameters tab to bring it forward.

3. In the Group Space field, enter the internal name of the Space of interest.

   Tip:

   The Space internal name is the name specified by the Space URL on the General page of a Space's administration settings. The Space display name is specified by Display Name, and is the name that appears in the banner at the top of a Space.

4. When you finish revising component properties, click OK.

5. Save your changes, and exit page edit mode.

33.5.3.7 Specifying the Date Range of Shown Messages and Feedback

You can use the Start Date and End Date parameters on the Message Board, Feedback, and Feedback - Quick View task flows to limit the display of messages and Feedback posts to those entered between the two specified dates.

For both parameters, use the date format YYYY-MM-DD, for example 2010-01-02.

To limit the display of messages and Feedback posts to those entered within a specified date range:

1. Edit the task flow instance's properties as described in Section 17.5.2, "Setting Properties on Page Components."

2. In the Component Properties dialog, click the Parameters tab to bring it forward.

3. In the Start Date field, enter the date after which to show messages and posts.

4. In the End Date field, enter the date before which to show messages and posts.

5. When you finish revising component properties, click OK.

6. Save your changes, and exit page edit mode.