Master the Interface

In this chapter, I cover the many Slack interface controls that you’ll see often. Once you are familiar with what they do, where to find them, and how to use them, you’ll be ready to dive into the next chapters.

Most desktop apps take advantage of interface conventions and system menus provided by the operating system, but for the most part, Slack’s desktop apps don’t: they’re very much like the web app. Thus, a Control-click or right-click in Slack’s Mac and Windows apps has no real effect—though it may bring up a Back or Copy command, as if you were in a web browser. The system menus, such as File and Edit, contain almost nothing. Choose Slack > Preferences in macOS, and it opens the custom settings view in the native app. Most of the controls are found within the Slack window.

The upside of this is more consistency across every platform, including the web. The downside comes when you click and stare at interface elements, wondering how you get to options and settings. That’s especially true as you work back and forth between the desktop and mobile apps, since the mobile apps—particularly when viewed on a phone-sized screen—lack the space for the same interface elements. Most of the functionality does exist in the mobile apps, but accessing it tends to require an additional tap or swipe.

Examine the Slack Window

Although what you see where depends on which Slack app you are using, Slack’s interface has, at its heart, three elements: the Workspaces sidebar, the Main Sidebar, and the Messaging Area (Figure 11). Desktop and web apps also display a fourth area at times: a right-hand pane that shows up when you select certain items in the toolbar in upper-right corner of the messaging area.

Figure 11: A typical Slack window (middle) broken into its components. At top, left and right: the Workspaces sidebar (the current workspace has a white bar at its left) and the messaging area, where Slack discussion takes place. At bottom, left and right: the main sidebar with the active channel is highlighted and the conversation sidebar. (Screenshot courtesy of Slack.)
Figure 11: A typical Slack window (middle) broken into its components. At top, left and right: the Workspaces sidebar (the current workspace has a white bar at its left) and the messaging area, where Slack discussion takes place. At bottom, left and right: the main sidebar with the active channel is highlighted and the conversation sidebar. (Screenshot courtesy of Slack.)

Workspaces Sidebar

The Workspaces sidebar appears a little differently in each kind of app, but shares several interface elements in common. A numbered badge appears on a workspace icon when you have unread direct messages; a white dot to the left of the icon or superposed on it indicates any unread messages. The active workspace has a white bar to the left of its icon.

In the desktop Slack apps, this far-left sidebar always appears. It shows an icon for each workspace you’re logged into, as well as the keyboard shortcut for each workspace.

The mobile Slack apps lack space for an always-available Workspaces sidebar, but have a hidden one (Figure 12).

Figure 12: iOS (left) and Android (right) have slightly different workspace lists. (URLs for private groups blurred.)
Figure 12: iOS (left) and Android (right) have slightly different workspace lists. (URLs for private groups blurred.)

Here’s how to reach it:

  • In iOS, swipe right until you see the workspaces list, then tap the workspace to which you want to switch. (You can also tap the Slack icon in the upper-left corner, then tap the current workplace icon.)

  • In Android, tap the current workspace icon in the upper-left corner, then tap the Workspaces button to select the workspace you want.

The Add button at the bottom of the Workspaces sidebar in all apps lets you log in to more workspaces.

To find the equivalent workspace-switching commands in the web app, click the workspace name (from the workspace interface) to open the menu, which lists all your signed-in workspaces. You can also go to the Home page and click the Workspaces button on the toolbar.

Main Sidebar

The main sidebar is always present in the desktop and web versions of Slack and in the mobile apps running on tablets, like an iPad. In the mobile apps on phone-sized devices, swipe right from the far-left edge of the screen to reveal the sidebar (Figure 13). In iOS, if you recently swiped or tapped to view the workplaces list, you have to swipe left to bring the main sidebar back into view. You can also tap the Slack icon (iOS) or current workspace icon (Android) in the upper-left corner of the main Slack screen.

Figure 13: The mobile version of the sidebar is tucked out of sight on phone-sized devices.
Figure 13: The mobile version of the sidebar is tucked out of sight on phone-sized devices.

At the top of the main sidebar, the desktop and web versions show the selected workspace with your logged-in username and status. Click here to open the Workspace menu. Adjacent to the Workspace menu is a handy Notifications menu, which I discuss in Do Not Disturb.

Most actions in the main sidebar involve navigating among conversations. You can select any item directly. To quickly find a sidebar item, enter text in the Quick Switcher (press ⌘-K in macOS or Control-K) in desktop or web apps, or in the Jump field at the top of the sidebar in mobile apps. In either case, enter the first few characters of a channel, conversation, or person’s name.

Generally, the sidebar’s conversation categories include:

  • New Threads: For threaded conversations, any responses in threads you follow can be viewed, grouped by thread.

  • All Unreads (desktop and web): This view acts as a workspace-wide summary of unread messages across all channels you’ve joined.

  • Unreads (mobile): This area groups conversations containing unread messages.

  • Starred: This area lists any channels that you’ve “favorited” as well all any private channels. To find out how to populate it, read the sidebar Which Star Does What?, slightly ahead.

  • Channels: Slack’s term for a topic is channel. A workspace can contain many channels, but only the channels you’ve added to your workspace account appear here. I cover them fully in Work with Channels.

  • Direct Messages: Recent direct message conversations (DMs for short) appear here. I delve into the details in Conduct Direct Message Conversations.

Messaging Area

Found in all Slack versions, this is where the action happens. From top to bottom you’ll find: a toolbar containing status information and various controls; a message list that’s organized with the newest items at the bottom and older items scrolling off the top; and a Message field where you enter new messages (and more).

Toolbar

Found just above the message list, the toolbar serves several purposes (Figure 14). Oddly, Slack doesn’t name this interface element, even as it names everything else in its interface introduction. I call it the “toolbar” because that’s what it is!

Figure 14: The desktop app’s toolbar offers numerous controls.
Figure 14: The desktop app’s toolbar offers numerous controls.

The toolbar is split into two main parts, which Slack calls the Channel Header (everything left of the Search field) and the Sidebar (everything to the right)—even though it should be called “a bunch of miscellaneous buttons in the same place, some of which open a sidebar on the right side of the desktop and web apps.”

Channel Header

The Channel Header sports a variety of useful information about your current activity. In all apps, you see the name of the selected conversation (#tco-slack in the figure above). This doubles as a dropdown menu which you can click or tap for more options.

Desktop and web apps also display additional information in the toolbar, including:

  • Whether the conversation is marked as a favorite with a star (see next)

  • The number of people participating in a channel or any DM with three or more people.

  • The number of “pinned” messages (for channels), explained later in Pin Messages (channels)

  • The Call button (see Connect by Voice, Video, and Screen.)

  • The Channel Details or Conversation Details button

  • The Channel Settings or Conversation Settings button

All the same information—plus other channel and DM details—is found in a mobile app by tapping the channel or DM conversation name.

I’ll dig into additional channel details and how to find and use them later in Work with Channels.

Message List

The message list contains all messages you and other people send within the selected channel or DM conversation, as well as Slack’s interactions with you. It’s a continuously scrolling, reverse-chronological stream of discussion: it runs from newest at the bottom to oldest at the top and beyond.

Each message—as well as any inserted elements, described later—has associated metadata and actions. The metadata includes the time and date posted and who posted or uploaded it.

Action buttons appear when you hover over or press and hold on a message. You can use these to add an icon-based (emoji) reaction; mark the message with a star for later referral; share a message with another channel or conversation; start a thread; or use menu items that let you edit, delete, or copy the message’s archive link, and use third-party apps.

I cover messages, reactions, actions, and related concepts in Post Basic Messages. In Go Beyond Basic Messages, I discuss the kinds of files and text formats, including code, you can insert.

Message Field

You’ll spend most of your time in the Message field, found at the bottom of the message list. You type and paste text in that field. In the desktop and web apps, you can also drag items into the field. You add files and other items via buttons to the left (web and desktop) or below (mobile). If you need to mention another user, typing @ brings up an autocompleting version of the Workspace Directory. In most Slack apps, a smiley face lets you insert emoji in the message.

This field is discussed extensively in Post Basic Messages.

Learn Slack Shortcuts

In a nod to its messaging forebear, Internet Relay Chat, Slack provides a significant amount of functionality from the keyboard through two types of shortcuts: slash commands—items typed after a slash (/) character—and traditional keyboard shortcuts.

Slash commands focus more on messaging and channel management, whereas keyboard shortcuts generally provide faster ways of navigating the interface. There’s some overlap, but not much.

Use Slash Commands

In all Slack apps, you can issue quite a few commands from the Message field at the bottom of the Slack window.

In the Message field of any Slack app, type a slash (/) or tap the slash button (but do not press Return or Enter) to bring up a scrolling/swipeable list of commands (Figure 15).

Figure 15: Slack’s extensive list of slash commands includes some actions that are difficult or impossible to access in other ways.
Figure 15: Slack’s extensive list of slash commands includes some actions that are difficult or impossible to access in other ways.

This list contains a grab bag of commands. Many revolve around the channel (listing users, muting, expanding and collapsing files, and archiving and unarchiving), but other commands let you switch channels, send a direct message to someone, open the preferences dialog, search the App Directory, and set reminders. There’s even a command to insert a shrug ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ emoticon.

To issue a command, either keep typing, using the list as a reference, or select the command from the list to insert it into the Message field, then press Return or Enter.

Most Slack apps support slash commands—in fact, a lot of apps can be used only via slash options, such as /giphy, which brings up a matching GIF from a huge archive of nonsense, or /asana, which lets you create and manage items in the Asana task-management system. (Some apps use bot-based interaction in which you talk with a non-player character—I mean, a non-human member!)

For the most part, slash commands are optional—learn and use them if they work well for you, but you can ignore them almost entirely.

Use Keyboard Shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts provide a valuable way to navigate Slack’s interfaces. You can even use a smaller set of them with a mobile app if you connect a keyboard via Bluetooth or USB.

Press ⌘-/ (Mac) or Control-/ (Windows), and a sidebar appears, showing keystrokes for common commands (Figure 16). With a keyboard attached to a mobile device, hold down ⌘ (iOS) or Control (Android) for a few seconds to bring up a keystroke list.

Figure 16: You can bring up a list of keyboard shortcuts, which can help jog your memory about features, too. (A section of the Mac desktop app’s shortcuts is shown.)
Figure 16: You can bring up a list of keyboard shortcuts, which can help jog your memory about features, too. (A section of the Mac desktop app’s shortcuts is shown.)

Keyboard shortcuts are the only way to use some of these features in a desktop app or the web app (mobile apps use gestures for a few of them), and this dialog is the only way outside of reading the online help files to discover many of the commands.

My favorite keyboard shortcuts are these (⌘ [Command] for Mac, Control for Windows):

  • ⌘/Control-K to bring up the Quick Switcher

  • Up arrow to edit the last message (damn those typos!); focus has to be in the Message field on mobile

  • ⌘/Control-Shift- (desktop only) to react to the last message with an emoji

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