Post Basic Messages

The atomic unit of Slack is the message, a chunk of text with a unique time stamp that appears chronologically in a channel or conversation. In this chapter, I look at the basics of messages, ranging from the etiquette of what you say to the practical issues of composing, editing, deleting, and responding.

Write a Message

It’s easy to write a message. In any channel or conversation, with the insertion point or focus in the Message field, type some text: Hello, world! In a desktop or web app, press Return or Enter. In mobile apps, tap the send button.

To put a line break within a message without posting it, press Shift-Return/Enter in desktop and web apps, or tap the Return key in mobile apps. (Combining multiple paragraphs in one message minimizes notifications for people who receive an alert for everything that happens in a channel.)

You can also paste text into the Message field.

Use Threads

Threads were a late addition to Slack, coming years into its development. As such, even now, a couple of years after Slack incorporated threads, it often feels tacked on. (Some people may be completely unaware threading even exists!)

A few important elements of Slack threading:

  • A thread appears as a response to a message in the main window.

  • Threads are nested a single level deep. You can’t nest or indent replies under threaded replies.

  • Threads posted in public channels can be viewed and search for by all members as well as guests with access to that channel.

  • Everyone in a private channel or DM conversation can see all messages in a thread in that channel or conversation.

  • You can “promote” a message in a thread to the main channel if you think it’s important enough to go there.

Start a Thread

It’s easy to start a thread:

  • In a desktop or web app, hover over any message’s action bar and click the Thread icon. A sidebar opens in which you can type the first message in the thread.

  • In a mobile app, tap a message, then tap Start a Thread at the bottom. That opens a message-entry field.

Post in a Thread

Messages in a thread work largely as in the main messaging window. You enter text and have a similar set of options, including using formatting.

However, the plus sign to the left of the Message field in desktop and web apps only allows inserting a file, not a snippet or post (described later). In mobile apps, the image insertion button is missing.

You can also @mention people, and they receive a notification in their Activity feed, and in other ways depending on how they configured alerts (see Reference Other People, ahead). Future posts in a thread in which someone has been tagged results in more notifications to them. Messages in the thread also appear in their All Threads and All Unreads views.

Slack lets you “promote” a threaded message into the conversation’s main messaging timeline when you check the “Also send” box before posting the message. This keeps the message in the thread, but also posts a copy in the timeline, which references the thread.

Unfollow and Follow a Thread

One of the advantages of a thread is that you can receive notifications when new messages appear in it, and view the messages in All Threads. If that doesn’t feel like an advantage, Slack offers a pair of options to manage that.

For any thread that you start, in which you’re mentioned, or in which you post, you can choose to “unfollow” it. In All Threads view, find the first message in the thread and use the “Show message actions” button to choose Unfollow Thread.

Slack also offers the converse: You can opt to follow any message, whether or not it’s the start of a thread. In the main messaging view, use the “Show message actions” button to choose Follow Message.

Format a Message

You can add some text styles and structured formatting to messages by typing punctuation in a special way (Figure 17).

Figure 17: Inline formatting adds variety and clarity to messages.
Figure 17: Inline formatting adds variety and clarity to messages.

Formatting options include:

  • Underscores for italics: Put _underscores_ around a word or phrase, and it will be set in italics.

  • Asterisks for bold: A *word or phrase inside asterisks* becomes bold when you post the message.

  • Tildes (~) for strikethrough: Use ~tildes~for text you want to indicate should be removed.

  • Angle brackets for block quotes: To set off a line of text, precede it with a single >; use three (>>>) to set off that line and all that follow in the message (Figure 18).

    Figure 18: Three angle brackets inset multiple lines.
    Figure 18: Three angle brackets inset multiple lines.

  • Backticks for code formats: A single ` before and after a range of text sets it in fixed-format code style; three ticks (```) before and after sets off an entire block. (You may want to use a snippet for anything longer than a few lines.)

Reference Other People

Slack lets you tag other people in a message by using their display name. These are @mentions, just as in Twitter. And just as with Twitter, @mentioning someone makes it more likely that they’ll take note of your post.

To reference someone by name, you can:

  • Type @ followed by their full display name.

  • Type @ and then start typing part of their display name, or any element of their “full name” as entered in their profile. Select a match from the menu that appears (Figure 19). To select a person, you can tap or click in the menu, or, with a keyboard, arrow up or down and then press Return or Enter.

    Figure 19: Slack lets you choose from a list of possible handles when you type @, followed by letters.
    Figure 19: Slack lets you choose from a list of possible handles when you type @, followed by letters.

  • In a desktop or web app, type @ along with part of their handle and then press Tab to cycle through names.

When you post a message with an @mention in it, several things happen:

  • Slack uses the notification settings for that person to determine how they’re alerted—this could include sending no alert at all, sending an email message, or sliding a notification on screen and setting off loud noises on multiple devices.

  • For that person, unless they’ve turned off the feature for that platform type (desktop/web or mobile), Slack highlights their handle in the referencing message.

  • For that person, Slack adds the mention to the Activity pane. (Click the toolbar’s button in the desktop and web apps, or tap the More Items button and tap Activity in the mobile apps).

  • An @mention in a thread effectively sets that person as a follower of the thread, and subsequent messages appear in their All Threads view.

  • If anyone you reference hasn’t joined the channel in which you’ve just posted the message, Slackbot prompts you to invite that person (Figure 20). In a public channel, you can also pick Let Them Know, which sends them a DM with the link to the message, which they can read without opting to join the channel (Figure 21).

Figure 20: Mentioning someone brings up Slackbot’s helpful offer to invite them to the conversation.
Figure 20: Mentioning someone brings up Slackbot’s helpful offer to invite them to the conversation.
Figure 21: In a public channel, you can also send a link to someone by clicking Let Them Know.
Figure 21: In a public channel, you can also send a link to someone by clicking Let Them Know.

Include Links to Webpages and Media

Paste a URL of a webpage in a message and send the message, and a preview of the page—descriptive text or an image—usually appears (Figure 23). You can remove the preview by hovering over it, clicking the tiny grey cancel icon at its left, then confirming.

Figure 23: Pasting a URL produces a preview.
Figure 23: Pasting a URL produces a preview.

By default, Slack tries to show a preview of whatever is at the destination of the URL. This includes a thumbnail of an image, as long as the linked image isn’t greater than 2 MB. Links to video, at YouTube or elsewhere, should result in a playable preview. However, Slack has a lengthy list of reasons why a preview might not appear.

If the destination appears in a constantly updated list of destinations Google has identified as malicious, Slack shows an advisory explaining that it’s unsafe to proceed.

If you don’t want these previews cluttering up your channel feed, the desktop and web apps let you disable them: click the workspace name at the top of the sidebar, choose Preferences > Messages and Media, and look in the Inline Media & Links section (Figure 24). This is also where you can permit images (and file previews) larger than 2 MB (Slack’s default limit).

Figure 24: If you find previews distracting, you can disable them.
Figure 24: If you find previews distracting, you can disable them.

Use Emoji

If you’re over 35, emoji may seem ridiculous to you; under that age, and they may be an invaluable part of your argot. Emoji are icons that replace or complement the text-only emoticons that were widespread in the early days of the internet.

They’re often used in Slack as a quick shorthand to respond to someone’s message, but can also be used for purely goofy reasons.

I’ll talk about emoji elsewhere in this book, including in Leave a Reaction, but this is a good place to introduce their basics.

Adding an Emoji to a Message

You can add an emoji by browsing or by typing its name:

  • Browse for the emoji (desktop, web, Android): Click the smiley face icon at the far right of the Messages field (far left and above in Android) to see the Emoji browser, which is shown in the figure just above. The browser has buttons at the top that display different categories: People, Nature, Food & Drink, Activity, Travel & Places, Objects, Symbols, Flags, and Custom. As you hover over any emoji, it shows a preview at the bottom and its text name, which you can memorize if you prefer typing.

  • Type the emoji name: In the Messages field, type a colon (Android) or a colon plus the first two characters in the emoji’s name (all other platforms) to see a pop-up showing potential matches. Keep typing to reduce the number of matches (Figure 26). Typed emojis must be closed with a colon—for example, :wink:. Slack uses the same standard names for emoji that you find across many other programs and services, which is handy. Here’s a list.

    Figure 26: You can starting typing the name of an emoji even if you don’t know its full description.
    Figure 26: You can starting typing the name of an emoji even if you don’t know its full description.

  • Type an emoticon: Slack also converts emoticons to emoji for a lot of popular text sequences, like :o to ?. A full list appears at this Slack support page.

Edit or Delete a Posted Message

Unlike Twitter and many other messaging services, after you post a message in Slack, you can edit it or delete it. This makes fixing typos—and removing awkward or inappropriate messages—a snap.

Slack provides several ways to edit messages:

  • Desktop or web app: For the immediately preceding message you posted, press the Up arrow in the empty Message field.

    Or, hover over any message that you wrote, click the “More actions” button, then choose Edit Message.

  • Mobile app: Hold on a posted message that you wrote to open a menu, then tap Edit Message (iOS) or Edit (Android).

When you edit a message, it changes from a posted item to an editable field (Figure 28).

Figure 28: Editing a message gives you access to all the same features as posting a new one.
Figure 28: Editing a message gives you access to all the same features as posting a new one.

You can edit with all the same features as a new message, then either click Save Changes or press Return or Enter to approve the changes. Or, to cancel your edits and leave the message as it was, click Cancel or press Escape. In the mobile Slack apps, tap Save (iOS) or √ (Android) to post your edited missive, or tap Cancel.

A tiny, gray “(edited)” tag appears next to your edited message in the message list.

Similarly, there are a few ways to delete one of your posted messages:

  • Desktop or web app: Hover over any message, click the “More actions” button, then choose Delete Message. Confirm the deletion (Figure 29).

    Figure 29: You’re always prompted before deleting.
    Figure 29: You’re always prompted before deleting.

    A destructive edit works too, and can be executed with keystrokes alone. For your just-posted message, make sure the Message field is empty, press the Up arrow, select all and delete the text, and press Return or Enter. Confirm the deletion.

  • Mobile app: Press on the message to open a menu, and tap Delete Message. You will be asked to confirm the deletion.

Work with Attachments

With its treatment of attachments, Slack moves beyond being just a messaging tool and becomes a simple file server too. By attachments, I mean files that a workspace member brings into the workspace, either privately for themselves or for groups in a channel or direct message conversation.

Attachments can be uploaded and stored centrally on Slack’s servers, or they can be linked to from several outside services, including Dropbox, Google Drive, and Box.

Upload a File

You can add a file to a Slack workspace in any conversation, or you can upload it to your private file storage area.

Slack offers several ways to add or upload a file:

  • Add file: In a desktop or web app, click the Add File button next to the message field, then select an option under “Add a file from.” Depending on which apps are added to the workspace, you might see Your Computer, Dropbox, “A cloud service” (which can include Dropbox, Google Drive, and other services), or others.

  • Drag file: The desktop and web apps also let you drag and drop a file onto the Slack window (Figure 42). Yes, this works with the web app! Hold down Shift to bypass the details dialog. You should probably always do this, because why bother to see this dialog?

    Figure 42: You can drag and drop images directly into Slack.
    Figure 42: You can drag and drop images directly into Slack.

  • Paste image: You can paste an image from the clipboard into the Message field on a desktop or web app as well.

  • Attach file in mobile: In a mobile app, tap the Attachment button. (In a thread, first tap the blue button to see the Attachment button.) Choose among the following:

    • Select a file from the Your Files list, which shows any file you’ve uploaded, as well as special files created in Slack. (See Go Beyond Basic Messages for more on those kinds of files.)

    • In iOS, tap Add a File, tap Browse, and either choose from iCloud Drive files or tap Locations to see other cloud services you’ve connected to the Files app.

    • In Android, tap the photos stack icon, then pick an option from the “Complete action using” list, which shows other apps you can import files from. You can tap Always to use this app every time in the future or “Just once” to choose the next time.

  • Use photos in mobile: In a mobile app, you can tap the Photos icon to bring up a list of images stored on your device. (If you’re viewing a thread, first tap the blue button.) You can also take a picture: in iOS, tap the Photos icon and then the Camera icon; in Android, tap the Camera icon.

Once you’ve added, selected, or uploaded a file, follow these steps:

  • Desktop and web:

    1. In the dialog that appears, you can add a message related to the file (Figure 43).

      Figure 43: Enter a comment and choose an upload location.
      Figure 43: Enter a comment and choose an upload location.

    2. You can optionally change the filename by clicking “edit” under the file preview and then filling in a new name.

    3. For private files, uncheck “Share with.” Otherwise, select a conversation. The current conversation is the default.

    4. Click Upload.

  • iOS:

    1. Choose a conversation in “Share with.” To keep the file private, choose your account name in the Direct Messages section.

    2. Optionally change the filename by tapping File Name and filling out the field.

    3. Optionally enter a message.

    4. Tap Send.

  • Android:

    Android always posts the file to the conversation in which you tapped the button to add a file or image.

    1. Optionally fill in a message in the “Jot something down” field.

    2. Optionally tap the file preview to change its name.

    3. Tap the Send button.

The uploaded file now appears inline in the conversation, assuming you didn’t choose to keep it private (Figure 44). The post includes a preview or an icon for the file along with an option to view or download it, depending on its type and size.

Figure 44: An uploaded file appears inline in the message list.
Figure 44: An uploaded file appears inline in the message list.

You can’t delete an uploaded file by deleting the message that references it. For help, see Manage Uploaded Files.

Link a Box, Dropbox, or Google Docs Item

Although an app may connect Google Drive (including Google Docs), Box, or Dropbox to your workspace, you can bring files from any of these services into your workspace even if the apps have not been set up. Start by finding a link to a file that you want to attach, then paste the link into a Slack message. Slackbot asks how it should import the link (Figure 46).

Figure 46: You can link to a Google Docs item with Slack’s help.
Figure 46: You can link to a Google Docs item with Slack’s help.

You’re prompted with three choices:

  • Not now: This option puts a clickable version of the link in the message list, but Slack treats it as just a web link and does not attach the file. This is the best option for a new Slack user to avoid making a workspace-wide decision.

  • Yes, allow: Yes applies automatically to all future links pasted from the service being used, and adds the app to the workspace. (For free plans, an app slot has to be available.)

  • Never: Never applies automatically to all future links pasted in from the service being used.

The first time you pick “Yes, allow,” Slack brings up an authentication page for the service.

Manage Uploaded Files

Before you can do anything with an uploaded file (or snippet or post, described next), you need to find it in your workspace. You can look in the message list, but unless it’s a recent post, it may be hard to find.

Instead consult Slack’s file directory. Use the More Items button and select Your Files (Figure 47).

Figure 47: On the desktop, the Your Files selection brings up a filtered view of all files.
Figure 47: On the desktop, the Your Files selection brings up a filtered view of all files.

To filter which files are shown (except in Android), click the “Show all files types” menu (desktop/web) or tap the All Files pop-up menu (iOS). You can then choose an option such as Posts, Snippets, Images, PDF Files, or (if connected) Google Docs.

You can also narrow the search by user to find files you uploaded, files other individuals uploaded, or files anyone has uploaded to the workspace that appear in a public channel or in a conversation that you’re part of:

  • In desktop and mobile apps, click the second drop-down menu that shows your name and select Everyone or a member’s name.

  • In iOS, you can tap the Everyone or Just You links.

  • In Android, you have to provide a search parameter to see other files. Type in from: and tap “enter” to see all files, or type from: followed by an individual’s name to see just their files.

Once you’ve found a file, you can see a preview or gain more information about it. You can also access controls for working with it. Some of the options, like editing or reacting, are the same as those for any message.

The interface for working with files is a bit inconsistent between apps and between the message list and the Files pane. These are the icons you may see when hovering over a file in the desktop or web apps; in a few cases, as marked, you’ll also see them in the mobile apps when you tap a file:

  • Download icon: Appears for all files, except posts

  • Share icon: Appears for all files in all apps

  • Edit icon: Appears for snippets

  • Edit in new window icon: Appears for posts

  • More actions icon: Appears for all files in all apps

  • Star icon: Appears only in iOS

Options that don’t have an icon in one or more apps likely have an item that appears in the “More actions” menu: click or tap that to find the correct feature. (Android inexplicably uses for “More actions” in just this one place.)

Now let’s dig into what all these options provide.

Basic file management:

  • Refresh a linked file (desktop, web): The Refresh File command appears for documents linked from Box, Dropbox, and Google Docs. Choose it to update the workspace with the current contents of the remotely stored document.

  • Rename a file (all): Use Rename to change the file’s title. (Only appears for your own files.)

  • Delete a file (all): Choose Delete File or tap Delete to remove a file imported to your workspace, or choose Delete File from Slack (web/desktop) or Delete File to remove the link to an item from Box, Dropbox, and Google Docs. (Only appears for your own files.)

Viewing and downloading:

  • Download a file (desktop, web): The Download command transfers a copy of the file to your device.

  • Download an image (mobile): In Android, you can use Download with an image; in iOS, use Save Image. (iOS also lets you view the image in a browser and use Open In to copy the file to an appropriate app via the Share sheet.)

  • Transfer a file to another online service (desktop, web): For every integrated file-storage service, a Save To Service Name (like Save to Dropbox) command appears. This lets you take any uploaded file and make a copy elsewhere as an alternative to downloading.

  • See the original file on the web (desktop, web): If the Open Original command appears, choose it to bring up the file in a web browser.

Sharing and collaborating:

  • Edit a Post (desktop, web): Posts are a special kind of internal formatted and shareable Slack document. This button brings up the post in its editor. See Create Posts.

  • Edit (desktop, web): You can use Edit to view or modify snippets, a way to paste in text for coding or formatting. See Insert Code or Text Snippets.

  • Share the file in another channel or conversation (all): Use the Share File button or Share File command to drop a reference in a conversation, with an optional message (Figure 48).

    Figure 48: Share a file into a channel, group DM, or with a person.
    Figure 48: Share a file into a channel, group DM, or with a person.

  • Make a download URL for non-workspace members (desktop, web): Choose “Create external link.” Slack pops up a dialog containing a public web URL, with the URL selected so you can easily copy it (Figure 49). Click Revoke to cancel the URL or click Done to save it. Once you click Done, the “Create external link” command changes to “View external link.”

Figure 49: You can create publicly available links and revoke them.
Figure 49: You can create publicly available links and revoke them.

Go Beyond Basic Messages

Now that you know the basics of messaging in Slack, it’s time to look at more sophisticated options. In Insert Code or Text Snippets, I discuss how to insert structured text, such as color-coded programming code or Markdown. In Create Posts, I explain how to create documents that can be commented on and edited by other people.

Insert Code or Text Snippets

Although messages can be fairly long, and can include basic formatting, Slack offers another kind of message, called a snippet, for pasted-in chunks of programming code or longer runs of text. Snippets are useful for two reasons. First, they let workspace members post large chunks of viewable and editable text without having to upload a file or clog the message list. Second, Slack automatically formats snippets with styles and syntax coloring for a variety of programming languages and a couple of text formats.

As of this writing, Slack can offer the customized display of 64 different kinds of coding languages and text-based formatting languages, plus pure Plain Text and an auto-detect option. These include:

  • A huge number of programming languages (like C++ and Swift) and scripting languages (like perl, JavaScript, AppleScript, and PHP)

  • Formatting languages like HTML and XML

  • Data structures like JSON

  • Markdown, a common formatting approach for content-management systems

To post a snippet:

  1. In the desktop app or the web app, click the Add File button next to the Message field and choose “Code or text snippet.”

  2. In the Create Snippet dialog, give your snippet a title, choose the desired format (choose Auto Detect Type if you like), then paste or type the snippet.

    Even in the dialog, Slack applies formatting to the snippet text (like bold and italics) as well as colors that correspond to the syntax of the particular language or format. Programmers who like this sort of thing really like it (count yours truly among them) because errors in coding or structure become obvious (Figure 50).

    Figure 50: Code appears with color and other formatting that helps readers more easily parse the text and spot errors.
    Figure 50: Code appears with color and other formatting that helps readers more easily parse the text and spot errors.

  3. Select the Wrap checkbox to soft-wrap the text to the column width instead of having it remain on a single line.

  4. Select the Share With checkbox if you want to share the snippet right away, then choose the location where you want to share it.

  5. You can optionally enter a message that appears as a thread attached to the post that contains the snippet.

  6. Click Create Snippet.

Slack adds the snippet to your workspace and, if the snippet is shared in step 4 above, it posts it into the conversation or channel.

When added, a snippet is shown in a brief form by default; to expand it, click or tap it. Any member can collapse or expand it in their own view.

You aren’t limited to just viewing snippets you’ve created; you can also edit them; hover over one and click the Edit button. That could be useful for tweaking a snippet in response to comments, without having to make a whole new one. See Manage Uploaded Files, earlier in this chapter, if you need help with other options. (Mobile apps can only view snippets, not edit them.)

Create Posts

If what you want to say is too long for a normal Slack message in a desktop or web app, you can write a post instead. Posts have a lot of neat features:

  • They appear inline in the message list and can behave much like normal messages, so they can be reacted to, pinned, and so forth.

  • Posts appear in the Files pane and act like attachments and snippets, so they can be shared among conversations, given a public URL, and commented on.

  • They can include formatting (Figure 52).

    Figure 52: Posts allow blog-like formatted entries.
    Figure 52: Posts allow blog-like formatted entries.

  • You can let others on your workspace edit them collaboratively within the desktop and web apps.

  • Posts count against your workspace’s file-storage total, but not your message count. That lets a post persist even if it’s older than your 10,001st oldest message in a free-tier workspace.

To add a post, click the Add File button adjacent to the Message field and choose Post. Slack opens a window into which you can type or paste your post.

When you type a post, you can use the text-formatting options discussed earlier in Write a Message—like putting asterisks around text you want to appear as bold—and Slack formats the text instantly as you finish typing it. Or you can just type and then select some text to format it with bold, italics, underline, or strikethrough (Figure 53); turn it to code formatting; or add a link (Figure 54).

Figure 53: To style text, select it and click a format button in the popover that appears.
Figure 53: To style text, select it and click a format button in the popover that appears.
Figure 54: To edit a link, click it. You can revise the URL, delete the link, or preview it in a web browser.
Figure 54: To edit a link, click it. You can revise the URL, delete the link, or preview it in a web browser.

Slack lets you add paragraph formatting too. Put the insertion point in a paragraph to see a paragraph icon at the left of the paragraph. Click the icon to choose a format (Figure 55).

Figure 55: You can format a paragraph in a post as a heading, list item, checkbox, or as code.
Figure 55: You can format a paragraph in a post as a heading, list item, checkbox, or as code.

Inline text formatting works here too, as long as you put a space after it: one, two, or three hash marks (#, ##, or ###) for H1, H2, or H3; or you can type an asterisk (*) or a number to start list formatting.

When you’re done typing and formatting your post, click Share to open the Share Post dialog. Choose the channel or conversation in which you want to place the post, select whether you want to let other people edit it, optionally give it a name and comment, and click Share.

If you forgot to select “Let others edit this post” while sharing, you can do so afterward, at least in the desktop and web apps. Open the post, click the “More actions” button in the post window, and select “Let others edit this post”(Figure 56).

Figure 56: Collaborative editing of posts—one person at a time—lets workspaces edit simple documents.
Figure 56: Collaborative editing of posts—one person at a time—lets workspaces edit simple documents.

Workspace members can now take turns modifying the post. Any member editing the post (including you) must click Done Editing to push out changes and free up the post for another person to edit.

Slack’s mobile apps show an accurate preview of a post, but you can edit only the title in those versions.

You can further share and manage the post in the Files pane; see Manage Uploaded Files, earlier in this chapter, for more information.

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