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Help · Messages

Messages and direct messages

One page for the messages that need you. Mentions holds what is addressed to you; Subscribed holds what is said on the records you follow. Direct messages between people live on the same page.

The Messages page (/messages) of the platform (app.gearflow.com) lists messages from the discussions on records (tickets, requests, parts requests) and from direct messages. A row opens the message in place. Notifications about messages (the bell, email and text): see Notifications and The inbox bell.

#Terms

• thread — the messages on one record, or one direct-message conversation. A record can have an internal Discussion, and a thread with each vendor or customer.
• mention — naming a person in a message with "@".
• follow — be a subscriber of a ticket. You follow a ticket you create, a ticket you own, a ticket you were mentioned on when it was created, and a ticket that you or a teammate added you to.
• direct message — a conversation between people, not on a record.

#1. Where to find it

On a computer, in the left menu, under Inbox: Messages, Tasks, Tickets. The red count next to Messages is the number of unread rows on the Mentions tab. It updates every 2 minutes.

On a phone, the speech-bubble icon at the top of the screen opens Messages.

#2. Mentions and Subscribed

The page has two tabs. Each tab shows its number of unread rows. Mentions opens first.

Table 1. What each tab holds.

Tab	Rows
Mentions	A message that mentions you. A direct message to you (one row per conversation, showing the latest message). A vendor's reply on a parts request whose quote request you sent to that vendor. A customer's message on a record that you own.
Subscribed	A message on a ticket you follow, posted after you started to follow it, that does not mention you. A message on a parts request that you own, asked for, or that came from a ticket you follow.

Your own messages on a record do not make rows for you. A direct-message row is the exception: it shows the conversation's latest message, whoever sent it.

#3. The table

Table 2. Columns.

Column	What it shows
Date	When the message came. A blue dot marks an unread row.
Summary	A one-line summary of the message, written by Gearflow. Until the summary is ready, the start of the message shows. "You: " starts the row when you wrote the latest message of a direct message.
From	The sender. A direct-message row names everyone on it but you.
Origin	The record, by its badge and title, or Direct message.

Filters.

• Unread only — shows only unread rows.
• From — one or more senders on this tab.
• Job — one or more jobs.
• Search — finds rows by the text of the message.
• Reset — clears the filters.

The tab counts do not change with the filters.

Open a row. Click a row. Gearflow marks it read and opens the thread in a panel over the table, at that message. A record message opens the record's Discussion, or the vendor or customer thread that it came in on. A direct message opens the conversation. Click another row to replace the panel.

Mark read or unread. Select rows with their check boxes, or select all the rows that show. Then click Mark read or Mark unread.

When a tab is empty, the page says so, for example "No one has mentioned you or sent you a message yet."

#4. Direct messages

A direct message is a conversation between two or more people.

Start one.

1. On Messages, click New message.
2. Pick the people. You can pick the people on your current account, and Gearflow Support.
3. Write the first message, and click send. Sending makes the conversation. Gearflow saves nothing before you send.

In the conversation.

• Add or remove people with the people control at the top. Anyone in the conversation can do this. A conversation always keeps at least two people.
• Attach up to 10 files, up to 25 MB each.
• Mention a person with "@".
• Each of your messages shows its delivery status: Sent, Delivered, Seen in the app, Opened or Clicked by email, or Bounced or Failed.

A conversation with people from another account stays visible to each person, whichever account they work in.

Message Gearflow Support. Open the Help button and click Message support. Type the request and click Submit request. The request starts a direct message with Gearflow Support, and the reply comes back on Messages.

#5. Write a message

The box under a thread is the same on every record and in direct messages.

• Formatting — Bold, Italic, Bulleted list, Numbered list and Link. Text shows formatted as you type.
• Voice — click the microphone, speak, and click the check mark. Gearflow writes your words into the box. Check them, then send, or click Record again.
• Files — click the paper clip to attach files.
• Mentions — type "@" and pick a person. A mention works on internal threads only, not on a vendor or customer thread. The person you mention joins the thread and gets a notification.

#6. Notifications for messages

• Each person on a thread, except the sender, gets a notification for a new message. A mention adds the person to the thread first, so they get it too.
• In Notification settings, each section (Tickets, Equipment, Mobilizations, Maintenance, Parts, Direct messages) has a Messages row with Email, Text and App. For most people, messages are on for email and the app by default. Text needs a verified mobile number.
• A person with seats on more than one account also sees Unanswered messages to your company under Direct messages: a message to your company that nobody on your team has answered yet.
• To stop the messages of one record, mute it from the bell or the email (see The inbox bell §4).