I have looked through the first couple of pages and did not see any guide describing the features of the Chat Tabs. I figured, since it took me several months to figure out, it would probably be a good quick guide to write for newbies.
First, let me describe the lay of the land so to speak.
When you first start a new toon your chat window will be in two sections, a top and a bottom each containing Chat Tabs. In addition, you have 4 other windows you can put Chat Tabs on. These are represented by the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 that are at the top of your two section main chat window. If any of these additional windows is open, then the number representing that window will be green. If any of these additional windows is closed, the number will be grey.
Like most windows in the game, each one of these additional Chat Windows will have a "Dock" button in the top left hand corner you can click on and off. When docked the window will sit on top of your main, two level, chat window. When undocked, you can resize and reposition the window wherever you want. Also, there is a button on the top right of the window that will close the window. To re-open a window all you need to do is click the number that represents the window.
Lets go ahead and create our first Chat Tab. Is your number 4 green? If so, click it off and on again so you can see which window it is associated with. If the number 4 is grey, just click it to open the #4 window. Now that you have identified which window is the #4 window, make sure it is not docked to your main chat window. What you should now see is a free floating window with a button in the middle of it having the caption Add Tab. Go ahead and click that button.
After clicking this button you will see a new window appear. This is the Tab Edit window. Later in the guide we will discuss how you get to this window for an existing tab, for now lets discuss how to use this window. You should see two lists separated by a column of buttons down the center. The list on the right will be a list of channels available to you. The list on the left will be a list of channels associated with the tab you are currently editing since this is a new tab the left hand list will be empty. In addition, there will be a text box at the top of the window you can use to change the name of the tab you are currently editing again, since this is a new tab that text box will be empty.
Go ahead and locate the Rewards channel in the right hand list, click on it, and add it to your left hand list using the buttons in the middle of the window. Notice how the title of your tab has now changed to Rewards? By default the window will name your tab after the first channel you add to the tab. You can change this name to whatever you want provided you dont have an existing tab already created using the same name. For now, lets leave the name of this tab Rewards.
Ok, now that you know how to add a channel to your tab, lets go ahead and add the following channels to this tab, I will explain what they are for in a bit:
System
Error
Local
Notice when you added the Local channel to your left hand list it appeared slightly different then the other ones? It is the only one that has a (default) next to its entry. This will become important later when we discuss the Active Tab feature, for now its enough to know that any Chat Tab can only have one default channel, and the channel must be a channel you can chat to (Like Team, Local, Super Group, Global, Etc.)
Now lets describe each of the channels you have added to this tab:
Rewards: this is the channel where the system will display all the XP, Inf, Prestige, Salvage drops, and recipe drops. Basically, when you add this channel to your tab, anything you get as a reward will show up as a line of text in this tab when you receive it.
System: This channel will display all system messages. It is good to have this channel with your rewards channel because the game will alert you about killed mobs through this channel. So, if you want to know what gave you the reward, you will need to have this channel in your tab.
Error: I find that my rewards tab is a good place to put this channel, as it doesnt get a lot of traffic, but if something does come across this channel I usually want to know about it. Since my Rewards window is always up (I keep mine near the top center of my screen) I will always see it. Most people will never see an error, but if you ever get into binds or slash commands this is where you will see any error messages resulting from them.
Local: This channel should be familiar to anyone, as this is the channel the game will start you off in. This is how you communicate to people in your immediate vicinity. The reason I have it on my rewards tab is mostly because I needed a place for my Default Local channel, which we will go into when we discuss Active Tabs.
Once you have finished adding the channels to this tab click OK (or is it save I am doing this from memory right now, but will check and update the guide later). Congratulations, you have set up your first Tab. Now lets set up another one so we can discuss the Active Tab feature.
Lets go ahead and identify the #1 window the same way we identified the #4 window earlier. Once you know which window the #1 window is, make sure it is docked and visible. That is to say the 1 should be green and the #1 window should be attached to the main, two level, chat window.
If you have any Tabs on the #1 window (that is to say, you dont see a Add Tab button in the window), lets go ahead and delete them so we are on the same page. To do that, right click on the Tab, find, and select the delete tab option in the Pop Up menu.
Now, click the Add Tab button in window #1. This time, the first channel you should add is the Team channel. Again, notice that this has become the default channel and the name for a Tab has changed to Team. The first chat-able channel you add to a Tab will always become the default channel of the tab (you can always change the default channel by selecting the channel in your left hand list and clicking the Set Default button in the center of the window). Now, add the following channels I wont describe what they are for as that should be obvious by there name:
Super Group
Private Message
Local
Emote
Coalition
NPC Dialog
When you have finished, click the OK or Save button.
Now you have two tabs set up, so we can discuss the Active Tab feature. Go ahead and right click on any of the chat windows. The first few items on the Pop Up menu should be channel names if they arent you most likely right clicked directly on one of the tabs, try again heh heh. As I was saying, you should now see a list of channels. If you click on any of these channels you will change the channel that you are chatting to when you chat. Somewhere near the bottom of this list you should see an Entry for Active Tab click it.
What this means is that the default channel in the Active tab will now be the channel you chat to when you chat. You can change your active tab by clicking on it. Remember, we set our Rewards Tab up so that the Local channel is the default channel for that tab. Go ahead and click on it. Local should now be the channel you use when chatting. If you click on the Team tab in window #1 you will now be using the Team Channel to chat with.
I typically have at least three Tabs set up in my window #1 each with the same channels in it, differing only by default channel so I can easily switch between those channels.
Lets take a moment to discuss the Main, two level, chat window before we continue. The game will automatically set up a bunch of tabs for you in section of your main chat window. What I usually do is either move each of these default tabs to the top section of the main chat window by dragging and dropping them from the bottom section to the top section. (either that, or just delete them entirely). What this does is remove the bottom section of your main chat window. You can always get it back by dragging and dropping another tab back onto the main chat window and select the bottom section option.
Now, what I usually do is edit each of the tabs in the Main Chat window so that they contain only one channel. For instance, I set up one tab for SG only, Team Only, PM only, coalition Only, and Global (although I have a couple of channels in my Global tab The Market chanel, the Global channel, and the Areana channel). This is because, sometimes there is so much activity from various different channels I end up missing things. All I need to do is look at the only tab to see what I missed.
The reason I consolidate the main window into one section is mostly to save space. You see, you can hide your main chat window by clicking the little triangle that should be directly to the right of the 1 2 3 4 numbers in your main chat window (just be aware that when you do this it will close your #1 window, so you may have to click on the number 1 to get it back).
Since we are using our #1 window as our main method of chatting, we dont need the Main Chat Window, unless you want to check out the Global channel, or you missed something from your main chat windows because there was lots of activity from various different channels.
I have looked through the first couple of pages and did not see any guide describing the features of the Chat Tabs. I figured, since it took me several months to figure out, it would probably be a good quick guide to write for newbies.
First, let me describe the lay of the land so to speak.
When you first start a new toon your chat window will be in two sections, a top and a bottom each containing Chat Tabs. In addition, you have 4 other windows you can put Chat Tabs on. These are represented by the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 that are at the top of your two section main chat window. If any of these additional windows is open, then the number representing that window will be green. If any of these additional windows is closed, the number will be grey.
Like most windows in the game, each one of these additional Chat Windows will have a "Dock" button in the top left hand corner you can click on and off. When docked the window will sit on top of your main, two level, chat window. When undocked, you can resize and reposition the window wherever you want. Also, there is a button on the top right of the window that will close the window. To re-open a window all you need to do is click the number that represents the window.
Lets go ahead and create our first Chat Tab. Is your number 4 green? If so, click it off and on again so you can see which window it is associated with. If the number 4 is grey, just click it to open the #4 window. Now that you have identified which window is the #4 window, make sure it is not docked to your main chat window. What you should now see is a free floating window with a button in the middle of it having the caption Add Tab. Go ahead and click that button.
After clicking this button you will see a new window appear. This is the Tab Edit window. Later in the guide we will discuss how you get to this window for an existing tab, for now lets discuss how to use this window. You should see two lists separated by a column of buttons down the center. The list on the right will be a list of channels available to you. The list on the left will be a list of channels associated with the tab you are currently editing since this is a new tab the left hand list will be empty. In addition, there will be a text box at the top of the window you can use to change the name of the tab you are currently editing again, since this is a new tab that text box will be empty.
Go ahead and locate the Rewards channel in the right hand list, click on it, and add it to your left hand list using the buttons in the middle of the window. Notice how the title of your tab has now changed to Rewards? By default the window will name your tab after the first channel you add to the tab. You can change this name to whatever you want provided you dont have an existing tab already created using the same name. For now, lets leave the name of this tab Rewards.
Ok, now that you know how to add a channel to your tab, lets go ahead and add the following channels to this tab, I will explain what they are for in a bit:
System
Error
Local
Notice when you added the Local channel to your left hand list it appeared slightly different then the other ones? It is the only one that has a (default) next to its entry. This will become important later when we discuss the Active Tab feature, for now its enough to know that any Chat Tab can only have one default channel, and the channel must be a channel you can chat to (Like Team, Local, Super Group, Global, Etc.)
Now lets describe each of the channels you have added to this tab:
Rewards: this is the channel where the system will display all the XP, Inf, Prestige, Salvage drops, and recipe drops. Basically, when you add this channel to your tab, anything you get as a reward will show up as a line of text in this tab when you receive it.
System: This channel will display all system messages. It is good to have this channel with your rewards channel because the game will alert you about killed mobs through this channel. So, if you want to know what gave you the reward, you will need to have this channel in your tab.
Error: I find that my rewards tab is a good place to put this channel, as it doesnt get a lot of traffic, but if something does come across this channel I usually want to know about it. Since my Rewards window is always up (I keep mine near the top center of my screen) I will always see it. Most people will never see an error, but if you ever get into binds or slash commands this is where you will see any error messages resulting from them.
Local: This channel should be familiar to anyone, as this is the channel the game will start you off in. This is how you communicate to people in your immediate vicinity. The reason I have it on my rewards tab is mostly because I needed a place for my Default Local channel, which we will go into when we discuss Active Tabs.
Once you have finished adding the channels to this tab click OK (or is it save I am doing this from memory right now, but will check and update the guide later). Congratulations, you have set up your first Tab. Now lets set up another one so we can discuss the Active Tab feature.
Lets go ahead and identify the #1 window the same way we identified the #4 window earlier. Once you know which window the #1 window is, make sure it is docked and visible. That is to say the 1 should be green and the #1 window should be attached to the main, two level, chat window.
If you have any Tabs on the #1 window (that is to say, you dont see a Add Tab button in the window), lets go ahead and delete them so we are on the same page. To do that, right click on the Tab, find, and select the delete tab option in the Pop Up menu.
Now, click the Add Tab button in window #1. This time, the first channel you should add is the Team channel. Again, notice that this has become the default channel and the name for a Tab has changed to Team. The first chat-able channel you add to a Tab will always become the default channel of the tab (you can always change the default channel by selecting the channel in your left hand list and clicking the Set Default button in the center of the window). Now, add the following channels I wont describe what they are for as that should be obvious by there name:
Super Group
Private Message
Local
Emote
Coalition
NPC Dialog
When you have finished, click the OK or Save button.
Now you have two tabs set up, so we can discuss the Active Tab feature. Go ahead and right click on any of the chat windows. The first few items on the Pop Up menu should be channel names if they arent you most likely right clicked directly on one of the tabs, try again heh heh. As I was saying, you should now see a list of channels. If you click on any of these channels you will change the channel that you are chatting to when you chat. Somewhere near the bottom of this list you should see an Entry for Active Tab click it.
What this means is that the default channel in the Active tab will now be the channel you chat to when you chat. You can change your active tab by clicking on it. Remember, we set our Rewards Tab up so that the Local channel is the default channel for that tab. Go ahead and click on it. Local should now be the channel you use when chatting. If you click on the Team tab in window #1 you will now be using the Team Channel to chat with.
I typically have at least three Tabs set up in my window #1 each with the same channels in it, differing only by default channel so I can easily switch between those channels.
Lets take a moment to discuss the Main, two level, chat window before we continue. The game will automatically set up a bunch of tabs for you in section of your main chat window. What I usually do is either move each of these default tabs to the top section of the main chat window by dragging and dropping them from the bottom section to the top section. (either that, or just delete them entirely). What this does is remove the bottom section of your main chat window. You can always get it back by dragging and dropping another tab back onto the main chat window and select the bottom section option.
Now, what I usually do is edit each of the tabs in the Main Chat window so that they contain only one channel. For instance, I set up one tab for SG only, Team Only, PM only, coalition Only, and Global (although I have a couple of channels in my Global tab The Market chanel, the Global channel, and the Areana channel). This is because, sometimes there is so much activity from various different channels I end up missing things. All I need to do is look at the only tab to see what I missed.
The reason I consolidate the main window into one section is mostly to save space. You see, you can hide your main chat window by clicking the little triangle that should be directly to the right of the 1 2 3 4 numbers in your main chat window (just be aware that when you do this it will close your #1 window, so you may have to click on the number 1 to get it back).
Since we are using our #1 window as our main method of chatting, we dont need the Main Chat Window, unless you want to check out the Global channel, or you missed something from your main chat windows because there was lots of activity from various different channels.