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Introduction
When you run Softros LAN Messenger, you see the following window. The basic interface
elements are described below.

Main Toolbar
This area contains control buttons that allow access to several
general functions of Softros Messenger such as:
– Settings – Accesses Program Settings.
– Browse Received Files Folder – Opens the folder
containing files you have received from other users.
– View Messaging History – Retrieves messages previously
exchanged with the specified user.
– Help – Accesses this help system.
– About – Shows the “About” window with current Softros
LAN Messenger version and licensing information.

Refresh Button
Click this button to refresh the users list. You also can set a
timer to automate the refresh procedure (See Program Settings)

Online Users List

This area shows active Softros LAN Messenger users. Send and
receive messages and files, retrieve personal and system user
information (if it has been defined), and send broadcast messages to a defined group or to all
online users.

User Groups
Create user groups from your users list, and arrange them at your discretion for ease of use and
to allow selective broadcasts.

User Name Button

Click this button to change your own user name on the users list as it appears to others. By
default, your Softros LAN Messenger name is your Windows log-in user id. (See “How to
Change My User Name”).

Change Status Buttons

Click one of three status buttons to change your activity status, such as:
– I'm Available – Choose this status if you are free to communicate with another users.
– I'm Busy – Choose this status if you are working now but can answer the messages, receive
files etc.

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 – I'm Away – Choose this status if you are away from your computer and will answer received
messages when you come back.

How to Start/Hold a Conversation

softros.com >> products >> Softros LAN Messenger >> online help >> how to start/hold a conversation

To start a conversation with someone on your users list, perform the following steps:

1. Restore Softros LAN Messenger from the system tray first. This can be done in two
ways:
1) click Messenger's tray icon once using the left mouse button (Picture ), restoring
Messenger's main window (Picture ); or

2) right-click Messenger's icon in the system tray menu (Picture ), then select
“Restore” from the pop-up menu, again restoring Messenger's main window (Picture
).

2. Choose a user from the list (see Picture ). Again, you have two ways to do this:
1) Left-click the user name once. You will immediately see the “Conversation” window
(Picture ); or
2) Right-click the selected user to show the “user's pop-up menu”. Select “Conversation”
from the pop-up menu and the “Conversation” window (Picture ) will appear.

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You will see the following conversation window:

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At the top of this window is the history of your conversation. At the bottom of the window you
can type your messages and send them by clicking the “Send” button or pressing the “Enter” key
on the keyboard (by default) or the “Ctrl+Enter” key combination, depending on your hot-keys
settings.
You also can send multi-line messages by clicking the “Ctrl+Enter” key combination (by
default) or just the “Enter” key depending on your hot-keys settings.

Toolbar description:

1. – View User’s History – click this button to browse the messaging history for this user.
2. – Get User’s Information – shows you user information for this person.
3. – Close – will close the conversation window. By default, Softros LAN Messenger
will keep the 20 latest messages (in memory) of your conversations for each person you
have contacted. Every time you begin a conversation with a person with whom you have
had a previous conversation, Softros LAN Messenger will show these 20 previous
messages. You may disable this function in the settings.

Receiving messages in conversation mode

Every time you receive a message, you will see the following flashing taskbar button:

Click the flashing taskbar button to open the conversation window.

How to Send Broadcast Messages

softros.com >> products >> Softros LAN Messenger >> online help >> how to send broadcast messages

Softros LAN Messenger allows you to send messages to entire groups or specified users from
your users list.

1. Left-click Softros LAN Messenger's icon (Picture ) to access Messenger's main

window (Picture ),

or right-click Messenger's icon to access the system tray menu (Picture ), then select
'Restore' from the pop-up menu. This will open Messenger's main window (Picture )

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2. Right-click a group to which you want to send the broadcast message.

3. Select “Send message to this group.”

4. On the window that appears, mark groups or individual users to receive the broadcast
message.

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 5. Type the message text and click the “Send” button or press the appropriate hot-key to
send the broadcast message to the marked users.

How to Exchange Files

softros.com >> products >> Softros LAN Messenger >> online help >> how to exchange files

How to send files to a person from your users list

You can extend your company's productivity by using Softros LAN Messenger's built-in file
transfer engine, sending files to and receiving files from any users on your users list.

To send a file to a person on your users list, perform the following steps:

1. Select a user from the users list by right-clicking a user to show the user's pop-up menu;
then select “Send File(s)” from the pop-up menu.

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2. A dialog box opens to allow choosing files that will be sent to the recipient.

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 3. Select the files you wish to send to the recipient and click the “Open” button.
4. The “Send files to” dialog box will open, showing you the number of files to be sent and
total files’ size.
Optionally, you can enable the check box to close this dialog box after the files have been
sent..

5. Click the “Send” button to send a request to the user to accept the files you are sending.
6. When the remote user accepts your files, Softros LAN Messenger starts transferring the
files. The progress bars track the bytes sent.
7. After you completed sending the files, you may close the dialog box.

How to receive files

When you receive a request to accept a file that a remote user wants to send to you, you will see
the flashing “Incoming file” button on the taskbar:

Click this flashing button to open up the receive files dialog box:

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On this dialog box you can choose files saving path – select the folder you want receive all files
from this user. By default, Softros LAN Messenger saves all received files under your Windows
account folder.

Click the “Accept” button to start receiving the files. The Incoming File window will display the
transfer progress in Kbytes:

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After the files transfer has completed, you may open the folder where the received files have
been saved by clicking “Open Folder,” or just close this window.

Network Settings
softros.com >> products >> Softros LAN Messenger >> online help >> network settings

Softros LAN Messenger gives you powerful options to configure your Softros LAN Messenger
for your network hierarchy, either locally or network-wide. Softros LAN Messenger defaults to
saving all network settings in network.cfg in the current Windows user's folder (for example:
C:\Documents and Settings\User\Application Data\Softros Messenger). However, this file may
be saved in any local folder or in a server's shared folder to be remotely accessible.

Network Settings Location

 System defined location – this option saves all network settings in network.cfg together
with general settings in the Windows user account's folder (such as C:\Documents and
Settings\John\Application Data\Softros Messenger). Choosing this option still allows
changing settings locally (see below in the Broadcasts Settings section).

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  Load network settings from this file – if this option is selected, Softros LAN Messenger
will load all network settings from the indicated file at its start-up. In this case you may
not change any network settings. Choose this option if you want all your users
(computers) to have the same network settings.

Broadcast settings

“Broadcast list:” – shows current broadcast addresses that are used to collect the users list from
the network. You do not need to remove the default (255.255.255.255) broadcast address if all
Softros Messengers work properly on your network. You should have at least one broadcast
address in the list to allow Softros Messengers to communicate on your network.

“Broadcast address:” – you can add a new broadcast address to list. Type its address and click
the “<– Add” button. To remove a broadcast address, select it from the list and click the “Delete”
button.

“UDP port:” and “TCP port:” – Softros LAN Messenger listens on these ports to retrieve the
users list, messages and files.

“Connection time out:” – this value is used for connection time outs sending messages. The
default value is optimal for small and large networks; however you may increase it if you have a
very slow or a heavily loaded network.

“Export...” button – click this button to export your current network settings. (Please read about
this feature below.)

How to export network settings to load and use them for each computer on the network.

1. Choose the “System defined location” option first. This allows changing of network
settings.
2. Configure your network settings (see Broadcasts Settings section).
3. Click the “Export...” button and save your data to a file.
4. On each computer choose the “Load network settings from this file” option and specify
the path to the folder (on the local or a remote computer) where you saved your settings
file in step 3; open this file.
5. Click the “OK” button. Softros LAN Messenger will now load its network settings from
this file at start-up.

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