Reading strategies
In Zulip, channels determine who gets a message. Topics tell you what
the message is about. If you are not yet familiar with Zulip's topics,
we recommend first reading about channels and
topics.
This article describes a few ways to efficiently read through messages
in Zulip.
Conversation by conversation
In Zulip, a conversation is a direct message thread
(one-on-one or with a group), or a topic in a
channel.
It generally works best to read your messages organized by conversation.
Finding a conversation to read
From the Inbox view
Inbox provides an overview of your conversations with unread messages.
Conversations are shown in the same order as in the left sidebar in the web app,
and you can collapse any channels you are not currently interested in.
-
Click on Inbox
(or if the views
section is collapsed) in the left sidebar,
or use the Shift + I keyboard shortcut.
-
Click on a conversation you're interested in to view it. You can return to
Inbox when done to select the next conversation.
You can collapse or expand the list of topics in a channel by clicking the
collapse
()
or expand
()
icon to the left of a channel name.
-
Tap the Inbox
(
)
tab in the bottom left corner of the app.
-
Tap on a conversation you're interested in to view it. You can return to
Inbox when done to select the next conversation.
You can collapse or expand the list of topics in a channel by tapping the
collapse
(
)
or expand
(
)
icon to the left of a channel name.
From Recent conversations
Use the Recent conversations view to get
an overview of all the ongoing conversations. This view is particularly useful
for catching up on messages sent while you were away.
-
Click on Recent conversations
(or if the views
section is collapsed) in the left sidebar,
or use the T keyboard shortcut.
-
The filters at the top help you quickly find relevant conversations.
For example, select Participated to filter to the conversations you
have sent messages to.
The Participants column shows which users recently sent a message (newest on the left).
In the web app, the left sidebar provides quick access to your direct messages,
and the channels you are subscribed to.
-
Click on DIRECT MESSAGES or the name of a channel in the left sidebar. You
will see a list of the most recent unread conversations that you have not muted.
-
Click on the conversation you are interested in.
To see all conversations, click on MORE CONVERSATIONS (in direct messages) or SHOW ALL TOPICS
(in a channel).
Reading conversations
-
Find a conversation to read.
-
Read the conversation, scrolling down with the mouse or by pressing
PgDn.
-
If the conversation is not of interest, you can
mark all messages as read by
jumping to the bottom with the Scroll to bottom
() button or the End shortcut.
Use the N key to go to the next unread topic, or Shift + N
for the next unread followed topic, or P for the next
unread direct message conversation.
Following, muting and unmuting conversations
You can improve your workflow for catching up on messages by taking advantage of
following topics, as well as muting and unmuting
channels and topics. Some example
workflows:
-
Catch up on
followed topics at the start of the day, and whenever you want to
spend a few minutes checking on on the conversations that need
your attention.
-
No more stressing about missing a reply to your message in channels
you don't regularly read. You can automatically
follow topics you
start or participate in.
-
You can also mute the channels you don't
regularly read, and automatically follow or
unmute topics you
start or participate in. In muted channels, topics you follow are
automatically treated as unmuted, so it will
be easy to see when someone responds to your message.
-
If you like, follow just the topics where your prompt attention is
needed, and enable desktop and mobile
notifications
for followed topics.
Combined views
Combined feed
The Combined feed view is a feed of all the unmuted messages you have
received, which combines channel messages and direct messages. It's a great way
to see new messages as they come in.
You can configure Combined feed to be the home
view for the Zulip web app.
- Click on Combined feed
(or if the views
section is collapsed) in the left sidebar,
or use the A keyboard shortcut.
- Tap the Combined feed
(
)
tab in the upper left corner of the app.
Direct message feed
You can see all your direct messages in one place.
-
Click on the Direct message feed ()
icon next to DIRECT MESSAGES in the left sidebar.
-
Read your direct messages, starting from your first unread message. You can
scroll using your mouse, the arrow keys, End, or page up/down.
-
You can click on a conversation in the left sidebar or a message recipient
bar to view that conversation.
Use the Shift + P keyboard shortcut to go to
Direct message feed.
Channel view
Sometimes it's useful to scroll through all the messages in a channel,
especially in situations where you just want a general idea of what's going
on.
-
Find the channel you want to read in the left sidebar. If you don't see it
right away, you can search for a channel by clicking on CHANNELS in the
left sidebar, or using the Q keyboard
shortcut.
-
Click on the channel name in the left sidebar.
-
Read messages in the channel, starting from your first unread message. You can
scroll using your mouse, the arrow keys, End, or page up/down.
-
You can click on a topic in the left sidebar or a message recipient bar to
view that topic.
Special views
Mentions
The mentions view lets you quickly find all the places where you were
mentioned. Reviewing your mentions can be a
good way to start your day.
-
Click on Mentions
(or if the views
section is collapsed) in the left sidebar.
-
Browse your mentions. You can click on a message recipient bar to go
to the conversation where you were mentioned.
-
Tap the Mentions
(
)
tab at the top of the app.
-
Browse your mentions. You can tap on a message recipient bar to go
to the conversation where you were mentioned.
Starred messages
You can star messages that you plan to follow up on later.
View starred messages
- Click on Starred messages
(or if the views
section is collapsed) in the left sidebar.
Use * to view your starred messages.
- Tap the Starred messages
(
)
tab at the top of the app.
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