User Guide
Document number: hc.2.00.000.01
Copyright (c) 2001-2003 1stWorks Corporation. All rights reserved.

Introduction

Welcome to hotComm!

hotComm provides collaboration, chat conferencing, many ways of presenting materials, and both instant and independent file sharing.

hotComm is the core product. Use it to host sessions, or to connect as a client to other hotComm hosts.
hotComm Lite is a Windows client that provides many of the multi-media communication features of hotComm. Use it to connect to a hotComm host.
Callers can use the free IM-Live Java client to connect to a hotComm host. The caller clicks on your IM-Live link, which launches a Java applet that displays the Java client. The Java client can receive multi-media communications, and can send text and voice.
The IM-Live technology is included in hotComm. It provides a link, a Java applet, and dynamic status indicators. Callers click on your link and connect using the Java client, hotComm Lite, or their own hotComm.
ezPeer is included in hotComm. You can set up a web site on your own computer, without any server processing involved. Your customers and friends can see your web pages whenever your computer is on, connected to the Internet, and running hotComm. Simply give them a link to your hotComm web site.
With Call Group Manager, incoming calls are placed in a queue, from which they can be transferred to other hotComm peers.
With TreeCast Moderator, incoming callers can automatically join an existing session. Content is distributed through treecasting technology for efficient use of bandwidth.
With Content Relay Manager, connections go through a central high-bandwidth server. One Content Relay Manager can service many Rooms (individual hotComm hosts).

hotComm is peer-to-peer technology. Everything runs on your computer, except that the 1stWorks VNS Server holds registration and presence information. The graphics that display in IM-Live, the web pages in ezPeer, the files that you share all come from your computer.

hotComm transmissions are encrypted for security.

When you start hotComm for the first time, you register your copy of hotComm. During registration, you enter a unique ezPeer Website name and an email address. (If you later forget what you entered, right-click on the hotComm icon in your Windows taskbar and choose My Info & Registration).

hotComm is fully functional for an evaluation period. At the end of an evaluation period, functionality is disabled until you purchase.

Important Reminders: All hotComm Messages are totally PRIVATE between you and your session peers. Please respect Copyright Law when making file transfers.

About hotComm

hotComm is multimedia desktop software to establish secure and spontaneous collaboration and application sharing among any number of individual users, using secure Peer connections to support interactive chat, voice, web tours and file transfer.

hotComm

hotComm offers:

Multimedia. Text, voice, sound, graphics, documents, screenshots, web tours, draw, type.
Interactive. Use hotComm to communicate and exchange files.
Collaborate. Use hotComm for show-and-tell, for co-editing, for annotation and review.
Chat. Communicate by typing, or by voice.
Voice over IP. Talk to your peers and callers! Your voice is sent over the Internet.
Drag-and-drop files into a session for instant transfer. If the peer has an application associated with the file type, it opens automatically.
Embellish your session with sounds and sound files.
File Transfers. Get files from other peers. Make selected files available to them. Transfers are secure, and can happen as long as your hotComm is online. You don't need to be in a session with the other peer.
Presence. See online / offline presence of your hotComm peers instantly, graphically, easily.

How others interact

Others can interact with you in several ways:

As full hotComm peers, running hotComm software, with the ability to host sessions.
Through the IM-Live Java client, which is free and requires no download or installation. These clients call in to your hotComm, using your special IM-Live address. See About IM-Live.
Through hotComm Lite, a Windows client that has many of the collaboration and communication features of the full hotComm product, without the hosting capabilities. These clients call in to your hotComm, using your special IM-Live address. See About hotComm Lite.

In addition, if you are running hotComm Call Manager, incoming calls are placed in a queue for response by different hotComm peers. See About hotComm.

About hotComm Lite

hotComm Lite is a free version of hotComm for Windows that people download and install prior to calling you. hotComm Lite is designed for people who want to use hotComm's collaboration features to communicate with you, but who don't want to host hotComm sessions themselves.

Callers download and install hotComm Lite, and leave it running. When they call you using your IM-Live address, hotComm Lite manages the connection.

Callers see the hotComm Lite interface:

hotComm Lite

hotComm Lite includes the multimedia collaboration features, but does not have all the features of the full hotComm product -- such as File Sharing or presence indicators.

See: hotComm Lite.

About IM-Live

With IM-Live, your customers and friends can call you without having hotComm themselves. After you've installed and registered hotComm, you can start giving out IM-Live links immediately in emails and on your or your company's web site.

Anyone with an Internet browser can use IM-Live to connect to you in a hotComm session. IM-Live is an active link, often implemented as a button on a web site or a link in an email signature file.

Callers can connect to you through IM-Live using:

IM-Live Java client (free, no download required)
hotComm Lite Windows. See About hotComm Lite.
full hotComm (fully functional hotComm peer). See About hotComm.

Example

Callers using the IM-Live Java client log in using any name of their choice, as in this example:

They interact with you, through a session window that you can personalize with your own graphics and banners, as in this example:

When your hotComm is offline (not running), the 1stWorks VNS Server displays an alternate graphic alerting callers that you are not available, such as this:

More information: See IM-Live.

About ezPeer

ezPeer lets others access pages on your computer through a standard Internet URL address. Your ezPeer address points to the hotComm/WEB folder on your computer.

Your ezPeer address is: http://www.website.ezpeer.net/

where website is the WebSite name you chose during hotComm registration. (To find your IM-Live and ezPeer addresses, right-click the hotComm icon in the lower right corner of your Windows taskbar. From the menu, select My Info & Registration.)

With ezPeer:

Your content is on your computer, not uploaded to an ISP's server.
You have a standard Internet address.
You can publish virtually any client-side content, such as HTML, Javascript and graphics.
Links can go to other pages on your computer and to other Internet sites.

Use ezPeer as:

The website for your business, team, or group.
A way to post information quickly for partners and colleagues.
Show prototype designs to reviewers.

For example, if you visit the 1stWorks Support ezPeer site (www.support.ezpeer.net), you may see a page like this:

If you are not online, the 1stWorks VNS Server displays an alternate page saying that you are not currently available, such as this:

More Information: See ezPeer.

About TreeCast Moderator

TreeCast Moderator is designed for presentations, training, and other type of sessions with multiple callers. Callers who click on your IM-Live link can join your Session 1 automatically.

See TreeCast Moderator.

About Content Relay Manager

A Content Relay Manager is a specially designated hotComm installation that can support multiple open chat rooms that people can join and leave without requiring specific invitations. Typically, the Content Relay Manager is installed on a high bandwidth computer.

In a Content Relay Manager implementation, one computer acts as the content relay server, and one or more other computers act as room moderators, called Panel Peers.

See Content Relay Manager and Panel Peers.

About hotComm Call Manager

hotComm Call Manager makes multimedia support, sales, and service available for a multi-agent call center of any size.

hotComm Call Manager Queue

hotComm Call Manager offers queuing for incoming IM-Live calls. Incoming calls can be placed in a queue, with callers waiting until you can respond to them. Queue features are:

Callers sign in with an identity of their choice.
The login window offers a comment line, where they can enter advance information about their call.
Callers see an intermediary window with a message from you. The message changes automatically based on the call volume level coming into you. You can customize this window with your own graphics and banners.
Callers can send you email through the click of a button.
The queue you see contains information to help you triage the calls, such as the referrer, comment, and time.
Callers connect with the IM-Live Java client, hotComm Lite, or the full hotComm product.

More than queuing, hotComm Call Manager lets other hotComm peers -- at other computers -- act as Service Agents who take the calls from the Call Group Manager's hotComm queue. Features are:

Call Group Manager can dispatch calls to Service Agent Peers.
Service Agent Peers can select calls from the queue.
Service Agent Peers can use multimedia communication and collaboration features with callers as appropriate for the client used by the caller.
You have a single IM-Live address that can be answered by many different hotComm peers.

See: hotComm Call Manager.

Install and Register

Install

To install hotComm:

Download the hotComm install program from from the hotComm website, www.hotcomm.com/downloads.asp. This area also contains system requirements and firewall information.
Run the hotComm install program that you downloaded, hcsetup.exe. Follow the instructions in the install program. We recommend that you accept the standard selections.
Register hotComm. Registration is required to activate hotComm, create a peer ID (your email address) and establish a WebSite for use in your IM-Live and ezPeer addresses.
If you are online at the end of the install, you are prompted to register your copy of hotComm.

If you are not online at the end of the install, start your Internet connection and then start the hotComm registration program. (From the Windows Start menu, select Programs, then the 1stWorks Corporation folder, then hotComm, then Register hotComm.)
Set up hotComm, IM-Live and ezPeer for your environment. See Set up hotComm, Set up IM-Live, and Set up ezPeer.

Register (Activate)

You must register hotComm. hotComm cannot communicate with other hotComm peers, or receive IM-Live and ezPeer connections, without registration.

NOTE: your email address must be both unique and accurate. Your WebSite name must be unique.

The Registration program asks you to enter:

Entry	Description
First / Last Name	Your name is required registration information.
hotComm Nickname	This is the name others see in hotComm sessions. The default value is your First Name.
Email address	Your email address becomes your peer ID. It is used to identify you to the hotComm peer-to-peer network. Your registration Activation key will be sent to this email address. Note: if you register more than once with the same email address, only the most recent registration will be valid.
Telephone	Your telephone number may be helpful to us if we need to contact you.
Requested WebSite name	This entry is used in your ezPeer WebSite address and your IM-Live link. For example, if my WebSite name is "support", my IM-Live address becomes "support.im-live.com/im-live/" and my ezPeer address is "www.support.ezpeer.net". This entry must be lower case. It can contain letters, numbers, hyphens and underscores. It must contain between 4-30 characters. The WebSite must be unique. It is used to identify your hotComm ezPeer and IM-Live installation.
hotComm password	Enter a password to use when you login to hotComm. It does not need to be the same as your email password.
Confirm password	Enter your hotComm password again.

During registration, you receive an Activation key by email. You can copy the code from the email message and paste it into the Registration Activaton window:

To copy the code, use your email software copy function, or highlight the code and press Ctrl-C (press the Ctrl and C keys on your keyboard at the same time). Be sure to copy the entire code.
To paste the code, click in the Activation Key field of the Registration Activation window and press Ctrl-V (press the Ctrl and V keys on your keyboard at the same time).

After entering the Activation Key, click Next to finish registration.

My Info and Registration

To see your registration information and current status, right-click the hotComm icon in the lower-right corner of your Windows taskbar and select My Info and Registration from the menu.

My Info and Registration shows your hotComm email, IM-Live and ezPeer addresses, along with other information you entered during registration.

It also shows your registration status, including the number of days remaining in your evaluation or purchase of hotComm products.

Purchase and Register

To purchase hotComm, IM-Live or ezPeer:

Purchase the appropriate unlock codes from the hotComm online store, at www.hotcomm.com/order.asp.
Register your purchase through the hotComm software.

When you purchase, you are sent an email message confirming your purchase. The email message contains a 24-character Unlock Code, which you use to register your purchase. To register your purchase:

Copy the Unlock Code from the email message. To copy the code, highlight the Unlock Code and press Ctrl-C (press the Ctrl and C buttons on your keyboard at the same time). Be sure to copy the entire Unlock Code.
Open My Info. Right-click the hotComm icon in the lower right corner of the Windows taskbar, and select My Info and Registration from the menu.
Click the Register button. An Unlock Code field appears.
Paste the Unlock Code into My Info and Registration. To paste the Unlock Code, click in the Unlock Code: field and press Ctrl-V (press the Ctrl and V keys on your keyboard at the same time).
Click OK. After a few seconds, the Status information in My Info and Registration should change to reflect your purchase.
Note: if you are registering an Unlock Code for an expired feature, you must exit hotComm and re-start it before the changed status takes effect.

Upgrade

To upgrade to a newer version of the hotComm software:

Download the new hotComm installation program from the hotComm website, www.hotcomm.com/downloads.asp.
NOTE: The revision number of the currently shipping software is posted on the download page.
Exit hotComm. Right-click the hotComm icon in the Windows tray, and select Exit from the menu.
Run the new hotComm installation program. Follow the instructions in the install program.

In a software upgrade, the installation program replaces files as needed. Your registration settings are not changed.

Set up hotComm

Connections

In some cases, additional set up is required in order for other computers to communicate with your hotComm. If you have any difficulty starting hotComm, please see hotComm Support for more information.

Because hotComm works in a peer-to-peer environment, external computers must be able to access your computer.

Some situations in which you may need additional setup are:

You see this message when you start hotComm: "Login error when connecting to server. Click OK to exit."
Your computer is behind a firewall.

For more information on Ports and connections, see Firewall Info.

Appearance

You can change the appearance of your hotComm screen:

Entity	Actions
Peer List Panel Invited Peers Panel	Move to other locations. Change the size.
Top Toolbar, View Selector Toolbar	Move to other locations.
hotWeb Toolbar	Move to other locations in the upper area of the screen.
Middle Toolbar	Move up and down. Note that this changes the sizes of the Dialogue History and Message Entry Panels.
Peer List Panel Invited Peers Panel View Selector Toolbar	Display or hide.

To make changes:

To move a panel or toolbar, left-click on it and drag it to the new location.
To change the size of a panel, left-click on an edge and drag the edge to the new location.
To display or hide a panel or toolbar, see View Selector Toolbar or Toolbar Menu.

Close hotComm to save your changes.

When you start a session, the peer groups in the Peer List Panel are expanded or closed as they were when you closed the session.

Multiple Sessions

You can have multiple hotComm sessions open at the same time. The session screens show the session IDS that have been assigned: S1, S2, S3, and so on, where S1 is used for the first session, S2 is used for the second session, and so on.

The appearance of each session screen is set independently. To change the appearance of more than one session screen, click the New Session button (second-from-left in the Top Toolbar) until you reach the desired session ID. Make changes and close the session to save changes.

Hide when minimized

If you prefer to minimize hotComm when you are not actively involved in any sessions, you can hide the larger hotComm entry on the Windows taskbar. To hide it, select the Hide S1 session when mimimized option from the hotComm icon menu. The hotComm icon in the Windows tray remains.

Start and Close hotComm

To start hotComm:

Click the hotComm icon on your desktop. Note: this icon appears only if you chose to place it there during installation.
-or-
From your Windows Start menu, select Programs, then the 1stWorks Corporation folder, then the hotComm folder, then hotComm. NOTE: if you placed hotComm somewhere else during installation, your path may differ.

hotComm requires an active Internet connection.

To close hotComm:

Right-click on the hotComm icon in the Windows tray and select Exit.
-or-
Close the hotComm window.

Auto start

To start hotComm automatically when you start your computer, select Auto Start from the hotComm icon menu.

NOTE: If you have configured hotComm for a NAT environment, do not use this option. See hotComm Support for Firewall information.

hotComm user files

The hotComm files contain user information, your ezPeer WebSite, and hotComm product files.

To find the hotComm files if you installed hotComm in the default location, open My Computer and select Local Disk (C:), then select these folders: Program Files, then 1stWorks, then hotComm.

These are the folders that contain files you are likely to use:

USR folder

The USR folder contains your list of contacts and other files that contain information specific to your copy of hotComm. Do not edit these files. However, you can back-up some of these files.

File	Contents	Use
CONTACTS.HCD	List of your peers and groups.	This file can be saved as a back-up and copied to other computers.
ENUMFLDR.HCD	Information about files contained in available folder entries.	This file can be saved as a back-up, but can be restored only to the same computer.
FOLDERS.HCD	List of files you made available to others, and files in My InBox.	This file can be saved as a back-up, but can be restored only to the same computer.
HCFRAME.HCD	Size, shape and placement of the hotComm panels.	If you are unhappy with the changes you have made to all of your hotComm session screens, close hotComm and then delete this file. A new one containing default values will be created when you start hotComm.
PERSONAL.HCD	Information about you.	Do not change or delete this file.

DOWNLOADS folder

This is the default folder for files that are copied from other peers through File Sharing.

UPLOADS folder

This folder contains files and screenshots that are sent to you by others through the Message Entry Panel. You can control how long these files are kept through the File Sharing Preferences panel.

T'SCRIPTS folder

This is the default folder for saved session transcripts.

WEB folder

This folder is, in effect, your ezPeer WebSite. It contains folders and files used by IM-Live and ezPeer.

Folder	Contents
WEB	DEFAULT.HTM file seen by ezPeer visitors. You can create links to display material in any file or folder in the WEB folder.
AU	Audio files used when sending sounds to IM-Live Java peers.
IM-LIVE	IM-Live files, including the pages accessed by IM-Live callers, the IM-Live Java applet, and graphics used by IM-Live.
TEMP	Temporary files created by hotComm.

Some users create a folder under the WEB folder specifically to hold the files they want to display through IM-Live, ezPeer, or hotWeb.

Preferences

To set personal Preferences for your session appearance and hotComm behavior, select Preferences (the Wrench button) from the Middle Toolbar. This opens the Preferences panel.

When you are finished setting preferences, click OK.

This is a summary of the Preference settings. For specific information, click the setting links.

Setting	Description
Behavior Preferences
Screen Saver Interaction	Change hotComm status automatically based on screen saver action.
hotCam Interval	The time interval between timed hotCam screenshots.
Proxy	Proxy server settings, if you access the Internet through a proxy server.
AutoStart Cmd Line	Start-up parameters for hotComm when starting automatically when Windows starts.
hotWall Firewall	Specify ports to block. Use this if you do not already run a firewall.
Send Message	When to send text as you type.
Email transcript	Format to use when sending an email transcript of a hotComm session.
Style Preferences
Common Font Selection	Select font characteristics for your hotComm session.
Font Style Selection	Select fonts for different types of messages.

Also see: File Transfer Preferences

Preferences: Behavior

To set personal Preferences for your session appearance and hotComm behavior, select Preferences (the Wrench button) from the Middle Toolbar. This opens the Preferences panel.

You can set these behavior preferences:

When you are finished setting preferences, click OK.

Also see Style Preferences.

Screen Saver Interaction

Your status can change automatically based on screen saver activity. This lets you leave your computer and return without worrying about changing your status yourself.

For example, when you're away from your computer long enough for your screen saver to activate, your status could change automatically to Do Not Disturb; when you start using your computer again, your status could automatically become Online.

Or, the status change could happen some time after the screen saver activates, giving you the opportunity to accept chat invitations if you're there.

The status options are:

no change
Online
Do Not Disturb
Be Right Back
Busy
Web & Files Only

To set a screen saver interaction:

Screen Saver Activity	Set this option	What to do
Screen saver activates	When the screen saver activates, select this status ...	Choose a status from the menu.
A set time after the screen saver activates	then, in (HH:MM), change to this status ...	Set the amount of time to wait and choose a status from the menu. Type the time or use the up and down arrows to find the time.
Screen saver deactivates	and when it deactivates, select this status ...	Choose a status from the menu.

hotCam Interval

If you set hotCam to timed, it takes a screenshot (camera capture) at regular intervals. To set the interval, use the hotCam Interval option in Preferences. Click the arrows to increase or decrease the number of seconds.

Proxy

If you access the Internet through a proxy server, enter your proxy server settings here. To enter settings:

Click the Settings button. This opens the hotComm Proxy Settings window.
Select hotComm will connect to its network Through an HTTP proxy server.

If you use Internet Explore to access the Internet through the proxy server, the proxy server settings are probably defined to Internet Explorer. Click Get browser settings to copy those settings into hotComm.

If the proxy server settings are not defined in Internet Explorer, then enter the information yourself.

Item	Entry
Proxy Server	Internet address (URL) of your proxy server. Example: http://www.proxy.com
Proxy login user name	Enter the username you use when you log into the proxy server.
Proxy login password	Enter the password you use when you log into the proxy server.
Port	Enter the number of the port you use when accessing the proxy server.

Click OK.

Note: The Enabled box is checked automatically if you select Through an HTTP proxy server.

AutoStart Cmd Line

If your configuration of hotComm requires that you add special parameters to your hotComm start-up command line, and you want to start hotComm automatically when Windows starts, then:

Enter the parameters here, and
Select Auto start hotComm from the hotComm icon menu.

Enter only the parameters (do not enter the entire hotComm start-up command line). Leave at least one blank space between each parameter.

Note: This preference settings applies only to hotComm AutoStart. If you start hotComm from a shortcut (such as a desktop icon or an entry in your Windows Start menu), then you must add the parameters to the end of the hotComm command line in the shortcut.

Example:

Example	Value	Explanation
Preferences setting	-i2 -k30	-i2 means that your computer uses ports 8180, 28866 and 28867. -k30 means that the hotComm KeepAlive feature sends a signal to the Internet every 30 seconds.
Shortcut equivalent:	"c:\program files\1stWorks\hotComm\BIN\hotComm.exe" -i2 -k30

For a list of hotComm start-up parameters, see: hotComm Command Line Parameters.

hotWall Firewall

If Enabled is checked, hotComm provides a level of protection for your computer by blocking certain IP ports. If your computer is protected by firewall or a NAT (Network Address Translation) system, this option is not needed, and shows as grayed out.

hotComm ships with a default set of ports that are blocked. To change the ports, use the Blocked Ports menu. To restore the default list, click the Default button.

For more on IP ports, see hotWall Ports in Tips for Techies at the hotComm web site.

Send Message

As shipped, hotComm text chat sends messages word-by-word. If you prefer to send messages only when you press the Enter key, select the Only on Enter Key option.

Email transcript

Select options for session transcripts that you send via email.

Option	Description
Send as RTF attachment	To send transcripts as attachments in Rich Text Format (RTF), check Send as RTF attachment. To send transcripts as text in the email message body, uncheck Send as RTF attachment.
Attached referenced files	To attach the files that were transferred during the session, check Attach Referenced Files. Any files that were sent by the Instant File Transfer (drag-and-drop) method are attached to the email.

Preferences: Style

To set personal Preferences for your session appearance and hotComm behavior, select Preferences (the Wrench button) from the Middle Toolbar. This opens the Preferences panel.

Your preference settings affect your own hotComm sessions only. Other participants see messages displayed with their own preference choices. They do not see your choices.

You can set these style preferences:

When you are finished setting preferences, click OK.

Also see Behavior Preferences.

Common font selection

Select a font and font-size for the messages as they display in your hotComm session.

Font Style Selection

Select color and font face characteristics for different types of messages, as they display in your hotComm session.

The selections are:

Message	Color and Style Choices	Description
Standard	Color	Completed messages by other participants, without special characters.
In Progress	Color, italics, bold, underline	Message as it is being typed.
Contains Question Mark (?)	Color, italics, bold, underline	A ? is typed in the message. ? is used as a special formatting character.
Contains Exclamation Mark (!)	Color, italics, bold, underline	A ! is typed in the message. ! is used as a special formatting character.
By the originator	Color, italics, bold, underline	The message is from you.

The rules for combinations of selections are:

Colors

Combination	Result
Either ? or ! are used, but not both	Color assigned to the formatting character.
Both ? and !	Color assigned to the first formatting character used in the message.
Message is in progress; ? and ! are not used	Color assigned to In Progress
Message from Originator; ? and ! are not used; message is not in progress	Color assigned to Originator

Styles

In combinations, styles are merged to include all selected choices.

Example

For example, the message "Hi! What are you doing?" would use the color defined for !. If ! was defined with Italics on, Bold off; and ? was defined with Italics off, Bold on, then the message would be both Italics and Bold.

Operation Mode

Please see Operations Mode in hotComm User Guide - New Topics.

hotComm Icon and Menu

Icon

The hotComm icon is located in the lower-right corner of your Windows taskbar, near the Time.

It shows your current hotComm status:

Icon	(in text)	Description
	Colored ears and band	hotComm is active and your status is online.
	White ears, yellow band	Your hotComm cannot connect to the 1stWorks Corporation VNS server.
	Red X on top	hotComm is active but your status is Do Not Disturb, busy or otherwise offline.

Icon Menu

Right-click on the icon to see the following choices:

Option

Description

Restore

Display hotComm on top of other applications.

Exit

Close hotComm.

New chat session

Start a new session concurrently with the current session.

My Status

Set your availability status. The selected status remains active until you close hotComm. When you start hotComm, the status is automatically set to Online.

ezPeer and file sharing are accessible by others whenever hotComm is running, regardless of your selected status.

The My Status options are:

Option	hotComm Legend becomes ...	IM-Live session message becomes ...
Online	(Free) or (On)	Blank. No message appears until you respond.
Do Not Disturb	(DND)	Sorry, yourname is not available.
Be Right Back	(DND)	Sorry, presently unavailable, but yourname will return shortly.
Busy	(DND)	Sorry, yourname is currently busy.
Web & Files Only	(DND)	Sorry, yourname is not available.

My Info and Registration

This option opens a window that shows your active profile information. The information includes:

The name, Nickname and Display name you gave when you registered.
The date you registered hotComm.
The email address you gave when you registered.
Your ezPeer and IM-Live addresses.
Number of days remaining in your trial or registration period.

To Register a purchase, click the Register button. The Unlock Code field appears. Type or paste the Unlock Code and click OK.

Note: After you click the Register button, the OK button is gray until you have entered the correct number of characters in the Unlock Code field.

Resynch Peer List

Select this option to update your peer list. This synchronizes the information for the peers in your peer list with the information on the hotComm VNS server.

Resynchronize your peer list occasionally as regular maintenance (about once a month), or when you have trouble seeing the presence of a peer who you expect to see.

Auto start hotComm

Check this option to automatically start hotComm when you start your computer.

Hide S1 session when minimized

If you like to minimize hotComm when you are not actively involved in any sessions, you can hide the larger hotComm entry on the Windows taskbar. To hide it, check this option. The hotComm icon in the Windows tray remains.

About hotcomm

Shows the version number and copyright notice.

hotComm home

Goes to the 1stWorks Corporation hotComm web site at www.hotcomm.com.

Help

Opens the hotComm User Guide.

Toolbars

To use or configure a hotComm feature, select it from the appropriate toolbar or menu.

See Top Toolbar, View Selector, hotWeb Toolbar, Middle Toolbar, Status Toolbar, Session Control Toolbar.

Also see Toolbar Menu, which appears when you right-click in the Top Toolbar, View Selector or Status Toolbar areas.

Notes:

When Simple Control is enabled, some of the toolbars and buttons are hidden.
On any menu, active choices are in black, inactive choices are grayed out.

Top Toolbar

The Toolbar is in the top area of the hotComm window. To show or hide the Toolbar, right-click in any toolbar area and select Toolbar.

Top Toolbar screenshot

Button	Description
Operation Mode	Select a mode for using hotComm. See Operations Mode.
New session	Select this button to open a new session.
Close session	Select this button to close the current session
Open Transcript	Open a previously saved session transcript.
Save Transcript	Save a transcript of the entries made in the Transcript Panel during your session. See Transcripts.
Email Transcript	Create an email message containing the transcript. See Transcripts.

Cut	Cut content from the source and move it to the Windows clipboard
Copy	Copy content from the source and move it to the Windows clipboard
Paste	Insert content from the Windows clipboard

Print	Print a hard copy record of all comments in the Dialogue History Panel
Print Preview	Previews the hard copy record of all comments in the Dialogue History Panel
Page Setup	Set paper size, margins and selected printer

About hotComm	Show the version number and copyright notice

View Selector Toolbar

The View Selector Toolbar is in the top area of the hotComm window. To show or hide the View Selector Toolbar, right-click in any toolbar area and select View Selector.


Button	Description
Toggle Peers	Displays or hides the Peer List.
Toggle Invited	Displays or hides the Invited list of session participants.
Toggle hotWeb Toolbar	Displays or hides the hotWeb toolbar.
Whiteboard	Opens the Whiteboard window. See Whiteboard.

Middle Toolbar

The standard buttons on the toolbar in the middle of the screen are:

Middle Toolbar

Button	Description
Voice	Add voice communication to your session. See Voice chat.
Sounds	Send a sound from a pre-recorded selection. See Sounds.
Status	Change your status quickly between Online and a choice of: Do Not Disturb (the default) Be Right Back Busy Web & Files Only
Share files	Share files with others, using the File Sharing panel.
Add a Peer	Add a new peer to your list of peers, using the Add Peer by email panel.
Preferences	Set your choice of style, time to keep temporary files, and other behavior, using the Preferences panel.
Help	Open the hotComm Help file.
AE	Enter abbreviations for commonly used words, typing errors, or phrases, using the Abbreviation Expansion panel.
hotCam	During a session, you can instantly send a screenshot of any open window. You also access Dynamic Desktop through the hotCam button. See hotCam and Dynamic Desktop.

Simple Control

When Simple Control is enabled, the File Sharing button is replaced with a Session Close button. See Simple Control.

hotWeb Toolbar

The hotWeb Toolbar is in the top area of the hotComm window. To show or hide the hotWeb Toolbar, click the hotWeb button (Globe) in the View Selector toolbar. (Or, right-click in any toolbar area, select Show, then select hotWeb Toolbar.

hotWeb toolbar

Button	Description
Back	Go back to the previous web page.
Forward	Go forward through previous web pages.
Stop	Stop retrieving the requested web page.
Refresh	Display the current web page again.
Home	Go to your home page.
Favorites	Show the list of favorites that you set up in Internet Explorer. NOTE: this does not show Netscape Bookmarks.

Address	Enter the address of a website you want to visit.

Status bar

The Status bar is at the bottom of the screen. It displays informational messages.

Item

Description

Status message

Status messages from hotComm.

Clock

During a Pay-Per-View application, the clock shows the remaining hours, minutes and seconds.

Audio

Toggle to control the audio in the session:

Option	Explanation
Audio-on	All microphone and pre-prepared sounds are heard.
Mute	Mute pre-recorded sounds. Hear microphone.
Mute all	Mute all sounds from the session.

Note: these options do not affect hotComm Windows Sound Events. For a list of sound events, see Sound Events.

BidMaster

Click for fun in stock trading rooms!

DayTrainer

Click for fun in trading rooms! See hotDayTrainer.

Lock

The padlock icon shows that the session is encrypted.

Connection

This describes your hotComm connection:

Type	Description
Offline	Connected: Not connected to the 1stWorks VNS network.
Online-Direct	Connected: Yes. Allows direct incoming connections. (The appropriate incoming and outgoing ports are open.) Online-Direct is the fastest connection type, and is required for some activities. See Setup hotComm.
Online-Proxied	Connected: Yes. Incoming connections are passing through the 1stWorks proxy server. (The appropriate outgoing ports are open, but the incoming ports are blocked.)
Online-Tunnelled	Connected: Yes. Both incoming and outgoing connections are being tunnelled in through your standard web ports. (The appropriate incoming and outgoing ports are blocked).

For more information about ports and hotComm requirements for incoming and outgoing ports, see Setup hotcomm as well as the hotComm Support website.

WebPort:

This shows which port is being used for web connections.

Toolbar Menu

Right-click on an open space in any of these Toolbars (Top, View Selector or Status) to see a menu with the following choices.

Note: some items may be grayed out, as appropriate for your current settings.

Option	Description
Toolbar	Display or hide the Top Toolbar.
Status bar	Display or hide the Status bar.
View Selector	Display or hide the View Selector Toolbar.
Show	Display or hide selected panels and toolbars: Peer List Panel Invited Peers Panel hotWeb Toolbar WhiteBoard Call Manager
Use system color	Change the color of the hotComm screen from the standard hotComm colors to your Windows system colors.
Simple control	Display or hide some buttons and toolbars. See Simple Control.
View TreeCast Map	Displays a map of the participants in a TreeCast Moderator or Content Relay Manager session. Both of these session use treecasting to distribute content. In treecast, the originator sends content to some participants. Their hotComm programs automatically send the content on to other participants, whose hotComm programs automatically send the content on to still other participants, and so on. The TreeCast Map shows the route that the content follows as it is distributed. See TreeCast Moderator or Content Relay Manager
About hotComm	Display information about hotComm.

There are several ways to display this menu:

Right-click the Top Toolbar, View Selector, or Status bar.
Position your cursor on the upper edge of the Middle Toolbar, as if you were going to move the Toolbar. Right-click to see the Toolbar Menu.
Press Shift+F10 (press the Shift and the F10 keys at the same time).
Press the Contact key on your Windows keyboards. This key is available on Windows keyboards and looks like a menu with a cursor pointing at one entry.

hotComm Sessions

Start and close sessions

When you start hotComm, it automatically starts the first session and assigns S1 as its session ID. It is initially inactive. The session becomes active when you invite peers to it or accept someone's invitation.

Additional sessions are assigned session IDs of S2, S3, and so on. The session IDs display in the session screen title bars.

To start a new session, click the Open Session button in the Top Toolbar. Or, select New Chat Session from the hotComm icon menu.

A new session is started automatically if someone connects with you through IM-Live.

To close a session, click the Close Session button in the Top Toolbar.

The Dialogue History screen will display your departure and the time, so that all other session members know you have departed.

When you close the first session (S1), all additional sessions close automatically.

You can adjust the appearance of each session window separately. See Appearance.

Number of connections

You can be involved in up to 255 concurrent sessions.

Each session can include up to 255 concurrent connections, including:

Type	Maximum per session
IM-Live Java Peer callers	One
hotComm Lite callers	Multiple
hotComm peers	Multiple

Concurrently, there can be up to 255 connections to your computer for file sharing, in addition to the session connections.

Host a session

When you host a hotComm session, you invite other hotComm users to join you, or respond to a connections from an IM-Live callers. You can:

Invite multiple hotComm peers to a single session.
Host and/or participate in multiple sessions concurrently.
Eject peers.
Invite other hotComm peers to a session opened by an IM-Live caller.
Add incoming hotComm and hotComm Lite callers to this session (an existing session).
Use the Session Control toolbar to control which features the public peers can use. (A public peer is someone who is not a host and not a Room Panel Peer.)

Because you are the host, if you close the session, the session ends. All invited Peers are disconnected from the session.

Also see Session Control.

Participate

You can participate in a hotComm session when:

You are invited by the session host to join the session.
You use IM-Live to connect to a hotComm peer. Your connection opens a new session, but the host of the session is the peer you connected with.

Invite peers and groups

To invite a peer to a session:

Right-click the peer's name in the Peer list and select Invite peer to session. (Alternatively, you can left-click on the FREE legend by the peer's name.)
The peer immediately sees your invitation on their screen.
If the peer accepts, the connection is made. The peer's name is added to your Invited List.

To invite a group to a session:

Right-click the group name in the Peer list and select Invite group to session.
Each online peer immediately sees your invitation on their screen.
The peers accept or decline individually. When a peer accepts, the connection is made. The peer's name is added to your Invited List.

You can add additional peers to an existing session by repeating the above process for each peer who you want to invite. All invited peers are visible to all hotComm users in the session.

If a peer declines your invitation, you receive a Chat Invitation Reply advising you that the peer declines.

If a peer does not respond:

You receive a Chat Invitation Reply advising you that the peer is not replying.
A message is written in the peer's Dialogue History Panel explaining that you tried to invite the peer to a session.
You can write a note to be included with the standard message.

If the peer is offline or unavailable, you can send a While-you-were-out email that includes a standard hotComm message and an optional note of your own.

Eject peers

To eject a peer from a session:

Right-click the peer's name in the Peer list and select Eject peer from session. (Alternatively, you can left-click on the ON legend by the peer's name.)
Both you and the peer see a message confirming that the peer is no longer connected to the session.

Private session

During a session, if you want to make a private comment to someone, you can start an additional session and invite only that peer. To start an additional session:

Click the New Session button in the Top Toolbar (left-most button), or
Select New Chat Session from the hotComm icon menu in the Windows tray.

Private Key Encryption

You can add more security to your hotComm session by using a private key, or keyword. This is a keyword known only to you and other peers. When it is set, hotComm uses advanced private key encryption for your session instead of the standard hotComm encryption.

To set private key encryption:

Choose a word to use as the private key, and communicate it to the other peers.
The word can include any number of alphabet characters, numbers, and punctuation characters, except it cannot include asterisks (*).

Assign a private key to individual peers or to groups.

For whom	How to
Peer	Right-click on the peer's name in the Peer List Panel. Select Profile from the menu. You see the Peer Profile Information Panel. Enter your private key in Pkey. Click Done.
Group	Right-click on the group name in the Peer List Panel. Select Profile from the menu. You see the Group Profile Information Panel. Enter your private key in Private key. Click Done.

These peers assign the same private key to you or a group that includes you.

Start the session and invite peers.

The private key entry remains set until you delete it.

The type of encryption is determined when the session starts. It stays in effect for the session unless someone joins the session without using the correct private key.

Encryption	Under what conditions
Private key	When the host and each invited peer uses the same private key when they join the session.
Standard	If anyone joins the session without using the private key, hotComm automatically changes to using standard encryption for the remainder of the session.
Standard	Private key encryption cannot be used in sessions that include IM-Live Java peers.
Unchanged	If you change or delete a private key after starting or joining a session, it does not take effect during the current session. Anyone joining the session should use the private key that was used at the start of the session.

Simple Control

In Simple Control, buttons and toolbars are hidden. This presents a simpler user interface for people who will be using, but not configuring, hotComm.

To enable Simple Control, right-click the hotComm Status toolbar (the bottom toolbar). From the menu, select Simple Control.

hotComm and hotComm Lite may be shipped with Simple Control enabled.

For more information on hotComm Simple Control, see hotComm Simple Control Help.

Session Control

Please see Session Control in hotComm User Guide - New Topics.

Peers and Groups

Peer List

The Peer List shows groups of peers that you have added or who have connected to you. Each peer is listed with symbols indicating current status.

With this panel's menus and mouse actions, you can manage your peer list and the participation of peers in your sessions.

You can add your own peers and groups.

As shipped, hotComm includes these groups:

Group	Description
All Peers	hotComm users and people who are not yet hotComm users but to whom an invitation email has been sent.
Java Peers	Peers connected to you through IM-Live.

Quick guide to using the Peer List:

Action	Instructions
Invite peer to session.	Left-click the peer's Free symbol.
Invite group to session.	Right-click the group name and select Invite group to session.
Peer's email address.	Mouse over peer name.
Group members.	Left-click group name or the arrow in front of it.
Peer Menu options	Right-click peer name.
Group Menu options	Right-click group name.
Peer List Panel Menu options	Right-click any blank space in the panel.

Peer Status Symbols

hotComm provides a visual representation of the current status of each group member, using a headset metaphor with left and right ears and a headband.

Symbol	Icon (text)	Legend	Meaning
	Green band, Red ears	Free	Peer is online and available for contact.
	Green band, Green ears	On	Peer is participating in the current session. (Only participating peers see this symbol. Non-participants see Free or Dnd.)
	Red band, Green ears	Dnd	Peer is busy or in Do Not Disturb status.
	Red band, Red ears	Off	Peer is currently offline.
	Green band, Green left ear, Red right ear	T.O.	Peer's session has timed out.
	White band and left ear	NON	Peer is not yet a hotComm user but an invitation email has been sent automatically on your behalf.

Add a Peer

To add a contact to a list of peers, select Add a Peer (+ Person) in the Middle Toolbar. This opens the Add Peer by Email panel.

Then:

Enter the email address of the person you want to add.
Click Search.
If the person is a registered hotComm user, their name and current status will appear. To add them to your Peer list, click Add Peer without notification.
If the person is not a registered hotComm user, enter a Full name and Display name for them and click Add Peer with Email notification. We will send an email on your behalf, inviting them to download hotComm.

See our Privacy Policy at the hotComm website for our commitment on email addresses gathered in this way.

For other ways to add peers, see Peer connects to you, Share peers and groups, and Import from email.

To block, delete, rename the peer or see the peer's profile, right-click the peer's name and select an option from the Peer Menu.

Add a Group

A Peer Group includes multiple Peers. If you typically invite the same group of people to the same hotComm sessions, you may find it easier to add them all to a Peer Group so that you can invite them all at once.

To create a Peer Group:

Right-click in any blank space in the Peer List Panel.
Select the New Group option from the pop-up menu.
Enter a name for the group and click OK. The group name is added to your peer list.

To add a peer to the group:

If the peer is already included individually in your peer list, highlight the peer's name and drag it to the group name. This copies the peer's name into the group.
Right-click on the group name and select Add Peer to Group. This displays the Add Peer by Email panel. Follow instructions to Add a Peer.

To block, delete, rename the group or see the group profile, right-click the group name and select an option from the Group Menu.

Peer connects to you

When a hotComm peer who is not already in your Peer List connects with you, the peer is automatically added to your Peer List. The peer's profile is filled in automatically.

Share peers and groups

You can share your peers and groups with other hotComm peers. The profiles of the peers and groups you share are transferred to the Peer Lists of all the peers in your current hotComm session.

To share peers and groups, drag the peer's name or the group name from your Peer List Panel into the Message Entry Panel. You and the recepients both see messages indicating that the transfer has occurred.

Import peers from email

You may be able to import peers from your email address book into your hotComm Peer List. Your email software must have the ability to export addresses in a specific format.

Using your email software, export addresses as a text file in CSV (comma separated values) format.

hotComm currently supports CSV files exported from Microsoft Outlook 2000, Microsoft Outlook Express 5, and Netscape 4.77. An export from another email software program may work if the file is in a compatible format. For updates and detailed format requirements, see Tips for Techies at the hotComm web site.

To load the import file into hotComm:

Select Add a Peer (+ Person) in the Middle Toolbar. This opens the Add Peer by Email panel.
Click the Import button. The Add Peer by Email panel expands to show the Import section.
In Import File:, type the full path to the import file, or use the Browse button to find it.
Click Load. Entries from the first address in the import file appear in these fields:
- Full Name, which has two parts: First Name and Last Name.
- Nickname
- Display name
- Email Address
If no entry is found, the field remains blank.

To add a peer from the loaded import file:

Use the Next Entry and Previous Entry buttons to find the address of the peer you want to add.
Fill in fields that are blank. All fields must be filled in. The Add Entry button remains inactive until all fields are filled in.
Click Add Entry. This adds the peer to your Peer List or notifies you that the peer is already in your Peer List.
Repeat these steps for each peer that you want to add.
Close the import section or the entire panel. To close just the import section, click the Import button.

After importing peers, check the Peer List Panel. Initially, each imported peer has a status of non-member, set to Alert me when available.

If an imported peer is a registered hotComm peer, the peer's status changes the next time hotComm refreshes peer status.
If an imported peer is not a registered hotComm peer, then you can sent them an email, inviting them to join. To send them an email, right-click on the peer's name in the Peer List and select Send Invitation Email from the menu.
If you do not want to be notified when the peer becomes available, right-click on the peer's name and de-select Alert me when available.

Menus and Profile Panels

Peer menu

Right-click on a peer name to choose an action:

Action	Description
Alert me when available	Causes you to be notified when the selected peer status changes to online
Send invitation email	If you attempt to access someone who is not a hotComm user, this selection will send an email on your behalf, suggesting they download hotComm. See our Privacy Policy at www.hotcomm.com for our commitment on email addresses gathered in this way.
Send While-You-Were-Out email	Use this option to send a standard message to someone who is not currently online or available. You can include a note of your own along with the standard message.
Invite peer to session	Send an invitation to chat to the selected peer.
Eject peer from session	Immediately remove the peer from the current session. You must be the host in order to eject a peer.
Block peer	Do not present any requests for connection from this named peer
Delete Peer	Delete peer from the named peer list
Rename peer	Rename peer
Profile	Displays a profile of the selected peer, in the Peer Profile Information Panel.

Peer Profile Information Panel

Peer Profile Information contains the following information about the peer. To see this panel, right-click on a peer's name in the Peer List Panel and select Profile.

Entry	Description
Display Name	The name you chose to use for the peer in your Peer List.
Pkey	A private encryption key that you enter for the peer to add more security to your sessions. See Private Key Encryption.
NickName	The name the peer chose to use for display in Peer Lists and sessions.
WebSite	The peer's ezPeer WebSite address
E-mail address	The peer's email address

You can set these actions for the peer:

Alert when peer is available. Check this box if you want to be notified when the peer becomes Free.
Block peer from connecting. Check this box to prevent the peer from connecting with you.

In Call Manager Operations Mode, you can authorize peers as Service Agents for your queue:

Call Group authorized. To authorize the peer to take calls from your Call Manager queue, check this box.
Call group auto invited. To automatically invite the peer to your Session 1 so that they can take calls from the queue, check this box. If you do not check the box, you must specifically invite the Service Agent peer.

In Unattended Relay Host Operations Mode, you can authorize peers as Panel Peers:

Room Panel authorized for .... To authorize the peer to open rooms in your hotComm installaton, check this box.
UnModerated Room type.

Click Done to save changes.

Group menu

Right click on a group name to choose an action:

Action	Description
Add peer to group	Add a peer as a member of the group.
Block group	Prevent any peer in this group from contacting you through hotComm.
Delete group	Delete the group from your lists.
Rename	Provide a new name for the group.
Profile	Opens the Group Profile Information panel.

Group Profile Information Panel

Group Profile Information contains the following information about the group. To see this panel, right-click on a group name in the Peer List Panel and select Profile.

Entry	Description
Group Name	The name you chose to use for the peer in your Peer List.
Private key	A private encryption key that you enter for the group to add more security to your sessions. See Private Key Encryption.

Peer List Panel Menu

You can add new groups and change the appearance of the member lists. Right click in any blank space in the Peer List Panel to see a menu of options:

Option	Description
New group	Create a new group.
Peer State Legend	Display or hide the Legend in the peer status symbol. The icon remains.

Text Chat

Text

You type in the lower Message Entry Panel. You see incoming and outgoing messages in the upper Dialogue History Panel. Messages are displayed word-by-word as you and the other peers type. A word is displayed when you press the spacebar.

To send messages only when you press the Enter key instead of word-by-word, set the Send Message option in Preferences. After you have set the option, your messages are not sent until you press the Enter key.

To change the appearance of the content, see Style Preferences, in Preferences. Note that by using certain characters in your text, you can change the format as you type.

To set up a group of abbreviations that are automatically expanded for easy typing, automatic error correction, or even pre-written messages, see Abbreviation Expansion.

lineEnder emoticons

To put an emoticon in your text:

Left-click the Smiley face icon in the status bar.

This brings up the emoticon menu.
Type a message, but do NOT press the Enter key at the end of the message.
Left-click an emoticon button. This puts the emoticon at the end of the message and ends the paragraph. (It acts like pressing the Enter key).

Transcripts

Transcripts include text messages and references to files, screenshots and sounds. Voice communciations are not included in transcripts.

	To save a transcript of the session contents, select Save Session from the Top Toolbar. The session is saved as a Rich Text Format (RTF) file, with a filename extension of .hcs.
	To email a transcript of the session to someone, select Email Session Transcript from the Top Toolbar. An email message is created in your default email application. The session contents are sent as text in the body of the message, or as an attachment in Rich Text Format (RTF) file. To select the RTF format, select Preferences (the Wrench button) from the Middle Toolbar, and under Email Transcript, check Send as RTF attachment.
	To print a transcript of the session contents, select Print from the Top Toolbar. Note that you can use other buttons on the Top Toolbar for Print Preview and Page Layout prior to printing.

Abbreviations

To define a set of abbreviations that expand automatically, select the AE button from the Middle Toolbar. This opens the Abbreviation Expansion panel.

The abbreviation expansion feature can save you from repeatedly typing, recording, or finding frequently sent phrases and files.

You can create abbreviations that expand into other actions when you post a message containing the abbreviation:

Expand automatically into a full word, phrase, sentence, or other text string.
Include a lineEnder emoticon.
Play an audio message recorded by you. (Note: your microphone must be on in order to record.)
Play a WAV file.
Display a web page (URL) or send a file.
Take a poll of session participants and display results to you privately or to the entire group. See Voting Poll.

For example, an abbreviation might be "G1", which could expand to "Good morning, how can I help you?".

Edit Abbreviation

To create an abbreviation:

Click on <new entry> in the Abbreviation column and enter the abbreviation you want.
Find the new abbreviation in the abbreviation list and highlight it.

In the Expansion area, enter or select the material you want to send.

One abbreviation can include one message, one lineEnder emoticon, one audio recording (recorded message or WAV file) and one URL or file.

Text message

In Message, type the text of your message.

To enter a text expansion that displays on multiple lines, use carriage returns as you type. Or, type \n where you want the line to break (for example: line1/nline2).

To end the message with a lineEnder emoticon, select one from the menu. This is an example message that ends with an emoticon:

Audio Message or WAV File

	To record a message, press the Microphone button and hold it while you record the message. When you are finished recording, release the button.
	To select an audio file, click the WAV file button. Then, navigate to find the file and select it.
	To listen to the sound, click the Sounds button (Ear).
	To remove a sound from the expansion, click the Remove Sounds button (Ear).

Recommendation: always include a text expansion when you create a sound expansion, so that anyone without sound knows that you are trying to send audio to them.

Note: you cannot record, listen to or remove sounds while you are in a hotComm session. However, text string entries can be created and edited during a session.

hotComm saves your audio message as a .AU file. hotComm makes a copy of any audio file you select and saves the copy as a .AU file.

At this time, the only supported audio file format is .WAV.

Website (URL) or File

Website: To display a website, type the address of the website in the URL or File area. Include the entire URL, including the protocol portion, such as "http://". Example: http://www.hotcomm.com

File: To send a file, type the location of the file you want to send, or use the Browse button to find the file on your computer. Note: hotComm stores the file location. If you move or rename the file, it will no longer be available to the abbreviation. Example: C:\Program Files\1stWorks\hotComm\ReadMeFirst.txt

lineEnder Emoticons

To send a lineEnder Emoticon, select one from the lineEnder menu. You can send a lineEnder Emoticon by itself, at the end of a text message, or with audio recordings. You cannot include a lineEnder Emoticon in a Voting Poll.

Voting Poll

See Voting Poll.

Click OK to save.

To modify abbreviations:

To change an abbreviation or expansion, click on it and edit it.
To delete an abbreviation or expansion, click on it and press the Delete key on your keyboard.
To listen to a sound, click the abbreviation or the expansion and then click the Sounds button (Ear).
To remove a sound from an expansion, click the abbreviation or expansion and then click the Remove Sound button (Ear with red X).

Abbreviations (Audio)

Recordings that you create as abbreviations, through the AE window, are stored as .AU files.

Recordings that you want to import into an AE must be .WAV files, in PCM format.

There are several different formats for WAV files. For AE recordings, hotComm Supports PCM WAV format, preferably in 8.0 kHz, 8 bit, Mono.

If the WAV file you want to use is not in PCM format, you can convert it from its current format to PCM.

One way to convert WAV files from one format to another is by using Windows Sound Recorder.

Open Windows Sound Recorder. To open this in Windows XP, select Windows Start menu, then All Programs, then Accessories, then Entertainment, then Sound Recorder.
From the Sound Recorder File menu, open the WAV file that you want to convert, and then select Save As.
In the Save As window, click the Change button. This opens the Sound Selection window.

In the Sound Selection window, select PCM as the format, 8.0 kHz, 8 bit, Mono as the attributes, and click OK.
In the Save As window, enter a name for the file that you are about to saave, and click Save.

If Windows Sound Recorder is not available, see 1stWorks Support for alternatives.

Use Abbreviations

To use a text string or audio file abbreviation, type the abbreviation as a word into your Message Entry Panel. To use a recorded audio message abbreviation, make sure that your microphone is on, and then type the abbreviation into the Message Entry Panel.

Examples

Some examples of abbreviations and expansions are:

Use	Abbreviation	Expansion
Shortcut	xc	except
Spelling error	teh	the
Message code	G1	Good morning. How may I assist you?
Multi-line message code	S1	J. SalesRep /n 1stWorks Corporation This displays as: J. Salesrep 1stWorks Corporation
Recorded message	Tnx	(text display) Thank you for calling!

Standard AEs

These abbreviations appear when certain events occur.

Joining Events These events occur when peers join a session or Room. To use them, add them to your AE list with your own messages. Note: If there are multiple Panel Peers with ttjoin messages in a Room, multiple messages are sent.
AE	Event
ttfull	Someone attempts to join a Content Relay Room that is full (maximum number of connections has been reached.)
ttjoinh	Welcome message to hotComm clients
ttjoinj	Welcome message to Java clients
ttjoinl	Welcome message to hotComm Lite clients
Clock count down events These events are used in Pay-Per-View applications. The default text is shown. You can replace the quoted string with your own AE message. nMin is the number of minutes. mm/dd/yy hh:mm:ss is the date and time stamp.
AE	Default message
tt0	mm/dd/yy hh:mm:ssPM - nMin "Minute(s) remaining..."
tt1	mm/dd/yy hh:mm:ssPM - "Sorry, your time has expired!"
tt2	mm/dd/yy hh:mm:ssPM - nMin "Minute(s) remaining when Clock is started...\n"
tt3	mm/dd/yy hh:mm:ssPM - nMin "Minute(s) remaining when Clock is stopped..."
tt4	mm/dd/yy hh:mm:ssPM - nMin "Free minute(s) added to the clock!"
tt5	mm/dd/yy hh:mm:ssPM - "1 Minute Tip received - Thank You!"

Abbreviation files

The abbreviation files are:

Filename	Folder	Description
ABBREXP.HCA	hotComm/USR	Abbreviations and text string expansions. All abbreviations are included, regardless of the type of expansions.
<abbreviation>.hcv	hotComm/USR	Recorded audio messages and audio files in proprietary hotComm format, where <abbreviation> is the abbreviation with which the message is associated. hotComm uses the .hcv format when sending sounds to other hotComm peers.
<abbreviation>.AU	hotComm/WEB/AU	Recorded audio messages and audio files in standard .WAV file format, where <abbreviation> is the abbreviation with which the message is associated. hotComm uses the .AU (WAV) format when sending sounds to IM-Live Java peers. Because the .AU files are in standard .WAV format, you can play them directly with Windows Media Player or other sound playback programs.

Note: The abbreviation files can be copied from one installation to another.

Voting Poll

To take a poll of session participants, create an AE (abbreviation expansion) that displays poll questions and results. Whenever you type the AE shortcut in your hotComm message panel, the poll question is displayed.

Click the Abbreviation Expansion button in the Middle Toolbar. This opens the Abbreviation Expansion window.

To create the poll:

Click on <new entry> in the Abbreviation column and enter the abbreviation you want.
Find the new abbreviation in the abbreviation list and highlight it.

In the Message area, type V: and click the Edit/Test button to open up the Voting Poll Wizard. Use the Voting Poll Wizard to create or edit your poll. (The Voting Poll Wizard generates the voting poll command syntax.)

In Question, type the poll question.

In Selections, enter the poll options and set the number of seconds allowed for users to answer the poll.

Entry	Instructions
Item	Enter a different number for each choice. The numbers must be positive integers, but do not need to be sequential. In the poll, the choices are sorted in descending order by item number.
Description	Text description of the choice.
Seconds	Select how many seconds you want to give users to answer the poll.

In Options, select how you want the results displayed.

Result-Type	Results are ...
P	Public, shown to all participants
X	Private, seen only by Content Relay Manager and Panel Peers.
N	Privately lists all users voting 0 (zero)
Y	Privately lists all users voting 1
V	Publically lists all user votes

Click Test. This shows you what the poll will look like.

Click Edit, make any changes, and click OK.

Click OK to save.

To edit an existing poll:

Highlight the abbreviation in the abbreviation list and click Edit/Test.
Make your changes, click Ok to save the poll command.
Click Ok to save the abbreviation.

Poll Syntax

The syntax is:

V:question:seconds:value 1:label 1:value 2:label 2:result-type

where:

   seconds is the number of seconds the person has to make their vote
   value is the numeric value of the vote item
   label is the description of the vote item
   result-type tells how to display the results

Result-Type	Results are ...
P	Public, shown to all participants
X	Private, seen only by Content Relay Manager and Panel Peers.
N	Privately lists all users voting 0 (zero)
Y	Privately lists all users voting 1
V	Publically lists all user votes

Notes:

value and label are repeated for each vote item.
Results are summarized unless you specify a result-type that lists individual user votes.
Options are separated by a colon (:).
Options must be entered as a continuous line, with no line breaks.
Examples:

V:Can you hear me?:15:0:No:1:Yes:P
This displays the question "Can you hear me?", gives users 15 seconds to vote, and offers the choices of 0 for No and 1 for Yes. Results are public, displayed to all participants.

V:How do you rate this presentation?:20:1:Poor:9:Great!:X
This displays the question "How do you rate this presentation?", gives users 20 seconds to vote, and offers the choices of 1 for Poor and 9 for Great. Results are displayed privately to the Content Relay Manager and Panel Peers only.

Poll Tally

The tally of poll votes is in the following format:

user_count with percentage% Abstaining -Average Vote average_vote

followed by a list of poll items, showing the number of votes and the percentage of total vote received for each item. Items that did not receive any votes are not shown, except that the maximum and minimum items are always shown.

hotWeb

The hotWeb window opens when you send (or receive) web pages through the hotWeb toolbar and when you send (or receive) files through the Message Entry Panel.

When you receive a file through hotWeb, it is automatically opened in the hotWeb window if you have an application associated with the filetype.

Use the hotWeb File menu to save or print hotWeb contents.

Use the hotWeb Collaborate menu to co-navigate, co-edit, and mark-up files and web pages.

When you are using the Collaborate options, the special hotWeb cursor is active.

Send Files

To send a file, drag the file from Windows Explorer or other file manager program into the Message Entry Panel (the area under the Middle Toolbar). See Drag-and-drop Files.

You can send any type of file this way.

Share hotWeb Files

When you make a file available to sesssion peers, the file is immediately placed in the My OutBox folder of each peer participating in the session.

Click the File Sharing Session OutBox tab to quickly see the folders for session peers.

To see the folders of the session peers, open File Sharing (select the File Sharing icon in the middle Toolbar) and select the Session OutBox tab.