Visual Space manual, Chat, Compose Reply And Reference
Use this walkthrough when one message needs to answer an earlier point, reach a specific participant, and keep a durable link to the work being discussed. You will prepare the message in the right topic, send it without losing its context, verify the result, and correct it in place if needed. The workflow applies to both [Activity Chat](../activity-chat.md) and [Direct Messages](../direct-messages.md). Their audiences differ, but their reply, mention, goal-reference, formatting, and editing tool
Use this walkthrough when one message needs to answer an earlier point, reach a specific participant, and keep a durable link to the work being discussed. You will prepare the message in the right topic, send it without losing its context, verify the result, and correct it in place if needed.
The workflow applies to both Activity Chat and Direct Messages. Their audiences differ, but their reply, mention, goal-reference, formatting, and editing tools work in the same composer.
Before You Begin
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Open a ready topic - In Activity Chat, open an activity with an active published topic. In Direct Messages, select the intended one-to-one or group conversation and its active conversation topic. The composer is ready when you see Type a message.
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Check the audience - Make sure the people who should read the message can access the current activity or are participants in the selected Direct Message. A mention attracts a participant's attention; it does not grant access to the conversation.
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Check the reference - Confirm that the goal is available to you and, when practical, to the message's audience. Sharing a goal reference does not grant access to the goal.
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Choose the parent message - Find the statement or question you are answering. Replies remain in the current topic and chronological feed, so choose a parent that gives readers the most useful context.
Start With The Reply Context
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Choose Reply - Open the parent message's quick actions or message menu and select Reply.
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Confirm the parent - Look for the reply indicator above Type a message. It identifies the author you are replying to. If you selected the wrong parent, cancel the reply and choose Reply on the correct message.
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Keep the response understandable - Begin with the answer or update a reader needs. The posted message will show a compact preview of the parent, but that preview is intentionally short.
Replies stay in the same feed. They do not create a separate thread or move the response away from the selected topic.
Mention A Participant
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Open participant suggestions - In Type a message, type @ followed by part of the participant's handle. Activity Chat searches people in the current shared chat context. A Direct Message searches participants in the selected conversation.
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Move through matches - Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to highlight the intended participant.
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Insert the mention - Press Tab to accept the highlighted participant. Press Escape instead if you want to close the suggestions without inserting anyone.
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Check the selection - Confirm that the readable @handle appears in the draft. Selecting a suggestion ties the mention to that participant, so it remains reliable if their visible profile details later change. Merely typing a name as ordinary text does not provide the same stable connection.
Replying to someone and mentioning them express different context: the reply identifies whose message you answered, while the mention identifies who needs attention. If both point to the same person in one message, Visual Space avoids sending two pings for that single message.
The unsent draft keeps its parent reply visible while the mention picker identifies UX Explorer by name and handle.
Insert The Goal Reference
Choose the route that matches what you already know about the goal:
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Choose a space first - Type /goal to begin with your joined spaces, including spaces without a short goal key, and then choose a goal.
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Narrow by space key - Type a keyed shortcut such as /VS- to browse or search goals in matching joined spaces.
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Resolve a known goal - Type an exact shortcut such as /VS-42 when you know the current uppercase space key and goal number.
Once the picker opens, use the same compact keyboard flow at each stage:
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Move through results - Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to change the highlighted space or goal.
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Accept the highlight - Press Enter or Tab. Choosing a space advances to its goals; choosing a goal replaces the slash command with its readable reference.
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Leave without selecting - Press Escape to close the picker and keep working on the draft.
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Verify the insertion - Make sure /VS-42 or the other command has changed into a displayed goal reference before sending. Unselected slash text remains ordinary text and does not become a durable, openable reference.
!The exact VS-42 shortcut with its matching goal highlighted in the Chat picker
The picker resolves /VS-42 to one accessible goal before anything is inserted or sent.
If several joined spaces use the same key, Visual Space asks you to choose the owning space before it resolves the goal. The fuller Share a Goal in Chat walkthrough covers duplicate keys, keyless spaces, and exact-number searches in detail.
Add Lightweight Formatting
Formatting is optional. Use it only when it makes the update easier to scan.
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Emphasize the decision - Wrap a short phrase in ** markers to make it bold, or use * markers for italics.
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Separate parallel points - Use a short Markdown list when the message contains several outcomes or requests.
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Protect a literal value - Put backticks around an exact command, identifier, or value that readers should recognize precisely.
Keep the parent reply, selected mention, and goal reference intact while editing the surrounding text. A compact message usually needs only one or two formatting choices.
Send And Verify The Result
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Review the context - Check the current topic, reply indicator, selected @handle, and inserted goal reference. This is the last chance to catch a message prepared for the wrong activity or Direct Message.
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Send the message - When no suggestion or goal picker is open, press Enter. On a mobile layout, use the send action beside the composer.
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Confirm the reply - Find your message at the current position in the same feed. A compact parent preview should appear above it; no separate thread should open.
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Confirm the mention - Check that the selected participant appears as a styled mention rather than unresolved typed text.
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Confirm the goal - Select the posted goal reference and verify that it opens the intended accessible goal. Another reader without access may see the safe, non-clickable label Goal unavailable instead.
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Confirm the presentation - Make sure any lightweight formatting is readable and the message belongs under the intended topic divider.
In Activity Chat, everyone with access to that activity context can follow the message. In a Direct Message, the audience remains the selected conversation's participants. The goal can belong to another joined space, but each reader still needs access to open it.
Correct The Message If Needed
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Open Edit - Open your posted message's menu and choose Edit. The current content returns to the composer under the Editing Message indicator.
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Make the correction - Change the wording, mention, reference, or formatting. Press Enter with the pickers closed, or use the mobile save action, to keep the revised message in its original feed position.
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Verify the revision - Confirm that the corrected content appears and that the message now shows (edited).
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Cancel an edit - Press Escape or use the cancel control in the editing indicator to leave edit mode without saving. If mention suggestions are open during an edit, Escape closes the suggestions and also leaves edit mode.
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Use the Arrow Up shortcut - When Type a message is empty, has no staged files, and is not already replying or editing, press the Up Arrow key to load your latest editable message. This shortcut works in both Activity Chat and Direct Messages when sending is available.
Editing returns the current message to the composer with a clear cancel control; this planned state leaves the seeded message unchanged.
Solve Common Problems
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Participant suggestions do not appear - Confirm that the cursor follows @, then check the audience. Activity Chat searches its current chat participants; Direct Messages search only participants in the selected conversation. Use Escape to close a stale picker and try again.
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The posted reference says Goal unavailable - The goal may be deleted, unresolved, or inaccessible to the current reader. The shared label intentionally does not reveal its former title or location. Check access, then use /goal to find an available goal rather than sending unresolved slash text.
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Type a message is absent or disabled - In Activity Chat, select an activity with an active published topic. In Direct Messages, select a conversation with an active conversation topic. Also confirm that you are signed in and still have access to the conversation.
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Editing will not start from the keyboard - Empty the composer, leave reply or edit mode, and remove any staged files before using the Up Arrow shortcut. You can always open the message menu and choose Edit instead.
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You need to abandon an edit - Press Escape or use the cancel control beside Editing Message. The posted message remains unchanged.
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The draft will not send - A chat message can contain up to 3000 characters. Shorten an oversized draft, then try again after any open mention or goal picker has been resolved or closed.
