This topic describes the various types of chat rooms available in the Kentico CMS Chat module. The types are cumulative, meaning that a chat room can be of more than one type, while inheriting the properties of all the selected types.

 

Types can be selected when creating a new room or editing an existing one. You can find more information about the editing interface in the Configuring chat rooms topic.

 

Global and site-related rooms

 

Similarly to most objects throughout the CMS, a chat room can be made available on all websites in a particular instance of the application, or its usage can be limited to a specific site. This property needs to be specified before you create a chat room, by selecting (global) or a desired site, in the Site drop-down list.

 

Public and private rooms

 

A public chat room can be seen in the list of rooms and joined by anyone. Contrary to that, joining a private room requires an invitation from a user who is an administrator of that particular room. This parameter can be turned on or off anytime on the chat room editing page, by checking or un-checking the Is private check-box.

 

Anonymous access

 

Governed by the Allow anonymous check-box on the chat room editing page, this property determines whether an anonymous user can join the room. A chat user is considered anonymous when she is not logged in to the site via a user name and password.

 

One-on-one chat

 

This type of room is automatically created when a user requests chat with another user by clicking her name in the list of on-line users.

 

Support chat

 

Support chat is a special type of chat room where customer support personnel can talk to site visitors. Requests for support can be accessed through CMS Desk, provided you have the appropriate permission. You can create a room of this type by checking the Is support check-box on the room editing page. For more information about this feature, refer to the Support chat chapter.