2019-02-13 20:03:56 +01:00
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# Open the compose box
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The Zulip compose box starts off closed by default. There are a number of
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ways to open the compose box.
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### Using the keyboard (recommended)
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All replies are to the message under the **blue box**.
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* **Reply**: `r` or `Enter`
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* **New private message**: `x`
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* **New topic**: `c`
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You can move the blue box around using the **arrow keys**, `j`, or `k`. You
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can close the compose box using `Esc`, or up/down arrow if the box is empty.
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### Using the mouse
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* Click on any message.
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* Click on **New topic**, **New private message**, or **Reply** at the
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bottom of the screen.
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## Why does Zulip close the compose box?
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2019-02-15 00:12:24 +01:00
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Zulip's model gives more vertical real estate to the message feed when
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you're reading messages, and allows us to use 1-character keyboard
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shortcuts such as `n` for [common workflows](/help/reading-strategies)
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in reading messages, which make catching up on a lot of messages in
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Zulip delightful.
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This feature sometimes confuses new users, since it's different from
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how other apps do things. However, once users learn how to open the
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compose box, they're generally quite happy with Zulip's efficient
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read/reply/compose workflow.
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