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Glossary
Several terms will be used in Zulip conversation. Here are some common terms that you should know.
administrator
Administrators have special privileges that allow them to control the settings and customizations of the realms that they own, including the ability to deactivate and reactivate other human and bot users, delete streams, add/remove administrator privileges, as well as change configuration for the overall realm (e.g. whether an invitation is required to join the realm).
bot
Zulip bots are often used for integrations to send automated messages to users and can do everything a normal user in the realm can do with a few exceptions (e.g. a bot cannot login to the web application or create other bots).
chevron
A chevron is a small downward-facing arrow (
) icon next to a message’s timestamp that appears upon hover, offering contextual options when clicked on, such as View Source, Reply, Collapse, Mute [this topic], and Link to this conversation.
compose box
The compose box is the area where you input the content of your message when you send stream or private messages. The compose box features several features that can help you compose your message, such as the Emojis, Attach files, Formatting, and Preview features.
customization
Customization is the process of modifying Zulip's settings to fit a user's set of personal preferences. Users can customize their Zulip settings by clicking the cog (
) in the upper right corner of the right sidebar and choose Settings from the dropdown menu.
emoji
An emoji is a small image used to express an idea or emotion in a conversation. Emojis can be included in Zulip messages by enclosing an emoji phrase (a complete list of emojis can be found here) in colons or clicking the smiley face (
) icon below the compose box.
home
Home is a specific view (or filter) that shows all messages to the user's subscribed streams and all of the user's private messages in chronological order. This view is accessible by clicking the Home link or Zulip icon in the upper left sidebar or pressing the escape key.
integration
An integration is a tool that combines Zulip with another service or application. Zulip offers a variety of integrations for version control, issue tracker, CI system, monitoring tools, and other tools used for development. The three types of integrations that Zulip supports are webhook integrations, Python script integrations, and plugin integrations.
mention
To mention users in Zulip, you have to type @ and their email addresses or usernames for auto-completions in your compose box. The users will be mentioned in your message as @**username**, and they will be notified of your message. Users can see all messages they've been mentioned in through the @-mentions link in the left sidebar or by using is:mentioned as a narrow or a search constraint.
message editing
If enabled by an administrator, users can utilize message editing for a few minutes after posting a message to edit the content of their recently-posted message by hovering to the right of their message's timestamp and clicking the pencil (
) icon that appears. Zulip labels edited messages with (EDITED) next to the username of the message writer.
muting
Muting a topic or stream allows a user to stop being notified of messages sent to the specified topic or stream. This can be activated by clicking the corresponding chevron of the stream or topic and selecting Mute the [stream/topic] [stream/topic name] from the dropdown that appears.
narrowing
Narrowing a topic or stream will cause you to only see the messages of that particular stream or topic. This can be activated by clicking the corresponding chevron of the stream or topic and selecting Narrow to [stream/topic] [stream/topic name] from the dropdown that appears or clicking the stream or topic of a set of messages.
notification
Notifications are messages that appear notifying Zulip users about important events in the realm, such as being mentioned in another user's message or the creation of a stream. Notifications can be sent as emails or browser/desktop notifications, often accompanied by an alert sound.
pinning
Pinning a stream will move that particular stream above other streams in the Streams section in the left sidebar. You can pin a stream by clicking the chevron of the corresponding stream and clicking Pin stream [stream] to top from the dropdown the appears.
private message
Private messages are either one-on-one or group conversations. They can only be seen by users participating in the message. To send a private messages to a user, users can search for the username or email address.
private stream
Private streams are for confidential discussions and are only visible to users who've been invited to subscribe to them.
public stream
Public streams are for open discussions. All users can subscribe to public streams and discuss there.
realm
A realm is a Zulip organization hosted on a domain. Each realm is a private chamber with its own users, streams, customizations, etc. Administrators manage the realm, controlling the specific settings of the realms that they own.
recipient bar
The recipient bar is a visual indication of the context of a message or group of messages, displaying the stream and topic or private message recipient list, at the top of a group of messages.
starring
Zulip allows users to mark any important messages they receive as starred by hovering over the area next to the message's timestamp and clicking the star (
) icon that appears. A user can easily access messages they’ve starred through the Starred messages link in the left sidebar or use is:starred as a narrow or a search constraint.
stream
A stream is a channel of topics expected to fall within a certain scope of content. Streams are located on the left sidebar. Streams are either public (used for open discussions) or private (invite-only).
subscribing
When a user subscribes to a stream, the user is choosing to receive all messages from the stream that they subscribed to.
timestamp
A timestamp shows you the exact time when a message was posted. It is located to the right of a message.
topic
Topics are similar to conversation threads. Topics are used to describe the general subject of the messages a user sends. Topics effectively ensure sequential messages about the same thing are threaded together, allowing for better consumption by users. The topics of messages can be edited as well as the content of the message.
unsubscribing
When a user unsubscribes to a stream, the user is choosing to stop receiving all messages from the stream that they unsubscribed from.
view
A view is an option for viewing different kinds of messages, listed in the upper left sidebar, including sections Home, Private messages, Starred messages, and @-mentions. Also known as filter.