Chats in F2 Manager 2
| The content of this website is last updated to F2 version 12. cBrain are working hard on supplying you with the newest documentation of F2. |
You can chat on F2 Manager 2 from approvals and meeting agenda items. You can also receive and reply to chats on approvals where you aren’t an approver.
Tap Chats at the bottom of the ribbon on F2 Manager 2 to display a list of all your chats.
On the left you can see a list of chats (1). You can search for chats using the search field above the list (2). When you tap a chat in the list, the chat window will be displayed in a preview on the right (3). Above the preview are functions for working with the agenda item or approval associated with the chat (4). Above these functions are the metadata of the approval - title, deadline, and ID of the approval record - or agenda item - record title and meeting title (5).
The chat list
Chats are displayed in the chats list with agenda item or approval title, the initials of the chat participants, and the time of the latest chat entry. The list is sorted chronologically by their last entry. This places the newest chats at the top of the list. Multiple chats on the same agenda item or approval are listed individually. Unread chats are bolded.
You can also create new chats on any agenda item or approval already present in the chats list.
Chats are removed from the list
Chats are removed from the chats list, either when you do it manually, or when their associated agenda item or approval is no longer on F2 Manager 2.
| Type of chat | Time of removal |
|---|---|
Chats on approvals where you are an approver or copy recipient |
The chat is removed from the chats list upon final approval. If you have processed the approval, you still have access to its chats until final approval has been granted. You can choose to remove the chat manually by tapping Remove chat in the ribbon above the preview. |
Chats on other approvals |
The chat is removed from the chats list upon final approval or when you remove the chat manually by tapping Remove chat in the ribbon above the preview. |
Chats on agenda items |
The chat is removed from the chats list when the meeting is no longer synchronised to F2 Manager 2. |
Search for chats
You can search for chats using the search field above the chats list. You search by the titles of agenda items and approvals.
Chats ribbon functions
The ribbon above the preview changes depending on whether you have selected a chat on an agenda item or a chat on an approval.
Functions in context of approvals
The menu items of the ribbon support approval processing when you select a chat on an approval.
When the ribbon is shortened, the menu items are gathered in the "More" drop-down menu. The menu items change depending on whether you have selected either the "Approval document" or "Chat" tab in the preview or an attached document in the chat list.
The functions are as follows:
| Function | Description |
|---|---|
Full screen/Split screen |
Display the selected content on the entire screen or restore the default view. |
Share |
Share the document with other apps on your iPad. This function is only available for attachments. You cannot share an approval document. |
New chat |
Create a new chat on the approval. |
Search |
Search within the selected document. The first match is highlighted in yellow. Other matches are highlighted in white. |
Hide annotations/Show annotations |
Hide or show annotations in the selected document. The menu item is only visible for annotated documents. |
Annotate |
Open the selected document in annotation mode. The menu item is only visible if you have selected a record which you can annotate. |
Hide/Display attachments |
Hide or display documents attached to the approval. The attached documents appear below the chat in the chat list. Tap a document to preview it. |
View combined/Split view |
Show the approval document and the attached documents in the preview either as a combined PDF or as separate PDFs. |
Return |
Open a dialogue where you can return the approval to a previous step. |
Approve |
Open a dialogue where you can grant approval. |
Resume |
Open a dialogue where you can resume the approval. |
Remove chat |
Remove the selected chat from F2 Manager 2. The chat can still be accessed in F2 Desktop. The menu item is only visible if you are not an approver on the approval, or if the approval is at a different step than your approval step or copy recipient step. |
Functions in the context of agenda items
The menu items of the ribbon support working with agenda items when you select a chat on an agenda item.
When the ribbon is shortened, the menu items are gathered in the "More" drop-down menu. The menu items change depending on whether you have selected an agenda item or an attached document in the chat list.
The functions are as follows:
| Function | Description |
|---|---|
Full screen/Split screen |
Display the selected content on the entire screen or restore the default view. |
Share |
Share the document with other apps on your iPad. This function is only available for attachments. You cannot share an approval document. |
New chat |
Create a new chat on the approval. |
Search |
Search within the selected document. The first match is highlighted in yellow. Other matches are highlighted in white. |
Hide/Display attachments |
Hide or display documents attached to the approval. The attached documents appear below the chat in the chat list. Tap a document to preview it. |
Hide annotations/Show annotations |
Hide or show annotations in the selected document. The menu item is only visible for annotated documents. |
Annotate |
Open the selected document in annotation mode. The menu item is only visible if you have selected a record which you can annotate. |
Go to meeting |
Open the meeting associated with the agenda item. The meeting opens in the agenda view showing the selected agenda item. |
Create a new chat
You can create new chats on both approvals and agenda items from all tabs. Tap New chat in the ribbon above the preview to create a chat on the selected agenda item or approval.
A dialogue opens where you can add chat participants. F2 Manager 2 suggests your most frequently used chat participants. When you start typing in the "Search for chat participants" field, F2 Manager 2 searches for users in F2’s participant register. You can add multiple chat participants at once.
When you have added participants, tap OK to create the chat. Tap Cancel if you do not wish to create the chat.
After you tap OK, the chat window opens. Your selected chat participants are displayed at the top of the chat window. Write your message in the field at the bottom. Tap the send icon to send your message.
The chat window
In the chat window, you can read and write chat messages as well as add participants to the chat. Participants are displayed at the top (1). If you tap the three dots, the chat participant menu opens where you can view the status of existing chat participants and add or remove participants from the chat.
Write your message at the bottom in the compose box (3). Tap the send icon to send your message.
The chat conversation shows which message each chat participant has last read via their picture or initial, which is displayed below said message (4).
If an agenda item or approval holds multiple chats, you can tap the left arrow by the participant list to see an overview of the relevant chats.
Tap a chat in the overview to open it.
Chat participant menu
Tap the three dots next to the participant list in the chat window to open the chat participant menu.
The functions are as follows:
| Function | Description |
|---|---|
Chat participants |
Open a dialogue with an overview of all chat participants and their status (online, offline, out of office). 
Figure 13. Chat participants' statuses
Remove a chat participant by tapping the X next to their name, and then tap OK to return to the chat. Tap Cancel to return to the chat without removing anyone. |
Add chat participants |
Open a dialogue where you can add chat participants. F2 Manager 2 suggests your most frequently used chat participants. When you start typing in the "Search for participants" field, F2 Manager 2 searches for users in F2’s participant register. You can add multiple chat participants at once.
Figure 14. Add chat participants
When you have found your desired participants, tap OK to add them to the chat. Tap Cancel if you do not wish to add participants. |
Access restricted records
If you chat someone who is not included by the access restriction on the agenda item or approval, you will be notified at the top of the screen. Your chat will be saved as a chat draft on said agenda item or approval. You can then determine whether to remove the chat participant from the conversation or whether add them to the access restriction before sending the chat again. You can only add the chat participant to the access restriction from F2 Desktop.
Chat drafts
If you navigate away from a newly created chat without sending a message, the chat will be saved as a draft on the agenda item or approval. You can then find it on the agenda item or approval and in the chat list on the "Chats" tab.
| The chat draft is stored as long as F2 Manager 2 is open or running in the background. When you close F2 Manager 2, all chat drafts are deleted. You cannot manually delete a chat draft. |
Chat orientation on approvals
You can receive chats on F2 Manager 2 on approvals you are not an approver on. This type of chat will only appear on the chats list on the "Chats" tab. The approval will not be listed on the approvals list.
You can read and annotate the approval and its attached documents, but you cannot process the approval as you are not an approver on it.
When you have read the chat, and perhaps replied to it, you can remove the chat from F2 Manager 2 by tapping on Remove chat in the ribbon above the preview. The chat will then be removed from F2 Manager 2, but can still be accessed in F2 Desktop.
| By default, F2 Manager 2 removes the chat upon final approval. A configuration makes it possible to keep chat orientations on the chats list regardless of final approval. If this configuration is used, the chat and approval will remain on F2 Manager 2 for a limited number of days, typically seven days. F2 is configured in cooperation with cBrain. |