AX1706

Commenting on documents using the Message Stream task pane

When viewing a spreadsheet Axiom file within the Desktop ClientGeneral term for using either the Excel Client or the Windows Client, both of which are installed to the user's desktop., you can view comments that other users have made about the document and also make comments about the document. New comments are stored in the message stream for that document, so that all other users who access the document can see the comment. Additionally, you can "tag" other users in the comment, so that the tagged users are notified about the comment.

You can view comments and add comments using the Message Stream task pane. This is a system-controlled task pane that automatically opens for eligible documents.

NOTES:  

  • The message stream is only available for documents where it has been enabled. For more information, see Enabling or disabling the message stream for Axiom files.

  • The message stream is also available for Axiom forms that are open within the Desktop Client, using the Message Stream panel. This panel is accessible from the task bar displayed across the top of the form. For more information, see Commenting on form documents.

Viewing the message stream

To view the message stream for the current document, click the Message Stream tab to display the task pane in the Axiom Assistant sidebar. This task pane shows all comments that have been made about the document.

Example message stream

Comments are displayed in the order they were made, with the most recent comment shown at the top of the panel. Each comment shows when the comment was made and the user who made it.

To view the full text and details of a comment, hover your cursor over the comment so that the > symbol displays on the right-hand side of the comment. Click the symbol to open a separate Comment Details dialog with the full comment text.

Once the message stream has been loaded for the current document, it is only updated automatically after you add a new comment. If necessary, you can manually refresh the task pane to see if any other users have made comments during the current file session.

Comments are stored for the life of the document, and cannot be deleted.

Adding a comment

To add a comment, click Add Comment at the top of the Message Stream task pane. In the Add Comment dialog, you can define an optional title for the comment, and then define the comment text. Basic text formatting of bold, italic, and underline can be used.

If desired, you can "tag" one or more users in the comment, so that those users are notified about the comment. Any user tagged in the comment will receive an email that contains the content of the comment and a link to the document. To tag a user, use the Tag user box to find a user and insert the tag. You can type into the box to find a specific user, or select a user from the drop-down list. When you click on a user name in the list, a tag will be inserted at the current cursor point in the comment text. The tag displays as @FirstName LastName.

When you click Post, the comment is saved to the message stream, and any tagged users will be notified.

NOTES:  

  • All users with access to the document can see comments posted to the message stream. Any comments made should be appropriate for the entire document audience. Do not post any sensitive information to the message stream.

  • Adding a comment automatically subscribes you to the document's message stream, and tagging a user automatically subscribes that user to the document's message stream.

Ongoing notifications (subscriptions)

If you have made a comment in a document's message stream, or if you have been tagged in a comment, you are now subscribed to that document's message stream. Whenever a new comment is made to that document's message stream, you will receive a notification in the Notifications task panepanel.

The notification details the user who made the comment and when it was made, the text of the comment, and a link to open the file.

Currently it is not possible to unsubscribe from a document's message stream once you have been subscribed.