Inbox Preferences
Each staff member has their own preferences for the Chat Inbox. They survive refresh, browser, and device — they're stored server-side in chat_inbox_preferences keyed by your user id.
What you can set
Open the inbox header → cog icon → Preferences:
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Default channel filter | Open the inbox on a specific channel (e.g. "always start me on WhatsApp"). All is the default. |
| Sort order | Recent activity / Newest first / Unread first |
| Compact list | Single-line conversation rows instead of two-line |
| Show channel rail | Hide the 60px channel icon rail on the left (more screen real estate) |
| Sound on inbound | A subtle "ping" when an inbound arrives while you're on the inbox page |
| Desktop notifications | Browser push (requires permission grant) |
Preferences apply only to your account. School-wide defaults are set by an admin under Configuration → Chat Settings.
Resetting
The same panel has a Reset to defaults button which removes your preference row entirely — the inbox reverts to school defaults. You can re-customise at any time.
Per-channel filters
If you have access to multiple channels but spend 90% of your day on WhatsApp, setting Default channel filter = WhatsApp means:
- The conversation list loads pre-filtered.
- The unread badge in the sidebar shows WhatsApp-only counts.
- New conversations on other channels still fire push notifications (if enabled), but they're not in your view.
You can still switch channels from the rail at any time — the preference only changes the default on page load.
Notification routing
Inbox push notifications respect two layers of preferences:
- Inbox preferences (this page) — sound + desktop push toggles
- Notification preferences (the global page) — DND windows, quiet hours, daily digest
A new chat message generates a push only if:
- You have
chat.viewpermission on the channel - The conversation isn't snoozed or closed by you
- You're not in a DND window
- Inbox push is enabled in preferences
If all four are true, you'll see a desktop notification on a configured browser. The same push fires the in-app bell badge regardless of desktop-permission grant.
Daily digest
If you opt into the daily digest (under Notification Preferences), the digest will roll up unread chat conversations alongside other categories. The digest email links straight to the inbox with the right filter pre-applied.