The Chat Configuration page allows you to configure the built-in chat system in InstiKit.
These settings control whether the chat feature is available, how automatically generated chat groups are named, and how frequently the application checks for new messages when polling is enabled.
Important
Chat configuration is applied globally across your organization. Any changes affect all branches, campuses, and users.
Enable Chat
Enable or disable the chat feature throughout the application.
When enabled, users with appropriate permissions can:
- Send direct messages.
- Participate in group chats.
- Receive chat notifications.
- Communicate in automatically generated class groups.
When disabled:
- Chat menus are hidden.
- Users cannot send or receive messages.
- Existing chat history remains intact but becomes inaccessible until chat is enabled again.
Chat Group Name Format
InstiKit automatically creates chat groups for classes based on the configured naming format.
Instead of manually creating group names, you can define a reusable format using placeholders.
Supported placeholders include:
| Placeholder | Description |
|---|---|
%PERIOD% |
Academic Period |
%DIVISION% |
Division |
%COURSE% |
Course or Class |
%BATCH% |
Batch or Section |
Example
If the format is:
%PERIOD% %COURSE% - %BATCH%
and the values are:
- Period:
2025-26 - Course:
Class I - Batch:
Section D
The generated chat group name will be:
2025-26 Class I - Section D
You may customize the format to match your organization's naming convention.
For example:
%COURSE% (%BATCH%)
produces:
Class I (Section D)
or
%DIVISION% - %COURSE%
produces:
Primary School - Class I
Chat Polling
InstiKit supports two methods for receiving new chat messages:
- Real-time notifications using WebSockets (Pusher)
- Polling
Polling is recommended when WebSockets are not configured or supported by your hosting environment.
Enable Chat Polling
Enable this option if you want the application to periodically check for new chat messages.
When disabled, chat updates are expected to be delivered through the configured real-time notification service.
Chat Polling Interval
Specify how frequently the application checks for new chat messages.
The value is measured in seconds.
Example:
10
means the application checks for new messages every 10 seconds.
A shorter interval provides faster updates but generates more server requests.
A longer interval reduces server load but may delay message delivery.
Recommended
For most schools, a polling interval between 10 and 30 seconds provides a good balance between responsiveness and server performance.
Best Practices
- Enable chat only if your organization intends to use internal messaging.
- Use a consistent naming format for automatically generated groups.
- Use WebSocket notifications for the best real-time experience.
- Enable polling only when real-time notifications are unavailable.
- Avoid setting very small polling intervals unless necessary.
Saving Changes
After updating the chat configuration, click Save to apply the changes.
Changes take effect immediately for all users. Users may need to refresh their browser to see updated group names or configuration changes.