Working with Unigram: Main Window

AltSight
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Unigram is the most accessible Telegram client for the blind and people with visual impairments, providing convenient access to the world of this messenger. Let us take a closer look at its main window and explore the key aspects of using Unigram.

Unigram’s Main Window

After a successful login, you will find yourself in the main window of Unigram. It is the central hub of the application’s interface that provides access to various messenger functions and content. Let us explore the main window’s structure in detail, moving through the elements by pressing the “Tab” key:

“Navigation Menu” Button:

The menu includes various functions and options, such as “Favorites,” “Contacts,” “Calls,” “Settings,” and others.

Search Field:

Provides users with the ability to find contacts, chats, messages, as well as groups and channels via a global search. After entering a query or a part of it, press the “Tab” key twice to access the search results.

“New Chat” Button:

Allows you to create new chats or conversations with one or multiple contacts, as well as channels and secret chats.

“Archive” Button:

Represents a feature that allows you to hide chats or conversations from the main chat list but retain access to them for later viewing. It can be useful for managing chats and hiding those that are currently inactive or do not require your attention.

Chat List:

This is the main element of the window, displaying a list of your active chats and dialogues. It plays a significant role in organizing and navigating your chats. Here is the information you will find in the “Chat List”:

  • Thumbnails and profile pictures of chats and contacts, chat names, and unread message indicators. Here you can see a list of chats you are participating in, including one-on-one and group chats;
  • Chats are sorted based on their activity, with more active chats appearing closer to the top. You also possess the ability to set your own, custom chat order;
  • Next to each chat in the list with unread message indicators that notify you whether there are new messages in the corresponding conversation;
  • You can press the “Enter” key on any chat in the list to open it and start chatting. This provides quick access to your conversations;
  • Additional functions are available by pressing the “Context Menu” key on the keyboard for managing chats, such as archiving chats, notification settings, reply, and forward.

The “Chat List” is a central element for interacting with your contacts and messages in Unigram, creating a convenient and intuitive workspace.

Working with Chats

In follow-up articles, we will delve into the “Navigation Menu” and “Settings” in more detail. For now, let us move on to working with chats. Any of your conversations, groups, or channels can be used as an illustrative example here.

You can quickly find the group or channel you are interested in via the search function. To do this, locate “Search” in Unigram’s main window, type the name of the desired group or channel, then press “Enter.”

As a result, you will navigate to the group or channel you were searching for. To view search results after entering the query, press the “Tab” key until you reach the list of results, where navigation is performed using the up and down arrow keys. The screen reader will announce the chat’s name and its type: “group” or “channel.” To navigate to the selected chat, press “Enter,” and you will then access the chat’s contents.

However, it is worth noting that the list of chats can contain both groups and channels with the same name. The most active chats, groups, and channels are at the beginning of the list.

After entering the selected chat, the focus will be set to the text message input field. Enter your message in this field and press “Enter” to send it in the chat. If you need to move the cursor to a new line, use the “Ctrl + Enter” keyboard shortcut.

In conclusion, Unigram is an accessible and user-friendly Telegram client for the blind and individuals with visual impairments. Its main window provides easy access to messenger functions, sporting intuitive navigation. The chat list plays a central role, organizing conversations by activity and displaying unread messages at the beginning of the list. Working with chats is also convenient and efficient. Unigram truly makes the world of Telegram more accessible and convenient for users with limited vision.

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