---
title: "Messages | Console | Ilmiya Documentation"
description: "View and respond to direct message threads between students and staff from the Console Inbox Message tab."
url: "https://ilmiya.com/docs/console/inbox/messages/"
language: "en"
---

<a id="_top"></a>

# Messages

The **Message** tab shows direct message threads between students and staff (teacher/admin) — separate from [Discussions](https://ilmiya.com/docs/console/inbox/discussions/), which are group/channel conversations. A thread is always started by a student; staff can only reply to existing threads, not initiate new ones.

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## Accessing Messages

1.  Click the **inbox icon** in the top navigation to open your notifications panel.
2.  Click **Full Inbox** at the bottom of that panel.
3.  Select the **Message** tab.

There’s no direct “Inbox” nav link — you always go through the notification icon first. See [Inbox](https://ilmiya.com/docs/console/inbox/) for the full access flow.

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## What the Messages List Shows

| Column | Description |
| --- | --- |
| **Student** | The student who started the thread |
| **Subject** | The topic/subject line |
| **Status** | Open or Resolved |
| **Last activity** | Timestamp of the most recent reply |
| **Replies** | Total number of replies in the thread |

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## Filtering & Searching

| Filter | Shows |
| --- | --- |
| **All** | Every thread regardless of status |
| **Open** | Active threads awaiting a response |
| **Resolved** | Threads marked as resolved |

> **Note**
>
> There is no “Closed” status — a thread only ever exists as **Open** or **Resolved**.

The **search bar** filters by subject line only — it doesn’t search message body content.

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## Opening a Thread

Clicking a thread opens the full conversation, shown oldest-to-newest. The student’s first message appears at the top of the same list as all later replies — there’s no visually separate “original message” block, it’s just reply #1.

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## Replying to a Thread

A text box is always visible at the bottom of the thread — there’s no button to click to reveal it first.

1.  Type your reply, or click the **mic icon** to dictate it via speech-to-text.
2.  Optionally attach a single image.
3.  Press **Enter**, or click the **up-arrow icon** that appears once you’ve typed something. There’s no button labeled “Send.”

The student is notified automatically only when staff replies. If a student replies to their own thread, no notification is generated — there’s no one else to notify.

> **Note**
>
> If a thread is marked Resolved and the student replies again, it automatically flips back to Open.

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## Editing & Deleting Messages

| Action | Own message | Someone else’s message |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Edit** | ✅ Anyone can edit their own reply | ❌ Nobody can edit another person’s reply — not even an admin editing a student’s message |
| **Delete** | ✅ Anyone can delete their own reply | ✅ Teacher/admin can delete a student’s reply. ❌ A student cannot delete a staff member’s reply |
| **Delete whole thread** | The student who started it, or a teacher/admin, can delete the entire thread | A student who didn’t start the thread cannot delete it |

In short: editing is strictly “your own only” for everyone, but deleting gives staff broader rights than students.

**Student’s message, from the admin side** — admin can delete it, but not edit it:

![Student message, admin side](https://ilmiya.com/images/uploads/messages-student-message.png)

**Admin’s own message, from the admin side** — admin can edit and update it:

![Admin's own message, admin side](https://ilmiya.com/images/uploads/messages-admin-message.png)

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## Managing Thread Status

> **Caution**
>
> Not currently available in the live app — there’s no visible control to mark a thread as Resolved or reopen it, even though the underlying capability exists in the codebase.

If this is re-enabled: status only ever toggles between Open and Resolved (never a third “Closed” state), and only teacher/admin roles can change it — students can see the status badge but can’t change it themselves.

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## Unread Tracking

Threads have a per-staff-member unread indicator, visible to teacher/admin roles only — students don’t see an unread count on their side.

> **Note**
>
> Reaction emoji buttons may appear on replies, but they’re currently visual only — they don’t persist or do anything yet.

> **Tip**
>
> Keep the Open count low — respond to open threads promptly. Since a Resolved thread automatically reopens if the student replies again, “Open” threads represent genuinely pending conversations. A quick response builds trust and engagement.

[Previous  
Discussions](https://ilmiya.com/docs/console/inbox/discussions/) [Next  
Support Requests](https://ilmiya.com/docs/console/inbox/support-requests/)

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