Using Gobby

As Gobby is a cross-platform program, it works the same on all platforms. Mac OS X users will probably feel a little surprised to find that most of the shortcuts are bound to the Ctrl button, and not to the Command button (e.g. Save is Ctrl-S, not Command-S).

Starting up

In Windows and Linux you can search for Gobby in the menus. The fastest way under Linux is to hold the Alt button down and then press F2. A small dialog should appear. Write gobby into the text field and press enter. In Mac OS X you will find Gobby in the Applications folder (if you followed the instructions in our INSTALL document). You will end up with a window looking like this:

http://divvun.no/doc/tools/images/empty_gobby.png

At the top you see a menubar, then a toolbar. Third is the editing pane, where you edit documents. Below the editing pane is the message pane. Here you are can discuss with the other peers, and see when other peers open documents. Below the message pane is a text field where you can write messages to other peers. At the bottom is the status bar.

Sessions/Co-editing documents

Before you can begin editing documents and send messages to your peers, you will have to either create or join a session. If you are the owner of document, then you will have to create a session, else you will have to join a session.

Creating a session/Open file

Press the «Create session» button (the doublecomputer image in the upper left corner). A dialog pops up:

http://divvun.no/doc/tools/images/creating_session_gobby.png

Leave the Port and Name field as they are, if you don't have a particular reason for changing it. Fill in a password if you want that in the dialog that pops up. Now press Ok. Open the file you want to edit the usual way, then you are ready to go.

Joining a session/Co-editing documents

Press the «Join session» button (the next button to the right, the connected cords). A dialog will pop up:

http://divvun.no/doc/tools/images/joining_session_gobby.png

If you are on the same network as your peer, you can press the small triangle, with the label «Local network» to see other machines that are running Gobby. If your peer is somewhere else, that peer will have to give it's internet address (i.e., IP number) to you. If the peer does not know this number (or if you don't know your own), there is a nice service at http://whatismyipnumber.com/, which answers exactly that question. Glue in the 12-number series (including intermediate dots) in the Host: field. The next field, Port:, contains a number, e.g. 6522. Leave it unchanged. The third field gives your user name, leave that as well. Then there is a colour field, indicating the colour of your text. Change it if you don't like it (or if the program tells you that this colour is taken by your co-participant). Press ok when you are finished. After a short while you will end up with a window like this:

http://divvun.no/doc/tools/images/document_list2_gobby.png

If your peer has open documents you can join them by pressing the document you would like to co-edit, and then pressing the «Subscribe button« at the bottom of the Document list window (yes, at the bottom, and no, doubleclicking the document name will not suffice). The document will be opened in the editing pane. Note that you also have the possibility to «chat» with your peers below in the bottom pane below the editing pane.The resulting window you see below:

http://divvun.no/doc/tools/images/editing_chatting_gobby.png

Quitting a session

If you are the owner of the document you will have to save the document before you quit a session. Save the document, then press the «Quit session» button (the disconnected cords), and then you are done.