Popout View¶
What it does¶
Popout view opens any 1:1 or group conversation in a standalone browser window stripped of the sidebar, header navigation, and settings UI. The result is a minimal, distraction-free chat panel that you can resize, position alongside other windows, or pin to a corner of your screen. It is ideal for keeping a single conversation always visible while you work in other apps.
The popout window is fully functional: you can send messages, view photos, and receive real-time updates via the same Server-Sent Events feed as the main UI.
Install command¶
Popout is a built-in web UI feature — no plugin install is required.
Configuration walkthrough¶
Popout has no settings panel. It is launched directly from the conversation:
- Open any conversation in chatwire.
- Click the popout icon (overlapping squares / external window icon) in the conversation header toolbar.
- A new browser window opens showing only that conversation.
- Resize and position the window to your preference.
Or navigate directly:
For a group chat, use the chat parameter with the group GUID:
Usage guide¶
Launching a popout¶
- From the UI: conversation header → popout icon.
- Via URL:
http://localhost:8723/popout?handle=<handle>. - Keyboard shortcut: none by default — create a browser bookmark to your most-used popout URL.
What's included in the popout¶
- Full message history with the same scroll behaviour as the main view.
- The message compose box — type and send messages normally.
- Inline photo/video previews and the lightbox gallery.
- Real-time message delivery via SSE (same poll interval as the main UI).
- Dark/light theme follows your appearance preference.
What's not included¶
- Sidebar (contact list).
- Settings, whitelist, or plugin panels.
- Favorites or notification controls.
Multiple popouts¶
You can open multiple popout windows simultaneously — one per conversation. Each is an independent browser tab/window pointing to a different handle or chat GUID.
Mobile / PWA¶
On iOS and Android, navigate to the popout URL in Safari/Chrome and use Add to Home Screen to create a dedicated icon for a single conversation. This gives you a PWA-style shortcut that opens directly to that chat.
Bookmark tip¶
For frequently-used popouts, bookmark the URL with a descriptive name:
Name it something like "Popout — Alice" so you can open it from your browser bookmarks bar instantly.
Settings reference¶
Popout has no config-file settings. The route accepts these query parameters:
| Parameter | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
handle |
one of | Phone number (E.164) or email for a 1:1 conversation. |
chat |
one of | Group chat GUID for a group conversation. |
Exactly one of handle or chat must be supplied. If both or neither are provided, the page shows an error.
Troubleshooting / FAQ¶
The popout shows "conversation not found" or a blank page. The handle or chat GUID must be in your whitelist. Add the contact in Settings → Whitelist, then reload the popout URL.
The popout doesn't receive new messages in real time.
Check that the chatwire bridge and web services are running (Settings → Advanced → Service status). The popout uses SSE, which requires the web service to be alive. Hard-refresh the popout window (Cmd+Shift+R) to re-establish the SSE connection.
The popout window opened but then closed by itself.
Some browsers (especially Safari in certain configurations) close windows opened by JavaScript window.open() immediately. Try pasting the URL directly into a new browser window or tab instead of using the popout icon.
Can I set the popout as my browser's home page?
Yes. Set your browser's home/new-tab URL to http://localhost:8723/popout?handle=+15551234567 and it will open directly to that conversation.
The compose box is missing. If you loaded the popout URL for a handle not in your whitelist, the page renders in a read-only mode. Add the handle to the whitelist and reload.