Using Meta-Contacts in Gajim

Versions 0.10 and up of Gajim allow you to use so-called "Meta-Contacts". They offer the possibility to group a single contact for whom you have multiple items in your roster in one "Meta-Contact". This is generally used when one of your contacts uses multiple accounts or networks, such as jabber, msn, icq, etc. That means that you will always see one contact in your roster for this person, except if you expand this meta-contact item to see the list.

How to create a meta-contact ?

Drag and drop items that represents the same real contact one on the other (no matter which on which).

How to split back a meta-contact in multiple contacts ?

Expand the meta-contact by clicking on its icon. Drag and drop the subcontacts one by one on the group line.

Of all those items, which one will I see in my roster ?

This will not always be the same contact. If your contact is curently connected with multiple accounts, the contact that YOU will see in your roster, called 'master' or 'big brother'*, will be computed this way :

• Connected contacts above offline ones
• then, 'order' attribute stored on server (Gajim doesn't offer the possibility to set it)
• then native jabber contacts above transport-ones
• then, higher priority
• then, "higher" status (prefer 'online' over 'away')
• then sort by JID
• finaly, sort by account name.

Here is an example of what it looks like with default iconset. You can see a group with a not-expanded meta-contact, a simple contact and an expanded meta-contact :

*and yes, if he subscribed to your presence, BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU ! :D