element-web/docs/labs.md

Labs features

If Labs is enabled in the Element config, you can enable some of these features by going to Settings->Labs. This list is non-exhaustive and subject to change, chat in #element-web:matrix.org for more information.

Be warned! Labs features are not finalised, they may be fragile, they may change, they may be dropped. Ask in the room if you are unclear about any details here.

Submit Abuse Report to Moderators MSC3215 support (feature_report_to_moderators)

A new version of the "Report" dialog that lets users send abuse reports directly to room moderators, if the room supports it.

Render LaTeX maths in messages (feature_latex_maths)

Enables rendering of LaTeX maths in messages using KaTeX. LaTeX between single dollar-signs is interpreted as inline maths and double dollar-signs as display maths (i.e. centred on its own line).

Message pinning (feature_pinning)

Allows you to pin messages in the room. To pin a message, use the 3 dots to the right of the message and select "Pin".

Jump to date (feature_jump_to_date)

Note: This labs feature is only visible when your homeserver has MSC3030 enabled (in Synapse, add experimental_features -> msc3030_enabled to your homeserver.yaml) which means GET /_matrix/client/versions responds with org.matrix.msc3030 under the unstable_features key.

Adds a dropdown menu to the date separator headers in the timeline which allows you to jump to last week, last month, the beginning of the room, or choose a date from the calendar.

Also adds the /jumptodate 2022-01-31 slash command.

Render simple counters in room header (feature_state_counters)

Allows rendering of labelled counters above the message list.

Once enabled, send a custom state event to a room to set values:

1. In a room, type /devtools to bring up the devtools interface
2. Click "Send Custom Event"
3. Toggle from "Event" to "State Event"
4. Set the event type to: re.jki.counter and give it a unique key
5. Specify the content in the following format:

{
    "link": "",
    "severity": "normal",
    "title": "my counter",
    "value": 0
}

That's it. Now should see your new counter under the header.

New ways to ignore people (feature_mjolnir)

When enabled, a new settings tab appears for users to be able to manage their ban lists. This is a different kind of ignoring where the ignored user's messages still get rendered, but are hidden by default.

Ban lists are rooms within Matrix, proposed as MSC2313. Mjolnir is a set of moderation tools which support ban lists.

Verifications in DMs (feature_dm_verification)

An implementation of MSC2241. When enabled, verification might not work with devices which don't support MSC2241.

This also includes a new implementation of the user & member info panel, designed to share more code between showing community members & room members. Built on top of this new panel is also a new UX for verification from the member panel.

The setting will be removed in a future release, enabling it non-optionally for all users.

Bridge info tab (feature_bridge_state)

Adds a "Bridge Info" tab to the Room Settings dialog, if a compatible bridge is present in the room. The Bridge info tab pulls information from the m.bridge state event (MSC2346). Since the feature is based upon a MSC, most bridges are not expected to be compatible, and users should not rely on this tab as the single source of truth just yet.

Presence indicator in room list (feature_presence_in_room_list)

This adds a presence indicator in the room list next to DM rooms where the other person is online.

Custom themes (feature_custom_themes)

Custom themes are possible through Element's theme support, though normally these themes need to be defined in the config for Element. This labs flag adds an ability for end users to add themes themselves by using a URL to the JSON theme definition.

For some sample themes, check out aaronraimist/element-themes.

Message preview tweaks

To enable message previews in the left panel for reactions in all rooms, enable feature_roomlist_preview_reactions_all.

To enable message previews for reactions in DMs only, enable feature_roomlist_preview_reactions_dms. This is ignored when it is enabled for all rooms.

Dehydrated devices (feature_dehydration)

Allows users to receive encrypted messages by creating a device that is stored encrypted on the server, as described in MSC2697.

Breadcrumbs v2 (feature_breadcrumbs_v2)

Instead of showing the horizontal list of breadcrumbs under the filter field, the new UX is an interactive context menu triggered by the button to the right of the filter field.

Spotlight search (feature_spotlight) [In Development]

Switches to a new room search experience.

Extensible events rendering (feature_extensible_events) [In Development]

Intended for developer use only at the moment.

Extensible Events are a new event format which supports graceful fallback in unknown event types. Instead of rendering nothing or a blank space, events can define a series of other events which represent the event's information but in different ways. The base of these fallbacks being text.

Turning this flag on indicates that, when possible, the extensible events structure should be parsed on supported event types. This should lead to zero perceptual change in the timeline except in cases where the sender is using unknown/unrecognised event types.

Sending events with extensible events structure is always enabled - this should not affect any downstream client.

Right panel stays open (feature_right_panel_default_open)

This is an experimental default open right panel mode as a quick fix for those who prefer to have the right panel open consistently across rooms.

If no right panel state is known for the room or it was closed on the last room visit, it will default to the room member list. Otherwise, the saved card last used in that room is shown.

Show current profile of users on historical messages (feature_use_only_current_profiles)

An experimental flag to determine how the app would behave if a user's current display name and avatar (profile) were shown on historical messages instead of the profile details at the time when the message was sent.

When enabled, historical messages will use the current profile for the sender.

Pin drop location sharing (feature_location_share_pin_drop) [In Development]

Enables sharing a pin drop location to the timeline.

Live location sharing (feature_location_share_live) [In Development]

Enables sharing your current location to the timeline, with live updates.

Threaded Messaging (feature_thread)

Threading allows users to branch out a new conversation from the main timeline of a room. This is particularly useful in high traffic rooms where multiple conversations can happen in parallel or when a single discussion might stretch over a very long period of time.

Threads can be access by clicking their summary below the root event on the room timeline. Users can find a comprehensive list of threads by click the icon on the room header button.

This feature might work in degraded mode if the homeserver a user is connected to does not advertise support for the unstable feature org.matrix.msc3440 when calling the /versions API endpoint.

Right-click Message Context Menu (feature_message_right_click_context_menu)

Enables showing a right-click context menu when right-clicking messages in the timeline. This menu shows options that can usually be found in the message action bar or in the message options.

Video rooms (feature_video_rooms)

Enables support for creating and joining video rooms, which are persistent video chats that users can jump in and out of.

Rich text in room topics (feature_html_topic) [In Development]

Enables rendering of MD / HTML in room topics.

Exploring public spaces (feature_exploring_public_spaces)

Enables exploring public spaces in the new search dialog. Requires the server to have MSC3827 enabled.

Favourite Messages (feature_favourite_messages) [In Development]

Enables users to bookmark a message or content for a later reference.