Stating a chat - Desktop Icon not opening spark

So is it me or am I just not setting it up correctly… after installing spark I login and all is good. I close the spark window (with the x) and spark continues to run in the sys tray. (albeit hidden unless you click on the tray arrow to see). So like most people that Ive installed this for of late, I click on the large Spark Icon on the desktop and nothing happens. Is this normal am I suppose to tell users to go into the sys tray to launch a new chat… Seems dumb. Am I missing something - how do you you kick up spark without going to the systray. I think I read they’re may be some short cut keys… maybe I can make a new launch icon…

any help is much appreciated

This is normal and “by design” behavior (certainly not dumb). Most (if not all) instant messaging clients operate like that. It is faster to click on the systray icon to bring up Spark window than searching for its icon on the desktop or start menu. As Spark is already running, launching the shortcut doesn’t do anything.

Thank you for the reply. Unfortunately typical users do not launch an app via systray… Taskbar or desktop is where they go if the app us running…at least in my experience. The 300 or so users here will not be looking there to start the app… already of the 10 I tested with 2 said the app doesn’t work bc it dod not come up when clicking on the icon. Any way I can start a chat with a desktop icons of sorts as far as you know. Thanks again for your help

There is an url format to open chat with a particular user, but you won’t create 300 shortcuts for that probably. Also Spark doesn’t support that correctly as far as i know. Instructing users how to use software seems as a more reasonable approach. I don’t remember if i had to add systray explanation to Spark instruction, but none of my 200 users (of various ages and skills) has complained about this. They are probably already used to this after using Skype and other messengers.

This design behaviour is certainly dumb, Most instant messageing client which are singleton opens same instance from background when user tries to reopen. spark reamins hidden all the time.

"I don’t want to keep spark in foreground forever, my desk space is limited and when i want to chat with some one, i search the app in start and open it from there,"This is my simple requirement.
“if someone initiates chats i want backgrounded spark to popout that is current behavior”

If you don’t want multiple instance, don’t ceraet new instance, bring existing one to foreground

So, there are a few things.

First, i’m not sure if this is possible, as Spark’s executable is built with install4j and maybe it doesn’t support that.

But, let’s say it does. Then i can create a ticket for this. https://issues.igniterealtime.org/browse/SPARK-2121

But there is another thing. Nobody is actively working on Spark for a long time, so nobody can say when new version would come up (i start to think maybe never). And there is nobody around to add this feature and even if somebody provides a working patch, there are lots of other problems preventing new version release. Then the only option would be to take source code of 2.8.3 and build your own version with that change.

So, with all the reasons above, i think it might be useful to try to get used to open Spark by clicking once (or double clicking) on its system tray icon. This is faster than pressing on Start menu, searching for its icon and pressing on it. And it doesn’t have to stay on a foreground all the time.

Thanks @wroot!

I think this is a very necessary improvement, in my company very often users think that Spark is closed or frozen, while it is just minimized. :smile: