Basic Usage

Learn how to use TAD effectively for everyday communication.

Starting TAD

Using the Launcher Script

./tad

Using Python Directly

python -m tad.main

Custom Port

python -m tad.main --port 8765

The Interface

TAD uses a terminal UI (TUI) divided into three main sections:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                 TAD v1.0                        │
├──────────┬────────────────────────┬─────────────┤
│ Channels │    Message History     │   Peers     │
│          │                        │             │
│ #general │ [Alice] Hello!         │ 👤 Alice    │
│ #dev     │ [Bob] Hi there         │ 👤 Bob      │
│          │                        │ 👤 (You)    │
└──────────┴────────────────────────┴─────────────┘

Channels Panel (Left)

• Shows all available channels
• * marks the active channel
• Scroll with arrow keys

Messages Panel (Center)

• Displays conversation history
• Auto-scrolls to latest message
• Shows timestamps and senders

Peers Panel (Right)

• Lists connected nodes
• Shows online status
• Updates in real-time

Sending Messages

Text Messages

Simply type and press Enter:

> Hello everyone!

Multi-line Messages

Use Shift+Enter for line breaks (if supported by terminal)

Basic Commands

View Peers

> /peers
Connected peers: 3
- peer_abc123: 192.168.1.100
- peer_def456: 192.168.1.101
- peer_ghi789: 192.168.1.102

List Channels

> /channels
Available channels:
* #general (current)
  #dev
  #random

Switch Channels

> /switch #dev
[SYSTEM] Switched to #dev

Get Help

> /help
Available commands:
  /peers - Show connected peers
  /channels - List all channels
  /switch <channel> - Switch to channel
  ...

Exit

> /quit

Or press Ctrl+C

Message Types

Regular Messages

Broadcast to all peers in the current channel:

> Let's discuss the roadmap

System Messages

Displayed in brackets, generated by TAD:

[SYSTEM] New peer joined: peer_abc123
[SYSTEM] Channel created: #random

Status Indicators

• 🟢 Green: Connected and syncing
• 🟡 Yellow: Partial connectivity
• 🔴 Red: Disconnected
• 🔒 Lock: Private/encrypted channel

Tips for Effective Use

Discovery

• Wait 10-30 seconds after startup for peer discovery
• Ensure all devices are on the same network
• Check firewall settings if peers don't appear

Performance

• TAD is optimized for 2-50 concurrent users
• Messages sync automatically across peers
• Database persists all history locally

Navigation

• Use /switch frequently to manage multiple channels
• Check /peers before sending important messages
• Use /export regularly to backup conversations

Next Steps

• Commands Reference - Complete command list
• Channels Guide - Advanced channel features
• Private Channels - Encrypted communication
• Export & Import - Data management