The message is the medium
Messages are one of the basic ingredients of Slack apps.
Compose them, send them, retrieve them, update them, delete them.
Read our various guides to messaging capabilities, or go to our Messaging hub to learn more.
Managing messages
Messages are the oxygen that keeps conversations alive. They have many shapes and sizes, varying levels of complexity. They can exist merely to notify, or they can invite and await response.
Read our overview of managing messages with apps to take a quick trip through the basics.
Sending messages
Give your app the gift of dialogue by setting it up to send Slack messages. Our guide will help you learn the basics of message dispatch, and show you the paths you can take to make things complex and interactive.
Retrieving messages
Access the history of a Slack conversation and then pull out the details of a specific message. Identify threaded messages, and retrieve the replies in a thread. Our guide to retrieving messages will show you how.
Modifying messages
It's useful to have a way to modify messages from their original form. Slack apps are able to update and delete messages via simple-to-use APIs.
Scheduling messages
Send your messages through time and space using our scheduling functionality. Read our guide to scheduling messages.
Making messages
The essential Slack message takes many forms: a mere statement, a gateway into an interactive workflow, even a window into a bot's soul.
The same composition capabilities apply, no matter the purpose of the message.
Read our overview of message composition where we'll outline the core concepts and features for apps.
Formatting text in messages
It's beneficial to introduce as much structure and form to your message as possible. Formatting gives content a visual hierarchy that makes it easier to read. Our text formatting guide shows you how to create basic visual highlights and add useful syntax to trigger special text parsing.
Creating rich message layouts with Block Kit
Take your message composition further by using Block Kit layout blocks and elements to vastly expand the possibilities for visual organization. Read our guide to using blocks in messages.
Enabling interactivity in messages
Slack apps can use messages to do much more than just one-way communication. An injection of interactivity can invite and inspire action (and reaction). Best of all, users never have to depart from the comfort of a Slack conversation. Read our guide to enabling interactivity in messages.