
Each Connection provides Channels, which allow the local application to exchange data with the remote server, for instance to retrieve a list of contacts in a chat room, or to send a message to a contact.
Channels always provide at least two D-Bus interfaces interfaces: org.freedesktop.telepathy.Channel, and another interface according to the type of channel it is (which can be retrieved using the ChannelType property). For instance, a text channel provides the org.freedesktop.telepathy.ChannelType.Text interface.
The channel types currently available in Telepathy are:
This channel provides a list of people on the server, such as the contacts to whose presence information you are subscribed or the contacts to whom you publish your presence information.
A channel type for listing named channels (e.g. chatrooms) available on the server.
This channel sends and receives text messages, such as instant messages.
See Section 6.5 ― Text Channels and then Chapter 8 ― Text Messaging.
This channel sends and receives streamed audio or video, such as a video call.
A channel type for transferring files.
File transfers are covered in-depth in Chapter 9 ― Transferring Files.