IKU messages are created using two dialogs: the IKU Palette and a Message Sheet. The IKU Palette is where you type in words to search for IKU icons. It also contains your IKU Inbox, your IKU Outbox, and your Favorite IKU area. A Message Sheet is a blank sheet of paper upon which you arrange IKU icons to create an IKU message.

There are no rules for creating an IKU message. You can arrange your icons vertically, horizontally, or in any other pattern. You may indicate the relationships between IKU icons by right-clicking and dragging arrows or solid connectors between them. IKU gives you a lot of freedom to express yourself, so don’t worry too much about grammar or structure. Have fun with it!

Sending Items and Shells with IKU

Any item or amount of Shells can be dragged from the Inventory into the body of an IKU message and sent to the recipient. You can also wrap an item in a gift box and add a gift message if you want to send it as a gift.

To send Shells, open your Inventory and then open your Piggy Bank. Left-click and drag the Shells you want to send into an Icon Bubble in an IKU Message Sheet. This deploys a dialog that asks you how many Shells you want to send. Enter the number of Shells that you would like to send. You may add other icons, Shells, or items to your IKU message before sending it.

To send an item in an IKU message, left-click its icon in your Inventory and drag it into an empty Icon Bubble in an IKU Message Sheet. This deploys the Wrap Gift dialog, which allows you to put your item in a decorative gift box and write a message to go with your gift. Gift Boxes are normal items that appear in your Inventory after purchase. To wrap an item, left-click and drag a Gift Box from the Inventory into the Gift Box slot on the Wrap Gift dialog. If you don’t want to send your item in a Gift Box, simply leave the Gift Box slot empty – your item will then be sent in a plain brown Delivery Box. Finally, write a message in the text area at the bottom of the Wrap Gift dialog and click the green OK button.

When you receive an item, Shells, or gift through an IKU message, it appears in your Inventory automatically. The icon of an item, Shell or gift continues to appear in the body of the IKU message in which it arrived, but this icon is only a reminder that the message was used to send something – there is only one copy of the real item, and it is in your Inventory.

To open a newly-received Gift Box or Delivery Box, double-click on its icon in the Inventory. This changes the icon to that of the item it contains, and deploys a dialog containing the message text that was attached to the sent item.

1. Currently-Selected Language

When you add a new word to an icon, it will be tagged as belonging to this language. This tag enables other users who speak different languages to attach alternate definitions for your icon in their own languages.

2. Change Language Button

Left-click this button to change the language with which your new word will be associated. This is a persistent setting – the selected language will be associated with all words that you add unless you change it again.

3. Upload New Image Button

Left-click this button to browse your computer for images to turn into IKU icons. Note that images should be in the .jpg, .gif, or .bmp format, and for best results the image should measure 70 x 70 pixels.

4. IKU Icon Display

To add a word to an existing IKU icon, drag that icon to this slot. When you add a new icon image, it appears in this slot after you upload the image.

5. Word Text Box

To add a word to an existing IKU icon or to associate a word with a new IKU icon, type it in this box.

6. OK and Cancel Buttons

Left click on the green check-mark button to accept your changes, or click the red slash button to cancel your changes.

7. View Manual Entry Button

To view the Manual entry for this dialog, click on the question mark.