Handle no-topic topic ("general chat")

[gnprice]

The server will start allowing channel messages to have an empty topic at the API level, replacing the old "(no topic)" behavior. This should be displayed as something like "general chat" — with italics — in the UI.

The exact phrase to use for "general chat" is specified by the server in the API. For compatibility with old clients, the feature is gated by a flag the client sends. For details, see references below.

This is a feature planned for the upcoming Zulip Server 10.

Plan

We'll want a version of this soon, as work is proceeding on the server side. This will be a task for a member of the core team.

References

• #api design
• Initial server PR: Add support for empty topic names. zulip#32330
• #design, for user/product motivation and UX choices
• Rename "(no topic)" to "general chat" zulip#23291