diff --git a/message/lib.php b/message/lib.php
index d53435d4a6c..27e724c46ec 100644
--- a/message/lib.php
+++ b/message/lib.php
@@ -302,7 +302,7 @@ function message_get_contacts($user1=null, &$user2=null) {
     return array($onlinecontacts, $offlinecontacts, $strangers);
 }
 
-function message_print_contacts($onlinecontacts, $offlinecontacts, $strangers, $refresh=true, $contactselecturl=null, $minmessages=0, $showactionlinks=true, $titletodisplay=null) {
+function message_print_contacts($onlinecontacts, $offlinecontacts, $strangers, $refresh=true, $contactselecturl=null, $minmessages=0, $showactionlinks=true, $titletodisplay=null, $user2=null) {
     global $CFG, $PAGE, $OUTPUT;
 
     $countonlinecontacts  = count($onlinecontacts);
@@ -335,7 +335,7 @@ function message_print_contacts($onlinecontacts, $offlinecontacts, $strangers, $
 
         foreach ($onlinecontacts as $contact) {
             if ($minmessages==0 || $contact->messagecount>=$minmessages) {
-                message_print_contactlist_user($contact, IS_CONTACT, IS_NOT_BLOCKED, $contactselecturl, $showactionlinks);
+                message_print_contactlist_user($contact, IS_CONTACT, IS_NOT_BLOCKED, $contactselecturl, $showactionlinks, $user2);
             }
         }
     }
@@ -351,7 +351,7 @@ function message_print_contacts($onlinecontacts, $offlinecontacts, $strangers, $
 
         foreach ($offlinecontacts as $contact) {
             if ($minmessages==0 || $contact->messagecount>=$minmessages) {
-                message_print_contactlist_user($contact, IS_CONTACT, IS_NOT_BLOCKED, $contactselecturl, $showactionlinks);
+                message_print_contactlist_user($contact, IS_CONTACT, IS_NOT_BLOCKED, $contactselecturl, $showactionlinks, $user2);
             }
         }
         echo '<tr><td colspan="3">&nbsp;</td></tr>';
@@ -365,7 +365,7 @@ function message_print_contacts($onlinecontacts, $offlinecontacts, $strangers, $
 
         foreach ($strangers as $stranger) {
             if ($minmessages==0 || $stranger->messagecount>=$minmessages) {
-                message_print_contactlist_user($stranger, IS_NOT_CONTACT, IS_NOT_BLOCKED, $contactselecturl, $showactionlinks);
+                message_print_contactlist_user($stranger, IS_NOT_CONTACT, IS_NOT_BLOCKED, $contactselecturl, $showactionlinks, $user2);
             }
         }
     }
@@ -1601,11 +1601,16 @@ function message_get_participants() {
  * @param $incontactlist is the user a contact of ours?
  * @param $selectcontacturl string the url to send the user to when a contact's name is clicked
  */
-function message_print_contactlist_user($contact, $incontactlist = true, $isblocked = false, $selectcontacturl = null, $showactionlinks = true) {
+function message_print_contactlist_user($contact, $incontactlist = true, $isblocked = false, $selectcontacturl = null, $showactionlinks = true, $selecteduser=null) {
     global $OUTPUT, $USER;
     $fullname  = fullname($contact);
     $fullnamelink  = $fullname;
 
+    $linkclass = '';
+    if (!empty($selecteduser) && $contact->id==$selecteduser->id) {
+        $linkclass = 'messageselecteduser';
+    }
+
     /// are there any unread messages for this contact?
     if ($contact->messagecount > 0 ){
         $fullnamelink = '<strong>'.$fullnamelink.' ('.$contact->messagecount.')</strong>';
@@ -1641,7 +1646,7 @@ function message_print_contactlist_user($contact, $incontactlist = true, $isbloc
         $link = new moodle_url("/message/index.php?id=$contact->id");
         $action = new popup_action('click', $link, "message_$contact->id", $popupoptions);
     }
-    echo $OUTPUT->action_link($link, $fullnamelink, $action, array('title'=>get_string('sendmessageto', 'message', $fullname)));
+    echo $OUTPUT->action_link($link, $fullnamelink, $action, array('class'=>$linkclass,'title'=>get_string('sendmessageto', 'message', $fullname)));
 
     echo '</td>';
     echo '<td class="link">&nbsp;'.$strcontact.$strblock.'&nbsp;'.$strhistory.'</td>';
diff --git a/message/search.html b/message/search.html
index b202ffbffdf..79c51122e82 100644
--- a/message/search.html
+++ b/message/search.html
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 <table cellpadding="5" class="message_form">
     <tr>
         <td colspan="3" class="message_heading mdl-left">
-            <input type="text" name="combinedsearch" size="50" id="combinedsearch" value="<?php echo $combinedsearchstring; ?>" />
+            <input type="text" name="combinedsearch" size="40" id="combinedsearch" value="<?php echo $combinedsearchstring; ?>" />
             <input type="submit" name="combinedsubmit" value="<?php print_string('searchcombined','message') ?>" />
             <a href="contacts.php?advanced=1" id="advancedcontactsearchlink"><?php print_string('advanced') ?></a>
         </td>
diff --git a/message/search_advanced.html b/message/search_advanced.html
index b5cf5be9703..1627dcba00f 100644
--- a/message/search_advanced.html
+++ b/message/search_advanced.html
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
     </tr>
     <tr>
         <td><label for="name"><?php print_string('name') ?></label></td>
-        <td><input type="text" name="name" size="50" id="name" value="<? echo $personsearch ?>" /></td>
+        <td><input type="text" name="name" size="40" id="name" value="<? echo $personsearch ?>" /></td>
         <td><input type="submit" name="personsubmit" value="<?php print_string('searchforperson','message') ?>" /></td>
     </tr>
     <tr>
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
     </tr>
     <tr>
         <td><label for="keywords"><?php print_string('keywords', 'message') ?></label></td>
-        <td><input type="text" name="keywords" id="keywords" size="50" value="<? echo $messagesearch ?>" /></td>
+        <td><input type="text" name="keywords" id="keywords" size="40" value="<? echo $messagesearch ?>" /></td>
         <td><input type="submit" name="keywordssubmit" value="<?php print_string('searchmessages','message') ?>" /></td>
     </tr>
 
diff --git a/theme/base/style/message.css b/theme/base/style/message.css
index f75552457db..416fcfdbf12 100644
--- a/theme/base/style/message.css
+++ b/theme/base/style/message.css
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ table.message .searchresults td {padding:5px;}
 
 .message .contactselector {width:24%;float:left;}
 .message .contactselector .contact {text-align:left;}
+.message .contactselector .messageselecteduser {font-weight:bold;}
 
 .message .messagearea  {padding-left:1%;border-left:1px solid LightGrey;width:74%;float:right;min-height:200px;}
 .message .messagearea .messagehistorytype {clear:both;padding-bottom:20px;}