Messages - CometChat Docs

The Messages is a Composite Component that manages messages for users and groups.

The Messages component is composed of three individual components, MessageHeader, MessageList, and MessageComposer. In addition, the Messages component also navigates to the Details and ThreadedMessages components.

Components	Description
MessageHeader	`CometChatMessageHeader` displays the `User` or `Group` information using CometChat SDK’s `User` or `Group object.` It also shows the typing indicator when the user starts typing in `MessageComposer`.
MessageList	`CometChatMessageList` is one of the core UI components. It displays a list of messages and handles real-time operations.
MessageComposer	`CometChatMessageComposer` is an independent and critical component that allows users to compose and send various types of messages includes text, image, video and custom messages.
Details	`CometChatDetails` is a component that displays all the available options available for `Users` & `Groups`
ThreadedMessages	`CometChatThreadedMessages` is a component that displays all replies made to a particular message in a conversation.

Usage

Integration

The following code snippet illustrates how you can directly incorporate the Messages component.

import { CometChat } from "@cometchat/chat-sdk-react-native";
import { CometChatMessages } from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react-native";

function App(): React.JSX.Element {
  const [chatUser, setChatUser] = React.useState<CometChat.User>();
  React.useEffect(() => {
    CometChat.getUser("uid").then((user) => {
      setChatUser(user);
    });
  }, []);

  return <>{chatUser && <CometChatMessages user={chatUser} />}</>;
}

Actions

Actions dictate how a component functions. They are divided into two types: Predefined and User-defined. You can override either type, allowing you to tailor the behavior of the component to fit your specific needs. The Messages component does not have its actions. However, since it’s a Composite Component, you can use the actions of its components by utilizing the Configurations object of each component. Example In this example, we are employing the onThreadRepliesPress action from the MessageList Component through the MessageListConfiguration object.

import { CometChat } from "@cometchat/chat-sdk-react-native";
import {
  CometChatMessages,
  MessageListConfigurationInterface,
} from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react-native";

function App(): React.JSX.Element {
  const [chatUser, setChatUser] = React.useState<CometChat.User>();
  React.useEffect(() => {
    CometChat.getUser("uid").then((user) => {
      setChatUser(user);
    });
  }, []);

  const getOnThreadRepliesPress = () => {
    console.log("Thread replies pressed");
  };

  const messageListConfiguration: MessageListConfigurationInterface = {
    onThreadRepliesPress: getOnThreadRepliesPress,
  };

  return (
    <>
      {chatUser && (
        <CometChatMessages
          user={chatUser}
          messageListConfiguration={messageListConfiguration}
        />
      )}
    </>
  );
}

The Messages Component overrides the onThreadRepliesPress action to navigate to the ThreadedMessages component. If you override onThreadRepliesPress, it will also override the default behavior of the Messages Component.

Filters

Filters allow you to customize the data displayed in a list within a Component. You can filter the list based on your specific criteria, allowing for a more customized. Filters can be applied using RequestBuilders of Chat SDK. The Messages component does not have its filters. But as it is a Composite Component, you can use the filters of its components by using the Configurations object of each component. For more details on the filters of its components, please refer to MessageList Filters. Example In this example, we’re applying the MessageList Component filter to the Messages Component using MessageListConfiguration.


import {CometChat} from '@cometchat/chat-sdk-react-native';
import {CometChatMessages, MessageListConfigurationInterface,  } from '@cometchat/chat-uikit-react-native';

function App(): React.JSX.Element {
  const [chatUser, setChatUser] = React.useState<CometChat.User>();
  React.useEffect(() => {
      CometChat.getUser("uid").then((user) => {
          setChatUser(user);
      })
  }, [])

  const messageListConfiguration : MessageListConfigurationInterface = {
    onThreadRepliesPress: getOnThreadRepliesClick,
    messageRequestBuilder: new CometChat.MessagesRequestBuilder().setSearchKeyword("Your Search Keyword")
                           .setUID("uid").setLimit(10)
  }

  return (
    <>
       { chatUser && <CometChatMessages
         user={chatUser}
         messageListConfiguration={messageListConfiguration}
         /> }
    </>
  );
}

Events

Events are emitted by a Component. By using event you can extend existing functionality. Being global events, they can be applied in Multiple Locations and are capable of being Added or Removed.

Customization

To fit your app’s design requirements, you can customize the appearance of the conversation component. We provide exposed methods that allow you to modify the experience and behavior according to your specific needs.

Style

Using Style you can customize the look and feel of the component in your app, These parameters typically control elements such as the color, size, shape, and fonts used within the component.

1. Messages Style

You can customize the appearance of the Messages Component by applying the MessagesStyle to it using the following code snippet.

import { CometChat } from "@cometchat/chat-sdk-react-native";
import {
  CometChatMessages,
  MessageListConfigurationInterface,
  MessageStyleInterface,
} from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react-native";

function App(): React.JSX.Element {
  const [chatUser, setChatUser] = React.useState<CometChat.User>();

  React.useEffect(() => {
    CometChat.getUser("uid").then((user) => {
      setChatUser(user);
    });
  }, []);

  const messagesStyle: MessageStyleInterface = {
    backgroundColor: "grey",
  };

  return (
    <>
      {chatUser && (
        <CometChatMessages messagesStyle={messagesStyle} user={chatUser} />
      )}
    </>
  );
}

List of properties exposed by MessagesStyle

Prop	Type	Description
backgroundColor	string	Sets the background color for messages
borderRadius	number	Sets the border radius for messages
border	BorderStyleInterface	Sets the border for messages
height	string \| number	Sets the height for messages
width	string \| number	Sets the width for messages

2. Component’s Styles

Being a Composite component, the Messages Component allows you to customize the styles of its components using their respective Configuration objects. For a list of all available properties, refer to each component’s styling documentation: MesssageHeader Styles, MessageList Styles, MessageComposer Styles, Details Styles, ThreadMessages Styles. Example In this example, we are creating MessageListStyle and MessageComposerStyle and then applying them to the Messages Component using MessageListConfiguration and MessageComposerConfiguration.

import { CometChat } from "@cometchat/chat-sdk-react-native";
import {
  CometChatMessages,
  MessageListConfigurationInterface,
  MessageStyleInterface,
} from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react-native";

function App(): React.JSX.Element {
  const [chatUser, setChatUser] = React.useState<CometChat.User>();
  React.useEffect(() => {
    CometChat.getUser("uid").then((user) => {
      setChatUser(user);
    });
  }, []);

  const messageListStyle: MessageStyleInterface = {
    backgroundColor: "transparent",
    height: "100%",
    width: "100%",
  };

  const messageComposerStyle: MessageComposerStyleInterface = {
    backgroundColor: "#fffcff",
    inputBackground: "#e2d5e8",
    textColor: "#ff299b",
    sendIconTint: "#ff0088",
  };

  const messageListConfiguration: MessageListConfigurationInterface = {
    messageListStyle: messageListStyle,
  };

  const messageComposerConfiguration: MessageComposerConfigurationInterface = {
    messageComposerStyle: messageComposerStyle,
  };

  return (
    <>
      {chatUser && (
        <CometChatMessages
          messagesStyle={messagesStyle}
          user={chatUser}
          messageListConfiguration={messageListConfiguration}
          messageComposerConfiguration={messageComposerConfiguration}
        />
      )}
    </>
  );
}

Functionality

These are a set of small functional customizations that allow you to fine-tune the overall experience of the component. With these, you can change text, set custom icons, and toggle the visibility of UI elements.

import { CometChat } from "@cometchat/chat-sdk-react-native";
import {
  CometChatMessages,
  MessageListConfigurationInterface,
  MessageStyleInterface,
} from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react-native";

function App(): React.JSX.Element {
  const [chatUser, setChatUser] = React.useState<CometChat.User>();
  React.useEffect(() => {
    CometChat.getUser("uid").then((user) => {
      setChatUser(user);
    });
  }, []);

  const messageListStyle: MessageStyleInterface = {
    backgroundColor: "transparent",
    height: "100%",
    width: "100%",
  };

  const messageComposerStyle: MessageComposerStyleInterface = {
    backgroundColor: "#fffcff",
    inputBackground: "#e2d5e8",
    textColor: "#ff299b",
    sendIconTint: "#ff0088",
  };

  const messageListConfiguration: MessageListConfigurationInterface = {
    messageListStyle: messageListStyle,
  };

  const messageComposerConfiguration: MessageComposerConfigurationInterface = {
    messageComposerStyle: messageComposerStyle,
  };

  return (
    <>
      {chatUser && (
        <CometChatMessages
          user={chatUser}
          hideDetails={true}
          disableTyping={true}
        />
      )}
    </>
  );
}

Below is a list of customizations along with corresponding code snippets

Property	Description	Code
User	Used to pass user object of which header specific details will be shown	`user={chatUser!}`
Group	Used to pass group object of which header specific details will be shown	`group={chatGroup!}`
Hide MessageComposer	Used to toggle visibility for CometChatMessageComposer, default false	`hideMessageComposer={true}`
Hide MessageHeader	Used to toggle visibility for CometChatMessageHeader, default false	`hideMessageHeader={true}`
Disable Typing	Used to toggle functionality for showing typing indicator and also enable/disable sending message delivery/read receipts	`disableTyping={true}`
Disable SoundForMessages	Used to toggle sound for messages	`disableSoundForMessages={true}`
CustomSoundForIncomingMessages	Used to set custom sound asset’s path for incoming messages	`customSoundForIncomingMessages="your custom sound for incoming call"`
CustomSoundForOutgoingMessages	Used to set custom sound asset’s path for outgoing messages	`customSoundForOutgoingMessages="your custom sound for outgoing call"`
Hide Details	Used to toggle visibility for details icon in CometChatMessageHeader	`hideDetails={true}`

Advanced

For advanced-level customization, you can set custom views to the component. This lets you tailor each aspect of the component to fit your exact needs and application aesthetics. You can create and define your views, layouts, and UI elements and then incorporate those into the component.

MessageHeaderView

You can set your custom message header view using the “ method. But keep in mind, by using this you will override the default message header functionality.

import { CometChat } from "@cometchat/chat-sdk-react-native";
import {
  CometChatMessages,
  CometChatAvatar,
} from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react-native";
import React from "react";
import { View, Text } from "react-native";

function App(): React.JSX.Element {
  const [chatUser, setChatUser] = React.useState<CometChat.User | undefined>();

  React.useEffect(() => {
    CometChat.getUser("uid").then((user) => {
      setChatUser(user);
    });
  }, []);

  const customHeaderView = ({
    user,
    group,
  }: {
    user?: CometChat.User | undefined;
    group?: CometChat.Group | undefined;
  }) => {
    const image = user ? user.getAvatar() : group?.getIcon();
    const name = user ? user.getName() : group?.getName();

    return (
      <View style={{ flexDirection: "row", alignItems: "center" }}>
        <CometChatAvatar image={{ uri: image }} name={name} />
        <Text style={{ color: "black", fontSize: 18, paddingLeft: 10 }}>
          {name}
        </Text>
      </View>
    );
  };

  return (
    <>
      {chatUser && (
        <CometChatMessages
          user={chatUser}
          MessageHeaderView={customHeaderView}
        />
      )}
    </>
  );
}

MessageListView

You can set your custom message list view using the messageListView method. But keep in mind, by using this you will override the default message ListView functionality.

import { CometChat } from "@cometchat/chat-sdk-react-native";
import {
  CometChatMessages,
  MessageListConfigurationInterface,
  MessageListStyleInterface,
  CometChatMessageList,
} from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react-native";
import React from "react";
import { View, Text } from "react-native";

function App(): React.JSX.Element {
  const [chatUser, setChatUser] = React.useState<CometChat.User | undefined>();

  React.useEffect(() => {
    CometChat.getUser("uid").then((user) => {
      setChatUser(user);
    });
  }, []);

  const messageListStyle: MessageListStyleInterface = {
    backgroundColor: "transparent",
    height: "100%",
    width: "100%",
  };

  const customMessageListView = ({
    user,
    group,
  }: {
    user?: CometChat.User | undefined;
    group?: CometChat.Group | undefined;
  }) => {
    return (
      <CometChatMessageList
        user={chatUser}
        messageListStyle={messageListStyle}
      ></CometChatMessageList>
    );
  };

  return (
    <>
      {chatUser && (
        <CometChatMessages
          user={chatUser}
          MessageListView={customMessageListView}
        />
      )}
    </>
  );
}

MessageComposerView

You can set your custom Message Composer view using the MessageComposerView method. But keep in mind, by using this you will override the default message composer functionality.

import { CometChat } from '@cometchat/chat-sdk-react-native';
import { CometChatMessages, CometChatMessageComposer, MessageComposerStyleInterface } from '@cometchat/chat-uikit-react-native';
import React from 'react';
import { View, Text } from 'react-native';

function App(): React.JSX.Element {
    const [chatUser, setChatUser] = React.useState<CometChat.User| undefined>();

    React.useEffect(() => {
        CometChat.getUser("uid").then((user) => {
            setChatUser(user);
        })
    }, []);

  const messageComposerStyle : MessageComposerStyleInterface = {
    backgroundColor:"#fffcff",
    inputBackground:"#e2d5e8",
    textColor:"#ff299b",
    sendIconTint:"#ff0088",
  };

  const customComposerView = ({user, group} : {user?: CometChat.User| undefined, group?: CometChat.Group | undefined}) => {
    return (
     <CometChatMessageComposer
         user={chatUser}
         messageComposerStyle={messageComposerStyle}
      >
     </CometChatMessageComposer>
    )
  }

    return (
        <>
            { chatUser &&
                <CometChatMessages
                    user={chatUser}
                    MessageComposerView={customComposerView}
                /> }
        </>
    );
}

AuxilaryAppBarOptions

You can set a custom header menu option by using the AuxilaryAppBarOptions method.

import { CometChat } from '@cometchat/chat-sdk-react-native';
import { CometChatMessages, CometChatMessageComposer, MessageComposerStyleInterface } from '@cometchat/chat-uikit-react-native';
import React from 'react';
import { View, Text } from 'react-native';
import Call from './Call.png';

function App(): React.JSX.Element {
    const [chatUser, setChatUser] = React.useState<CometChat.User| undefined>();

    React.useEffect(() => {
        CometChat.getUser("uid").then((user) => {
            setChatUser(user);
        })
    }, []);

    const CustomAuxilaryMenu = () =>{
      return (
        <Image source={Call} style={{ tintColor: '#6851D6', marginRight: 3 }} />
      )
    }

    return (
        <>
            { chatUser &&
                <CometChatMessages
                    user={chatUser}
                    hideDetails={true}
                    AuxilaryAppBarOptions={CustomAuxilaryMenu}
                /> }
        </>
    );
}

Configuration

Configurations offer the ability to customize the properties of each individual component within a Composite Component. The Messages Component is a Composite Component and it has a specific set of configuration for each of its components.

MessageHeader

If you want to customize the properties of the MessageHeader Component inside Messages Component, you need use the MessageHeaderConfiguration object.

import { CometChat } from "@cometchat/chat-sdk-react-native";
import {
  CometChatMessages,
  MessageHeaderConfigurationInterface,
} from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react-native";
import React from "react";

function App(): React.JSX.Element {
  const [chatUser, setChatUser] = React.useState<CometChat.User | undefined>();

  React.useEffect(() => {
    CometChat.getUser("uid").then((user) => {
      setChatUser(user);
    });
  }, []);

  const messageHeaderConfiguration: MessageHeaderConfigurationInterface = {
    //config
  };

  return (
    <>
      {chatUser && (
        <CometChatMessages
          user={chatUser}
          messageHeaderConfiguration={messageHeaderConfiguration}
        />
      )}
    </>
  );
}

The MessageHeaderConfiguration provides access to all the Action, Filters, Styles, Functionality, and Advanced properties of the MessageHeader component.

infoPlease note that the 🛑 symbol are not accessible within the Configuration Object.

Example

In this example, we will style the Avatar and MessageHeader of the MessageHeader component using MessageHeaderConfiguration.

import { CometChat } from '@cometchat/chat-sdk-react-native';
import { CometChatMessages, MessageHeaderConfigurationInterface, BorderStyleInterface, AvatarStyleInterface,
MessageHeaderStyleInterface} from '@cometchat/chat-uikit-react-native';
import React from 'react';

function App(): React.JSX.Element {
    const [chatUser, setChatUser] = React.useState<CometChat.User| undefined>();

    React.useEffect(() => {
        CometChat.getUser("uid").then((user) => {
            setChatUser(user);
        })
    }, []);

    const borderStyle : BorderStyleInterface = {
      borderStyle: "solid",
      borderColor: "#6851D6",
      borderWidth: 1
    }

    const avatarStyle : AvatarStyleInterface = {
      border: borderStyle
    }

    const messageHeaderStyle : MessageHeaderStyleInterface ={
      backgroundColor:"#f2f3ff",
      subtitleTextColor:"#2d55a6"
    }


    const messageHeaderConfiguration : MessageHeaderConfigurationInterface = {
      avatarStyle: avatarStyle,
    }

    return (
        <>
            { chatUser &&
                <CometChatMessages
                    user={chatUser}
                    messageHeaderConfiguration={messageHeaderConfiguration}
                /> }
        </>
    );
}

MessageList

If you want to customize the properties of the MessageList Component inside Messages Component, you need use the MessageListConfiguration object.

import { CometChat } from "@cometchat/chat-sdk-react-native";
import {
  CometChatMessages,
  MessageHeaderConfigurationInterface,
} from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react-native";
import React from "react";

function App(): React.JSX.Element {
  const [chatUser, setChatUser] = React.useState<CometChat.User | undefined>();

  React.useEffect(() => {
    CometChat.getUser("uid").then((user) => {
      setChatUser(user);
    });
  }, []);

  const messageListConfiguration: MessageListConfigurationInterface = {
    //configuration
  };

  return (
    <>
      {chatUser && (
        <CometChatMessages
          user={chatUser}
          messageListConfiguration={messageListConfiguration}
        />
      )}
    </>
  );
}

The MessageListConfiguration provides access to all the Action, Filters, Styles, Functionality, and Advanced properties of the MessageList component.

infoPlease note that the 🛑 symbol are not accessible within the Configuration Object.

Example

In this example, we will be changing the list alignment and modifying the message bubble styles in the MessageList component using MessageListConfiguration.

import { CometChat } from '@cometchat/chat-sdk-react-native';
import { CometChatMessages, MessageListConfigurationInterface, MessageListStyleInterface } from '@cometchat/chat-uikit-react-native';
import React from 'react';

function App(): React.JSX.Element {
    const [chatUser, setChatUser] = React.useState<CometChat.User| undefined>();

    React.useEffect(() => {
        CometChat.getUser("uid").then((user) => {
            setChatUser(user);
        })
    }, []);

  const messageListStyle : MessageListStyleInterface = {
    backgroundColor:"#f0efe6",
    height:"100%",
    width:"100%",
  };


 const messageListConfiguration : MessageListConfigurationInterface = {
    messageListStyle: messageListStyle
 }

    return (
        <>
            { chatUser &&
                <CometChatMessages
                    user={chatUser}
                    messageListConfiguration={messageListConfiguration}
                /> }
        </>
    );
}

MessageComposer

If you want to customize the properties of the MessageComposer Component inside Messages Component, you need use the MessageComposerConfiguration object.

import { CometChat } from '@cometchat/chat-sdk-react-native';
import { CometChatMessages, MessageListConfigurationInterface, MessageComposerStyleInterface, MessageComposerConfigurationInterface } from '@cometchat/chat-uikit-react-native';
import React from 'react';

function App(): React.JSX.Element {
    const [chatUser, setChatUser] = React.useState<CometChat.User| undefined>();

    React.useEffect(() => {
        CometChat.getUser("uid").then((user) => {
            setChatUser(user);
        })
    }, []);


    const messageComposerStyle : MessageComposerStyleInterface = {
       backgroundColor:"#fffcff",
       inputBackground:"#e2d5e8",
       textColor:"#ff299b",
       sendIconTint:"#ff0088",
    };


    const messageComposerConfiguration : MessageComposerConfigurationInterface = {
       messageComposerStyle: messageComposerStyle
    }

    return (
        <>
          { chatUser &&
             <CometChatMessages
                user={chatUser}
                messageComposerConfiguration={messageComposerConfiguration}
             /> }
        </>
    );
}

The MessageComposerConfiguration provides access to all the Action, Filters, Styles, Functionality, and Advanced properties of the MessageComposer component.

infoPlease note that the 🛑 symbol are not accessible within the Configuration Object.

Example

In this example, we’ll be adding styling to the message composer and custom text to the MessageComposer component using MessageComposerConfiguration.

import { CometChat } from '@cometchat/chat-sdk-react-native';
import { CometChatMessages, MessageListConfigurationInterface, MessageComposerStyleInterface, MessageComposerConfigurationInterface } from '@cometchat/chat-uikit-react-native';
import React from 'react';

function App(): React.JSX.Element {
    const [chatUser, setChatUser] = React.useState<CometChat.User| undefined>();

    React.useEffect(() => {
        CometChat.getUser("uid").then((user) => {
            setChatUser(user);
        })
    }, []);

    const messageComposerStyle : MessageComposerStyleInterface = {
       backgroundColor:"#fffcff",
       inputBackground:"#e2d5e8",
       textColor:"#ff299b",
       sendIconTint:"#ff0088",
    };


    const messageComposerConfiguration : MessageComposerConfigurationInterface = {
       messageComposerStyle: messageComposerStyle
    }

    return (
        <>
            { chatUser &&
                <CometChatMessages
                    user={chatUser}
                    messageComposerConfiguration={messageComposerConfiguration}
                /> }
        </>
    );
}

ThreadedMessages

If you want to customize the properties of the ThreadedMessages Component inside Messages Component, you need use the ThreadedMessagesConfiguration object.

import { CometChat } from '@cometchat/chat-sdk-react-native';
import { CometChatMessages, ThreadedMessagesConfigurationInterface } from '@cometchat/chat-uikit-react-native';
import React from 'react';

function App(): React.JSX.Element {
    const [chatUser, setChatUser] = React.useState<CometChat.User| undefined>();

    React.useEffect(() => {
        CometChat.getUser("uid").then((user) => {
            setChatUser(user);
        })
    }, []);

    const threadedMessagesConfiguration : ThreadedMessagesConfigurationInterface = {
       //config
    }

    return (
        <>
          { chatUser &&
             <CometChatMessages
                user={chatUser}
                threadedMessagesConfiguration={threadedMessagesConfiguration}
             /> }
        </>
    );
}

The ThreadedMessagesConfiguration provides access to all the Action, Filters, Styles, Functionality, and Advanced properties of the ThreadedMessages component.

infoPlease note that the 🛑 symbol are not accessible within the Configuration Object.

Example

In this example, we are adding a custom close icon to the Threaded Message component and also adding custom properties to the MessageList using MessageListConfiguration. We then apply these changes to the ThreadedMessages component using ThreadedMessagesConfiguration.

import { CometChat } from '@cometchat/chat-sdk-react-native';
import { CometChatMessages, ThreadedMessagesConfigurationInterface, MessageListStyleInterface,
MessageListConfigurationInterface } from '@cometchat/chat-uikit-react-native';
import React from 'react';

function App(): React.JSX.Element {
    const [chatUser, setChatUser] = React.useState<CometChat.User| undefined>();

    React.useEffect(() => {
        CometChat.getUser("uid").then((user) => {
            setChatUser(user);
        })
    }, []);

  const messageListStyle : MessageListStyleInterface = {
    backgroundColor:"#f0efe6",
    height:"100%",
    width:"100%",
  };

  const messageListConfiguration : MessageListConfigurationInterface = {
    messageListStyle: messageListStyle
  };

  const threadedMessagesConfiguration : ThreadedMessagesConfigurationInterface = {
    messageListConfiguration: messageListConfiguration
  }

  return (
    <>
      { chatUser &&
         <CometChatMessages
            user={chatUser}
            threadedMessagesConfiguration={threadedMessagesConfiguration}
        /> }
    </>
  );
}

​Usage

​Integration

​Actions

​Filters

​Events

​Customization

​Style

1. Messages Style

2. Component’s Styles

​Functionality

​Advanced

​MessageHeaderView

​MessageListView

​MessageComposerView

​AuxilaryAppBarOptions

​Configuration

​MessageHeader

​MessageList

​MessageComposer

​ThreadedMessages

Usage

Integration

Actions

Filters

Events

Customization

Style

Functionality

Advanced

MessageHeaderView

MessageListView

MessageComposerView

AuxilaryAppBarOptions

Configuration

MessageHeader

MessageList

MessageComposer

ThreadedMessages