Compact Message Composer - CometChat Docs

Overview

CometChatCompactMessageComposer is a Component that provides a compact, single-line message input designed for chat applications. It offers a streamlined interface with optional rich text formatting capabilities, supporting bold, italic, strikethrough, code, links, lists, and blockquotes. Features such as Rich Text Formatting, Attachments, Message Editing, Mentions, Stickers, and Voice Recording are supported.

Usage

Integration

The following code snippet illustrates how you can directly incorporate the CompactMessageComposer component into your layout.xml file.

<com.cometchat.chatuikit.compactmessagecomposer.CometChatCompactMessageComposer
    android:id="@+id/compact_message_composer"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content" />

The CompactMessageComposer is responsible for managing runtime permissions. To ensure the ActivityResultLauncher is properly initialized, its object should be created in the onCreate state of an activity. To ensure that the composer is loaded within the fragment, it is important to make sure that the fragment is loaded in the onCreate state of the activity.

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.

setOnSendClickListener

The setOnSendClickListener event gets activated when the send message button is clicked. It has a predefined function of sending messages entered in the composer. However, you can override this action with the following code snippet.

Java
Kotlin

compactMessageComposer.setOnSendClickListener(new CometChatCompactMessageComposer.SendButtonClickListener() {
    @Override
    public void onSendClick(Context context, BaseMessage baseMessage) {
        Toast.makeText(context, "OnSendButtonClicked ..", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
    }
});

compactMessageComposer.setOnSendClickListener(
    CometChatCompactMessageComposer.SendButtonClickListener { context, baseMessage ->
        Toast.makeText(context, "OnSendButtonClicked ..", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show()
    }
)

setOnErrorListener

This action doesn’t change the behavior of the component but rather listens for any errors that occur in the CompactMessageComposer component.

Java
Kotlin

compactMessageComposer.setOnErrorListener(new CometChatCompactMessageComposer.OnErrorListener() {
    @Override
    public void onError(Exception e) {
        // Your Exception Handling code.
    }
});

compactMessageComposer.setOnErrorListener(
    CometChatCompactMessageComposer.OnErrorListener { e ->
        // Your Exception Handling code.
    }
)

setOnTextChangeListener

Function triggered whenever the message input’s text value changes, enabling dynamic text handling.

Java
Kotlin

compactMessageComposer.setOnTextChangeListener(new CometChatCompactMessageComposer.OnTextChangeListener() {
    @Override
    public void onTextChange(String text) {
        // Handle text change
    }
});

compactMessageComposer.setOnTextChangeListener(
    CometChatCompactMessageComposer.OnTextChangeListener { text ->
        // Handle text change
    }
)

setOnAttachmentClickListener

This action is triggered when the attachment button is clicked. You can override the default attachment sheet behavior with a custom implementation.

Java
Kotlin

compactMessageComposer.setOnAttachmentClickListener(new CometChatCompactMessageComposer.OnAttachmentClickListener() {
    @Override
    public void onAttachmentClick() {
        // Your custom attachment handling
    }
});

compactMessageComposer.setOnAttachmentClickListener(
    CometChatCompactMessageComposer.OnAttachmentClickListener {
        // Your custom attachment handling
    }
)

Filters

CompactMessageComposer component does not have any available filters.

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. The CompactMessageComposer Component does not emit any events of its own.

Customization

To fit your app’s design requirements, you can customize the appearance of the CompactMessageComposer 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.

<!-- active send button drawable -->
<vector xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:width="32dp"
    android:height="32dp"
    android:viewportWidth="32"
    android:viewportHeight="32">
    <path
        android:fillColor="#F76808"
        android:pathData="M16,0L16,0A16,16 0,0 1,32 16L32,16A16,16 0,0 1,16 32L16,32A16,16 0,0 1,0 16L0,16A16,16 0,0 1,16 0z" />
    <group>
        <clip-path android:pathData="M4,4h24v24h-24z" />
        <path
            android:fillColor="?attr/cometchatColorWhite"
            android:pathData="M10.767,22.723C10.465,22.843 10.178,22.818 9.907,22.646C9.636,22.474 9.5,22.223 9.5,21.894V17.673L16.423,16L9.5,14.327V10.106C9.5,9.777 9.636,9.526 9.907,9.354C10.178,9.182 10.465,9.157 10.767,9.277L24.723,15.161C25.095,15.328 25.281,15.608 25.281,16.002C25.281,16.395 25.095,16.674 24.723,16.838L10.767,22.723Z" />
    </group>
</vector>

<!-- themes.xml -->
<style name="CustomCompactMessageComposerStyle" parent="CometChatCompactMessageComposerStyle">
    <item name="cometchatCompactMessageComposerAttachmentIconTint">#F76808</item>
    <item name="cometchatCompactMessageComposerVoiceRecordingIconTint">#F76808</item>
    <item name="cometchatCompactMessageComposerStickerIconTint">#F76808</item>
    <item name="cometchatCompactMessageComposerAIIconTint">#F76808</item>
    <item name="cometchatCompactMessageComposerActiveSendButtonDrawable">
        @drawable/active_send_button
    </item>
</style>

Java
Kotlin

compactMessageComposer.setStyle(R.style.CustomCompactMessageComposerStyle);

compactMessageComposer.setStyle(R.style.CustomCompactMessageComposerStyle)

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. 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	`.setUser(user)`
Group	Used to pass group object of which header specific details will be shown	`.setGroup(group)`
setParentMessageId	Sets the parent message ID for threaded replies	`.setParentMessageId(long)`
setPlaceholderText	Sets the placeholder text for the input field	`.setPlaceholderText("Type a message...")`
setMaxLines	Maximum lines allowed to increase in the input field	`.setMaxLines(int)`
setEnterKeyBehavior	Determines the behavior of the Enter key. `SEND_MESSAGE` sends the message, `NEW_LINE` inserts a new line	`.setEnterKeyBehavior(EnterKeyBehavior.SEND_MESSAGE)`
setText	Used to set text programmatically	`.setText("Your_Text")`
setEnableRichTextFormatting	Master switch to enable or disable rich text formatting (bold, italic, etc.)	`.setEnableRichTextFormatting(boolean)`
setRichTextFormattingOptionsVisibility	Controls the visibility of the rich text formatting toolbar	`.setRichTextFormattingOptionsVisibility(View.VISIBLE)`
setShowTextSelectionMenuItems	Shows formatting options (Bold, Italic, Strikethrough, Code) in the text selection context menu	`.setShowTextSelectionMenuItems(true)`
setDisableTypingEvents	Used to disable/enable typing events, default false	`.setDisableTypingEvents(boolean)`
setDisableSoundForMessages	Used to toggle sound for outgoing messages	`.setDisableSoundForMessages(boolean)`
setCustomSoundForMessages	Used to give custom sounds to outgoing messages	`.setCustomSoundForMessages(R.raw.sound)`
setDisableMentions	Sets whether mentions in text should be disabled. Processes the text formatters. If there are text formatters available and the disableMentions flag is set to true, it removes any formatters that are instances of CometChatMentionsFormatter.	`.setDisableMentions(true)`
setDisableMentionAll	Controls whether group mentions like @all appear in suggestions	`.setDisableMentionAll(true)`
setAttachmentButtonVisibility	Hides the attachment button in the composer	`.setAttachmentButtonVisibility(View.VISIBLE)`
setVoiceRecordingButtonVisibility	Hides the voice recording button in the composer	`.setVoiceRecordingButtonVisibility(View.GONE)`
setStickerButtonVisibility	Hides the sticker button in the composer	`.setStickerButtonVisibility(View.GONE)`
setAIButtonVisibility	Hides the AI button in the composer	`.setAIButtonVisibility(View.GONE)`
setSendButtonVisibility	Hides the send button in the composer	`.setSendButtonVisibility(View.VISIBLE)`
setCameraAttachmentOptionVisibility	Controls whether camera attachments are allowed	`.setCameraAttachmentOptionVisibility(View.VISIBLE)`
setImageAttachmentOptionVisibility	Controls whether image attachments are allowed	`.setImageAttachmentOptionVisibility(View.VISIBLE)`
setVideoAttachmentOptionVisibility	Controls whether video attachments are allowed	`.setVideoAttachmentOptionVisibility(View.VISIBLE)`
setAudioAttachmentOptionVisibility	Controls whether audio attachments are allowed	`.setAudioAttachmentOptionVisibility(View.VISIBLE)`
setFileAttachmentOptionVisibility	Controls whether file attachments are allowed	`.setFileAttachmentOptionVisibility(View.VISIBLE)`
setPollAttachmentOptionVisibility	Controls whether polls can be shared	`.setPollAttachmentOptionVisibility(View.VISIBLE)`
setCollaborativeDocumentOptionVisibility	Controls whether collaborative documents can be shared	`.setCollaborativeDocumentOptionVisibility(View.VISIBLE)`
setCollaborativeWhiteboardOptionVisibility	Controls whether collaborative whiteboards can be shared	`.setCollaborativeWhiteboardOptionVisibility(View.VISIBLE)`

Rich Text Formatting

The CompactMessageComposer includes a built-in rich text editor. However, rich text formatting is disabled by default. Both the formatting toolbar and markdown syntax parsing (e.g., typing **bold**) are inactive until explicitly enabled. To fully leverage rich text formatting, you need to enable the following properties:

setEnableRichTextFormatting(true) — Master switch that activates formatting. Without this, even manually typed markdown syntax like **text** will be sent as plain text.
setRichTextFormattingOptionsVisibility(View.VISIBLE) — Shows the formatting toolbar above the input field.
setShowTextSelectionMenuItems(true) — Adds formatting options (Bold, Italic, Strikethrough, Code) to the text selection context menu.

If enableRichTextFormatting is set to false (the default), all formatting is disabled. Markdown syntax typed in the composer will be sent as plain text, and the toolbar will not appear regardless of other settings.

Supported Format Types

Format	Description	Markdown Syntax
Bold	Makes text bold	`text`
Italic	Makes text italic	`text`
Strikethrough	Strikes through text	`~~text~~`
Inline Code	Formats as inline code	`code`
Code Block	Creates a code block	```code```
Blockquote	Creates a blockquote	`> text`
Numbered List	Creates a numbered list	`1. item`
Bullet List	Creates a bullet list	`- item`
Link	Creates a hyperlink	`[text](url)`

Configuration

Java
Kotlin

// Enable rich text formatting
compactMessageComposer.setEnableRichTextFormatting(true);

// Show the formatting toolbar
compactMessageComposer.setRichTextFormattingOptionsVisibility(View.VISIBLE);

// Show formatting options in text selection menu
compactMessageComposer.setShowTextSelectionMenuItems(true);

// Set enter key to send message
compactMessageComposer.setEnterKeyBehavior(EnterKeyBehavior.SEND_MESSAGE);

// Enable rich text formatting
compactMessageComposer.isEnableRichTextFormatting = true

// Show the formatting toolbar
compactMessageComposer.richTextFormattingOptionsVisibility = View.VISIBLE

// Show formatting options in text selection menu
compactMessageComposer.isShowTextSelectionMenuItems = true

// Set enter key to send message
compactMessageComposer.setEnterKeyBehavior(EnterKeyBehavior.SEND_MESSAGE)

`enableRichTextFormatting`	`richTextFormattingOptionsVisibility`	Result
`false`	-	Plain text, no formatting
`true`	`View.GONE`	No toolbar, only text selection menu items work
`true`	`View.VISIBLE`	Toolbar visible above input, text selection menu items also enabled

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.

setTextFormatters

Assigns the list of text formatters. If the provided list is not null, it sets the list. Otherwise, it assigns the default text formatters retrieved from the data source. To configure the existing Mentions look and feel check out CometChatMentionsFormatter Example

themes.xml

<style name="CustomCompactMessageComposerMentionsStyle" parent="CometChatMessageComposerMentionsStyle">
    <item name="cometchatMentionTextAppearance">?attr/cometchatTextAppearanceBodyRegular</item>
    <item name="cometchatMentionTextColor">#000000</item>
    <item name="cometchatMentionBackgroundColor">#000000</item>
    <item name="cometchatSelfMentionTextColor">#30A46C</item>
    <item name="cometchatSelfMentionTextAppearance">?attr/cometchatTextAppearanceBodyRegular</item>
    <item name="cometchatSelfMentionBackgroundColor">#30A46C</item>
</style>

Java
Kotlin

// Initialize CometChatMentionsFormatter
CometChatMentionsFormatter mentionFormatter = new CometChatMentionsFormatter(context);

// set style to customize composer mention text
mentionFormatter.setMessageComposerMentionTextStyle(context, R.style.CustomCompactMessageComposerMentionsStyle);

// This can be passed as an array of formatter in CometChatCompactMessageComposer by using setTextFormatters method.
List<CometChatTextFormatter> textFormatters = new ArrayList<>();
textFormatters.add(mentionFormatter);
compactMessageComposer.setTextFormatters(textFormatters);

// Initialize CometChatMentionsFormatter
val mentionFormatter = CometChatMentionsFormatter(context)
// set style to customize composer mention text
mentionFormatter.setMessageComposerMentionTextStyle(context, R.style.CustomCompactMessageComposerMentionsStyle)

// This can be passed as an array of formatter in CometChatCompactMessageComposer by using setTextFormatters method.
val textFormatters: MutableList<CometChatTextFormatter> = ArrayList()
textFormatters.add(mentionFormatter)
compactMessageComposer.setTextFormatters(textFormatters)

setAttachmentOptions

By using setAttachmentOptions(), you can set a list of custom MessageComposerActions for the CompactMessageComposer Component. This will override the existing list of MessageComposerActions.

Java
Kotlin

compactMessageComposer.setAttachmentOptions(actionList);

compactMessageComposer.setAttachmentOptions(actionList)

Example In this example, we are overriding the existing MessageComposerActions List with custom actions.

Java
Kotlin

List<CometChatMessageComposerAction> actionList = new ArrayList<>();

CometChatMessageComposerAction action1 = new CometChatMessageComposerAction();
action1.setTitle("Custom Option 1");
action1.setIcon(R.drawable.ic_cp_1);
action1.setOnClick(new OnClick() {
    @Override
    public void onClick() {
        Toast.makeText(context, "Custom Option 1 !!!", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
    }
});
actionList.add(action1);

CometChatMessageComposerAction action2 = new CometChatMessageComposerAction();
action2.setTitle("Custom Option 2");
action2.setIcon(R.drawable.ic_cp_2);
action2.setOnClick(new OnClick() {
    @Override
    public void onClick() {
        Toast.makeText(context, "Custom Option 2 !!!", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
    }
});
actionList.add(action2);

compactMessageComposer.setAttachmentOptions(actionList);

val actionList = ArrayList<CometChatMessageComposerAction>()

val action1 = CometChatMessageComposerAction()
action1.title = "Custom Option 1"
action1.icon = R.drawable.ic_cp_1
action1.onClick = {
    Toast.makeText(context, "Custom Option 1 !!!", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show()
}
actionList.add(action1)

val action2 = CometChatMessageComposerAction()
action2.title = "Custom Option 2"
action2.icon = R.drawable.ic_cp_2
action2.onClick = {
    Toast.makeText(context, "Custom Option 2 !!!", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show()
}
actionList.add(action2)

compactMessageComposer.setAttachmentOptions(actionList)

setAuxiliaryButtonView

You can insert a custom view into the CompactMessageComposer component to add additional functionality using the following method.

Java
Kotlin

compactMessageComposer.setAuxiliaryButtonView(view);

compactMessageComposer.setAuxiliaryButtonView(view)

Please note that the CompactMessageComposer Component utilizes the AuxiliaryButton to provide sticker functionality. Overriding the AuxiliaryButton will subsequently replace the sticker functionality. Example In this example, we’ll be adding a custom button with click functionality. You’ll first need to create a layout file and then inflate it inside the .setAuxiliaryButtonView() function.

Java
Kotlin

ImageView imageView = new ImageView(this);
imageView.setImageResource(R.drawable.save_icon);
LinearLayout linearLayout = new LinearLayout(this);
linearLayout.setOrientation(LinearLayout.HORIZONTAL);

linearLayout.addView(imageView);
compactMessageComposer.setAuxiliaryButtonView(linearLayout);

val imageView = ImageView(this)
imageView.setImageResource(R.drawable.save_icon)
val linearLayout = LinearLayout(this)
linearLayout.orientation = LinearLayout.HORIZONTAL

linearLayout.addView(imageView)
compactMessageComposer.setAuxiliaryButtonView(linearLayout)

setSendButtonView

You can set a custom view in place of the already existing send button view using the following method.

Java
Kotlin

compactMessageComposer.setSendButtonView(view);

compactMessageComposer.setSendButtonView(view)

Example

drawable/custom_send_button.xml

<vector xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:width="32dp"
    android:height="32dp"
    android:viewportWidth="32"
    android:viewportHeight="32">
  <path
      android:pathData="M4,0L28,0A4,4 0,0 1,32 4L32,28A4,4 0,0 1,28 32L4,32A4,4 0,0 1,0 28L0,4A4,4 0,0 1,4 0z"
      android:fillColor="#EDEAFA"/>
  <path
      android:pathData="M16.977,24.922C16.612,24.922 16.349,24.792 16.188,24.531C16.026,24.271 15.888,23.945 15.773,23.555L14.531,19.43C14.458,19.169 14.432,18.961 14.453,18.805C14.474,18.643 14.56,18.482 14.711,18.32L22.688,9.719C22.734,9.672 22.758,9.62 22.758,9.563C22.758,9.505 22.737,9.458 22.695,9.422C22.654,9.385 22.604,9.367 22.547,9.367C22.495,9.362 22.445,9.383 22.398,9.43L13.828,17.438C13.656,17.594 13.49,17.682 13.328,17.703C13.167,17.719 12.961,17.688 12.711,17.609L8.492,16.328C8.117,16.213 7.807,16.078 7.563,15.922C7.318,15.76 7.195,15.5 7.195,15.141C7.195,14.859 7.307,14.617 7.531,14.414C7.755,14.211 8.031,14.047 8.359,13.922L21.797,8.773C21.979,8.706 22.148,8.654 22.305,8.617C22.466,8.576 22.612,8.555 22.742,8.555C22.997,8.555 23.198,8.628 23.344,8.773C23.49,8.919 23.563,9.12 23.563,9.375C23.563,9.51 23.542,9.656 23.5,9.813C23.463,9.969 23.412,10.138 23.344,10.32L18.227,23.688C18.081,24.063 17.906,24.362 17.703,24.586C17.5,24.81 17.258,24.922 16.977,24.922Z"
      android:fillColor="#6852D6"/>
</vector>

Java
Kotlin

ImageView imageView = new ImageView(this);
imageView.setImageResource(R.drawable.custom_send_button);
imageView.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
    @Override
    public void onClick(View view) {
        Toast.makeText(YourActivity.this, "Custom Send Button Clicked !!!", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
    }
});
compactMessageComposer.setSendButtonView(imageView);

val imageView = ImageView(this)
imageView.setImageResource(R.drawable.custom_send_button)
imageView.setOnClickListener {
    Toast
        .makeText(this@YourActivity, "Custom Send Button Clicked !!!", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT)
        .show()
}
compactMessageComposer.setSendButtonView(imageView)

setHeaderView

You can set custom headerView to the CompactMessageComposer component using the following method.

Java
Kotlin

compactMessageComposer.setHeaderView(view);

compactMessageComposer.setHeaderView(view)

Example In the following example, we’re going to apply a mock smart reply view to the CompactMessageComposer Component using the .setHeaderView() method.

custom_header_layout.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:orientation="horizontal">

    <com.google.android.material.card.MaterialCardView
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_marginStart="@dimen/cometchat_10dp"
        android:layout_marginTop="@dimen/cometchat_margin_1"
        android:layout_marginEnd="@dimen/cometchat_10dp"
        android:layout_marginBottom="@dimen/cometchat_margin_1"
        android:elevation="0dp"
        app:cardBackgroundColor="#EDEAFA"
        app:cardCornerRadius="@dimen/cometchat_10dp"
        app:cardElevation="0dp">

        <LinearLayout
            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:layout_marginStart="@dimen/cometchat_padding_3"
            android:layout_marginTop="@dimen/cometchat_padding_1"
            android:layout_marginEnd="@dimen/cometchat_padding_3"
            android:layout_marginBottom="@dimen/cometchat_padding_1"
            android:gravity="center_vertical"
            android:orientation="horizontal">

            <ImageView
                android:layout_width="20dp"
                android:layout_height="@dimen/cometchat_20dp"
                android:src="@drawable/ic_calls"
                app:tint="?attr/cometchatPrimaryColor" />

            <TextView
                android:layout_width="wrap_content"
                android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                android:layout_marginStart="@dimen/cometchat_margin_1"
                android:text="Notes"
                android:textAppearance="?attr/cometchatTextAppearanceBodyRegular"
                android:textColor="?attr/cometchatTextColorPrimary" />
        </LinearLayout>
    </com.google.android.material.card.MaterialCardView>

</LinearLayout>

Java
Kotlin

View view = getLayoutInflater().inflate(R.layout.custom_header_layout, null);
compactMessageComposer.setHeaderView(view);

val view: View = LayoutInflater.from(context).inflate(R.layout.custom_header_layout, null)
compactMessageComposer.setHeaderView(view)

setFooterView

You can set a custom footer view to the CompactMessageComposer component using the following method.

Java
Kotlin

compactMessageComposer.setFooterView(view);

compactMessageComposer.setFooterView(view)

​Overview

​Usage

​Integration

​Actions

setOnSendClickListener

setOnErrorListener

setOnTextChangeListener

setOnAttachmentClickListener

​Filters

​Events

​Customization

​Style

​Functionality

​Rich Text Formatting

​Supported Format Types

​Configuration

​Advanced

​setTextFormatters

​setAttachmentOptions

​setAuxiliaryButtonView

​setSendButtonView

​setHeaderView

​setFooterView

Overview

Usage

Integration

Actions

Filters

Events

Customization

Style

Functionality

Rich Text Formatting

Supported Format Types

Configuration

Advanced

setTextFormatters

setAttachmentOptions

setAuxiliaryButtonView

setSendButtonView

setHeaderView

setFooterView