Message Header - CometChat Docs

Overview

CometChatMessageHeader is a Widget that showcases the User or Group details in the toolbar. Furthermore, it also presents a typing indicator and a back navigation button for ease of use.

The CometChatMessageHeader is comprised of the following components:

Components	Description
ListItem Widget	This component’s widget consists of avatar, status indicator , title, and subtitle. The fields are then mapped with the SDK’s user, group class.
Back Button	BackButton that allows users to navigate back from the current activity or screen to the previous one

Usage

Integration

You can launch CometChatMessageHeader directly using Navigator.push, or you can define it as a widget within the build method of your State class.

1. Using Navigator to Launch `CometChatMessageHeader`

Navigator.push(context, MaterialPageRoute(builder: (context) => CometChatMessageHeader())); // A user or group object is required to launch this widget.

2. Embedding `CometChatMessageHeader` as a Widget in the build Method

import 'package:cometchat_chat_uikit/cometchat_chat_uikit.dart';
import 'package:flutter/material.dart';

class MessageHeader extends StatefulWidget {
  const MessageHeader({super.key});

  @override
  State<MessageHeader> createState() => _MessageHeaderState();
}

class _MessageHeaderState extends State<MessageHeader> {

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return Scaffold(
        body: SafeArea(
            child: CometChatMessageHeader() // A user or group object is required to launch this widget.
        )
    );
  }
}

Actions

Actions dictate how a widget functions. They are divided into two types: Predefined and User-defined. You can override either type, allowing you to tailor the behavior of the widget to fit your specific needs.

1. onBack

Enhance your application’s functionality by leveraging the onBack feature. This capability allows you to customize the behavior associated with navigating back within your app. Utilize the provided code snippet to override default behaviors and tailor the user experience according to your specific requirements.

CometChatMessageHeader(
  user: user,
  onBack: () {
    // TODO("Not yet implemented")
  },
)

Filters

Filters allow you to customize the data displayed in a list within a Widget. 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 CometChatMessageHeader widget does not have any exposed filters.

Customization

To fit your app’s design requirements, you can customize the appearance of the conversation widget. 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 widget in your app, These parameters typically control elements such as the color, size, shape, and fonts used within the widget.

1. MessageHeader Style

To customize the appearance, you can assign a MessageHeaderStyle object to the CometChatMessageHeader widget.

CometChatMessageHeader(
  user: user,
  messageHeaderStyle: MessageHeaderStyle(
    background: Color(0xFFE4EBF5),
    border: Border.all(width: 3, color: Colors.red),
    borderRadius: 10,
    onlineStatusColor: Colors.red,
  ),
)

List of properties exposed by MessageHeaderStyle are as follows:

Property	Description	Code
Back Button Icon Tint	Provides color to back button	`backButtonIconTint: Color?`
Background	Background inherited from BaseStyles	`background`
Border	Border inherited from BaseStyles	`border`
Border Radius	Border radius inherited from BaseStyles	`borderRadius`
Gradient	Gradient inherited from BaseStyles	`gradient`
Height	Height inherited from BaseStyles	`height`
Online Status Color	Sets online status color	`onlineStatusColor: Color?`
Subtitle Text Style	Text style for setting subtitle text	`subtitleTextStyle: TextStyle?`
Typing Indicator Text Style	Text style for setting typing indicator text	`typingIndicatorTextStyle: TextStyle?`
Width	Width inherited from BaseStyles	`width`

2. Avatar Style

If you want to apply customized styles to the Avatar widget within the CometChatMessageHeader Widget, you can use the following code snippet. For more information you can refer Avatar Styles.

CometChatMessageHeader(
  user: user,
  avatarStyle: AvatarStyle(
      border: Border.all(width: 5),
      borderRadius: 20,
      background: Colors.red
  ),
)

3. ListItem Style

If you want to apply customized styles to the List Item widget within the CometChatMessageHeader Widget, you can use the following code snippet. For more information, you can refer ListItem Styles.

CometChatMessageHeader(
  user: user,
  listItemStyle: ListItemStyle(
      background: Color(0xFFE4EBF5),
      borderRadius: 20,
      border: Border.all(width: 2),
      margin: EdgeInsets.only(top: 10),
      padding: EdgeInsets.only(left: 10)
  ),
)

4. StatusIndicator Style

If you want to apply customized styles to the Status Indicator widget within the CometChatMessageHeader Widget, you can use the following code snippet. For more information you can refer StatusIndicator Styles.

CometChatMessageHeader(
  user: user,
  statusIndicatorStyle: StatusIndicatorStyle(
      borderRadius: 10,
      gradient: LinearGradient(colors: [Colors.red, Colors.orange], begin: Alignment.topLeft, end: Alignment.bottomRight)
  ),
)

Functionality

These are a set of small functional customizations that allow you to fine-tune the overall experience of the widget. With these, you can change text, set custom icons, and toggle the visibility of UI elements. Here is a code snippet demonstrating how you can customize the functionality of the Message Header widget.

CometChatMessageHeader(
  user: user,
  hideBackButton: true,
  disableUserPresence: true,
)

Following is a list of customizations along with their corresponding code snippets:

Property	Description	Code
Back Button	Widget for the back button	`backButton`
Disable Typing	Whether typing indicator is disabled	`disableTyping: bool`
Disable User Presence	Whether user presence is disabled	`disableUserPresence`
Group	Group object to be displayed	`group`
Hide Back Button	Whether to hide the back button	`hideBackButton`
Private Group Icon	Icon for private groups	`privateGroupIcon`
Protected Group Icon	Icon for protected groups	`protectedGroupIcon`
Theme	Theme to be applied	`theme`
User	User object to be displayed	`user`

Advanced

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

ListItemView

The CometChatMessageHeader widget consists of a ListItemView. You can customize the ListItem according to your requirements by using the .setListItemView method.

CometChatMessageHeader(
  user: user,
  listItemView: (Group? group, User? user, context) {
    return Placeholder(); // Replace this placeholder with your custom widget.
  },
)

Example Here is the complete example for reference:

custom_list_item.dart

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
import 'package:intl/intl.dart';
import '../helper/utils/custom_colors.dart';

class CustomListItems extends StatelessWidget {
  final String name;
  final DateTime? lastMessageTime;
  final String? avatarUrl;

  const CustomListItems({
    super.key,
    required this.name,
    this.lastMessageTime,
    this.avatarUrl,
  });

  String formatDateTime(DateTime dateTime) {
    final now = DateTime.now();
    final difference = now.difference(dateTime);

    if (difference.inDays == 0) {
      return DateFormat('HH:mm').format(dateTime);
    } else if (difference.inDays == 1) {
      return 'Yesterday';
    } else {
      return DateFormat('yyyy-MM-dd').format(dateTime);
    }
  }

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return Container(
      margin: const EdgeInsets.only(top: 5, bottom: 5),
      padding: const EdgeInsets.all(8.0),
      decoration: BoxDecoration(
        border: Border.all(color: Color(0xFF6851D6), width: 1), // Example border color
        borderRadius: BorderRadius.circular(8.0),
        color: Color(0xFFEEEEEE)
      ),
      child: Row(
        crossAxisAlignment: CrossAxisAlignment.center,
        children: [
          Expanded(
            child: Column(
              crossAxisAlignment: CrossAxisAlignment.start,
              mainAxisAlignment: MainAxisAlignment.center,
              children: [
                Text(
                  name,
                  style: const TextStyle(
                    fontWeight: FontWeight.bold,
                  ),
                ),
                lastMessageTime == null ? Container() : Text(formatDateTime(lastMessageTime!)),
              ],
            ),
          ),
          const SizedBox(width: 8.0),
          if (avatarUrl != null)
            ClipOval(
              child: Image.network(
                avatarUrl!,
                width: 40.0,
                height: 40.0,
                fit: BoxFit.cover,
                errorBuilder: (context, error, stackTrace) {
                  return const Icon(
                    Icons.person,
                    size: 40.0,
                  );
                },
              ),
            )
          else
            const Icon(
              Icons.person,
              size: 40.0,
            ),
        ],
      ),
    );
  }
}

main.dart

CometChatMessageHeader(
  user: user,
  listItemView: (Group? group, User? user, context) {
    return Container(
      margin: const EdgeInsets.all(10),
      decoration: BoxDecoration(
        color: Color(0xFFE4EBF5),
        borderRadius: BorderRadius.circular(10),
        border: Border.all(width: 5, color: Color(0xFF6851D6)),
      ),
      child: Center(
        child: CometChatMessageList(user: user),
      ),
    );
  },
) // Replaced the placeholder with a custom widget.

SubtitleView

You can customize the subtitle widget for each item to meet your specific preferences and needs.

CometChatMessageHeader(
  user: user,
  subtitleView: (Group? group, User? user, BuildContext context) {
    return const Row(
      children: [
        Icon(Icons.call, color: Color(0xFF6851D6), size: 25,),
        SizedBox(width: 10),
        Icon(Icons.video_call, color: Color(0xFF6851D6), size: 25,),
      ],
    );
  },
)

AppBarOptions

You can set the Custom appBarOptions to the CometChatMessageHeader widget.

CometChatMessageHeader(
  user: user,
  appBarOptions: (User? user, Group? group, BuildContext context) {
    return [
      InkWell(
        onTap: () {
          // TODO("Not yet implemented")
        },
        child: const Icon(Icons.login, color: Color(0xFF6851D6)),
      ),
      const SizedBox(width: 10)
    ];
  },
)

BackIcon

You can customize the Back Icon according to your specific requirements by using the .backButton method.

CometChatMessageHeader(
  user: user,
  backButton: (context) {
    return IconButton(
      icon: Icon(Icons.add_alert_outlined, color: Color(0xFF6851D6)),
      onPressed: () {
        // Navigator.pop(context);
      },
    );
  },
)

​Overview

​Usage

​Integration

1. Using Navigator to Launch CometChatMessageHeader

2. Embedding CometChatMessageHeader as a Widget in the build Method

​Actions

1. onBack

​Filters

​Customization

​Style