> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.cometchat.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Tab-Based Chat

> Build a tab-based messaging UI with chats, calls, users, and groups in React.js with CometChat UI Kit.

<Accordion title="AI Integration Quick Reference">
  | Field        | Value                                                                                                                                                            |
  | ------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
  | Package      | `@cometchat/chat-uikit-react`                                                                                                                                    |
  | Framework    | React.js                                                                                                                                                         |
  | Components   | `CometChatConversations`, `CometChatCallLogs`, `CometChatUsers`, `CometChatGroups`, `CometChatMessageHeader`, `CometChatMessageList`, `CometChatMessageComposer` |
  | Layout       | Tabbed sidebar (Chats, Calls, Users, Groups) + message view                                                                                                      |
  | Prerequisite | Complete [React.js Integration](/ui-kit/react/react-js-integration) Steps 1–5 first                                                                              |
  | Pattern      | Full-featured messaging app with multiple sections                                                                                                               |
</Accordion>

This guide builds a tabbed messaging UI — Chats, Calls, Users, and Groups tabs in the sidebar, with a message view on the right. Good for full-featured apps that need more than just conversations.

This assumes you've already completed [React.js Integration](/ui-kit/react/react-js-integration) (project created, UI Kit installed, init + login working, CSS imported).

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/cometchat-22654f5b/8ODUflBxloB1jkgP/images/010808a2-multi_tab_ui_web_screens-4c6055da929b73c11d7d45b0112fd5fc.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=8ODUflBxloB1jkgP&q=85&s=1454a2402166c9939b57d59a834f2e32" width="1282" height="802" data-path="images/010808a2-multi_tab_ui_web_screens-4c6055da929b73c11d7d45b0112fd5fc.png" />
</Frame>

[<img src="https://mintcdn.com/cometchat-22654f5b/yTI4I4kRxoDgb1t-/images/30d34521-play-codesandbox.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=yTI4I4kRxoDgb1t-&q=85&s=0f01bdcfd9001740f479687e70911c7c" width="165" height="32" data-path="images/30d34521-play-codesandbox.svg" />](https://link.cometchat.com/react-tabs-sidebar-message)

> Fork the sandbox, insert your CometChat credentials (App ID, Region, Auth Key), and preview the UI in real time.

***

## What You're Building

Three sections working together:

1. **Tab bar** — switches between Chats, Calls, Users, and Groups
2. **Sidebar** — renders the list for the active tab (conversations, call logs, users, or groups)
3. **Message view** — header + messages + composer for the selected item

***

## Step 1 — Create the Tab Component

Create a `CometChatTabs` folder inside `src/`:

<Tree>
  <Tree.Folder name="src" defaultOpen>
    <Tree.Folder name="CometChatTabs" defaultOpen>
      <Tree.Folder name="assets" defaultOpen>
        <Tree.File name="chats.svg" />

        <Tree.File name="calls.svg" />

        <Tree.File name="users.svg" />

        <Tree.File name="groups.svg" />
      </Tree.Folder>

      <Tree.File name="CometChatTabs.tsx" />

      <Tree.File name="CometChatTabs.css" />
    </Tree.Folder>
  </Tree.Folder>
</Tree>

Download the tab icons from the [CometChat UI Kit assets folder on GitHub](https://github.com/cometchat/cometchat-uikit-react/tree/v6/sample-app/src/assets).

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="TypeScript">
    ```tsx title="CometChatTabs.tsx" lines theme={null}
    import { useState } from "react";
    import chatsIcon from "./assets/chats.svg";
    import callsIcon from "./assets/calls.svg";
    import usersIcon from "./assets/users.svg";
    import groupsIcon from "./assets/groups.svg";
    import "./CometChatTabs.css";

    export const CometChatTabs = (props: {
      onTabClicked?: (tabItem: { name: string; icon?: string }) => void;
      activeTab?: string;
    }) => {
      const { onTabClicked = () => {}, activeTab } = props;
      const [hoverTab, setHoverTab] = useState("");

      const tabItems = [
        { name: "CHATS", icon: chatsIcon },
        { name: "CALLS", icon: callsIcon },
        { name: "USERS", icon: usersIcon },
        { name: "GROUPS", icon: groupsIcon },
      ];

      return (
        <div className="cometchat-tab-component">
          {tabItems.map((tabItem) => (
            <div
              key={tabItem.name}
              className="cometchat-tab-component__tab"
              onClick={() => onTabClicked(tabItem)}
            >
              <div
                className={
                  activeTab === tabItem.name.toLowerCase() ||
                  hoverTab === tabItem.name.toLowerCase()
                    ? "cometchat-tab-component__tab-icon cometchat-tab-component__tab-icon-active"
                    : "cometchat-tab-component__tab-icon"
                }
                style={
                  tabItem.icon
                    ? {
                        WebkitMaskImage: `url("${tabItem.icon}")`,
                        maskImage: `url("${tabItem.icon}")`,
                      }
                    : undefined
                }
                onMouseEnter={() => setHoverTab(tabItem.name.toLowerCase())}
                onMouseLeave={() => setHoverTab("")}
              />
              <div
                className={
                  activeTab === tabItem.name.toLowerCase() ||
                  hoverTab === tabItem.name.toLowerCase()
                    ? "cometchat-tab-component__tab-text cometchat-tab-component__tab-text-active"
                    : "cometchat-tab-component__tab-text"
                }
                onMouseEnter={() => setHoverTab(tabItem.name.toLowerCase())}
                onMouseLeave={() => setHoverTab("")}
              >
                {tabItem.name}
              </div>
            </div>
          ))}
        </div>
      );
    };
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="CSS">
    ```css title="CometChatTabs.css" lines theme={null}
    .cometchat-tab-component {
      display: flex;
      width: 100%;
      padding: 0px 8px;
      align-items: flex-start;
      gap: 8px;
      border-top: 1px solid var(--cometchat-border-color-light, #F5F5F5);
      border-right: 1px solid var(--cometchat-border-color-light, #F5F5F5);
      background: var(--cometchat-background-color-01, #FFF);
    }

    .cometchat-tab-component__tab {
      display: flex;
      padding: 12px 0px 10px 0px;
      flex-direction: column;
      justify-content: center;
      align-items: center;
      gap: 4px;
      flex: 1 0 0;
      min-height: 48px;
    }

    .cometchat-tab-component__tab-icon {
      display: flex;
      width: 32px;
      height: 32px;
      justify-content: center;
      align-items: center;
      background: var(--cometchat-icon-color-secondary, #A1A1A1);
      -webkit-mask-size: contain;
      -webkit-mask-position: center;
      -webkit-mask-repeat: no-repeat;
      mask-size: contain;
      mask-position: center;
      mask-repeat: no-repeat;
      cursor: pointer;
    }

    .cometchat-tab-component__tab-text {
      color: var(--cometchat-text-color-secondary, #727272);
      text-align: center;
      font: var(--cometchat-font-caption1-medium, 500 12px Roboto);
      cursor: pointer;
    }

    .cometchat-tab-component__tab-icon-active {
      background: var(--cometchat-icon-color-highlight);
    }

    .cometchat-tab-component__tab-text-active {
      color: var(--cometchat-text-color-highlight);
    }
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

***

## Step 2 — Create the Sidebar Component

The sidebar renders the list for whichever tab is active, plus the tab bar at the bottom.

<Tree>
  <Tree.Folder name="src" defaultOpen>
    <Tree.Folder name="CometChatSelector" defaultOpen>
      <Tree.File name="CometChatSelector.tsx" />

      <Tree.File name="CometChatSelector.css" />
    </Tree.Folder>
  </Tree.Folder>
</Tree>

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="TypeScript">
    ```tsx title="CometChatSelector.tsx" lines theme={null}
    import { useEffect, useState } from "react";
    import {
      Call,
      Conversation,
      Group,
      User,
      CometChat,
    } from "@cometchat/chat-sdk-javascript";
    import {
      CometChatCallLogs,
      CometChatConversations,
      CometChatGroups,
      CometChatUIKitLoginListener,
      CometChatUsers,
    } from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react";
    import { CometChatTabs } from "../CometChatTabs/CometChatTabs";
    import "./CometChatSelector.css";

    interface SelectorProps {
      onSelectorItemClicked?: (
        input: User | Group | Conversation | Call,
        type: string
      ) => void;
    }

    export const CometChatSelector = (props: SelectorProps) => {
      const { onSelectorItemClicked = () => {} } = props;
      const [loggedInUser, setLoggedInUser] = useState<CometChat.User | null>();
      const [activeItem, setActiveItem] = useState<
        CometChat.Conversation | CometChat.User | CometChat.Group | CometChat.Call | undefined
      >();
      const [activeTab, setActiveTab] = useState<string>("chats");

      useEffect(() => {
        const user = CometChatUIKitLoginListener.getLoggedInUser();
        setLoggedInUser(user);
      }, []);

      return (
        <>
          {loggedInUser && (
            <>
              {activeTab === "chats" ? (
                <CometChatConversations
                  activeConversation={
                    activeItem instanceof CometChat.Conversation ? activeItem : undefined
                  }
                  onItemClick={(e) => {
                    setActiveItem(e);
                    onSelectorItemClicked(e, "updateSelectedItem");
                  }}
                />
              ) : activeTab === "calls" ? (
                <CometChatCallLogs
                  activeCall={
                    activeItem instanceof CometChat.Call ? activeItem : undefined
                  }
                  onItemClick={(e: Call) => {
                    setActiveItem(e);
                    onSelectorItemClicked(e, "updateSelectedItemCall");
                  }}
                />
              ) : activeTab === "users" ? (
                <CometChatUsers
                  activeUser={
                    activeItem instanceof CometChat.User ? activeItem : undefined
                  }
                  onItemClick={(e) => {
                    setActiveItem(e);
                    onSelectorItemClicked(e, "updateSelectedItemUser");
                  }}
                />
              ) : activeTab === "groups" ? (
                <CometChatGroups
                  activeGroup={
                    activeItem instanceof CometChat.Group ? activeItem : undefined
                  }
                  onItemClick={(e) => {
                    setActiveItem(e);
                    onSelectorItemClicked(e, "updateSelectedItemGroup");
                  }}
                />
              ) : null}
            </>
          )}
          <CometChatTabs
            activeTab={activeTab}
            onTabClicked={(item) => setActiveTab(item.name.toLowerCase())}
          />
        </>
      );
    };
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="CSS">
    ```css title="CometChatSelector.css" lines theme={null}
    /* Menu icon in conversation header */
    .selector-wrapper .cometchat-conversations .cometchat-list__header-menu .cometchat-button__icon {
      background: var(--cometchat-icon-color-primary);
    }

    .cometchat-conversations .cometchat-list__header-menu .cometchat-button__icon:hover {
      background: var(--cometchat-icon-color-highlight);
    }

    .cometchat-list__header-search-bar {
      border-right: none;
    }

    .cometchat .cometchat-menu-list__sub-menu-list-item {
      text-align: left;
    }

    .cometchat .cometchat-conversations .cometchat-menu-list__sub-menu-list {
      width: 212px;
      top: 40px !important;
      left: 172px !important;
    }

    /* Logged-in user section */
    #logged-in-user {
      border-bottom: 2px solid var(--cometchat-border-color-default, #E8E8E8);
    }

    #logged-in-user .cometchat-menu-list__sub-menu-item-title,
    #logged-in-user .cometchat-menu-list__sub-menu-list-item {
      cursor: default;
    }

    .cometchat-menu-list__sub-menu-list-item-icon-log-out {
      background-color: var(--cometchat-error-color, #F44649);
    }

    .cometchat-menu-list__sub-menu-item-title-log-out {
      color: var(--cometchat-error-color, #F44649);
    }

    .chat-menu .cometchat .cometchat-menu-list__sub-menu-item-title {
      cursor: pointer;
    }

    .chat-menu .cometchat .cometchat-menu-list__sub-menu {
      box-shadow: none;
    }

    .chat-menu .cometchat .cometchat-menu-list__sub-menu-icon {
      background-color: var(--cometchat-icon-color-primary, #141414);
      width: 24px;
      height: 24px;
    }
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

Key points:

* The `activeTab` state drives which list component renders — `CometChatConversations`, `CometChatCallLogs`, `CometChatUsers`, or `CometChatGroups`.
* Each list component passes its selection back to the parent via `onSelectorItemClicked` with a type string so the parent knows what was selected.
* `CometChatTabs` renders at the bottom of the sidebar.

***

## Step 3 — Update App.tsx and App.css

Wire everything together. The app handles selections from any tab — conversations, users, groups, or calls.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="TypeScript">
    ```tsx title="App.tsx" lines theme={null}
    import { useState } from "react";
    import {
      CometChatMessageComposer,
      CometChatMessageHeader,
      CometChatMessageList,
    } from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react";
    import { CometChat } from "@cometchat/chat-sdk-javascript";
    import { CometChatSelector } from "./CometChatSelector/CometChatSelector";
    import "./App.css";
    import "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react/css-variables.css";

    function App() {
      const [selectedUser, setSelectedUser] = useState<CometChat.User | undefined>(undefined);
      const [selectedGroup, setSelectedGroup] = useState<CometChat.Group | undefined>(undefined);
      const [selectedCall, setSelectedCall] = useState<CometChat.Call | undefined>(undefined);

      return (
        <div className="conversations-with-messages">
          {/* Sidebar — tabs + list */}
          <div className="conversations-wrapper">
            <CometChatSelector
              onSelectorItemClicked={(activeItem) => {
                let item = activeItem;

                // Extract user/group from Conversation object
                if (activeItem instanceof CometChat.Conversation) {
                  item = activeItem.getConversationWith();
                }

                if (item instanceof CometChat.User) {
                  setSelectedUser(item as CometChat.User);
                  setSelectedGroup(undefined);
                  setSelectedCall(undefined);
                } else if (item instanceof CometChat.Group) {
                  setSelectedUser(undefined);
                  setSelectedGroup(item as CometChat.Group);
                  setSelectedCall(undefined);
                } else if (item instanceof CometChat.Call) {
                  // Add custom logic for call details here
                  setSelectedUser(undefined);
                  setSelectedGroup(undefined);
                  setSelectedCall(item as CometChat.Call);
                }
              }}
            />
          </div>

          {/* Message view */}
          {selectedUser || selectedGroup || selectedCall ? (
            <div className="messages-wrapper">
              <CometChatMessageHeader user={selectedUser} group={selectedGroup} />
              <CometChatMessageList user={selectedUser} group={selectedGroup} />
              <CometChatMessageComposer user={selectedUser} group={selectedGroup} />
            </div>
          ) : (
            <div className="empty-conversation">
              Select a conversation to start chatting
            </div>
          )}
        </div>
      );
    }

    export default App;
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="CSS">
    ```css title="App.css" lines theme={null}
    @import url("@cometchat/chat-uikit-react/css-variables.css");

    #root {
      text-align: center;
      width: 100vw;
      height: 100vh;
      background-color: #282c34;
    }

    /* Two-panel layout */
    .conversations-with-messages {
      display: flex;
      height: 100%;
      width: 100%;
      flex-direction: row;
    }

    /* Left panel — tabs + list */
    .conversations-wrapper {
      height: 100vh;
      width: 480px;
      overflow: hidden;
      display: flex;
      flex-direction: column;
    }

    .conversations-wrapper > .cometchat {
      overflow: hidden;
    }

    /* Right panel — messages */
    .messages-wrapper {
      width: 100%;
      height: 100vh;
      display: flex;
      flex-direction: column;
    }

    /* Empty state */
    .empty-conversation {
      height: 100vh;
      width: 100%;
      display: flex;
      justify-content: center;
      align-items: center;
      background: var(--cometchat-background-color-03, #F5F5F5);
      color: var(--cometchat-text-color-secondary, #727272);
      font: var(--cometchat-font-body-regular, 400 14px Roboto);
    }

    .cometchat .cometchat-message-composer {
      border-radius: 0px;
    }
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

How it works:

* Selections from any tab (Chats, Calls, Users, Groups) flow through the same `onSelectorItemClicked` callback.
* Conversation items are unwrapped via `getConversationWith()` to extract the underlying `User` or `Group`.
* Call selections are tracked separately in `selectedCall` — add your own call details UI as needed.
* Only one of `selectedUser` / `selectedGroup` / `selectedCall` is set at a time — the others are cleared.

***

## Step 4 — Run the Project

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Vite">
    ```bash lines theme={null}
    npm run dev
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Create React App">
    ```bash lines theme={null}
    npm start
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

You should see the tab bar at the bottom of the sidebar. Switch between Chats, Calls, Users, and Groups — tapping any item loads the message view on the right.

***

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Theming" icon="paintbrush" href="/ui-kit/react/theme">
    Customize colors, fonts, and styles to match your brand
  </Card>

  <Card title="Components Overview" icon="grid-2" href="/ui-kit/react/components-overview">
    Browse all prebuilt UI components
  </Card>

  <Card title="React.js Integration" icon="react" href="/ui-kit/react/react-js-integration">
    Back to the main setup guide
  </Card>

  <Card title="Core Features" icon="comments" href="/ui-kit/react/core-features">
    Chat features included out of the box
  </Card>
</CardGroup>