Message Composer - CometChat Docs

Overview

MessageComposer is a Component that enables users to write and send a variety of messages, including text, image, video, and custom messages. Features such as Live Reaction, Attachments, and Message Editing are also supported by it.

MessageComposer is comprised of the following Base Components:

Base Components	Description
MessageInput	This provides a basic layout for the contents of this component, such as the TextField and buttons
ActionSheet	The ActionSheet component presents a list of options in either a list or grid mode, depending on the user’s preference

Usage

Integration

The following code snippet illustrates how you can directly incorporate the MessageComposer component into your app.

import React from "react";
import { CometChat } from "@cometchat/chat-sdk-javascript";
import { CometChatMessageComposer } from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react";

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

    return chatUser ? (
      <div>
        <CometChatMessageComposer
          user={chatUser}
        />
      </div>
    ) : null;
  }

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.

1. OnSendButtonClick

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

import React from "react";
import { CometChat } from "@cometchat/chat-sdk-javascript";
import { CometChatMessageComposer } from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react";

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

    function getOnSendButtonClick(message: CometChat.BaseMessage): void {
        console.log("your custom on send buttonclick action");
    }
    return chatUser ? (
      <div>
        <CometChatMessageComposer
          onSendButtonClick={getOnSendButtonClick}
        />
      </div>
    ) : null;
  }

2. onError

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

import React from "react";
import { CometChat } from "@cometchat/chat-sdk-javascript";
import { CometChatMessageComposer } from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react";

  export function MessageComposerDemo() {
    const [chatUser, setChatUser] = React.useState<CometChat.User>()
    React.useEffect(() => {
        CometChat.getUser("uid").then((user) => {
            setChatUser(user);
        })
    }, [])
    function handleError(error: CometChat.CometChatException) {
        throw new Error("your custom error action");
    }
    return chatUser ? (
      <div>
        <CometChatMessageComposer
          user={chatUser}
          onError={handleError}
        />
      </div>
    ) : null;
  }

Filters

MessageComposer 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 list of events emitted by the Messages component is as follows.

Event	Description
ccMessageEdited	Triggers whenever a loggedIn user edits any message from the list of messages .it will have three states such as: inProgress, success and error
ccMessageSent	Triggers whenever a loggedIn user sends any message, it will have three states such as: inProgress, success and error
ccLiveReaction	Triggers whenever a loggedIn clicks on live reaction

Adding CometChatMessageEvents Listener’s

import {CometChatMessageEvents} from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react";

const ccMessageEdited = CometChatMessageEvents.ccMessageEdited.subscribe(
 () => {
        // Your Code
  }
);

const ccMessageSent = CometChatMessageEvents.ccMessageSent.subscribe(
  () => {
        // Your Code
  }
);

const ccLiveReaction = CometChatMessageEvents.ccLiveReaction.subscribe(
  () => {
        // Your Code
  }
);

Removing CometChatMessageEvents Listener’s

ccMessageEdited?.unsubscribe();
ccMessageSent?.unsubscribe();

Customization

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

To modify the styling, you can apply the MessageComposerStyle to the MessageComposer Component using the messageComposerStyle property.

import React from "react";
import { CometChat } from "@cometchat/chat-sdk-javascript";
import { CometChatMessageComposer, MessageComposerStyle } from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react";

  export function MessageComposerDemo() {
    const [chatUser, setChatUser] = React.useState<CometChat.User>()
    React.useEffect(() => {
        CometChat.getUser("uid").then((user) => {
            setChatUser(user);
        })
    }, [])
    const messageComposerStyle = new MessageComposerStyle({
        AIIconTint:"#ec03fc",
        attachIcontint:"#ec03fc",
        background:"#fffcff",
        border:"2px solid #b30fff",
        borderRadius:"20px",
        inputBackground:"#e2d5e8",
        textColor:"#ff299b",
        sendIconTint:"#ff0088",
        liveReactionIconTint:"#ff0088"
    })
    return chatUser ? (
      <div>
        <CometChatMessageComposer
          user={chatUser}
          messageComposerStyle={messageComposerStyle}
        />
      </div>
    ) : null;
  }

The following properties are exposed by MessageComposerStyle:

Property	Description	Code
border	Used to set border	`border?: string,`
borderRadius	Used to set border radius	`borderRadius?: string;`
background	Used to set background colour	`background?: string;`
height	Used to set height	`height?: string;`
width	Used to set width	`width?: string;`
inputBackground	Used to set input background color	`inputBackground?: string;`
inputBorder	used to set input border	`inputBorder?: string;`
inputBorderRadius	used to set input border radius	`inputBorderRadius?: string;`
textFont	Used to set input text font	`textFont?: string;`
textColor	used to set input text color	`textColor?: string;`
placeHolderTextColor	Used to set placeholder text color	`placeHolderTextColor?: string;`
placeHolderTextFont	Used to set placeholder text font	`placeHolderTextFont?: string;`
attachIcontint	Used to set attachment icon tint	`attachIcontint?: string;`
sendIconTint	Used to set send button icon tint	`sendIconTint?: string;`
dividerTint	Used to set separator color	`dividerTint?: string;`
liveReactionIconTint	Used to set live reaction icon color	`liveReactionIconTint?: string;`
voiceRecordingIconTint	used to set voice recording icon color	`voiceRecordingIconTint?: string;`
emojiIconTint	used to set emoji icon color	`emojiIconTint?: string;`
AIIconTint	used to set AI icon color	`AIIconTint?: string;`
emojiKeyboardTextFont	used to set emoji keyboard text font	`emojiKeyboardTextFont?: string;`
previewTitleFont	used to set preview title font	`previewTitleFont?: string;`
previewTitleColor	used to set preview title color	`previewTitleColor?: string;`
previewSubtitleFont	used to set preview subtitle font	`previewSubtitleFont?: string;`
previewSubtitleColor	used to set preview subtitle color	`previewSubtitleColor?: string;`
closePreviewTint	used to set close preview color	`closePreviewTint?: string;`
maxInputHeight	used to set max input height	`maxInputHeight?: string;`

2. MediaRecorder Style

To customize the styles of the MediaRecorder component within the MessageComposer Component, use the mediaRecorderStyle property. For more details, please refer to MediaRecorder styles.

import React from "react";
import { CometChat } from "@cometchat/chat-sdk-javascript";
import { CometChatMessageComposer, MediaRecorderStyle } from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react";

  export function MessageComposerDemo() {
    const [chatUser, setChatUser] = React.useState<CometChat.User>()
    React.useEffect(() => {
        CometChat.getUser("uid").then((user) => {
            setChatUser(user);
        })
    }, [])
    const mediaRecorderStyle = new MediaRecorderStyle({
        background:"#f2f5fa",
        border:"2px solid #be0be6",
        closeIconTint:"#830be6",
        submitIconTint:"#c2a3ff",
        startIconTint:"#a313f0"
    })
    return chatUser ? (
      <div>
        <CometChatMessageComposer
          user={chatUser}
          mediaRecorderStyle={mediaRecorderStyle}
        />
      </div>
    ) : null;
  }

3. MentionsWarning Style

To customize the styles of the MentionsWarning within the MessageComposer Component, use the mentionsWarningStyle property.

import React from "react";
import { CometChat } from "@cometchat/chat-sdk-javascript";
import { CometChatMessageComposer } from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react";

  export function MessageComposerDemo() {
    const [chatUser, setChatUser] = React.useState<CometChat.User>()
    React.useEffect(() => {
        CometChat.getUser("uid").then((user) => {
            setChatUser(user);
        })
    }, [])
    const mentionsWarningStyle: any = ({
    backgroundColor:'red',
    height:'50px',
    width:'200px'
    });
    return chatUser ? (
      <div>
        <CometChatMessageComposer
          user={chatUser}
          mentionsWarningStyle={mentionsWarningStyle}
        />
      </div>
    ) : null;
  }

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 React from "react";
import { CometChat } from "@cometchat/chat-sdk-javascript";
import { CometChatMessageComposer } from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react";

  export function MessageComposerDemo() {
    const [chatUser, setChatUser] = React.useState<CometChat.User>()
    React.useEffect(() => {
        CometChat.getUser("uid").then((user) => {
            setChatUser(user);
        })
    }, [])
    return chatUser ? (
      <div>
        <CometChatMessageComposer
          user={chatUser}
          hideLiveReaction={true}
          disableTypingEvents={true}
        />
      </div>
    ) : null;
  }

Below is a list of customizations along with corresponding code snippets

Property	Description	Code
User report	Used to pass user object of which header specific details will be show	`user={chatUser}`
Group report	Used to pass group object of which header specific details will be shown	`group={chatGroup}`
placeHolderText	Used to set composer’s placeholder text	`placeHolderText="your custom placeholder text"`
mentionsWarningText	Text to be displayed when max limit reaches for valid mentions	`mentionsWarningText="Your Custom Mentions warning Text"`
disableTypingEvents	Used to disable/enable typing events , default false	`disableTypingEvents={true}`
disableSoundForMessages	Used to toggle sound for outgoing messages	`disableSoundForMessages={true}`
sendButtonIconURL	Used to set send button icon	`sendButtonIconURL="your custom isend button icon url"`
text	Used to set predefined text	`text="Your custom text"`
voiceRecordingStartIconURL	Sets custom icon for voice recording start.	`voiceRecordingStartIconURL="your custom voice recording start icon"`
voiceRecordingStopIconURL	Sets custom icon for voice recording stop.	`voiceRecordingStopIconURL="your custom voice recording stop icon"`
voiceRecordingCloseIconURL	Sets custom icon for voice recording close.	`voiceRecordingCloseIconURL="your custom voice recording close icon"`
voiceRecordingSubmitIconURL	Sets custom icon for voice recording submit	`voiceRecordingSubmitIconURL="your custom voice recording submit icon"`
auxiliaryButtonAlignment	controls position of auxiliary button view , can be left or right . default right	`auxiliaryButtonAlignment={AuxiliaryButtonAlignment.left}`
attachmentIconURL	sets the icon to show in the attachment button	`attachmentIconURL="your custom attachment icon url"`
hideLiveReaction	used to toggle visibility for live reaction component	`hideLiveReaction={true}`
customSoundForMessage	Used to give custom sounds to outgoing messages	`customSoundForMessage="your custom sound for messages"`
LiveReactionIconURL	used to set custom live reaction icon.	`LiveReactionIconURL="your custom live reaction icon"`
AIIconURL	used to set custom AI icon.	`AIIconURL="your custom AI icon"`
emojiIconURL	used to set custom emoji icon.	`emojiIconURL="your custom emoji icon"`
hideLayoutMode	used to hide the layout mode.	`hideLayoutMode={true}`
hideVoiceRecording	used to hide the voice recording option.	`hideVoiceRecording={true}`
Disable Mentions	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.	`disableMentions={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.

AttachmentOptions

By using attachmentOptions, you can set a list of custom MessageComposerActions for the MessageComposer Component. This will override the existing list of MessageComposerActions. Example

import React from "react";
import { CometChat } from "@cometchat/chat-sdk-javascript";
import { CometChatMessageComposer, CometChatMessageComposerAction } from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react";

  export function MessageComposerDemo() {
    const [chatUser, setChatUser] = React.useState<CometChat.User>()
    React.useEffect(() => {
        CometChat.getUser("uid").then((user) => {
            setChatUser(user);
        })
    }, [])
    return chatUser ? (
      <div>
        <CometChatMessageComposer
          user={chatUser}
          attachmentOptions={(userOrGroup, composerId) => {
            const CustomAttachment = [
                new CometChatMessageComposerAction({
                    id: 'your custom id',
                    iconURL: 'your custom icon',
                    background: 'blue',
                    title: 'Your Custom Title',
                    iconTint: '#9000ff'
                })
            ];

            if(userOrGroup instanceof CometChat.User) {
              //push user specific custom attachment options
            } else if(userOrGroup instanceof CometChat.Group) {
              //push group specific custom attachment options
            }
            return CustomAttachment;
        }}
        />
      </div>
    ) : null;
  }

AuxiliaryButtonView

You can insert a custom view into the MessageComposer component to add additional functionality using the following method. Please note that the MessageComposer Component utilizes the AuxiliaryButton to provide sticker functionality. Overriding the AuxiliaryButton will subsequently replace the sticker functionality. In this example, we’ll be adding a custom SOS button. Example

import React from "react";
import { CometChat } from "@cometchat/chat-sdk-javascript";
import { CometChatMessageComposer, IconStyle } from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react";

  export function MessageComposerDemo() {
    const [chatUser, setChatUser] = React.useState<CometChat.User>()
    React.useEffect(() => {
        CometChat.getUser("uid").then((user) => {
            setChatUser(user);
        })
    }, [])
    const getAuxiliaryButtonView = (userOrGroup: CometChat.User | CometChat.Group, composerId: ComposerId): JSX.Element => {
        const iconStyle = new IconStyle({
            iconTint:"#d400ff",
            height:"30px",
            width:"30px"
        })
        return (
            <cometchat-icon name="custom name" URL="your custom icon url" iconStyle={JSON.stringify(iconStyle)} />
        );
    };

    return chatUser ? (
      <div>
        <CometChatMessageComposer
          user={chatUser}
          auxiliaryButtonView={getAuxiliaryButtonView}
        />
      </div>
    ) : null;
  }

SecondaryButtonView

You can add a custom view into the SecondaryButton component for additional functionality using the below method. In this example, we’ll be adding a custom SOS button. Example

import React from "react";
import { CometChat } from "@cometchat/chat-sdk-javascript";
import { CometChatMessageComposer, IconStyle } from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react";

  export function MessageComposerDemo() {
    const [chatUser, setChatUser] = React.useState<CometChat.User>()
    React.useEffect(() => {
        CometChat.getUser("uid").then((user) => {
            setChatUser(user);
        })
    }, [])
    const getSecondaryButtonView = (userOrGroup: CometChat.User | CometChat.Group, composerId: ComposerId): JSX.Element => {
        const iconStyle = new IconStyle({
            iconTint:"#d400ff",
            height:"30px",
            width:"30px"
        })
        return (
            <cometchat-icon name="SOS" URL="your custom icon url" iconStyle={JSON.stringify(iconStyle)} />
        );
    };

    return chatUser ? (
      <div>
        <CometChatMessageComposer
          user={chatUser}
          secondaryButtonView={getSecondaryButtonView}
        />
      </div>
    ) : null;
  }

SendButtonView

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

import React from "react";
import { CometChat } from "@cometchat/chat-sdk-javascript";
import { CometChatMessageComposer, IconStyle } from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react";

  export function MessageComposerDemo() {
    const [chatUser, setChatUser] = React.useState<CometChat.User>()
    React.useEffect(() => {
        CometChat.getUser("uid").then((user) => {
            setChatUser(user);
        })
    }, [])
    const getSendButtonView = (userOrGroup: CometChat.User | CometChat.Group, composerId: ComposerId): JSX.Element => {
        const iconStyle = new IconStyle({
            iconTint:"#d400ff",
            height:"30px",
            width:"30px"
        })
        return (
            <cometchat-icon name="send message" URL="your custom icon url" iconStyle={JSON.stringify(iconStyle)} />
        );
    };

    return chatUser ? (
      <div>
        <CometChatMessageComposer
          user={chatUser}
          sendButtonView={getSendButtonView}
        />
      </div>
    ) : null;
  }

HeaderView

You can set custom headerView to the MessageComposer component using the following method In the following example, we’re going to apply a mock chat bot button to the MessageComposer Component using the headerView property. Example

import React from "react";
import { CometChat } from "@cometchat/chat-sdk-javascript";
import { CometChatMessageComposer } from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react";

  export function MessageComposerDemo() {
    const [chatUser, setChatUser] = React.useState<CometChat.User>()
    React.useEffect(() => {
        CometChat.getUser("uid").then((user) => {
            setChatUser(user);
        })
    }, [])
    const getHeaderView = () => {
        return (
            <div style={{ height: '40px', width: '100px', background: '#a46efa', borderRadius: '20px', display: 'flex', justifyContent: 'center', alignItems: 'center',  margin:'10px'}}>
                <button style={{ height: '40px', width: '40px', background: '#a46efa', border: 'none', display: 'flex', justifyContent: 'center', alignItems: 'center' }}>
                    <img src="custom image" style={{ height: 'auto', width: '100%', maxWidth: '100%', maxHeight: '100%', borderRadius: '50%'}} alt="bot" />
                    <span>Chat Bot</span>
                </button>
            </div>
        )
    }
    return chatUser ? (
      <div>
        <CometChatMessageComposer
          user={chatUser}
          headerView={getHeaderView()}
        />
      </div>
    ) : null;
  }

TextFormatters

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

import { CometChatTextFormatter } from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react";
import DialogHelper from './Dialog';
import {CometChat} from "@cometchat/chat-sdk-javascript";

class ShortcutFormatter extends CometChatTextFormatter {
    private shortcuts: { [key: string]: string } = {};
    private dialogIsOpen: boolean = false;
    private dialogHelper = new DialogHelper();
    private currentShortcut: string | null = null; // Track the currently open shortcut

    constructor() {
    super();
    this.setTrackingCharacter('!');
    CometChat.callExtension('message-shortcuts', 'GET', 'v1/fetch', undefined)
    .then((data: any) => {
      if (data && data.shortcuts) {
          this.shortcuts = data.shortcuts;
      }
    })
    .catch(error => console.log("error fetching shortcuts", error));
}



    onKeyDown(event: KeyboardEvent) {
        const caretPosition = this.currentCaretPosition instanceof Selection
            ? this.currentCaretPosition.anchorOffset
            : 0;
        const textBeforeCaret = this.getTextBeforeCaret(caretPosition);

        const match = textBeforeCaret.match(/!([a-zA-Z]+)$/);
        if (match) {
            const shortcut = match[0];
            const replacement = this.shortcuts[shortcut];
            if (replacement) {
                // Close the currently open dialog, if any
                if (this.dialogIsOpen && this.currentShortcut !== shortcut) {
                    this.closeDialog();
                }
                this.openDialog(replacement, shortcut);
            }
        }
    }

    getCaretPosition() {
        if (!this.currentCaretPosition?.rangeCount) return { x: 0, y: 0 };
        const range = this.currentCaretPosition?.getRangeAt(0);
        const rect = range.getBoundingClientRect();
        return {
            x: rect.left,
            y: rect.top
        };
    }

    openDialog(buttonText: string, shortcut: string) {
        this.dialogHelper.createDialog(() => this.handleButtonClick(buttonText), buttonText);
        this.dialogIsOpen = true;
        this.currentShortcut = shortcut;
    }


    closeDialog() {
        this.dialogHelper.closeDialog(); // Use DialogHelper to close the dialog
        this.dialogIsOpen = false;
        this.currentShortcut = null;
    }

    handleButtonClick = (buttonText: string) => {
        if (this.currentCaretPosition && this.currentRange) {
            // Inserting the replacement text corresponding to the shortcut
            const shortcut = Object.keys(this.shortcuts).find(key => this.shortcuts[key] === buttonText);
            if (shortcut) {
                const replacement = this.shortcuts[shortcut];
                this.addAtCaretPosition(replacement, this.currentCaretPosition, this.currentRange);
            }
        }
        if (this.dialogIsOpen) {
            this.closeDialog();
        }
    };

    getFormattedText(text: string): string {
        return text;
    }

    private getTextBeforeCaret(caretPosition: number): string {
        if (this.currentRange && this.currentRange.startContainer && typeof this.currentRange.startContainer.textContent === "string") {
            const textContent = this.currentRange.startContainer.textContent;
            if (textContent.length >= caretPosition) {
                return textContent.substring(0, caretPosition);
            }
        }
        return "";
    }
}

export default ShortcutFormatter;

Configuration

Configurations offer the ability to customize the properties of each component within a Composite Component.

UserMemberWrapper

From the MessageComposer, you can navigate to the UserMemberWrapper component as shown in the image.

If you wish to modify the properties of the UserMemberWrapper Component, you can use the UserMemberWrapperConfiguration object.

import React from "react";
import { CometChat } from "@cometchat/chat-sdk-javascript";
import { CometChatMessageComposer, UserMemberWrapperConfiguration, UserPresencePlacement } from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react";

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

    return chatUser ? (
      <div>
        <CometChatMessageComposer
          user={chatUser}
          userMemberWrapperConfiguration={new UserMemberWrapperConfiguration({
           userPresencePlacement: UserPresencePlacement.right,
           //properties of UserMemberWrapper
          })}
        />
      </div>
    ) : null;
  }

The UserMemberWrapperConfiguration indeed provides access to all the Action, Filters, Styles, Functionality, and Advanced properties of the UserMemberWrapper component. Please note that the properties marked with the report symbol are not accessible within the Configuration Object. Example

In the above example, we are styling a few properties of the UserMemberWrapper component using UserMemberWrapperConfiguration.

​Overview

​Usage

​Integration

​Actions

1. OnSendButtonClick

2. onError

​Filters

​Events

​Customization

​Style

1. MessageComposer Style

2. MediaRecorder Style

3. MentionsWarning Style

​Functionality

​Advanced

​AttachmentOptions

​AuxiliaryButtonView

​SecondaryButtonView

​SendButtonView

​HeaderView

​TextFormatters

​Configuration

​UserMemberWrapper